Jan. and Feb., which is better month to go?

[tinkerrn]

Hubby and I are wanting to take a trip when it is a little cooler than Sept., less crowds, and to miss the LOVE BUGS. We were thinking that Jan or Feb might be better months. Are these months less crowded? Is it still 'ok' weather? Neither one of us has been to Florida that time of year. Are there any times during these months to avoid? I know there is a marathon in Jan..

Thanks!

 

[dixiedizfan]

We were there the first week of January this year and it was packed all week, which I'm sure will be the same next year since New Years Day falls on a Tuesday. And marathon weekend will be held the second weekend of January (not sure if it coincides with MLK weekend or not), so I'd wait at least until after then to go, in order to avoid crowds.

 

[beccasmom]

Some thoughts on both months --

- The weather may or may not be conducive to swimming, if that is important to you. We've found it to be a little too chilly for that - but delightful for touring the parks!

- Try to avoid the weekends around both the MLK and President's Day holidays. We went for my mid-January birthday one year and that weekend was exceptionally busy. From the President's Day weekend onward, February gets pretty busy.

- I'd personally avoid traveling around the time of the Daytona 500 - also a busy weekend.

- Major rehabbing is done at this time - water parks especially. You can check on that ahead of time, though.

- For those really planning ahead, the Super Bowl is scheduled for Tampa on 2/1/09--we were at WDW when it was held in Jacksonville and the crowds got heavy the very next day.

 

[DisneyGurlie]

Well, you hit the day we will be there right on. Do you really think that the crowds will be really busy? We probably won't mind at all. February 2009 here we come!

 

[crzy4mk]

I've been in January the past 2 years, and am going again in '08.

2006: Arrived on January 1, stayed for 5 days. The 1st & 2nd were pretty busy, but it really died down after that.

2007: Arrived on January 6, stayed for 6 days. The 6th & 7th were marathon weekend and were packed! Also, the roads and transportation for WDW are nuts for that weekend. The following days were pretty busy too with marathon runners and their families staying for vacation.

2008: Arriving on January 6th, staying for 6 days. I really believe this won't be a very busy time. It is several days after the New Year Holiday, and I'm leaving on the 11th, the first day of marathon weekend. The last day may get a little busy with marathoners coming in, but the rest of the week should be great.

Weather is fine in January, a little cool in the mornings (but not too bad). You might get a little rain, but not enough to mess up your trip.

The down side of January: January is a month they use for rehabs on rides, so a couple of biggies could be closed when you're there. This year, Splash Mountain and the Rock n' Roller Coaster were both down for the month.

Also, the parks have shorter hours. But the smaller crowds allow you to do more in a shorter amount of time.

Enjoy your trip, whenever you go.

 

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

I've been in January the past 2 years, and am going again in '08.

The down side of January: January is a month they use for rehabs on rides, so a couple of biggies could be closed when you're there. This year, Splash Mountain and the Rock n' Roller Coaster were both down for the month.

Enjoy your trip, whenever you go.

CRZY4MK...
Argh...We're planning our first January trip...and I forgot to consider major rehabs...Any ideas how often something like Splash Mountain needs a rehab? If it was closed in Jan 2007, is it likely to be fine for Jan 2008? (she asks with crossed fingers!)

 

[bubba's mom]

We were at Epcot Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, 2007 (this year)....NO LINES ANYWHERE! (You can see pix in my TR if you click in my sig)

 

[tinawv]

If it were me, I would go in February. My reasoning is that it might be a little warmer than January.

 

[MeLaNie9]

We haven't been to WDW in Jan but were there the first full week of Feb 2007. Although it was quite cold (especially at night and in the mornings), it was a good trip. I was there for a conference and I know that the big builders convention that is at WDW every year was at the same time. There was also some sort of cheerleading thing going on at the time as well. We really enjoyed the weekdays - quite low crowd levels, however as the weekend approached the crowds grew exponentially and by Saturday it was very, very busy. Maybe all of those conferences/conventions/competitions finished by Sat and everyone was at the parks???

 

[iggbees]

my boyfriend and i went over mlk weekend this past jan and it was fantastic. the lines were seriously nil, even at the magic kingdom. my parents went the 3rd week in feb and they had more lines then we did. i would recommend going in jan. we actually had great weather as well (in the 60-70's all week).

 

[DLBDS]

I went during the 1st week in Feb with my mother and when I got home, I told DH that we would plan on Feb from now on. The weather was great! Plus there's that Pirate & Princess Party! The only downside.....refurbishments.

 

[goinback]

We have been two times in Jan. 16th-24th in 2005, and 21st-25th in 2007.
Both trips were fabulous as far as crowds were concerned! We rode almost everything with little or no waits. When you can walk onto soarin, you know crowds are low! I will warn you though, expect anything with the weather! The first Jan trip, our first day was so cold, we were buying winter hats and gloves from the vendor carts. A couple of days later, we were in shorts! We have never been able to get much swimming in on our Jan trips. The evenings are too cold no matter what the daytime temp was. If swimming is not terribly important, Jan is a wonderful time to go.

 

[Kristina]

We were at Epcot Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, 2007 (this year)....NO LINES ANYWHERE! (You can see pix in my TR if you click in my sig)

I can imagine going in Feb. especially if there is a Princess and Pirate party although they probably arn't a given like MNSSHP and MVMCP. I love the idea of no lines but ugh not the refurbishments .

Side note to add....Bubba's Mom your trippie! Just clicked on it and I love how you did it with the pictures !!! Also, your son is adorable!

 

[crzy4mk]

CRZY4MK...
Argh...We're planning our first January trip...and I forgot to consider major rehabs...Any ideas how often something like Splash Mountain needs a rehab? If it was closed in Jan 2007, is it likely to be fine for Jan 2008? (she asks with crossed fingers!)

You should be ok for Splash. Major rides typically only go down for long rehab every 3-4 years. But a few things will definately be down. Keep checking the rehab calendar at disney.com. Knowing in advance will save you lots of heartache. You wouldn't believe how many people I saw on my last trip who walked up to ride Splash, only to be crushed by the fact that it was closed. Several even got angry.

IMHO, always better to know ahead of time what's not going to be operating while you're there.

 

[cantwait4disney]

We're also planning a Feb 08 trip hoping for lighter crowds and better rates. In regards to the weather, can you all define "cold"? Coming from MN, cold to me would be below zero in February. 50's and 60's would be great and low 70's would be heaven! I would admit that 40's would be a bit of a disappointment...

 

[bubba's mom]

Side note to add....Bubba's Mom your trippie! Just clicked on it and I love how you did it with the pictures !!! Also, your son is adorable!

Thank you Kristina....I have doomed myself to doing TR like that....do it once, and you're forever stuck doin' that way


I remember the weather was actually nicer the earlier in our trip. The first day we had on jeans and tshirts and jackets early and late in the day (the afternoon was sunny & wonderfully warm!) I was told the weekend before we went and the weekend after we went were in the 70's and beautiful (of course ) As our trip progressed into the beginning of Feb., it was a bit cooler due to "pop-up" rain showers, but still, not cold enough for anything more than a light/spring jacket during the day. (The last night there tho, we were headed to City Walk for dinner, and decided it was pretty chilly later that night, and wore the winter coats we flew down in )

Feb. will be warmer than Jan. ( naturally), just watch the Feb. holiday and crowds for other events there......

 

[SnoWhiteRabbit]

You should be ok for Splash. Major rides typically only go down for long rehab every 3-4 years...

Thanks CRZY4MK! I was hoping you would say that! I do check the rehab lists as my trips get closer...so I will definitely know in advance. My kids will *definitely* cope better knowing in advance if there are any favorites that are down. But Splash Mountain is probably "the ride" for us this year. It's my 8 year olds favorite and the 6 and 5 year olds haven't tried it yet, but claim this is the trip that they will, so we are all looking forward to this...

Thanks again, especially for the good news. (I know anything can happen, but I feel better knowing it's not likely...phew!)

 

[kaabost]

I have been in Jan and Feb. Both trips were terriffic! Mornings and nights were chilly but there was at least one day on each trip that was warm enough to go to a water park.

 

[WDWRULZ]

I am not trying to pitch another website, because I am a HUGE disboards fan, but on allearsnet.com they have an up to date list of all rehabs during the time that you plan on going.

 

[MomWith2Cinderellas]

We went this past January (13-26). We loved this time of year. The temperatures were a bit unpredictable, but it was not unbearably hot. The crowds were not heavy. We loved it so much that we are going back at the same time in '08!