How Busy Is January?

[Kata]

I currently have a trip planned for early December,but it seems like it is going to be really busy now. I am giving some thought into seeing how much it would cost to change my reservations to the middle of January. I always go off season so I don't have to put up with huge crowds and wait in long lines but it seems that early December is going to be so busy that they are now extending some hours and alot of resorts don't have many rooms available even 3 monthes out. I love xmas time at WDW but I really don't want to fight the crowds on my relaxing vacation.So please tell me if January is a more relaxing time to go?
Thanks!!!!!

 

[JESW]

We were there around January 22nd (dd's bd) this year. While it wasn't MOBBED, it certainly wasn't as "empty" as I thought it would be. Still quite a few families and tour groups. It was also quite warm and ds & I had to buy some shorts.

Jill

 

[DisneyFans4]

I'm actually thinking of planning my first Jan. trip because I've heard it's very quiet and the weather is beautiful in Jan.

 

[DISNEYmooner2008]

I am honeymooning in January It will be both mine and my fiance's first time at WDW and we can't wait. I hear the parks are rather empty and there aren't TOOO long of waits.. However, i do know the weather can be aggrivating!! You never know how the weather will be. We've been in Florida 2 times during Jan. before. The first time, it was 80 degrees during the day all week long, and the second time, it rarely got above 60 the whole time we are there... so it's kinda hit and miss in january!! Still i'm looking forward to our disneymoon!!

 

[Elmo888]

January is great, but I can't compare it to December (never been in December). Our last 3 trips (including our honeymoon!) have been in January, and our next trip will be at the end of January. The weather is great and so are the crowds. It was a bit more crowded last time (January, 2007), but we still enjoyed it. It seemed more crowded at the beginning of the week (which was marathon weekend) and became very crowded at the end of the week, which was the beginning of the MLK holiday.

Bring shorts, pants, long sleeved and short sleeved lightweight tops, and a lightweight jacket. The weather can vary, but we really enjoy it. We swam a number of times this past January.

 

[Cory's Gal]

We went this past January 20-27th. It was great, weather was cooler and we never waited in a line more than 15 minutes. We would definately go again this time of year. The evenings would get chilly and had a few days where it rained, but nothing major. We had a wonderful time the high's were 60's-80's so pack for anything!

 

[Kata]

I am honeymooning in January It will be both mine and my fiance's first time at WDW and we can't wait. I hear the parks are rather empty and there aren't TOOO long of waits.. However, i do know the weather can be aggrivating!! You never know how the weather will be. We've been in Florida 2 times during Jan. before. The first time, it was 80 degrees during the day all week long, and the second time, it rarely got above 60 the whole time we are there... so it's kinda hit and miss in january!! Still i'm looking forward to our disneymoon!!

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!!!!!!Thank you all for the great responses!!!I am going to check into the possibility of maybe moving my trip,I was really looking forward to December but it is starting to sound like the crowds are going to be more like peak season instead of value season.
Thanks again!!!

 

[des1954]

The middle of January is usually slow in the parks and the resorts. If you're looking for a time of year that it's not too busy, this would be it. The weekend of the 11th thru the 14th WILL be busy, as that is the weekend of the Disney marathon. That usually brings in a large crowd.

 

[AKLRULZ]

The last time I was there in January was for the AP EE preview - the only park that had any sort of crowds was Animal Kingdom. MK had light crowds but the Disney Studios and Epcot were completely dead. Great time to go!

 

[blessedby3]

The middle of January is usually slow in the parks and the resorts. If you're looking for a time of year that it's not too busy, this would be it. The weekend of the 11th thru the 14th WILL be busy, as that is the weekend of the Disney marathon. That usually brings in a large crowd.

Our trip is booked for the 11-21 of Jan. As I was checking posts on this a few months ago, most of what I read said that the marathon does not bring in huge crowds at the parks, but that the traffic around the parks would be bad and the resorts. Hoping that is true and they wont be filling the parks too.

 

[bizarlee]

Our trip is booked for the 11-21 of Jan. As I was checking posts on this a few months ago, most of what I read said that the marathon does not bring in huge crowds at the parks, but that the traffic around the parks would be bad and the resorts. Hoping that is true and they wont be filling the parks too.

I'm one of the marathoners and have gone the last 5 years for the race weekend. From my perspective, traffic's not bad and the crowds are low, though if you go to the parks during race day, the race course will be roped off and you'll need to wait for a break in the runners to cross the course (there are usually CM assisting). On Saturday (the half marathon), only Magic Kingdom and Epcot are affected, and will be clear by around 10:00AM. On Sunday, all 4 parks are affected, though we'll clear out in the order of Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, MGM and finally, Epcot. Epcot should be cleared out by 2:00. Most of us usually go to the parks the day after the race and I've rarely had to wait in line for anything. Keep in mind, most of us just ran either 13.1 miles, 26.2 or 39.3, so we'll be the ones limping through the parks - you can easily outrun us to the attractions. We'll also be wearing our medals, so please congratulate us as you whiz past us.

 

[heatherlynn444]

we disneymooned teh 7th -14th this year in jan. and it was EMPTY until friday/sat (MLK w/e) and even then it wasn't "bad" good luck!

 

[weschmom]

We went Jan 18-22, 2007, and had a great time! The parks were not as "empty" as I thought they'd be, though. It's becoming a more popular time to go. Waits for Soarin' without Fastpass were an hour.

BUT...as I understand it, the crowds in January pale in comparison to peak crowds. And many of the rides we were able to walk on and off without waiting at all. The buses were great and we never waited more than 10 mins. The weather was perfect -- 70's most of the time and no rain. Though bear in mind, January is very unpredictable, so like other DISers said, pack a variety.

We are going again this next January and can't wait!

Have fun!

 

[Kata]

Thank you everyone for the great responses!!! I guess it will be to costly for me to switch to January. I called to see if I could change the date of my Cirq Du Soleil ticket and I was told no it was not refundable or transferable. Well I am not looking to transfer it or refund it I want to exchange it for a different date.Well they wouldn't let me change the date so I would lose a $100.00 not using that ticket and have to pay $50.00 to change my airline ticket. So since I have already invested in a MVMCP ticket, a Cirque Du Soleil ticket and a ticket for the Blue Man Group I am going to hope for the best for early December. December is a really nice time to go to WDW but I really don't like to go when it is too crowded.I did get really good rates for 2 of my 3 resort stays(WL,AKL,POLY) so if the parks are too crowded I will enjoy these great resorts and DTD.I think I will be booking my next trip in a January though because my birthday is in January and I would love to be at WDW on my birthday!!
Thanks again!!!!!!!!

 

[Pristy]

Hi Kata,

Just a quick tip for future reference in case you don't already know. The website for the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, which you can find online by searching for the book title, has crowd calendars for different times during the year. They collect data on crowd levels and wait times at the theme parks and use the data to make the predictions in their crowd calendars. They usually hit pretty close to the mark.

 

[Kata]

Hi Kata,

Just a quick tip for future reference in case you don't already know. The website for the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, which you can find online by searching for the book title, has crowd calendars for different times during the year. They collect data on crowd levels and wait times at the theme parks and use the data to make the predictions in their crowd calendars. They usually hit pretty close to the mark.

Hi,thanks for the great response.I actually have a subscription to the Unofficial Guides Touring plans website to check out the crowd levels. I know that it shows low crowd levels in the past but the fact that alot of rooms are sold out for December already makes me worry that people have started to realize early December is a nice time to go. WDW has really be offering some great deals also so I am worried that it will be crowded. WDW has also extended some park hours in early December which I don't think they have done in the past.When I went in December 2005 I did notice it seemed alot more crowded then my previous visit so I do think that crowd levels will be increasing.
Thanks again!!!!!