AAA forecasts busy Memorial Day journey to Orlando’s theme parks

Memorial Day falls on May 25 this yr and is a day of remembrance and commemoration for navy members who misplaced their lives in service.

Many Americans additionally make the most of the three-day weekend to travel, particularly to Florida’s multiple theme parks.

“Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, and for most Americans, it’s a three-day weekend,” stated Stacey Barber, Vice President of AAA Travel. “Travel demand remains strong, and despite higher fuel prices, many people are prioritizing leisure travel during holiday breaks.” 

AAA tasks 45 million individuals will journey a minimum of 50 miles from residence over the Memorial Day vacation interval from Thursday, May 21, to Monday, May 25. The group stated this yr’s home journey forecast is barely larger than final yr and can set a brand new Memorial Day weekend report with 39.1 million individuals touring by automobile and three.66 million anticipated to fly to their locations. 

For these desirous to spend the three-day weekend at Disney World, Universal Orlando or any of Florida’s theme parks, this is what to find out about touring and what the climate forecast will appear to be.

When is Memorial Day 2026?

Memorial Day might be on Monday, May 25.

What are the highest journey locations for Memorial Day weekend? Orlando stays on prime

Once once more, Orlando ranked in first place on AAA’s record of the highest 10 hottest Memorial Day weekend locations within the U.S. for 2026.

The record relies on AAA reserving information for journeys between May 21 and May 25.

Here’s AAA’s record of the highest 10 hottest Memorial Day weekend locations within the U.S. this yr:

1. Orlando
2. Seattle
3. New York City
4. Las Vegas
5. Miami
6. San Francisco
7. Anchorage, Alaska
8. Chicago
9. Denver
10. Boston

Where are Florida’s foremost theme parks situated?

Before you head out in your highway journey, be sure to know the place you are going. From Orlando to Tampa, listed here are the official addresses for every of the highest theme parks in Florida:

Walt Disney World

• Magic Kingdom – 1180 Seven Seas Drive, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
• EPCOT – 200 Epcot Center Drive. Lake Buena Vista, FL 32821
• Hollywood Studios – 351 South Studio Drive, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830
• Animal Kingdom – 2901 Osceola Parkway, Lake Buena Vista, FL 32830

Universal Orlando Resort

• Universal Studios and Universal’s Islands of Adventure – 6000 Universal Blvd., Orlando, FL 32819
• Universal’s Epic Universe -1001 Epic Blvd., Orlando, FL 32819

SeaWorld Orlando – 7007 Sea World Drive, Orlando, FL 32821

Legoland Florida – 1 Legoland Way, Winter Haven, FL 33884

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay – 10165 McKinley Drive, Tampa, FL 33612

How busy will Florida’s theme parks get throughout Memorial Day?

Theme park journey blogs all the time stress how packed the parks can get throughout vacation weekends. The Memorial Day weekend is among the many busiest occasions to go to, typically.

What is the busiest journey day this Memorial Day weekend?

According to AAA’s Memorial Day weekend journey outlook for 2026, it is best to keep away from driving on Friday and Saturday afternoons. And in the event you’re planning to journey on Sunday, you are in luck — little visitors is predicted.

Here are the very best and worst occasions to journey by automobile this Memorial Day weekend, in response to AAA and INRIX:

• Best occasions for touring:
  • Thursday, May 21 – After 9 p.m.
  • Friday, May 22 – Before 11 a.m.
  • Saturday, May 23 – Before 11 a.m.
  • Sunday, May 24 – Minimal Traffic Impacted Expected
  • Memorial Day Monday, May 25 – Before 10 a.m.
• Worst occasions for touring:
  • Thursday, May 21 – Noon by way of 9 p.m.
  • Friday, May 22 – 11 a.m. by way of 8 p.m.
  • Saturday, May 23 – Noon by way of 5 p.m.
  • Sunday, May 24 – Minimal Traffic Impacted Expected
  • Memorial Day Monday, May 26 – Noon by way of 5 p.m.

How costly is gasoline in Florida and nationwide?

Ahead of the vacation, gasoline is $4.31 in Florida, whereas the nationwide common is $4.51.

AAA tasks 39.1 million individuals will journey by automobile over Memorial Day weekend, a slight leap over final yr.

“This holiday weekend, drivers are paying more at the pump compared to last year, when the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.17 on Memorial Day. Currently, pump prices are the highest they’ve been since the summer of 2022,” AAA stories.

Samantha Neely is a trending reporter for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, protecting popular culture, theme parks, breaking information and extra. You can get all of Florida’s greatest content material instantly in your inbox every weekday by signing up for the free e-newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.