SHAKING: Earthquake Felt at Walt Disney World

Move over Atlantic hurricane season, there’s a hot new natural threat for Walt Disney World fans to fear: earthquakes! While it’s hyperbolic to say they’re something to be feared, it is true that Central Florida just felt minor shaking caused by the seismic event. Here’s the latest.

A strong 6.4-magnitude earthquake was recorded in the southern Gulf today at approximately 2 pm Eastern, striking approximately 73 miles west-northwest of Mantua, Cuba, according to the U.S. Geological Service (USGS). It could be felt 310 miles from the epicenter.

The earthquake initially registered as a 6.1 magnitude seismic event by some tracking agencies, so it’s unclear whether it’ll officially be record as 6.1, 6.4, or somewhere in between. The earthquake occurred at a relatively shallow depth of roughly 10 kilometers. Shallow earthquakes of this magnitude are often felt across broad geographic distances because their seismic waves travel more efficiently along the surface.

The National Weather Service in Melbourne, Florida indicated that shaking from the earthquake have been felt in at least the Orlando, Melbourne, Jacksonville, and Miami areas. This includes at Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando.

Here’s a visual of the location, via the USGS:

Walt Disney World has not issued any operational updates in response to the earthquake, and none are expected. Again, only minor shaking was felt with no reported injuries or property damage. With that said, several attractions are “Temporarily Unavailable” for reasons that may be totally unrelated or precautionary pending safety checks (or a mix).

It’s a higher number of attractions that are offline than normal, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. I encountered a higher number of attractions experiencing downtime last week at rope drop than normal, and that was minus any earthquakes! Regardless, here’s the full list:

• The Barnstormer
• Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Country Bear Musical Jamboree
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Space Mountain
• Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
• TRON Lightcycle Run
• Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid

On the ground reports indicate that DTB readers inside Country Bear Theater did not realize there was an earthquake, and assumed the “Bear Band was just bringing down the house, per usual.”

Meanwhile, DTB readers could not be reached inside Beauty and the Beast Sing-Along, because DTB readers know better than to fall into that trap–err, do that attraction. (Other guests reportedly slept through that mistake–err, the earthquake.)

Because the earthquake’s epicenter was located entirely offshore, immediate assessments indicate that there is no significant tsunami threat to the U.S. Gulf Coast, Cuba, or the surrounding Caribbean region. Seismologists continue to monitor the area for any aftershocks, which are common following a tremor of this size.

While offshore earthquakes in this area are less common than those along the active fault zones to the south of Cuba, the region sits near complex tectonic boundaries where the North American and Caribbean plates meet. Local authorities and international monitoring agencies are actively evaluating whether any minor coastal tremors or disruptions were felt on the western tip of Cuba.

The earthquake was the largest off of Florida since a 4.0 magnitude quake struck off the Atlantic coast in February 2024. Prior to that, A strong magnitude 5.8 to 6.0 earthquake struck deep in the middle of the Gulf in 2006. Residents in high-rises and coastal towns across Florida’s Panhandle and west coast felt distinct swaying during that.

There was also a 7.7-magnitude earthquake between Jamaica and Cuba in January 2020. Even though it was hundreds of miles away, the energy was enough to cause high-rise office buildings in downtown Miami to sway, leading to several precautionary evacuations.

According to the Geological Survey’s “Did You Feel It?” data, a citizen-reporting tool used to measure the potential reach of earthquakes, that earthquake could be felt in Orlando and beyond. We were living in Central Florida at the time, and I don’t remember anything.

This time, the “Did You Feel It?” data we’ve relied on for this reporting is social media. Our feed was suddenly flooded with “what was that shaking in Florida?” and “was there just an earthquake at Walt Disney World?!” and similar.

I’m no longer at Walt Disney World, so I didn’t feel anything, but that wouldn’t have been conclusive of anything, anyway. According to firsthand reports (via Sarah), I have allegedly slept through countless earthquakes, although I’d stress that no definitive evidence of this exists. Only rumors and conjecture.

Ultimately, you probably don’t need to undertake any earthquake preparedness measures before your next trip to Walt Disney World. But if you feel a research trip is in order, check out the Backlot Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood. It still features Earthquake: The Big One, one of the iconic 1990s attractions!

Perhaps this seismic event will inspire Universal Studios Florida to restore Disaster! to its proper place. The most ground-shaking take of this whole article might be that Disaster was criminally underrated, its sharp satirical styling misunderstood by guests. It should’ve never been retired. At minimum, we can all agree that what replaced it is beyond awful.

Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!

YOUR THOUGHTS

Do you feel the earthquake at Walt Disney World? If you’re elsewhere in Florida, did you feel it there? Think that we need more earthquake-inspired theme park attractions or films as a preparedness precaution? Do you agree or disagree with our assessments? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!