Beginning of January?

[Golden Rose]

We have some friends who are trying to get us to meet them at WDW for the first full week of January (3 -9). We really love these friends, although we've never travelled with them before. We have annual passes, TiW cards, and enough points to make it worth considering. They aren't asking us to book them a room with our points or to share a room with them, they're planning a trip and just hoping we'll be there at the same time.

I actually thought about saying they could stay with us anyway, but having read all the horror stories about inviting friends and family along, we're not quite ready to take that step at this time. But then I think, we're going to get a one bedroom anyway, a two bedroom isn't that much more expensive... but I'm digressing.

We've been later in January, and my memory was that all the holiday decorations and festivities were really over by the time we got there. Does anyone know if there is still anything special at all going on, or any of the beautiful decorations still up, at either the parks or the resorts for that first full week of January?

Also, how crowded are the parks that early in January? Our friends chose the date because they're college professors and need to be back in time to prep for the semester, but we generally have tried to go while school is in session and parks are less crowded.

And how popular a time is it for DVC? (How likely are we to need to book now, before we get to the 7 month window, and how good are our chances of booking a non home resort at 7 months, if we decide to go that route?)

 

[Deb & Bill]

You'll have the marathon going on Jan 7-10.

 

[drusba]

New Years is Jan 1 a Friday in 2010. As far as decorations go, you will most likely see the following. On Jan 3 all will still be there. At the hotels, either the night of Jan 3 or the night of Jan 4, everything will come down during the night and you will awake the next morning to find nothing. At the parks, they will all be up until at least Jan 3 and possibly Jan 4 and then they will start taking them down but some may still be there by Jan 7.

Everything Christmas, meaning Osbourne lights, Christmas stage shows, Country Bear Christmas show, etc., will still be hapenning Jan 3 but that will likely be the last day for all of them and then there will be no special events remainder of first week of Jan and park hours will start to decrease dramatically. Also, if they are planning any closings due to rehab of any park rides you will often see those close starting Jan 5 or after in January.

On Jan 3, crowds will be larger than anything you can imagine (you will hardly be able to breath when you walk). Crowds will be close to larger than anything you have ever seen Jan 4 -- people really don't start moving out until that day. By Tues, Jan 5, the crowd will be less than half what was on Jan 3, and by Wednesday it will be still crowded in a sense but very easy to do things. Marathon crowds come in on Fri Jan 8 but they really don't add to crowd that is there, they just become a significant part of any reservations made for that time.

First week of Jan is a fairly high DVC time but probably still SSR and OKW, and possibly AKV or BWV preferred pool and garden, can be gotten at 7 months out. Still safer to call before then and reserve home resort (and then try to switch 7 months out) particularly because Jan 3 itself will be the most iffy date.

 

[nunzia]

I am there those exact days. I really wanted to see the Osbourne lights and my DH can't go on vacation in December. I am expecting icky crowds that day, but what are you going to do? Hopefully we can do everything we want to do during our time there. We'll focus on AK and Epcot/World showcase, but will need to hit the other parks for specific things..if the weather will hold and the crowds will not be record breaking we should be OK I'm going to have to make lists..WDW is so much more of a chore than DLR...

 

[DeeCee735]

We were there the 11th thru the 16th of January this past year, and will go a week earlier than that in 2010. There were no decorations left, (nor did we expect any) and the parks were closing earlier by this time, and were much slower.

We decided we like January very much. It's cooler to chilly, which my DH and I personally prefer....it just makes park hopping so much more pleasant, although my 19 yr olds would prefer sun worshipping temperatures .

I would love it if friends could join us during the weeks we go....the more the merrier! However, everyone's schedule is so different it's not likely this will work out. I'm shooting for a week in April in HH, perhaps our VA friends will be able to join us then for a beach vacation!

Good luck with your planning and enjoy your upcoming trips!

 

[dianeschlicht]

Yes, you will see a few the first day or two of that trip, but not likely after that. I do agree it is fun to go with friends, so decorations or not...it would not effect my choice. If you can find something available, I'd say book it and enjoy!

 

[kim_d]

We were there Jan 7-15th 2008 and it was heaven...low crowds and great weather.

We were there 12/29-1/12 of this year and it was much more crowded into January. We expected the crowds to thin out on Jan 4th (Sunday) and then be quite low 1/5-1/12 (Monday-Monday) and it was much more crowded that week than last year and what we had anticipated. By about the 8th it cleared out but I really think the 4/3 deal (coupled with the marathon) really did bring in a good size crowd (compared to previous January). It still doesn't compare to busy times, but we were expected to walk on most rides like last year and that wasn't quite the case.

That said we are going back again this January (7-11) for the marathon.

 

[limace]

Ugh-my 40th bday is Jan 5 and I was really hoping for low crowds that week