How crowded is MLK weekend in Jan?

[BarbB]

Arriving at Polynesian late the Wed. before MLK weekend with DH, DS 7 and DD 5. My kids 1st WDW trip! We are leaving mid morning on Monday (MLK Day). Planning to go to MK Thursday (inc. EMH) to hopefully hit some typical low January crowds. How crowded are the parks going to be Fri - Sun?
I'm starting to hear that starting Friday things at WDW get really crowded. How crowded is crowded? Like middle summer/ spring break crowded? Is it mostly MK or all the parks? I'm really getting nervous that I picked a bad time to go. Hoping that hitting other parks on non EMH days will help - will it?

 

[BarbB]

BUMP.

Would really appreciate any input on MLK weekend crowds - I'm considering paying the airline fees and changing my reservations to later in the month if crowds tend to be really big. SHould I?

Thanks!!

 

[travelbug]

Hi, BarbB. A friend and I spent MLK weekend (Thurs.-Mon.) at WDW this year. Most of my trips to WDW over the years have been over Easter week and once over Christmas week. Let me tell you, there is NO comparison!! I found MLK weekend to have far smaller crowds than those holiday weeks. No doubt larger crowds than the rest of January, but I have no point of comparison there.

For most rides or attractions, we had a wait time of 15 min. or less. We did use fast pass for Test Track, RnR, and a couple other things. The busiest place we came across by far was Magic Kingdom on Saturday afternoon and evening. That was the only showing of Spectromagic for that week, so I'm sure that probably contributed to the very large crowds in MK that day.

One factor may have affected the size of the crowds in general that weekend. It was really cold!! It was warm and gorgeous when we arrived on Thursday, but a cold front came through that night. For the rest of the weekend, temps stayed in the 40s and low 50s though at least it was generally sunny. Naturally, when we left on Monday, warm weather was starting to return. But we figured that the cold snap might have discouraged some of the locals from coming to WDW that weekend.

Our strategy was to make full use of early entry days. That worked well for us. By the time the early entry park was starting to get busier (around midday), we would catch lunch somewhere. We usually took an hour or two to put our feet up back at the resort (BCV), and then hit a different park for afternoon & evening. The parks close earlier, of course, than over the holiday weeks when I usually go. But that was no problem, because we didn't have a lot of wait time for rides. It was actually nice to be back in the room by 10:00 or so, and get a good night's sleep since we were doing early entry.

Hope that helps. I'm not an expert on MLK weekend, since I've only gone once at that time. But that was our experience. We had an awesome time in spite of the cold weather. Good luck as you plan your trip!

 

[BarbB]

Thanks so much for your info, Travelbug. The reason we're going in Jan is to miss the crowds - don't know why I picked a holiday weekend (probably so kids would miss 1 less day of school). I think I'm going to look into the cost of changing to later in the month and having the kids miss an extra day of school. I don't think it will be a big deal in Kind & 1st grade. Thanks again for your insight.

 

[Daisie]

I have gone to disney every January for about the past 10 years or so.....we always try to stay clear of MLK weekend....you will notice the increase in the crowds....the first time we were there over that week, I couldn't understand where everybody came from. It's not like the normal Janaury crowd. The magic kingdom seems to be the worse. If the holiday is on Monday, the Sat/Sun before it and the days to follow will be much busier. This year we are going at the end of the month. Gotta watch the Marathon also when making plans in Janaury.

 

[IwantobeTinkerbell]

We went MLK week 2 years ago and it was great! No lines, perfect weather and cheaper rates! I would choose that time of year again. Unfortunately, we chose Christmas week this year to see the Osbourne lights and they cancelled them! Enjoy!

 

[christianweecare]

My family has done MLK weekend for the past two years. It has not been bad at all. We do stay away from the MK past Friday, though. I think the only fast pass that we did last Jan. was for Test Track. We will be there this next MLK weekend 2004!

 

[Harambe]

We are also going then because we are pulling the kids out of school and will save one day. We are going Wed. before and returning Wed. after. Here's our plans! You notice I will not plan to be in a park on either Saturday or Sunday night, it will be busy, because the park hours are limited and sometimes Saturday is the only night MK will stay open late (so everyone goes!).

Thursday: MK (EMH), then MGM for Fantasmic

Friday: AK (EMH), then Epcot (just Future World)

Saturday: MGM (EMH), leave when too crowded, then back to AKL for the rest of the day.

Sunday: MK (EMH), leave early to go over to AK for parade, then back to resort.

Monday: Weather permitting, Typhoon Lagoon, then Epcot for World Showcase and Illuminations

Tuesday: Sleep in, Epcot for afternoon, then Poly Luau

Wednesday: Kids will pick which ever park they want to re-visit.