BWV and WDW in Jan 2008 - What to expect?

[nderh2o]

Our family will be going on our first DVC trip in January 2008. We are stayimg at BWV. We have never gone to WDW at this time of year. The website says it is slow. I am wondering what to expect at this time of year as opposed to April, May, June.
1. Are the pools, restaurants, etc open? Are all of the attractions at the parks open (with the exception of those undergoing repairs)?
2. Whatg kind of activity can we expect at BWV?
3. Disney doesn't close things down due to crowd levels do they?
4. When the website says this is a slow time of year, is it still going to be crowded when compared to other amusement park standards?

I want this to be a special get-away for the family and a time to relax (when we want to). But I don't want to feel like we have taken a vacation to some summer vacation resort that rolls up the sidewalks during the off-season.

Thanks

 

[Pakey]

We always go in January. What to expect? Well, that depends on when in January you are gong. If you are going to be there over the weekend of Jan 12-13, it will be crowded due to the marathon. If you are gong to be there over the weekend of Jan 20-22, that's MLK weekend and it will be crowded. Other than that, it will be fairly empty in relation to the rest of the year. Years ago, that meant no lines at all. Now it just means shorter lines for most rides although some will still be longer. Soarin, Peter Pan, etc. are always a bit longer than others.

The parks close earlier during the winter months so you have less time in the parks; hopefully you will feel that the shorter lines make up for it. Sometimes the good rides are down for refurbishment in Jan; I know this year it will be Splash Mtn that's down. Everything else, including restaurants, will be open.

The pools are open and one of the two water parks will be open, but most days it will probably be too cool to swim. We usually get one day each trip that is nice enough to swim so you have to be flexible in your plans if you want to take advantage of pools/water parks as you won't know ahead of time when you'll get those nice days.

You shouldn't feel like you are being cheated by doing this as a winter vacation. The only thing that is risky is the weather. We were there one January and every day it barely got into the 40's. Not much fun. The evenings will generally always be pretty cool, almost to the point of discomfort in the parks, especially Epcot where the breeze can be brisk. Go prepared for all kinds of weather and pack accordingly and you should have a very enjoyable vacation.

 

[JonJ]

We always go in January. As mentioned before, the crowds are only "bad" around the Marathon and MLK. You will need to pack for varying temperatures (high of 80 down to highs in the 40s). We have been lucky and missed rain, but we have been prepared by having clothes that would allow us to dress in layers for most any weather. You will enjoy the lack of crowds! However, they do take some of the rides off-line during these low attendance times. Check the DIS web site for what will be closed.

 

[jekjones1558]

Don't worry about feeling like the sidewalks are rolled up. When we have brought friends in January, they couldn't believe it when we told them crowds were low. The evening entertainers on the BW will be fewer and maybe a little earlier in the evening, but you will still see entertainers. Check out accuweather.com or weather.com for long range forecasts before your trip so you have a better idea how to pack. Even if the days are warm, the nights will be cool, so be sure to bring a warm jacket for Fantasmic, etc. There will only be a Spectromagic Parade in MK a few times a week, so check the schedule so you don't miss it. If you go early in January some holiday stuff, like Osborne Lights, may still be going, so check that out. The pools will be open and are kept relatively warm for swimming in almost any weather.
We are going to BWV Jan. 19 - 26, so if you are going later in the month, we'll see you there!

 

[disneybride96]

We are going to BWV Jan. 19 - 26, so if you are going later in the month, we'll see you there!

We'll be at BWV the 20-26th too! We love January. Take advantage of any "bad" weather. It rained one day last year, and it seemed that everyone stayed in bed until it cleared up. We were up and at AK rope drop. I was like having the park to ourselves!

 

[chefkellyb]

How "bad" is bad for crowd levels during the marathon? We will be there 1/11-1/19. Are we talking summer/holiday bad? Or just a little more crowded than the normal winter periods? Now I'm worried....

 

[Pakey]

How "bad" is bad for crowd levels during the marathon? We will be there 1/11-1/19. Are we talking summer/holiday bad? Or just a little more crowded than the normal winter periods? Now I'm worried....

No crowds will not be like summer/holiday, just more than the average January weekday. Also, getting around the parks will be difficult on the marathon days just because of the race paths.

 

[nderh2o]

We will be arriving Tue evening the 15th and leaving the 21st in the early afternoon. Figures, since Pirates and Princess is scheduled for Monday night the 21st.