Credit: Inside the Magic Planning a Walt Disney World vacation has never been a simple undertaking.
The logistics start months before departure — park reservations, dining bookings, resort arrangements, Lightning Lane strategy, ground transportation from the airport to the resort. Most guests who do this well arrive at Orlando International Airport knowing exactly what the next seven days look like, with a schedule tight enough that the first day sets the tone for everything that follows.
When the flight lands on time and the airport runs smoothly, that planning pays off in a way that feels almost effortless. When something goes wrong before the plane even takes off, the ripple effect reaches every part of the trip that comes after. That is the situation facing Disney-bound travelers right now, six weeks into a partial government shutdown that has created serious disruptions at airports across the United States. The shutdown, which stems from an impasse over Department of Homeland Security funding, has placed TSA officers in the position of working without pay — and the consequences of that situation are showing up at security checkpoints in ways that are affecting travelers across the country.
The story took a particular turn this weekend when photographs published by TMZ showed Senator Lindsey Graham dining at Chef Mickey’s at Walt Disney World’s Contemporary Resort during congressional recess, even as the shutdown his chamber has not resolved continues to strain the airports his constituents depend on.
The Senator, the Buffet, and the Timing
On Sunday, TMZ published photographs of Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, dining at Chef Mickey’s at Disney World’s Contemporary Resort in Orlando. The senator was on recess — Congress is out until mid-April — and was seated at a more discreet table in the back corner of the restaurant, though his presence was still noticed by other diners. He was reportedly dining with an unidentified younger woman and a child.
PHOTOS: Lindsey Graham vacationing at Disney World amid shutdown 📸https://t.co/fwzuZSiNkR
— TMZ (@TMZ) March 29, 2026
Graham responded to the report by telling TMZ that he had visited Disney World to see friends after attending a meeting in South Florida with Steve Witkoff, President Trump’s international relations envoy, to discuss the possibility of normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel. He also stated he was already back in South Carolina, and added, defiantly: “I voted 7 times to fully fund the government. Call a Democrat.”
The photographs surfaced as part of a broader effort by TMZ, which put out a call to readers last week to send in photos of members of Congress enjoying themselves during recess despite the ongoing shutdown. The outlet has since published images of Wyoming Senator John Barrasso, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, and others traveling out of Washington. But the Disney World images — which feature Graham topping off his coffee while Disney characters and cast members clap around him — captured something about the disconnect between Washington’s recess plans and the travel chaos the shutdown has produced that the other photos did not quite match.
What Is Actually Happening at Airports Right Now
The shutdown entered its sixth week on Sunday, and the airport situation it has created is not improving. TSA officers are essential federal employees required to keep working during a shutdown, but they are doing so without pay. The staffing pressures that follow from that reality are showing up at checkpoints across the country in the form of extreme wait times.
Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport reported average TSA wait times nearing three hours, prompting the airport to advise passengers to arrive four to five hours ahead of their flight. Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport reported 51-minute average wait times. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport both reported approximately one-hour average waits. Charlotte Douglas International Airport reported 47-minute average waits. At Atlanta, security delays compounded existing weather-related disruptions, with dozens of departures canceled representing roughly four percent of the day’s flight schedule at the world’s busiest airport.
The official Homeland Security X account addressed the situation directly: “3 HOUR WAIT TIMES. TSA officers are not the only ones paying the price for the Democrats’ DHS shutdown. Now, the American people are facing THREE hour wait times at airports. Democrats do not care about TSA officers going without pay, and they do not care about the millions of Americans missing flights and facing delays because of this reckless DHS shutdown.”
Chris Sununu, CEO of Airlines for America, issued a statement framing the situation from the industry side: “As TSA officers are facing a $0 paycheck this week, we are seeing firsthand the significant strains that the current DHS shutdown is causing across the aviation system. The shutdown is having very real consequences, and hardworking federal aviation workers, the airline industry and our passengers are being used as a political football once again. This is simply unacceptable.”
What Is Still Working
Related: Donald Trump’s Incoming Travel Ban Will Block Millions From Visiting Disney
TSA PreCheck has remained operational throughout the shutdown, which is meaningful for travelers who have it. The Department of Homeland Security had reportedly considered shuttering expedited lanes in late February before reversing course. For guests with PreCheck access, including through Global Entry membership, those faster lanes are currently available and represent a real advantage over standard queues during this disruption period.
Global Entry itself, however, remains suspended at airports across the country. The expedited passport control program has been shut down as part of the broader DHS funding situation. Travelers returning to the United States from international destinations cannot use Global Entry kiosks and will need to process through standard customs lanes. For guests arriving at Orlando International Airport from international destinations, that adds time to an arrival process that already includes baggage claim and resort ground transportation.
How This Affects a Walt Disney World Vacation
The practical impact on a Disney vacation depends on which airport you are departing from and whether you have TSA PreCheck. But the broader disruption is national in scope, and the advice from multiple major airports to arrive four to five hours before departure is not standard language. It reflects a genuine emergency condition at key travel hubs.
For Disney guests, the arrival day math changes significantly under these conditions. A guest flying in the morning to arrive in Orlando in time for an afternoon park visit has almost no margin if a two-hour security delay pushes departure back. An afternoon flight intended to allow a Disney Springs dinner becomes a late-night arrival if the security line runs long. The first day of a Disney trip is often the most logistically loaded, and losing hours of it at the airport has consequences that reach the rest of the week.
The most reliable protection available right now is building buffer into the arrival day. Flying in the day before your first park day eliminates the pressure entirely. If same-day arrival is unavoidable, arrive at the airport significantly earlier than you normally would and check your departure airport’s social media accounts the morning of travel for current wait time advisories.
If you have TSA PreCheck and have not activated the TSA PreCheck Touchless ID option, this is the moment to do it through your airline. It is currently among the fastest available paths through security and is supported at a growing number of airports and carriers.
The political situation driving these delays has no clear resolution timeline. If you are flying to Walt Disney World in the coming weeks, the airport is the riskiest part of your trip right now. Plan around it before you leave home.
We are tracking the airport situation and the shutdown’s impact on Walt Disney World travel and will update as conditions change. If your trip is coming up, check our Walt Disney World travel and airport guide for current advisory information and practical tips for navigating the security situation before you leave for the terminal. Give yourself the time you need. The parks will be there when you land.