crowds on MLK Day

[haackclan372]

My family will be traveling the week of MLK day . We will arrive on Friday 1/19 and leave on Saturday 1/25. I am wondering how bad the weekend before Columbus day and the day itself are really going to be. I am trying to decide if Monday Columbus day should be a non park day or if we should brave the parks? This will be my family's first time going. We have two boys 13 and 9. Also what park would you start with, as their first one?

 

[erc]

You mean Martin Luther King Day?

 

[haackclan372]

Yes, that's what I meant.

 

[Wild4Walt]

1/19 is a Sunday in 2020. Are you arriving on 1/17 then? Or on Sunday the 19th?

 

[magicwdw]

MLK Holiday Monday 1/20 will see higher crowds than a typical Monday of course but everything is doable at all parks. The whole weekend will have decent crowds but compared to Christmas and Spring break its not that bad. Middle to late January has seen an uptick in crowds the last few years but with fast passes and rope drop its more than manageable. There is an after hours event at MK on Monday 1/20 and that would be a great time to hit that park with minimal to no wait times and get that nighttime magic.

 

[Jelkat]

I was in HS last year on the Mon of MLK weekend. It e was definitely busy. In saying that we had everything prepared. We had a 8am pre Park opening bfast in H&V. We signed up to jedi training b4 bfast. Had 3 fps back to back and mananaged 1 more after wards. We left at lunch time to chill in hotel. I wouldn't have liked to be there without booki hs though, it was stress free with them. I'll be there this Yr too but going to epcot that day

 

[SaintsManiac]

MK on Sunday and Monday was chaos in 2018. We did Epcot and HS on Friday before and AK and HS on Saturday before. No problems at all.

 

[Tink9721]

MK on Sunday and Monday was chaos in 2018. We did Epcot and HS on Friday before and AK and HS on Saturday before. No problems at all.

I was at MK the Saturday before in 2018 and it was crazy. I know better than to do MK the Saturday of a holiday weekend, but it was our last full day, which is always at MK. I was by myself that day because my mom wasn't feeling well, and I still had trouble getting same day FPs. We were there Sunday too but only for a few hours before we had to head for the airport.

I picked our Jan 2020 dates so we'd just be overlapping marathon weekend and avoiding MLK. Last time we hit both

 

[pens4821]

This past MLK week was quite crowded. With a good plan we got to do everything we wanted and multiple times, but it was more crowded than we are used to. We have done MLK week before, and late February. We don't usually get into long lines, but we had time to kill a few times so got in a couple longer lines than we are used to. Small world really shocked us as it was near 45 minutes most the time we passed it mid day.

 

[JennyDrake]

It won't be Christmas crowded but will be spring break crowded. Rope drop is your best friend....

 

[haackclan372]

1/19 is a Sunday in 2020. Are you arriving on 1/17 then? Or on Sunday the 19th?

We would be arriving that Friday the 17th. I am thinking that we would do Epcot on Saturday and then AK on Sunday and then do a non park day on Monday.

 

[beccasmom]

That’s my birthday weekend, but we avoid going to WDW then. We tried it once and it was just too crazy.