The holidays are an especially busy time for air travel in the United States.
People are going on vacations or on trips to visit family, which is why it’s important to be aware of all the current policies in place when it comes to travel restrictions. It’s also good to be prepared for possibly how busy the airports will be during this time, and luckily, we just found out what busy days you should be aware of if you’re traveling through Orlando!
The holiday travel season kicks off tomorrow, December 17th, and Orlando International Airport recently tweeted out their projected top 5 busiest travel days for the season! Check them out in the tweet below:
The Ho Ho Holiday travel season kicks off tomorrow at our airport. ✈️ Here are the projected Top 5 busiest days for this 19-Day Christmas/New Year travel period:
1️⃣ Dec 18 – 156,925 travelers
2️⃣ Jan 1 – 153,048
3️⃣ Dec 30 – 146,407
4️⃣ Dec 27 – 146,402
5️⃣ Dec 23 – 146,298 pic.twitter.com/wCm0W56g1D— Orlando International Airport (@MCO) December 16, 2021
Interesting! We weren’t expecting the 18th to be the busiest day, but it makes sense, as it’s the Saturday before Christmas and people will probably be arriving into town for vacations. We wanted to compare these 5 busy travel days with how busy it’s projected to be in Disney World, so we took a look at the current park pass reservations still available. On December 18th, only Animal Kingdom and EPCOT are available.
On January 1st — New Year’s Day — Animal Kingdom and EPCOT are also the only parks still available. It makes sense for the parks to be busy that day, as many people celebrate New Year’s in Disney Word. And, the airport will probably be busy because people will fly home after celebrating New Year’s Eve!
On December 30th, there are NO parks available! Definitely expect it to be busy in Disney World that day as well as the airport. People might be trying to squeeze in some park time right before they have to leave, or heading to the parks as soon as they get into town for New Year’s Eve.
December 27th also has NO park available as of this writing. It should be similar to the 30th, especially because the projected amount of travelers through the airport is only separated by 5 people.
Finally, on December 23rd, only EPCOT is still available. With it being 2 days before Christmas, people are bound to be in the parks. And, there are probably a high amount of travelers because people are coming into town for Christmas Day!
It’s good to know about these busy travel days if you’re planning on going through the Orlando Airport during these dates. If you’re flying out of Orlando, make sure to give yourself plenty of extra time to get through security, as lines will probably be longer than usual! Stay tuned to DFB for more travel news and updates as it relates to Disney World.
Click here to learn more about the travel mask mandates extended in the U.S.
DON'T MISS A MOMENT
OF HOLIDAY MAGIC
Holidays at Disney World: DFB's Merriest Guide is a one-of-a-kind resource that will help you get the most out of your holiday vacation at Walt Disney World.
It includes all the must-have information for navigating the holiday season at Disney World, including:
- The COMPLETE schedule of events for the Holiday Season
- How to avoid the crowds on Disney World's busiest days (and when Disney World closes their parks due to capacity!)
- ALL of the events, activities, and holiday additions in Walt Disney World. ALL. OF. THEM.
- And, of course, we'll tell you where to eat!
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MORE Disney World Holiday INFO!
Learn About Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party
Get the Latest Information About the EPCOT International Festival of the Holidays
Get All the Details About Disney Jollywood Nights
Everything You Need to Know About Disney World Holiday Dining and Events
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Are you flying to or from Disney World during this busy travel season? Let us know in the comments!
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