Disney Jan 2-9 2009 - help!

[Disneybride2386]

I've been to Disney many times, but all in July or August. What can anyone tell me about going in January? What are the crowds like? Weather? Anything special I should know? I'm taking my 76 year old grandmother, so any advice on that would help too! And we're staying at POP which I haven't been to since the year it opened!
TIA!

 

[JessR]

weather is great, crowds are low.

 

[Edna "E" Mode]

Can get cold at night.

Last year we had temps down in the low 50s.

Plan to have jackets when out waiting for any of the fireworks especially by the water it was waayyy chilly but the days were in the low 70s.

Jan. is suppose to be the coolest month of the year there but on the up side one of the driest.

Crowds were ok...only a couple of times did we really have to wait for anything.

 

[iggbees]

from our experience, we love going in jan. my boyfriend and i have been going for the last 2 years in jan and we'll be there the same time as you this year again. last year the weather was mild, i wore capris and t-shirts most of the time. coming from mass, it's much warmer down in fla in jan. there was one day where it poured buckets for almost half the day, the rest of the days were clear. as edna said, it can get cold at night. i usually changed half way through the day to put jeans on at night, especially if we were spending time in the parks. two years ago, we went during mlk weekend and it was HOT! i couldn't believe it. i had brought capris and jeans to wear, thinking that it was going to be mild and i never wore the jeans, not even at night. i only used a lightweight long sleeve shirt. i would bring both jeans and shorts/capris and definitely a long sleeved shirt for night. i'm also bringing a lightweight packable rain coat this year (and maybe a tiny umbrella), since we did not expect that rain last year and were stuck in the animal kingdom bus stop area for over an hour.

the crowds are manageable, but marathon weekend you'll see a lot more people checking in at POP. last year we were there marathon weekend and POP was packed. the crowds in the park weren't terrible, definitely not summer crowds, which is a good thing!

 

[DisneyObsessive]

if it makes you feel better, this is my first time going in january as well (5th-10th). so i guess it'll be an adventure for both of us!

 

[skoul]

just posting to get my 10 to PM

 

[BarbieGal457]

I went last January and will be going back in two weeks (squee!!). When I went then, the days were 85-90 degrees, and the nights were a bit on the chillier side, 60s probably. One very warm night was into the 70s and it was quite lovely. It was definitely much less crowded than the summer, with the longest wait being 20 minutes for Soarin' on the first night, which coincided with the last night of Florida's holiday vacations for school children (a Sunday night). Epcot was insanely crowded that night, but otherwise everything was almost a complete walk-on.

I would definitely bring a mix of clothes that you can layer, etc., depending on the weather. I leave on the 3rd, and right now the weather is between 45-65 degrees, but I'm sure that'll change. Last year they said like, 40s and it was in the 90s! I will be taking a leather jacket as well as a hoodie that's fleece inside in case. I'm leaving from Philly, and I refuse to take a parka to Disney World!! I'm also bringing longjohns just in case.

I actually think this is a perfect time to take your grandmother, since the crowds were definitely manageable, and the weather isn't as overbearing as it can be in the summer. I'd rather be a bit chilly than 110 degrees!! It rained once the 2nd day we were there, but only for a few minutes in typical Florida fashion!

It really was quite a beautiful time to go. I'll be at Pop from the 3rd-10th so look out for my LGMHs!!

 

[perkyperla]

hey barbie gal! another local at pop at the same time!! can't wait - look for an insanely large pack moving as one (there is 13 of us!)

 

[Edna "E" Mode]

I keep watching weather.com ...lol

We only had one rainy day last year and that was the day of the marathon...poured for about 1 hour late in the afternoon but all was good to get on Test Track before the park closed....

 

[skiloff]

We're hopefully going next January (2010), but we went last December and I'm guessing its similar. The only thing I'll add to other comments is to check the closure schedule. Being this is low-season, this is also when many attractions can be down for maintenance. It wasn't a big deal when we were there, but its not a bad idea to check.

 

[Sarubo]

We went last year the last week of Jan and first week of Feb. The crowds were almost non-existant the first week, but picked up the second week bc of dance competitions, mardi gras, super bowl, etc. But they were still manageable. As for the weather the first week was very mild, the weather was a bit chilly early in the mornings and late at night but I like cool weather so it didn't bother me. The second week it went into the 80's! Needless to say, I was not prepared wardrobe-wise for that! LOL.

This year we will be going Jan 2-12 and staying at Pop as well! So it would seem we are all in the same boat. I'm hoping crowds will be low and the weather cool. I can dream can't I???

 

[Edna "E" Mode]

We're hopefully going next January (2010), but we went last December and I'm guessing its similar. The only thing I'll add to other comments is to check the closure schedule. Being this is low-season, this is also when many attractions can be down for maintenance. It wasn't a big deal when we were there, but its not a bad idea to check.

We'll get there in time before they close Space Mountain but last year they had a few closed in MK. Didn't worry to much about those cause I remember at least one was a water ride but the kids really wanted to go on it...lol

But that is a good idea to check especially if you have a plan of attack for what ya want to do.