First or second week of January? Opinions?

[travelfearlessly]

We're throwing around the idea of going back to Disney in January. It seems like we just can't stay away too long. Our daughter will be turning 3 on January 5th and next summer we plan to move abroad for a year so if we don't go in January then we won't have the chance to come back for a while.

We want to visit Disney mid-week and see family and the rest of Orlando on the busier weekends. I know that New Year's weekend would be packed, then the next weekend is a marathon weekend (Jan 6-10) and then the following weekend is a holiday. Does anyone have any feedback on which of the two mid-weeks would be less crowded?

 

[sharonabe]

I don't have any first-hand experience, but my guess would be the week of the 3rd. Most schools will be back in on the 4th, and the marathon runners don't over crowd the parks. MLK week/weekend will be more crowded. However, now that I think about it, the week of the 10th (Mon-Thur) might be a better week. The marathon runners will probably be gone and MLK crowds won't be coming in until that Friday. One thing that might sway you is if you start your vacation before your daughter's bday, you won't need a ticket for her at all. If you wait until after her bday, she needs a ticket.

 

[UnderTheRialto]

We went both weeks this year. I would choose the first week if either is as convenient to you. The second week definitely saw more larger tour groups. The marathon didn't affect much in the parks (just traffic on the weekend race days). The Christmas decorations will be up the entire time, and the music playing honestly it got VERY old by the end of our second week as Christmas was long over.

 

[JennyDrake]

I disagree about the marathon affecting the parks. Over 40K runner and many bring family with them.

Still, I would opt for that week over a federal holiday anytime.

 

[Garretsoccer2]

I would agree that the first week is going to be your best option. Unfortunately, those first few weeks are going to be fairly busy regardless of which you chose. Post-holiday vacationers and racers keep things quite crowded. With that in mind, I'd suggest you pick a week and purchase your tickets so that you can start making FastPass+ selections as soon as they become available to you.

As an aside, keep in mind that Florida in January can still be quite chilly (my apologies if you already knew that), so plan to wear some warm clothes. When the temperatures drop in the evening, I've noticed that many out of state travelers who were unprepared left the parks... so if the little one is up for a little late night fun, dress warm and enjoy!

 

[travelfearlessly]

We have non-expiring tickets that we haven't activated yet so we're set there. We want to wait until after she turns 3 so that she can use her ticket, otherwise we'd have to purchase separate tickets for the adults or have our 10-day tickets mismatched because she'll have 10 days on hers and we'd only have 7 or 8 left on ours. We actually prefer Disney in the winter because 1) it's a break from super chilly Connecticut and 2) it is SO FREAKING HOT there in the summertime!

My husband's college starts on the 19th so going to Disney during the first week would give him plenty of time to get back and order his school books. I just thought that there would still be heavy crowds from the holiday season right after New Year's. I guess if we visit family over that weekend and Monday and then start our Disney vacation on Tuesday it won't be so bad. If we budget properly we might be able to stay an entire week and then spend our weekend at the beach while everyone is running the marathon