Walt Disney World tourists enjoy day at park ahead of Hurricane Milton – as workers worry about houses: ‘Kind of crazy’

When Orlando’s theme parks opened Wednesday morning, a group of tourists showed up — determined to enjoy even a half-day of fun before Hurricane Milton hit central Florida — while the employees who greeted them worried about what the storm’s fury could do to their families. Houses.

“It’s about to get interesting,” Dr. Craig Chavis, a chiropractor from Maryland, posted on Instagram, with photos of his rain-soaked family enjoying the Magic Kingdom.

“But the park was almost empty today.”

Spokespeople for Walt Disney World and Universal Studios told The Post they were monitoring the weather and decided to remain open Wednesday morning and that guests were welcome to join them.

But not everyone was happy to see the guests, who were not deterred.

Surrounding restaurants, stores and gas stations also remained open, sometimes over the objections of their employees.

Follow the latest news from The Post on Hurricane Milton:

“They got a precious few hours of fun,” said Amy Chavers, who waits tables at a family restaurant near the parks.

“Good for them. Meanwhile, I don’t know what’s going on at home with my kids, and the rain is getting worse. But it’s good for them that they got to see Mickey.”

A Disney employee echoed this sentiment.

“I didn’t really want to go to work today,” said the woman who works at one of the shops at the Magic Kingdom.

“Everyone who works today has a home and a life outside of work, and we don’t know if that life will disappear or not. But we had to be cheerful and optimistic anyway. It’s kind of crazy.”

When the parks closed at 1pm on Wednesday, most workers were sent home, although some essential staff stayed on throughout the evening.

Both Disney and Universal Studios will be closed Thursday and are expected to reopen Friday after Milton passes.