Park Capacity Closings 1st week Jan?

[irene_dsc]

I know the parks sometimes fill to capacity Christmas week, but what about Jan 2-8? I'm hoping my mid-day resort break plans won't become an issue, not to mention the idea of dinner at a resort and then returning to MK for Spectromagic & Wishes. That day is probably the only issue, since our other full day with a mid-day break is Epcot, and it sounds like it closes last of any, usually (and it isn't an EMH day).

(We may park-hop on the 8th, but I'm assuming the parks will be a lot emptier that day since most schools will be back in session.)

 

[dizplanner]

No problem. It might still be pretty crowded, but not to the point of closing. I think the parks have only closed on Christmas (and maybe Christmas Eve), New Years Eve (and maybe New Years) and Fourth of July. Otherwise, it may be crowded, but not to the point of closing.

 

[Momof2princess]

We were at WDW last Jan 1st-8th. The crowds were not bad at all and we had very little wait time for most rides.

 

[GovieMom]

We were at WDW last Jan 1st-8th. The crowds were not bad at all and we had very little wait time for most rides.

Wow ... sure wish we'd been at the same WDW as you then!

 

[swilphil]

Compared to the week between Christmas and New's Year's Day, Jan. 1-8 will seem like a deserted island!

This year some school districts (like my son's) may not start back until Jan. 7, so you could have a few more crowds.

If you plan right it's doable. Always have a fast pass. Go at opening to the non-EMH park, or go to the EMH park and leave after 2 hours for yesterday's EMH park.

Last year, we went on New Year's Day right at opening, and there were very few crowds in the morning. Even the afternoon wasn't that bad.

 

[mom0299]

I am so glad to see these posts. We are arriving Sat. Dec. 29th and staying until Jan. 4th. I know that the first few days will be jam packed and we are prepared for it. I was starting to get worried about Jan. 1-4. I know it will still be busy, but maybe not quite as bad as the first part of our trip. I had been worried about leaving a park and being able to get back into one for ADRs in the late afternoon, early evening, but maybe we won't have too much trouble. We are staying on-site so that should help. On NYE we are planning to get to Epcot early and stay for as long as we can make it. We have early dinner ADRs inside the park and will probably leave after the first Illuminations.

 

[attackwithnorth]

From my experience, the first week in January is one of the few times during the year where the parks go from being filled to capacity to being practically empty in the span of a couple of days. Jan 2-8 is a great time to go.

 

[Belle1962]

Because of the why the holiday falls this year and the fact that a LOT of school systems don't start back until Jan 7 or Jan 8 this year will probably be busier than years past. But with proper planning it is doable and much better than this week.

 

[GovieMom]

Everyone thinks the parks will empty out after New Years Day ... NOT TRUE! We were there this year from Dec. 31 to Jan. 7, and the parks stayed packed the whole week. And it's not only because of when the schools go back; it seemed that half the visitors this year and last were from Great Britain and South America, who share the same extended holidays. Good luck, but be prepared for massive crowds ... even TGM has predicted a maximum crowd level of 5 out of 5 til January 6th.

 

[maciemouse]

I don't know if this gives you a clue, but I was trying to plan a short last minute trip for next week. The only hotel available was Saratoga Springs. Everything else is full. I called Disney directly and checked on line. And this is during the week, not on the weekend. I think that it is going to be pretty full so have a plan.

 

[dawgsgirl]

I remember all the crowd reports from last year, plus heard from a few people I know. It was super crowded the whole first week of January. Not my report, but what I remember!

 

[Ellielovesdisney]

We were there the first week of January last year and are going back this year. We don't ride thrill rides...but didn't think it was too bad. We went to all 4 parks in 2.5 days. We didn't get on Soarin (2 hr wait) but did do everything else we wanted. The only park that seemed very crowded to us was MK. It certainly wasn't empty...but definately manageable.

 

[texaslover]

Just wanted to offer a little hope! I called today and got an ADR at Chefs de France for 1:30 on Dec 30 and Brown Derby for 1:30 on Jan 4. When I was talking to the wonderful CM I asked about making a few reservations after I got there. She said that there were not many restaurants that were fully booked and there should really be no problem getting in if I called ahead!

 

[r_loverton]

I also called a coupe of days ago and was able to make 8 ADRs between
Jan 1-5.

 

[irene_dsc]

Well, I pretty much knew it would be crowded, just from the fact of how school vacations tend to go, and that the prices go from holiday to value after the 1st. (Heck, that's why we're going then, and somehow I don't think I'm the only one to notice that!) But, I hope everyone is right that it won't be quite as bad as the holiday week...(not that I can do much of anything about it now!)

 

[dpuck1998]

No problem. It might still be pretty crowded, but not to the point of closing. I think the parks have only closed on Christmas (and maybe Christmas Eve), New Years Eve (and maybe New Years) and Fourth of July. Otherwise, it may be crowded, but not to the point of closing.

MK was at stage 2 yesterday...

 

[boyohboyx3]

I am so glad to be reading these posts! We're set to leave from the 3rd to the 10th. I was starting to worry about the first few days. I'm hoping they'll be manageable. Thanks for everyone's input!