i just returned from disney...

[meeshkamooshka]

I did alot of research using the forum here....picked Jan30-Feb 6th stategically...

it was

cold, rainy
fairly crowded ( soarin 60min, space mountain 40min for examples)
and there were packs of kids from schools on summer break ( brazilians from the lanuage I heard)


that will be the last time I will go in january...I was very disappointed to say the least...

next time I think I will try is in november just before thansgiving or dec a few weeks before christmas....

 

[A&Bmama]

Sorry to hear you had a disappointing vacation.

I'm curious. What were your criteria when you strategically picked your week? ie, to avoid a crowded period, or take in a special event.

 

[budbeerlady]

Since those are the 2 huge attractions I dont think those are bad waits. Even when the park was quiet in early September those were the posted wait times for Soar'n. They are not going to be lower at the holidays.

Sorry it doesnt sound like you had a good trip between the food and the parks...

 

[goofy4prez]

I did alot of research using the forum here....picked Jan30-Feb 6th stategically...

it was

cold, rainy
fairly crowded ( soarin 60min, space mountain 40min for examples)
and there were packs of kids from schools on summer break ( brazilians from the lanuage I heard)


that will be the last time I will go in january...I was very disappointed to say the least...

next time I think I will try is in november just before thansgiving or dec a few weeks before christmas....

We went last year about the same time in January and it was warm, sunny and overall the parks were not that crowded. As for Soarin and Space Mountain, yes they are always going to be crowded. During the peak times those attractions could be 180 minutes instead. The wonderful thing about WDW is they offer a fast pass so that you can come back later with very little waiting to get on the ride.

Back to your weather; cold and rainy is not WDW's fault. That is controlled by a higher power. You may go in November or December and it could also be cold and rainy.

Sorry to see that you were so disappointed in your trip to WDW. With this thread as well as the one you posted about the cost of food, you just were not a very happy camper at WDW.

 

[meeshkamooshka]

the weather ( rain) was a real hassle ( maybe that what trip insurance is for?)

I was smart enough not to stick my hand into a bush when my son lost his peter pan figuerine....

next year my trip will be to univeral/adverture island...

Ill revisit the dis in a bout 2 years... will try nov/dec just before the big holiday crowds... Ive been twice around sept oct....still a little hot...and the free meal plan is usually over by then...by we'll see!

 

[kaytieeldr]

Just so you know - no, that (weather) is NOT what trip insurance covers. Before purchasing ANY insurance policy, make sure you understand ALL the terms and conditions, and what's covered and what isn't.

 

[meeshkamooshka]

Sorry to hear you had a disappointing vacation.

I'm curious. What were your criteria when you strategically picked your week? ie, to avoid a crowded period, or take in a special event.

there were no specail events according to disney site,, dis boards here surveys I checked out, and mousesavers has a few tips on when to go/not go

thats about it...

and oh yeah just before my trip I read about the kids in droves from brasil here on the dis boards ....

thats fun getting behind 200 people for you bag to be checked...then get on a ride behind the same people...dont recommend it to anybody IMO... unless you have lots of time and enjoy standing there...maybe some people on here dont mind ( where are you?) and actually enjoy waiting...maybe it builds up their enthusiam and creates a climatic experience for them...I am sure there are a few of those....

 

[meeshkamooshka]

Just so you know - no, that (weather) is NOT what trip insurance covers. Before purchasing ANY insurance policy, make sure you understand ALL the terms and conditions, and what's covered and what isn't.

thanks for the info...

no surprise there! have you kissed your insurance agent today?

 

[disneydreamkate]

I am going to attempt my own trip report eventually...but we stayed at Fort Wilderness Cabins from Jan 30 until Feb 6. The longest wait we had was for TSM. We waited about 30 minutes. We did Soarin' three times and two of the three times we walked right on. We did a couple FPs...I can't even remember for what right now-but we found the crowds to be very managable. We had one day of rain all day, and Feb 5 there was a Tornado Warning! Most days were in the 60's and overcast. Not too bad.

 

[meeshkamooshka]

I am going to attempt my own trip report eventually...but we stayed at Fort Wilderness Cabins from Jan 30 until Feb 6. The longest wait we had was for TSM. We waited about 30 minutes. We did Soarin' three times and two of the three times we walked right on. We did a couple FPs...I can't even remember for what right now-but we found the crowds to be very managable. We had one day of rain all day, and Feb 5 there was a Tornado Warning! Most days were in the 60's and overcast. Not too bad.

oh yeah the the tornado...tI love that ride!!! its so realistic....

what time was it the you walked right on soarin?

 

[Jennifer19]

I walked right onto Soarin' on 1/31 at about 10:15 am, then walked onto The Seas, Turtle Talk, 20 min for mission space, walked on to Test Track, Grand Fiesta Tour... lines were longer later in the day, but not in the morning. Same thing at Epcot on 2/3.

We only really waited for TSM on 2/2 and we had fastpasses so it was maybe 15 min.

Buzz Lightyear on 2/1 - we did it 3 times in a row around 9:30am with no wait, then about 7 times from 5:30 to 6:30 with no wait.

The cold made it harder to just sit outside and soak in the atmosphere, and the rain was no fun, but we went out late on the rainy Tues (2/2) and hit indoor stuff on Mon with a lunch break back at resort. Sat (1/30) afternoon we did AK in the light rain - walked on to KS and saw a ton of animals!

I've had warmer/less rainy January trips, but weather is unpredictable, there's no guarantee...

 

[meeshkamooshka]

I did get to get on test track a few times...after I brought bake my fast passes when it go rained out...

rain was a constant theme that is for sure...I will not b visiting again in jan or feb... lesson learned....

 

[momlee4]

Hey there,
We were there Feb 1-8.
It rained on the 1st in the afternoon(we were at Downtown Disney), it rained on the 2nd for most of the morning, and of course there was the downpour on Friday. The other days were nice (but I don't like it when its too hot). On the Thursday, our warmest day (74) we even went to Typhoon Lagoon.
I didn't find it too busy in any of the parks except for the Sunday weekend at Magic Kingdom, as predicted by Touring Plans. On the 2nd, AK in the rain was so empty, wait for Everest was 5 minutes all morning until about 2pm. Yes, there were Brazilian groups, but I just moved away from them and picked a different attraction. And we used Fastpasses whenever we could, which wasn't needed too often.
I think strategically you/ we picked a good time to go. Its normally very little rain for the month. Unfortunately, the week we picked had more rain than usual. We were prepared for it with ponchos and a rain cover for the stroller. Yes, it definitely would have been better without the rain, but like you said, it could have been worse, it could have been colder.
Sorry you didn't have a good experience.

 

[tarstar]

We were there the same time Jan 30-Feb6 at POR.

Yeah, the weather was sucky, but we knew before we headed down that we weren't going to get the best. My friends who live in Florida said that it was unusually cold for that time of year. That it's usually like what the Wednesday and Thursday was. They also said it's one of the best times to go, crowd wise. The other best time is right after Thanksgiving until Christmas.

We walked on most of the rides. I think the only time we ever waited was on the 31st, and that was because we were slow moving towards Soaring. Otherwise I don't think we waited more than 30 minutes for anything.

If we were going to Florida to lie on the beach, I would have been really disappointed. However, the crappy weather made for short lines and less crowded parks. I think the 6th was the nicest day, but the crowds were bigger than I had seen all week.

We'll go back, I think we'll go back around the same time, unless we try November.