Anyone gone in Jan/Feb?

[TattooedMermaid]

Hey. Might be looking at a trip in Jan 2011 from 9th-14th. Never been around that time. Anyone have any tips/advice? Crowds? Weather? Thanks for any help.

 

[Minnie*J*]

A couple years ago, we went at the end of January. There were no crowds. The weather was a little chilly for what I think of as Florida weather. I wore shorts part of the week and pants part of the week. I thought it was a good time to go.

 

[LadybugMomma]

We have been in Jan and Feb. The crowds can be hit or miss depending on the dates. There is an increase in crowds over the MLK holiday weekend and during President's day weekend. The weather too has been hit or miss as well. We have had times where it was COLD and other times where we were swimming in Jan.

Keep an eye on the weather just before so you pack accordingly.

 

[imscoochy]

Crowds are less except for holiday
Very cold in morning when sun is not at the strongest so you usually need something you can take off

Also been there when it's been in the teens buy gloves at walmart before you pay top dollar in park like we had to do . Also make sure you have something to put on near water can get very cold at epcot

 

[At World's End]

We were there last Jan. 9-19. It was during the worst cold snap in 50 years. High temp was 34 the day we arrived, and there were snow flurries!

That said, we had a blast! There were no crowds (except for MLK weekend). We're going again next Jan, but after MLK weekend.

Everybody tells you to pack for all kinds of weather. We are definitely going to be watching the weather, but I plan to bring more cold weather stuff than warm weather stuff. My ds lost his gloves the first day and we could not find any gloves ANYWHERE in Orlando. I figure we can always buy T shirts and shorts if we need them, but finding thermals in Florida may be tough!

The weather did warm up over the time we were there. By the end of the week it was in the 70's and we were wearing shorts. We always brought sweatshirts, because it was in the 40's-50's in the am, even on the warmer days. And it does get COLD in the evenings.

Over MLK weekend the crowds were much, much worse than midweek. We were walking shoulder-to-shoulder with people at HS on Sunday (Fantasmic night). We were at HS on Friday before MLK and there might have been 20 other people on the whole block at Streets of America. As long as you avoid MLK weekend you should have very low crowds.

 

[Pakey]

We have done 10 January trips (not my first choice of time to go but it's a good time for me to be off work).

January used to be dead dead dead but the last few years have seen an increase in crowds; I now don't find it any less crowded than our May trips that we do. Park hours will be shorter. There are also tour groups there in January so if you see the flags, go in a different direction to avoid long lines. Another negative is that there will be a higher than normal attraction closure rate; they take more down in January than any other time (not a big deal to us but some people get very upset that Splash Mtn is closed). Also, one of the two water parks is always closed that month.

Avoid MLK weekend.

Weather is fickle. We've had 2 of the vacations warm enough to swim every day; even in the mornings we were in shorts and tees. We are from California and don't like cold. There have been 2 vacations where there were no days warm enough to take off our jackets; let alone swim. The other 6 vacations have been a mixture of temperatures with at least one day warm enough to get in the water. Just pack the layers of clothes and January can be a fun time to go.

 

[ruadisneyfan2]

Hey. Might be looking at a trip in Jan 2011 from 9th-14th. Never been around that time. Anyone have any tips/advice? Crowds? Weather? Thanks for any help.

We've been in Jan in 2000, 2007, 2008 and 2009. All times were unseasonably cold in FL. Each time, I got sucked into cheap fares and just longing to escape NE winter and feel sunshine on my skin. Every time was cold. In 2000 we could wear shorts 1 day, rest of that trip had coats on with hoods up. All others were long pants and sweatshirts.

Last time, as we trekked through Epcot with sweatshirts, rain ponchos, & sneakers soaked through, dh said "Stop planning these January trips!" so I switched to last week of Aug. It was hot, but empty, and we could visit water parks too.

 

[lphillip459]

My best advice would to bring underarmour and wear it under your "sunny" clothes. Also, gloves are a big hit - both are lightweight (not bulky in the suitcase) and easy to take "on/off" depending on the weather.