As Guests Head Home From Disney World, Winter Storms Derailing Holiday Travel Nationwide

The busiest week on the Walt Disney World calendar is rapidly coming to an end. Sadly, those guests have to leave Walt Disney World and return to their reality.

You were able to fight through the crowds at Disney World, and now, you have to fight through those same crowds at the airport to get home in time for New Year’s Eve. 

Orlando International Airport expected December 28 and 29 to be two of the busiest travel days of the holidays as guests who were able to make it to Central Florida for Christmas headed home before the New Year. However, Mother Nature is making things very difficult for travelers across the country, snarling flights as guests try to head home from their Disney World Christmas.

On Saturday, tornadoes struck Texas and Louisiana, causing massive delays at Dallas-Fort Worth, one of America’s busiest airports. That same storm is now causing havoc from Florida to Michigan and across the country to New York and Boston.

To make matters worse, that storm also brings snow to parts of the Midwest, including major airline hubs in Chicago and Minneapolis.

On Sunday, American airports saw more than 8,000 delays and nearly 1,000 flight cancellations as millions of travelers across the country attempted to get home. The only silver lining was that above-average temperatures in the northeast kept it from snowing in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Washington; however, massive rainfall delayed or canceled flights in and out of those major hubs.

Leaving Disneyland is no better. A second major storm is dropping massive amounts of snow and rain on the northwest, all the way south to California.

This second storm stretches from the Pacific Ocean as far east as Colorado. The National Weather Service out of Denver told travelers to consider “altering their plans,” as this storm would make traveling “impossible.”

To make matters worse, the two storms on either coast will linger into Monday and New Year’s Eve, further entangling travel. The only saving grace is that temperatures will continue to rise in the East and Midwest, ensuring that the storm will bring rain rather than snow.

By Sunday afternoon, nearly 40 percent of the flights leaving Orlando International Airport had been delayed. So, if you are trying to leave Central Florida, take this as a sign to maybe stay a couple of extra days at Disney World.

The weather will clear later in the week, and being at Disney World is better than trying to fight through a winter storm at home.