1st Week in January

[JenG]

We usually go to WDW in October and and in May. We have decided to book a few days Jan 1 - 4 at WDW this year. We haven't ever been at this time. I heard that Jan 1 can be really busy - will the rest of the week be busy as well?

Since we go 2x a year - we are not Park commandos and don't need to hit every ride or see everything. Just curious as to crowd levels at that time.

Also, we usually avoid AK since it's too hot. Will Jan be a good time to try AK?

TIA!!

 

[Chuck S]

That time in January can be pleasant, but it can also be bone chilling cold. You run the risk of it being too cold for AK, as the animals would need heated shelters. It isn't a dry cold like in most of the country, the humidy in Florida exaggerates both the summer heat and the winter cold.

 

[JenG]

Thanks - I didn't even think about it being too cold for the animals.

We are from Ann Arbor Michigan and it is usually around 10-20F here in January so anything around 50-60F will be nice!

 

[nuts]

Thanks - I didn't even think about it being too cold for the animals.

We are from Ann Arbor Michigan and it is usually around 10-20F here in January so anything around 50-60F will be nice!

Hmmm, well, I've been at Disney in Dec/January where it was in the 30's. 50-60 would be balmy. I am from Colorado, and sometimes Florida is colder (believe it or not).

 

[Deb & Bill]

I've been at Disney in January and the temps were in the 80's. We spent a lot of time at Blizzard Beach because we were so hot. And that was for the marathon, so it was early January.

 

[amberg@eastlink.ca]

we stayed at blt this past xmas until jan 6th. the weather was great until jan 2nd when it was a cold snap(wind chill!) even for us and were from nova scotia. we were prepared and atleast i didnt hear from hubby why on earth did you bring all this excess warm clothes/hats/mitts? lol

also crowds were still very very high the first week of the year. i thought wrongly perhaps the crowds would dissapate the first week of january. while they went down a bit, it was still heavy crowds. a cm told dh its not tll the next week they start dying off. we still saw a lot of the animals on our ak day, but once the sun went down we bailed pretty fast. a friend stayed on cash at akl and they had great views of the animals from their room the week after- altho it was still cold.

go hoping for heat, but pack for cold. the animals often come out more in the cold(not freezing) as its not so hot for them so you could still get great views on the safari. we did it early am feb last yr and got some of the best shots ever.

 

[drusba]

For Jan 1 to 4, you should expect close to Christmas week type crowds and in comparison to May and October you should multiply crowd size by three. The crowds let up only somewhat after Jan 1 and don't realy start moving out until Jan 4.

As far as temps go, "average" is in the 60s but there is often no average that time of year. it can be mid-70s to 80s like it was in 2011 or it can be Jan 2010 again when for a 15 day stretch the high was in the 40s to low 50s and lows were in the 20s.

 

[dianeschlicht]

This year with Jan. 1st falling on a Tuesday, I suspect a lot of folks will hang around until the end of the next weekend. I'd expect heavy crowds at least until Saturday the 5th.

As for weather and AK. We LOVE AK in November, December, January and March. January can be a bit chilly though, and you really take your chances with the weather. It's a crap shoot for sure, but you might get lucky and it will be beautiful, or you could hit it wrong, and it might be below freezing every morning like we had 3 years ago. Believe me, when it's +50 in Florida it feels colder than -10 does here in Minnesota! Part of the problem is you are out in the weather, and part of it is how damp that cold air is.

 

[rpcvpanama]

I have been the first week in January for the past 2 years and will never ever go at that time of year again. The crowds are bad (we usually go Sept/Oct.) and the weather is very unpredictable. Generally long pants and sweatshirts/jackets at a minimum. Two years ago it was full on winter coat. Plus there are huge influxes of travel groups at that time of year, particularly brazillian tour groups.

 

[DenLo]

There is also the Disney Marathon so many guests come in for the first weekend in January.

 

[DVC-Don]

I live near WDW at that time of year and the weather can range from the 30's to the 80's. It's a roll of the dice.

 

[bobbiwoz]

The Marathon is the second weekend in January in '13.

My birthday is January 3rd, and this year it was very very cold. However the crowds were down that day and we were able to watch Illuminations from the outside eating area of the fish and chips place in Great Britain. I've noticed on every other trip to WDW since then, that that area has been taken up by special groups. So that was one advantage of my winter birthday!

Bobbi

 

[JenG]

Thank you all for the info! We will be visiting my parents in Sarasota for the last few days in December and thought it would be fun to hit Disney for a few days. We have never been during the winter so it will be a new experience.

Hopefully we will get the warmest January on record. If not, we will just brave the weather!

Thanks again!