*** OFFICIAL January 2013 Thread ***

[OceanStateKelly]

Magical Mail came 3 days ago, wow I need to come up with some money to pay this off, came way to fast
My dates are Jan 24-30th staying at AoA Cars
Daughter has a gymnastics meet @ ESPN WWOS

and still waiting for the never to come free or discounted dining

[OceanStateKelly]

Originally Posted by JKromer

A friend just said they changed their itinerary because there is a high school dance competition scheduled the last week of January. I can't find any info online (other than a college competition 8-10 and then something in February). Anybody know anything about this? Thanks for the info!

My daughter's Gymnastics meet is Jan 25,26,27th @ ESPN Wide World, that would be the only thing going on there, they take up both venues
the Meet is called the Sanddollar Invite put on by Orlando Metro

the gymnast are never loud or a problem

[MissPrice]

MERRY X-MAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS to all!!

Only a few more days/ weeks until we are all at our Happy Place!!

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Just finished watching the Christmas Parade! Looked really good. Wish they would have showed some more of the parade itself but still very festive.

Now I'm officially primed for our upcoming trip!

[JoyMouse]

Is it January 18th yet???

[JustMeFran]

Originally Posted by JoyMouse

Is it January 18th yet???

No! Because then I'll be home from the World already for 8 days and spiraling into Disney induced depression and major withdrawals! =)

-Fran

[Andreia]

I'm thrilled to see Tinker Bell getting close to the end of our ticker!!!

[ButterflyJen]

30 days till we leave, 32 till we arrive at POFQ!! Suitcases are about to take up residence in my bedroom

[disneydreamkate]

We will be at WDW from January 24-31. So excited to spend some time in the sunshine state with my mom and youngest son. IMO, it is the best time of year to go. Following our 2011 trip I shared our pictures with a friend and she was wondering if I reserved Epcot for myself. The crowds were that low. Hoping for the same this year...and maybe a day or two my little guy can swim.

[brewhome]

24 more days! Can't wait! Now that Christmas is over, I'm in full-on Disney prep mode. I can't wait to spend some quality time away from work and with my hubby and kids - especially after all of the sadness these past several weeks in the news.

[Marshay]

Best wishes and safe travels to the first of our January travelers:

12/26 to 1/24, Off-site -- GraceMonica
12/28 to 1/4, Pop -- Shir_Kahn
12/29 to 1/5, Windsor Hills -- TinaElmerRh

[TinkPearl]

almost time!!

[DaveinFallsChurch]

30 days for us too! Seeing the first of the January thread DIS friends leaving for their trips makes it so much closer!

Dug out the LGMH I made for our last trip. Will have it on my backpack again.

[SL30]

Getting excited, got our luggage tags!

But I am overwhelmed....and I probably have posted this before but...

What should my plan be as a first timer? Just take maps and highlight the things we really want to ride/see and go with the flow for the rest of the trip?

I don't want to overplan and be miserable!

I am going against crowd calendar for MK because we of course need to see MSEP...is this a mistake or won't it be too big of a deal with crowd levels of 2 or 3?

I just need someone to plan for me!

My plan so far is:
Sun Jan 27: Hollywood Studios
Mon Jan 28: MK
Tues Jan 29: AK character bf at Tusker House
Wed Jan 30: EP
Thurs Jan 31: MK
Fri Feb 1: Kids choice

[DaveinFallsChurch]

Originally Posted by SL30

Getting excited, got our luggage tags!

But I am overwhelmed....and I probably have posted this before but...

What should my plan be as a first timer? Just take maps and highlight the things we really want to ride/see and go with the flow for the rest of the trip?

I don't want to overplan and be miserable!

You don't need to overplan or map out every little detail ahead of time especially since you're going in January. But a small amount of planning just for the first 2-3 hours after park opening can go a long way in reducing your wait times for some of the popular rides and minimize amount of walking and backtracking.

First, make a list of all of the attractions that are musts for you and your family. If you are not sure, still include them in your initial list. Then, figure out which of those on your lists will have notoriously long average wait times even in January. You can reference Touring Plans (if you're willing to pay) or Easy WDW to figure that out. Or you could ask your friendly DISers. (examples, Peter Pan, Space Mountain, Soarin, Test Track, Toy Story Mania, Rockin Rollercoaster, Enchanted Tales with Belle). Once you've identified those popular rides, prioritize on doing those attractions during the first hour or two after park openings when wait times will be much more manageable. Maximize using Fastpasses for those rides as well. Once you've planned out the first two hours after opening, you could go with the flow for the rest of the day.

Also, take a couple of glances at the map beforehand and get a feel for the lay out of the park. You don't need to memorize every location of every attraction and restaurant, but it helps to know the general layout to help save time and amount of walking by avoiding backtracking too much.


I am going against crowd calendar for MK because we of course need to see MSEP...is this a mistake or won't it be too big of a deal with crowd levels of 2 or 3?

We're going to MK that Monday 28th as well. Even though EasyWDW's calendar tells us it's a park to avoid, Josh is speaking in relative terms in that it will have the most crowds among the four parks. BUT since it's the last week of January and overall crowds are low, we should be fine. Like you said, it's only 2-3 crowd levels which means the park will still feel very empty 9-11am and very manageable afterwards. If you have some flexibility with your schedule, I would recommend having your second MK day on a Wednesday which traditionally is the least crowded day of the week for MK.

I just need someone to plan for me!

My plan so far is:
Sun Jan 27: Hollywood Studios
Mon Jan 28: MK
Tues Jan 29: AK character bf at Tusker House
Wed Jan 30: EP
Thurs Jan 31: MK
Fri Feb 1: Kids choice

Hope this helps!