Going in January...

[robtra91]

We are arriving at Disney on January 1st and staying for one week at POP. This will be our 5th time at Disney, but we have never gone in January.

Can anyone who has been there at this time of the year tell us what to expect? Crowds? Weather? Are the Christmas decorations still up? Discounts/freebies?

This Disney Dad is rarin' to go!

[leafette]

We made the reservation today: Jan 1-7. Would also appreciate any info.

[fAnnF]

I'm going dec 31-jan 6. went the same time last year. It was busy until Jan 2 and then the crowds died down. it may be a little different with the 1st being sunday. I looked into it and the Orlando area schools go back that wednesday but I know that the schools in my area don't go back until the following monday.

[mamacatnv]

We are going 1/1 - 9/07. I think today is the 90 day countdown :cool1:
We were there thru the morning of 1/5 this past January. Here are some of my observations.

The 1st & 2nd will remain crowded and the majority of the decorations will be up. Many school districts are on break thru the 8th so this week is no longer dead like I have read about in the past.

About the 3rd the decorations will slowly (almost unnoticable) begin to come down. Christmas music will still be everywhere. The Osbourne lights which I would highly recommend will be up until 1/7.

So far the only real damper is Splash Mountain will be closing on the 2nd for a refurb.

On the 3rd is when we really started to notice the decline in the crowds especially in the early mornings and late evenings.

The 5th is the start of the Marathon weekend. From everything I have read, the Marathon has more impact on the resorts & restaurants than it does on the parks.

Yesterday (10/2) , I was able to make some ADR's for this time frame at popular restaurants during peak dinner & breakfast times without issue.

We have done 2 NYE's and I don't think much can compare to those crowds so the lesser crowds in early January will be a welcome relief to us.

The weather was perfect. The 30th of Dec thru the 2nd of Jan was in the lo 80's/high 70's the rest of the time was hi 60's to lo 70's. We are from a cold winter climate and didn't even need sweatshirts these 3 nights. The rest of the eve's we did use them. The early mornings were cool but rapidly heated up. We awoke to rain one morning but it was clear by the time we were done with breakfast. You could tell the Floridians as they were all bundled up in their winter gear and we were wearing shorts/capris & tanks/T's.

My kids did swim everynight. The air temp was the worst when they were getting out and headed back to our room. On the afternoon of the 5th as we were leaving there were multiple families in and around the pool.

Discounts: So far nothing other than the AAA room discounts which became avail in July. Last year there was a room discount and a ticket upgrade from Hopper to water park option free. We didn't use it as last visit we checked in in Dec. From what I have read the disc & ticket upgrade was better than the straight AAA discount which is 20% on Values & Mods during Value season.

Hope this helps, where you all staying? We are at POFQ

[fAnnF]

we're going to be staying at Pop Century. It's my favorite resort.

[Accash]

We are arriving at Disney on January 1st and staying for one week at POP. This will be our 5th time at Disney, but we have never gone in January.

Can anyone who has been there at this time of the year tell us what to expect? Crowds? Weather? Are the Christmas decorations still up? Discounts/freebies?

This Disney Dad is rarin' to go!


We will be at te AKL Jan 6 - 13. We go every January so...

1. Crowds - of course depending on the day, but crowds are low. I never need to use a fast pass, I have never waited more than 5 minutes to get my table, one year we were the only people in the Ice Cream Social ( RIP ) so we had Mickey, Pluto, Chip and Dale all sitting coloring with our DD since there was no one else to entertain ( I'll find the pictures and put them up on here ). It was funny because you start to talk to them like they are real people in there and they have to stay in character :rotfl:

2. Weather - again, this time of year is tricky. I'll give you a range - mornings could be anywhere is the 30-50 degree mark, afternoons anywhere in the mid 70 - low 80 degree mark and nights could get into the 40-60 degree mark. You're best bet is about 2 days prior to your trip go to www.weather.com and get the forecast. Two years ago, they had a cold snap and it was in the 30's overnight and the days were in the low 70's - everyone was dressing in winter gear but we're from Philadelphia so it was like falltime for us - we wore shorts :thumbsup2

3. Xmas decor - Two years ago - no decor was up in any park except for the AKL tree which was taken down overnight by mysterious tree elves :rotfl2: Last year, (we went Jan 7 - 14) all parks had their trees still up, at AK they still had some decor up in the meet and greet areas, the AKL had the tree up, but by the middle of the week it was gone. I think they try and keep up most of it for the marathon people then start slowly taking it down overnight

4. Disc/Freebies - No free stuff :guilty: except for a stray cupcake for your birthday - if it's your birthday ;)

Have a great time

Melissa

[leafette]

Hope this helps, where you all staying? We are at POFQ

We are staying at POFQ as well (1/1 - 1/7).

[Shirrie]

We are going 1/13 - 1/20 we went around the same time last year. it was great, low crowds weather was great, only rained one time for about 15 minutes. During the day we wore shorts & t-shirts in the evening pants and a sweatshirt. The only thing that concerns me this year is MLK JR D-day is that Monday after we check in.... :goodvibes

[GoofyBaseballMom26]

I've been toying with the idea of going Jan 26-Feb 2. I had originally planned on going in Sept but would like to try a different time of year (gone in August last 3 times). Does this week sound like a winner to you Jan veterans?

[abline]

we'll be there 12/30 to 1/8 for the Marathon staying at the POR. Do you have any tips for New Years Eve if your NOT going into the parks?

[mamacatnv]

we'll be there 12/30 to 1/8 for the Marathon staying at the POR. Do you have any tips for New Years Eve if your NOT going into the parks?
We spent NYE shopping, resort hopping to see the decorations and ended the day at the Chip & Dale Campfire sing-a-long. We knew the park chaos was too much for our 7 yr. old

[mamacatnv]

We are staying at POFQ as well (1/1 - 1/7).
Cool, maybe we can meet up for a drink or something...

[Woodcourt]

We are going to be a POP Jan 1-7th. We went the same time in 2005 and it was great. The crowds were fine. Sure, there are lots of people there, but we never really had to wait for anything. Also, the weather can be perfect. However, you have to pack more...or shop :) if it gets cold. We had one day it was 80 and we were at blizzard beach and then the next day the temp dropped into the 30's...so we all bought cozy sweatshirts. It was really nice, dont think it rained except when the cold front came through.

The whole reason we go this week is because its value season, DH has more vacation with the new year AND the Christmas decorations are all still up! Love that! They started taking them down throughout the week and most all were gone by the time we left.

One fun thing we are doing....we just went in Sept for an adult only anniversary trip. HAD A BLAST!! But, can not wait to take our kids in Jan. We had mouse ears made with their names and got lanyards and pins and will box them up for Christmas from Mickey & Minnie....I know they will love it. They know we are going already, but I am still excited!

[robtra91]

Thanks for all of the input - I think we have picked a great time to go! :banana:

We'll be at POP as well - sounds like there will be quite a few of us there at the same time. :teeth:

We are planning to go to SeaWorld as soon as we land on the 1st and go back once or twice more during the week for short visits - it makes for a nice break from everything Disney, allows us to eat at Giordano's, and we get to see just a little bit of Orlando. We have skipped SeaWorld the last couple of trips, so we're looking forward to that. :Pinkbounc

The girls are doing Cinderella's Castle for breakfast and the boys are doing the Crystal Palace on Tuesday. I think we are going to actually spend some time exploring EPCOT - normally, we just hit Mission Space, Test Track, Soarin', and try to catch "Off Kilter" (they are awesome!). :dance3:

In all of the trips we have taken, we have only seen one fireworks show (MNSSHP fireworks), so we are going to try to see each of those. We always see Fantasmic!, but try our best to miss all of the parades. :thumbsup2

January seems a long time away...

[emh1129]

We'll be there, too! :) Jan.2-13 at All Star Movies.

I just read one of the above posts and I'm bummed about Splash Mountain being closed. That was the first I had heard about it :(

[mamacatnv]

We'll be there, too! :) I just read one of the above posts and I'm bummed about Splash Mountain being closed. That was the first I had heard about it :(
We are too, luckily we arrive midday on the 1st and are planning on heading right to MK to 1st see Mickey (DD insists) then we will have to get in a ride on Splash before it closes down for the remainder of our trip and most of the Month of January :sad2:

[WeddingPavilion]

We are arriving at Disney on January 1st and staying for one week at POP. This will be our 5th time at Disney, but we have never gone in January.

Can anyone who has been there at this time of the year tell us what to expect? Crowds? Weather? Are the Christmas decorations still up? Discounts/freebies?

This Disney Dad is rarin' to go!
I went in January 2000 and froze my butt off.I don't think it ever hit 60. But I THINK the average daytime temp is in the 70's and the average night low 50's.

[momto2]

We went last year Jan 2-7. It was in the 80's for the first few days. Last two were cool enough to wear a sweatshirt during the day, but we did freeze at night and we were purchasing light coats.

I thought that the crowds were still rather large from what I had heard prior to going. I found out that Florida schools were out until Jan 9, just like us (and apparently a lot of other schools :) )

This year we are going back during the same time. I have posted and received answers that some schools will be going back that first week, I think mid-week.

The holiday decorations were still up. Some were coming down starting about the 3rd. The parks still had the trees up through the 7th. They were beautiful! I kept taking tons of pics!! :Pinkbounc

You will have a great time. Just pack for seasonal changes. We were warned that you can expect any temps in January and we saw it first hand. But coming from Chicago, even a sweatshirt felt great in January :rotfl:

As for discounts, we are AP holders and got a fairly good rate, we booked either late October or Early November. Didn't have much choice for a room at the CR, but who cares we were in Disney in January!!! :Pinkbounc

[CyndiL]

We are going Jan. 3rd - 7th. and staying at All Star Movies. I can hardly wait!

Our kids don't know we are going and won't find out till Christmas morning. They are going to open a great big box with a sign in it saying we are leaving for Disney in 5 days!! I can't wait to see their faces!!! :yay:

[mamacatnv]

We are going Jan. 3rd - 7th. and staying at All Star Movies. I can hardly wait!

Our kids don't know we are going and won't find out till Christmas morning. They are going to open a great big box with a sign in it saying we are leaving for Disney in 5 days!! I can't wait to see their faces!!! :yay:
Welcome :cheer2: :cheer2:

That is so cool......What a great surprise! Those 5 days are going to be killers :teeth:

[robtra91]

We got a better deal than the AAA rate we initially booked for room only. We got a discounted room, base tickets, and free upgrade to Hoppers and Water Parks. :banana:

For 6 nights, we are now paying $1,367 - that saves us over $200 from the original room only discount with full price tickets! :cool1: The CM said the phones were going nuts and that if we didn't book today, we probably would be out of luck. Could have been a sales pitch (it worked!), but it was a no-brainer to us.

The only down side is we are now staying at All-Star Music insterad of Pop - not a big deal, but I do like Pop.

Less than two months to go...

[martyshoney]

We are arriving at Disney on January 1st and staying for one week at POP. This will be our 5th time at Disney, but we have never gone in January.

Can anyone who has been there at this time of the year tell us what to expect? Crowds? Weather? Are the Christmas decorations still up? Discounts/freebies?

This Disney Dad is rarin' to go!

We are arriving at POP on the 6th for DD's 5th bday on the 7th! We will cross one another! Hope the crowds are not too bad while we are there!

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

We are going Jan. 3rd - 7th. and staying at All Star Movies. I can hardly wait!

Our kids don't know we are going and won't find out till Christmas morning. They are going to open a great big box with a sign in it saying we are leaving for Disney in 5 days!! I can't wait to see their faces!!! :yay:

That is exactly what we are doing for our kids , DS 5 and DD 3! We will be leaving on Dec. 29 for their first trip to Disney! I can't wait to see their faces. I have been singing "It's a Small World" to them every night so that when they hear it they will know it! I also have been showing them books and pictures from my past trips so when we say "We are going to Disney" they will know exactly how great that is!

[Tinkerbelle32]

Count us in too for POR Jan.1-7!!!

[dixiedizfan]

We'll be at AKL January 1 - 7. I guess we're the odd ones out, because we really don't care to hear Christmas music playing or see the decorations after New Years. But with the school schedule, that's the week that works out for us. We went the same week this year, and the parks were crowded; more so than any other time we've been. The majority of the days were sunny and mild. We avoided rides such as Splash and Kali, because the outside air wasn't warm enough to dry us off.

[dreams4disney]

We will be there Jan. 1-9. Our kids have no clue we are going back in Jan. We cannot deiced if we are going to tell them on Christmas morning or wiat. We will be going to vist my In-laws a few days after Christmas and they are at the half way mark so we thought about leaving there early on 1/1 and telling the boy's we are heading home and then surprise them when they start to see signs for Disney. :cheer2:

Sounds like a lot of us have the same ideas! :wizard:

[ILoveMagic]

We will be there too! January 12-17th at Pop Century :cool1:
I have only been to WDW a couple of times, but never in January!
We cannot wait!!