Hurricane Milton: What to know if you are traveling to Florida
Editor's Note
Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida on Wednesday, coming ashore on the state's west coast and moving east toward the Atlantic Ocean.
Milton arrived as a Category 3 hurricane (the highest level is Category 5) just south of the Tampa Bay area Wednesday evening, and it triggered a staggering 116 tornado warnings. Damage reached as far as Palm Beach County on the state's east coast. The storm's strong winds ripped the roof off Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, and the storm's aftermath was still being felt across the state Thursday.
Forecasters predicted a storm surge of 8 to 12 feet and anywhere from 5 to 18 inches of rain in some areas. Parts of Florida are still under mandatory evacuation orders.
If you have an upcoming trip to Florida scheduled, you'll want to stay abreast of the developments in your specific destination. The impact of damage caused by Hurricane Milton will largely depend on where you plan to visit. However, if you have plans to visit the western coast of the state this week, you will need to adjust your trip.
Here's what you need to know about travel to Florida right now.
Is it safe to travel to Florida?
You should proceed with caution — or change your travel plans — if you have a trip to Central Florida, the state's west coast or Palm Beach County scheduled for this week.
The west coast regions of Tampa and Sarasota and their surrounding areas are still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Helene, which made landfall just two weeks ago. These cities have already been asking visitors to stay away.
"Lido Beach is CLOSED," the Sarasota government website said as of Oct. 1. "Beachgoers and 'disaster tourists' are slowing down and impeding our storm recovery efforts. There are no restrooms, concessions, lifeguards, or other amenities. There may be seen and unseen hazards on the beach. Please stay off the beach and allow City staff to continue with recovery efforts in the area."
The state's official tourism website, Visit Florida, has updated information as state officials tally the damage and begin opening roads and airports.
Poweroutage.us reports that more than 2.2 million people across Florida are without power as of Friday afternoon.
Theme park updates
Milton traveled across a wide section of the state, including Tampa and Orlando, where many of Florida's most popular theme parks reside.
Walt Disney World closed its four theme parks, two water parks and Disney Springs on Wednesday afternoon and kept them closed Thursday. The parks are open and operating normally as of Friday. Disney's Typhoon Lagoon water park is expected to reopen Saturday.
Certain accommodations, including Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort and the Treehouse Villas at Disney's Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa, are also closed temporarily with no planned reopening date. All other accommodations are operational.
Universal Studios Orlando, Universal Islands of Adventure, Universal Orlando CityWalk and Universal Volcano Bay closed Wednesday afternoon and remained closed Thursday. Halloween Horror Nights events at Universal Studios Orlando were also canceled Thursday. Normal operations — including Halloween Horror Nights — resumed Friday.
Legoland Florida and SeaWorld Orlando closed through Thursday but have now reopened. Busch Gardens Tampa Bay remains closed, and no reopening date has been announced.
Most parks have a severe weather policy for guests affected by the hurricane. For further details, call customer service or refer to the park's website.
Related: Here's what happens when Disney World is hit by a hurricane
Airline and airport closures in Florida
Tampa International Airport (TPA) halted operations Tuesday morning but has now reopened.
St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) — where Allegiant Air operates commercial flights — closed Tuesday afternoon after the last flight departed, the airport said. Allegiant has canceled all flights at PIE through at least Friday. The airport has not announced when it will reopen.
Orlando International Airport (MCO) ceased commercial and private flights Wednesday morning while leaving the airport open to emergency aid flights. The airport reopened Friday.
Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) in Fort Myers reopened at 9 a.m. Friday.
Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) closed Wednesday evening. It reopened Friday but warned: "There are still some cancellations so check with your airline before coming to the airport."
Airlines that service Florida offered a variety of travel waivers because of the storm. The particulars of each waiver varied, but they generally applied to flights to, from or through various airports in Florida between Tuesday and Thursday. With the waivers, travelers can change their flights without having to pay a difference in fares. Generally, the new travel date must be by Oct. 17.
Check with your airline for more details if you have travel coming up this week.
When will Florida airports reopen?
Most of the airports that closed to prepare for Hurricane Milton are now open and operational.
Tampa International Airport (TPA), Orlando International Airport (MCO), Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB), Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW) and Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) resumed full commercial operations as of Friday. These airports still advise travelers to contact their airline directly for delays and cancellations, as some flights may still be affected.
St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) and Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB) are still assessing damage and have not yet announced reopening dates.
Sarasota Bradenton International Airport (SRQ) plans to reopen Saturday morning.
What to do if you have a hotel or Airbnb booked in Florida
Now is the time to proactively change your reservation. If you reserved directly with a hotel, first check its website and see if it has posted any updates. You can also call the hotel directly or the main reservations number. Keep in mind that many properties may likely be managing the crisis, so calling the property directly should be a last option.
If you booked through a third-party online travel agency or aggregator like Expedia or Travelocity, it's important to understand the cancellation policy. The OTA still owns your reservation prior to your travel; if you contact the hotel directly, it will likely refer you back to the OTA or travel portal for assistance.
For affected hotels available on Expedia and Hotels.com, the companies are waiving cancellation policies. You'll be able to get a full refund for areas that fall in Milton's path. Customer care teams are available 24 hours a day to help with rebooking and cancellations for Expedia and Hotels.com.
Vrbo has activated its extenuating circumstances policy, which will allow travelers to get a full refund for trips not yet started and partial refunds for trips already underway in the affected areas. Vrbo will also refund the full traveler service fee for those affected.
Airbnb.org is also offering temporary housing to people affected by hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Related: What to know if you're staying at a hotel affected by Hurricane Milton
What to do if you have a cruise leaving from Florida
Port Tampa Bay was undamaged, but many areas around the area remain without power. The port has moved to "recovery" status (which means it has reopened but is assessing conditions) and has said passengers booked on sailings departing soon should contact their cruise lines directly for information on upcoming voyages.
Both JaxPort in Jacksonville and Port Canaveral (the port for Orlando) have reopened to people working in land-based offices. However, at this time, all shoreside ship operations remain closed, affecting cruises.
The Port of Palm Beach is operating as normal, as are PortMiami and Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale.
If you have plans to cruise from Florida in the near future, be prepared for possible cancellations, route changes and new departure times. Here's where to find the latest from cruise lines' affected sailings, which include a dozen from Carnival Cruise Line, seven from Royal Caribbean and a couple from Margaritaville at Sea:
It's important to understand the cancellation and rebooking policies for the specific cruise company with which you booked; check with your individual line for details. Also, be sure to read your cruise contract, so you know what you're entitled to in this situation. Look into what might be covered under your cruise travel insurance (if you have it), or check to see if you booked the sailing with a credit card that includes travel insurance.
For sailings canceled prior to departure, cruise lines will usually offer the option for a full refund or a future cruise credit so you can rebook your sailing at a later date. For itinerary changes, cruise lines will generally not provide compensation, with the exception of port taxes and fees for any ports missed that were not replaced by other ports. Shore excursions in missed ports will also be refunded if purchased through the cruise line; check with your shore excursion provider if you've booked third-party tours.
For sailings already underway that were extended due to the storm, cruise lines generally offer assistance with rebooking flights home (although the cost is likely to be at the passenger's expense). In some cases, cruise lines might offer partial refunds or future cruise credits, but cruisers are not entitled to these under most passenger contracts.
TPG's guide on what happens if a cruise gets canceled is the next place to refer to for guidance if you receive notice that your cruise is canceled.
Related: What happens if my cruise line changes my itinerary or ship?
Will your credit card or trip insurance cover changes?
If you purchased travel insurance before Hurricane Milton became a named storm, you should be able to recoup most of your travel expenses. Unfortunately, if you purchased a policy after the storm was named, it won't help.
"Insurance covers the unexpected," Jenna Hummer, director of public relations for Squaremouth (a company that provides comparisons of travel insurance from major U.S. providers) said. "So once something is considered 'foreseen' — in this case, when a tropical storm or hurricane has been named — you can no longer get coverage for that storm."
"Trip cancellation and trip interruption will reimburse lost or unused prepaid, nonrefundable expenses due to a hurricane making it impossible to get to your destination," Stan Sandberg, co-founder of TravelInsurance.com, said. "Many plans will also provide coverage if there is a mandatory evacuation at the destination. A few plans will even provide coverage in the event there is a NOAA hurricane warning at your destination during your trip dates."
Trip delay coverage will reimburse you for unexpected travel costs such as food, transportation, internet service and lodging when your flight is delayed for an extended period of time.
Related: Top travel mistakes to avoid during hurricane season
"Remember that your credit card won't cover anything not purchased on that card," Hummer said when asked about trip insurance that's part of a credit card's benefits. "So, if you haven't paid for your whole trip with that card or other people in your group used another payment method, you won't be fully covered."
TPG has a comprehensive guide about credit cards that include trip cancellation and interruption insurance. It also touches on what might be covered when dealing with a natural disaster.
Related: 4 times your credit card's travel insurance can help with travel woes, and 7 times it won't
How to help
If you'd like to help those in the storm's path, there are several options to explore:
- World Central Kitchen
- American Red Cross
- All Hands and Hearts
- SPCA Tampa Bay
- The Humane Society of the United States
- Direct Relief
- Feeding Tampa Bay
- The Salvation Army
Bottom line
Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida on Wednesday night as an incredibly forceful Category 3 hurricane. It triggered power outages and several deaths across the state. It arrived just two weeks after Hurricane Helene, which brought unprecedented rain to the Tampa and Sarasota areas.
If you expect to travel to an area affected by the hurricanes, it may be prudent to delay or cancel your plans until a future date.
For more helpful tips on navigating travel during hurricane season, read:
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