Disney Marathon vs. MLK Weekend - which is less crowded?

[goddess_rx]

Was planning on booking a solo week-long trip the last full week in January, but it was already claimed by a co-worker. Now, I can choose one of the two full weeks before, but I thought I would ask around. Which weekend would be less crowded?

 

[spiceycat]

marathon for sure - besides a good amount of the runners don't even go to the parks. yea can't understand that one either.

that say disney closes some of the roads - so as long as the marathon last use the buses don't even try to drive around.

forgot - go with the one that you can get reservations for - they both may be sold out

 

[disneybride96]

Spiceycat at is 100% correct. We always go MLK week though. We just don't hit the parks until Tuesday when all the locals that were ther for a long weekend go home. Tues, Wed, Thursday are really quite nice.

 

[Alicenwonderment]

FYI MLK week may be crowded. Disney College Alumni will be having a homecoming weekend that week. Last year it happened in Oct and many people did not get to sign up since they reached max.

 

[grahamharvey1982]

I've been to WDW at all times of the year. January is normally a great month to go. A couple years ago, we booked a day at WDW on MLK weekend (the Saturday) without realizing it was the holiday weekend. It was probably one of the most crowded days I have ever seen. I would definitely opt for the marathon weekend instead. Just know that the road closures can cause a lot of traffic in the morning.

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

We love going in January. MLK weekend is busy, but if you can avoid MK for those 3 days you'll find that the crowds at the other parks aren't too bad. And then crowds are very low during the weeks before/after MLK weekend, so if you go at that time, plan your MK days for those days and then plan your resort day for one of the days over the long weekend, since I think the majority of park visitors for MLK are locals. So do some resort hopping or book some nice resort ADRs, lounge by the pool and do your laundry, visit DTD, spend half-days at AK or HS. It's totally do-able and you can absolutely maximize your park time if you plan right.