How is the weather in January

[minstrel10]

Can anyone give me some information about WDW in January such a Weather, crowds etc. We were a VWL mid November last year (loved it!!!) but January would be better this year.

Is it better at the start of the month or end? I was thinking some christmas decorations may still be up in the start of the month.

 

[MickeyTime]

If you go at the very beginning of January, you'll still experience quite heavy crowds. If you wait until school is back in session though, the crowds decrease drastically and it is a quite nice time of year to go.

The weather during January is generally cool, but FL weather can be unpredictable during the winter. It could be freezing, or you could be in shorts during the daytime. It's best to prepare by packing clothes that can be layered. You'll need a jacket in the evening. I'd stick with mostly jeans or pants, but maybe a pair of shorts or two if it looks like the weather will be a bit warmer during the day.

 

[tjkraz]

Christmas decorations will disappear VERY quickly after the 1st.

The only noteworthy time to avoid is Martin Luther King weekend--Friday to Monday. If you can plan around that, you should be fine.

Crowds are very low. Our longest wait during a Jan trip was 15 minutes for a non-Fastpass attraction. Many rides won't even have FP open due to low crowds.

Now, the bad news:

January is prime season for ride rehabs. Plan on missing a handful of attractions which may or may not put a damper on your trip. If you're looking at Jan '05, some rehab lists are already circulating. I'm doing this from memory, but I believe that Dumbo and the Carousel at the MK are already on the list. It's A Small World is closed until the Spring.

One of the waterparks is guaranteed to be closed for rehab in January.

Weather is also very unpredictable. You'll have to pack everything from winter coats and gloves to shorts and tee shirts. Every night it will drop down into the 50s, so you'll need jeans, sweatshirts, etc. if you plan to be out late. During the day, it will really vary. Two days before we arrived for a January stay the daily high was *48* degrees!!! We must have brought the warm weather with us because it hit 70 every day for a week.

Overall, it's a great time to visit. But you have to be prepared to take the bad with the good.

 

[AimeeM]

I think the decorations for the most part are taken down within the first few days of January. The contempory's undecorated tree outside was still up at the end of January last year when we were there..

We go every January and we love it then. As long as its not Martin Luther King weekend, its dead at the parks.

As for weather, we have had it all from mid 80's all the way down to waking up to 28 'record breaking,Orlando schools are closed' degrees! The only good thing was that back home in Pittsburgh that morning, it was negative 13 and that was WITHOUT the wind chill!!!!! It was a chilly trip at night at in the mornings that year, but during the day we had on jeans and t shirts. I prefer a warm day, even cool where we have to wear a sweatshirt rather than sweat to death all day like we did last October. You just have to check the weather right up until the night before you leave and pack a little of everything. The first year we went, before my disboards, i packed jeans,sweatshirts, heavy coats..etc and we never needed ANY of it, it was so beautiful. The next year, I brought one pair of jeans and one sweatshirt, and the nights were chilly and we had to buy warmer clothes. This past January, it was awesome, but it was the first trip out of 8 that we had rain more than 2 minutes. I think it rained most of the day for 2 days.. blah.. Just keep your eye one the forecast and be prepared for anything. It really is a great time to go. Cheap time too!!

 

[jann1033]

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it is pretty empty ( we have been there from about the 5th-19 on various trips) longest wait times maybe 15 mins in an afternoon for something like rnr.

the weather is very changable so pack for anything from 30-80+ degrees ( not exaggerating) this year we were there for 10 days and wore everything from shorts to winter jackets with sweatshirts underneath( and were still freezing)!

some things are closed for rehab but it seems not as many as in early Dec

the parks have always been back to normal decorations by the 5th but they did have a few of the chocolate scene things still around this time( like a seashore at vero beach and some others at a few places, exactly where escapes me right now)

 

[Harambe]

Yes, weather can be iffy. This year was brutally cold (and coming home to frozen pipes wasn't any fun) but a few years ago it was 75 and sunny every day for a week!

It is slow time, and a great time to use the Extra Magic hour if you're early risers. The EMH can bring huge crowds to the parks in high season, but during slow season, you can get tons done in the morning!

Martin Luther King weekend makes it a little more busy, but still nothing like Christmas or summer months. So don't panic if this weekend takes place during your trip.

 

[RebelHawk]

My wife and I go every January and love it. Like others have said the weather can be a little wacky, I have been to DTD one year wearing shorts and the next year we are bundled up with jackets on. We are lucky that we are only a 6 hour drive away so we can easily over pack and leave things in the car that we don't need.

The crowds are the reason we go this time of year, there are none. We have done the summer thing in the past and unless we find a VERY compelling reason (we do not have any kids so don't have to worry about school schedules) to we will never do it again.

We have seen rides closed that we wanted to enjoy but we since we go every year that really isn't that big of a problem. You might have to really plan ahead if you want to see of them the shows as there are a few that only run certain nights during the low season so be ready for that.