We had a whole post ready to go about the best quick service options near Hollywood Studios. That is not what this is. Because at some point this afternoon, sitting at a desk about 15 minutes from Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the apartment started shaking. Not violently. Not dramatically. Just a sustained, rolling, 15-second wobble that made us put down what we were doing and stare at each other trying to figure out what was happening.
Turns out Central Florida just felt an earthquake.
A 6.1 magnitude earthquake struck west of Cuba in the southern Gulf of Mexico on June 8, 2026. The USGS initially clocked it at 6.4 before revising it down to 6.1 at a depth of 10 kilometers. The National Weather Service in Miami posted an official update at 2:15 PM that same day: “We’ve received several recent reports of shaking across Southwestern Florida within the past 30 minutes. An earthquake has occurred just west of Cuba in the southern Gulf. USGS has since revised the magnitude down to a 6.1 at a depth of 10km.”
And Walt Disney World is fine. Parks are running. No closures, no damage reports, nothing. We checked. That is confirmed. Now let us tell you everything else.
The Shaking Was Felt Everywhere
The moment it happened, X and Reddit lit up. What became immediately obvious from the posts was that this was not a localized thing. People from completely different parts of the Orlando area were all describing the same experience at the same time.
On Reddit, someone posted asking about a potential earthquake in the Championsgate area, which sits just south of Walt Disney World. The replies came in from all directions. Someone in Casselberry, on the third floor of their apartment building, said everything felt wobbly and noted that being up high probably made it more noticeable. Reports came in from Maitland. From Lake Mary. The geographic spread of it was immediately striking.
One reply that made us smile even in the middle of a seismic event: “Saw my computer screens shaking in celebration.” That is a very Central Florida response to an earthquake and we respect it.
For those keeping track, Championsgate is essentially Disney’s backyard. Maitland and Casselberry are north of the city. Lake Mary is further north still. All of them feeling the same thing at the same time is a pretty clear picture of how broadly this traveled.
What Was Actually Happening Underground
Here is the short version of the science for anyone who wants it.
The earthquake originated in the Gulf of Mexico, west of Cuba, at a depth of 10 kilometers. Shallower earthquakes push their energy outward more efficiently at the surface, which is part of why a seismic event that far from Florida was still felt this clearly across such a large area. At this distance, the shaking is not violent. It is rolling and sustained, the kind that takes your brain a second to identify because Florida does not have earthquakes and so your first instinct is to look for a truck outside or wonder if someone is doing construction.
Fifteen seconds of rolling motion is not dangerous at this distance. But it is absolutely noticeable. And it is very weird when you live somewhere that is not supposed to do that.
Disney World Specifically
As best as we can tell, the parks kept moving right through it.
Walt Disney World was not built with frequent seismic activity in mind the way Disneyland in California was. Florida is not on a fault line. But the infrastructure at Walt Disney World, the rides, the resort buildings, the entire property, is built and maintained to standards that a tremor at this distance was not going to challenge. The nearest significant shaking was still hundreds of miles away at the epicenter.
No closures. No damage reports. No disruption to operations. Guests at the parks this afternoon may have noticed something or may have felt nothing at all depending on where they were standing and what they were doing. Guests on a moving ride probably did not register it. Guests sitting in a quiet restaurant may have looked up for a second.
The resort is fine and your trip is fine.
What You Should Know Going Forward
The USGS magnitude dropping from 6.4 to 6.1 is normal. That kind of refinement happens in the hours after any seismic event as more data comes in. It does not mean anything changed about what people experienced. It just means the measurement got more precise.
Aftershocks are a possibility after a 6.1. Whether any would reach Central Florida at a perceptible level depends on how significant they are and how deep they originate. The USGS and NWS are the sources to follow for any further updates on the Cuba earthquake specifically.
6/8 @ 2:15pm: We’ve received several recent reports of shaking across Southwestern Florida within the past 30 minutes.
An earthquake has occurred just west of Cuba in the southern Gulf. @USGS_Quakes has since revised the magnitude down to a 6.1 at a depth of 10km. https://t.co/f1OyzUI6Sf pic.twitter.com/MAB4ptNk74
— NWS Miami (@NWSMiami) June 8, 2026
For Walt Disney World guests, there is nothing actionable here. The resort is operating normally. Your plans do not need to change. The most this event should do is maybe give you a fun story to tell when you get home about the time Florida had an earthquake while you were on vacation.
We are going back to the snack post now. But if you were somewhere in Central Florida today and felt it, drop a comment and tell us where you were. We are genuinely curious how far the reports spread. And if you have a Disney trip coming up and want to talk through anything, that is what we are here for.
7 rides shut down at Magic Kingdom right after earthquake. We have been standing in the queue since.