Orlando park visitors have been debating Hurricane Dorian since Wednesday. Orlando parks rarely closeIt's rare that the parks close. Disney has only closed its Orlando theme parks a handful of times since its initial opening in 1971, mostly for weather related reasons. More recent closures were in response to Hurricane Irma in September 2017 and Hurricane Matthew in October 2016. "If you're staying at a Universal Orlando or Disney World hotel, they will likely try to add some extra entertainment when the parks close," he said.