Water Parks in January? - The DIS Discussion Forums

Nibbles · 11-25-2009, 08:54 PM

Hi all -- we're making our next trip down to Disney in early January and our trip will straddle the open/close periods of both Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. So I have a couple of questions:

1.) Is it warm enough to hit the water parks, or will the day be spent shivering and cold?

2.) Does the day of week matter in terms of crowds for the water parks at this time of year?

3.) Recommendation on which park to hit if we only have time for one?

Thanks in advance for any insight!

scjo68 · 11-25-2009, 10:12 PM

Most of our trips have been in January, but we haven't done water parks then.

The weather may be warm enough to comfortably do a water park, or it may be way too cold. It will likely vary between both conditions during your stay. The hard part is planning around the weather- forecasts are not accurate at all more than a day or two ahead, so scheduling which day(s) to do a water park in advance is hard.

I believe there are very low crowds at the water parks in Jan. We have been on busses that stop at Blizzard Beach on the way to/from somewhere else, and it looks pretty deserted. So I'm guessing day of the week wouldn't matter too much in term of crowds- except in relation to the weather.

DOOM1001 · 11-25-2009, 10:51 PM

You could get daily highs of over 80 degrees or you could get a daily high of 55 with lows around 30 with wind chills that make it feel like 10,that's winter in Florida.You'll just have to wait until 3 days or so before to know what you will get.If it gets to 70-75 degrees for a high you should be allright,I went once with a high in the low 70's and I was OK as long as I stayed in the sun,when I went in a cave or somewhere without sun I was freezing,but I'm from Florida.It probably won't matter what day you go as it probably won't be very busy.I prefer Blizzard Beach by a little as I think it has more and better slides and I like the theming.I know many people here prefer Typhoon Lagoon as it has a more lush tropical feeling, a very good slide in Crush n Gusher and a better wave pool.They both have excellent lazy rivers but BB has more thrilling slides.

Good Morning Dewdrop · 11-25-2009, 11:29 PM

We've gone to WDW in January for the past 3 years.

Our first year 2007 it was warmer than expected we ended up layering in the morning but needing in shorts/ t-shirts by afternoon for several days

The 2nd year it was cool/ cold the whole week we were there.

This year it was downright beautiful - dd swam in the resort pool every day. However the week before we went was very cold (we just lucked out!)

One year (either 2007 or 2008) we had gotten a deal with a free upgrade to the water parks and we did brave one day at TL (BB was closed for renovation). It was chilly walking around and in the lazy river but OK when tubing and in the wave pool.

Personally if I were you and going in January I'd wait until I got to WDW to purchase the water parks tickets. If you luck into a nice warm week then by all means get them. But if the forecast is cold/ chilly save your $$

Nibbles · 11-26-2009, 03:29 AM

Great -- thanks for all the feedback so far, everyone. We're looking forward to our trip and have several days at the World lined up, so hopefully that flexibility will work in our favor as far as the weather goes -- sounds like we won't have to worry about crowds/timing otherwise!

If anyone else has any waterpark tips, I'd love to hear them, thanks!

Cheshire Figment · 11-26-2009, 05:34 AM

We keep the water in all the slides and pools around 80F (27C) except for Shark Reef which does not have heaters. What you want is a day that will be bright and sunny and preferably not windy.

If you go on a day that is heavily overcast you will not be able to take advantage of any radiant heating (from the sun) or on a windy day (especially with a dry wind from the North) you will get hit by wind chill.

But a day with the highs in the mid-50s or above which is sunny and calm most people (at least from Northern climates) should be comfortable.

Nibbles · 11-28-2009, 02:13 AM

Thanks for the insider tip

Looks like which park we go to will be determined largely by what the weather is while we're there. If we get a good day early in our week, BB...if the sun comes later, TL. Hopefully the sun cooperates a couple times -- we were there in Jan 2007 and it was comfortable most of the time we were there.

11-25-2009, 08:54 PM	#1
Nibbles Earning My Ears Join Date: May 2008 Location: Illinois Posts: 65	Water Parks in January? Hi all -- we're making our next trip down to Disney in early January and our trip will straddle the open/close periods of both Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon. So I have a couple of questions: 1.) Is it warm enough to hit the water parks, or will the day be spent shivering and cold? 2.) Does the day of week matter in terms of crowds for the water parks at this time of year? 3.) Recommendation on which park to hit if we only have time for one? Thanks in advance for any insight!

11-25-2009, 10:51 PM	#3
DOOM1001 DIS Veteran Join Date: May 2003 Location: 233 miles away Posts: 2,380	You could get daily highs of over 80 degrees or you could get a daily high of 55 with lows around 30 with wind chills that make it feel like 10,that's winter in Florida.You'll just have to wait until 3 days or so before to know what you will get.If it gets to 70-75 degrees for a high you should be allright,I went once with a high in the low 70's and I was OK as long as I stayed in the sun,when I went in a cave or somewhere without sun I was freezing,but I'm from Florida.It probably won't matter what day you go as it probably won't be very busy.I prefer Blizzard Beach by a little as I think it has more and better slides and I like the theming.I know many people here prefer Typhoon Lagoon as it has a more lush tropical feeling, a very good slide in Crush n Gusher and a better wave pool.They both have excellent lazy rivers but BB has more thrilling slides. __________________

11-26-2009, 05:34 AM	#6
Cheshire Figment Friend of Figment Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Poinciana, FL (20 miles to WDW) Posts: 20,483	We keep the water in all the slides and pools around 80F (27C) except for Shark Reef which does not have heaters. What you want is a day that will be bright and sunny and preferably not windy. If you go on a day that is heavily overcast you will not be able to take advantage of any radiant heating (from the sun) or on a windy day (especially with a dry wind from the North) you will get hit by wind chill. But a day with the highs in the mid-50s or above which is sunny and calm most people (at least from Northern climates) should be comfortable. __________________ 41 WDW Stays Totalling 321 nights between 1987 and mid-2003. Animal Kingdom Lodge; All Stars(2); Beach Club; Boardwalk Inn; Caribbean Beach (9); Contemporary Tower (13); Courtyard (2); Disney Institute; Dixie Landings; Grand Floridian; Grosvenor; Hilton; Old Key West; Polynesian; Port Orleans; Royal Plaza; Shades of Green; Wilderness Lodge; Marriott World Center (3); Other Off-Property (Other Than just 1st or last Night) (8). Now Working Part Time at Walt Disney World! (Guest Services/Ticket Sales/Turnstile Greeter) A few very helpful links which are on DisBoards: Everything About WDW Tickets and this one disABILITIES FAQs

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11-25-2009, 10:12 PM	#2
scjo68 Mouseketeer Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 412	Most of our trips have been in January, but we haven't done water parks then. The weather may be warm enough to comfortably do a water park, or it may be way too cold. It will likely vary between both conditions during your stay. The hard part is planning around the weather- forecasts are not accurate at all more than a day or two ahead, so scheduling which day(s) to do a water park in advance is hard. I believe there are very low crowds at the water parks in Jan. We have been on busses that stop at Blizzard Beach on the way to/from somewhere else, and it looks pretty deserted. So I'm guessing day of the week wouldn't matter too much in term of crowds- except in relation to the weather.

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11-25-2009, 11:29 PM	#4
Good Morning Dewdrop Mouseketeer Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: NC Posts: 241	We've gone to WDW in January for the past 3 years. Our first year 2007 it was warmer than expected we ended up layering in the morning but needing in shorts/ t-shirts by afternoon for several days The 2nd year it was cool/ cold the whole week we were there. This year it was downright beautiful - dd swam in the resort pool every day. However the week before we went was very cold (we just lucked out!) One year (either 2007 or 2008) we had gotten a deal with a free upgrade to the water parks and we did brave one day at TL (BB was closed for renovation). It was chilly walking around and in the lazy river but OK when tubing and in the wave pool. Personally if I were you and going in January I'd wait until I got to WDW to purchase the water parks tickets. If you luck into a nice warm week then by all means get them. But if the forecast is cold/ chilly save your $$

11-26-2009, 03:29 AM	#5
Nibbles Earning My Ears Join Date: May 2008 Location: Illinois Posts: 65	Great -- thanks for all the feedback so far, everyone. We're looking forward to our trip and have several days at the World lined up, so hopefully that flexibility will work in our favor as far as the weather goes -- sounds like we won't have to worry about crowds/timing otherwise! If anyone else has any waterpark tips, I'd love to hear them, thanks!

11-28-2009, 02:13 AM	#7
Nibbles Earning My Ears Join Date: May 2008 Location: Illinois Posts: 65	Thanks for the insider tip Looks like which park we go to will be determined largely by what the weather is while we're there. If we get a good day early in our week, BB...if the sun comes later, TL. Hopefully the sun cooperates a couple times -- we were there in Jan 2007 and it was comfortable most of the time we were there.