Jan temp. and crowds

[marypopfan]

Ok, for those that have been in Jan. has there been a time when it hasn't been really cold? Also is there a bad week or no matter what Jan. is low in crowds? Thanks.

 

[alvernon90]

My wife and I were there during the last week of January this year, and it was moderately cold. Some days were warm enough for shorts and short sleeves, but the day we went to IOA we left our jackets at the hotel and ended up buying fleece jackets because it was just too cold. Not freezing, but cold enough that the fleece was necessary to enjoy the day. (It was the best $60 we spent all trip.)

It was also hard to find a good time to go swimming, as the pool was too cold if it was in the shade.

As for crowds, the lines were extremely short, never more than five minute wait for anything the whole week. In fact, on some roller coaster rides it was kind of a bummer, because a roller coaster goes faster when every seat is filled, but we had several rides where there were only a few people in our train. Of the crowds that are there, many are families with pre-school aged children so the "thrill"rides have no lines while the Pooh-type rides have short lines.

Best thing about going in January: most of the people you see staffing the parks are retirees instead of surly teenagers or college kids.

 

[Eilonwy]

We went January two years ago, and it was wonderful. Temps in the 70s the whole time. I didn't bring shorts, and wished I had! We went January of this year, and it was a completely different story. One day it was in the 70s and warm enough to go in the pool for a while. The rest of the time it was more like 50s, 60s if we were lucky. It seemed like it wouldn't warm up until 3:00pm, and by 4:30pm (when the sun started to go down) it was freezing again. So, it's hit or miss.

The crowds are light this time of year, and we never waited more than 15 minutes, I think. Usually we just walked right on (we always manage to do Tower of Terror two times in a row with no wait). I know 2 years ago, we did 4 Fantasyland rides in 45 minutes right after the park opened--everyone was at Cindy's for breakfast it seemed, so we went on a bunch of rides before our rez at Crystal Palace.

Both times it was around the 2nd to 3rd week of January.

This time we're trying December. My parents and brothers have been there in December before, but never me, DH and DS.

 

[Slothman23]

We went Jan 01 and 02--both times second week and there were days you could get away wth shorts but once the evening came it was long sleeves and pants. More often than not--you'll need pants and a tee shirt during the day with long sleeves at night. There were no crowdsat all--my girlfriend and I had our own boat on POC. For those who have been there in the summer and holiday periods this time of year is a nice change of pace.

 

[Celestine]

We were there in 1999 & the weather was good - shorts & t-shirts every day, however this year was different. THe first two days we absolutley froze & had the heating on at our hotel room. Fortunately the pool was more like bath water in terms of temperature, providing you didn't expose anything above the surface! That said, it did warm up to the low 80s & we enjoyed a day at the water parks without getting frost bite.

 

[wdwrich]

On our Jan '03 trip, crowds were light to non-existent except for the 3-day MLK weekend when the parks where moderately busy. The weather in January can be variable. Prepare for both cold and warm temps.

 

[melindaandrob]

We were there Jan. 2002 from the approx. the 12th to the 22nd., it was post 9-11 and the crowds were very small. The weather was perfect warm during the day, shorts, t-shirts, light jacket just in case. The previous week we were told they had frost.
Our second Jan. trip (2003) was a little different, Jan. 1-Jan.15, the crowds did thin out the second week but we realized that with the schools not going back until the 6th the crowds were very large. Keep in mind we were spoiled last Jan. with crowd sizes. The weather was cold and the locals (cm's) were in touques, gloves etc. and a couple from the resort told me I should be buying hats for the kids. Being from Canada, this was spring for us LOL, we would take Florida's worst day in Jan. over the cold and snow we had just left!

 

[DawnAK]

As the previous posters have said, January is hit or miss with weather. We have been to WDW 3 different January trips and they have all been cold. We live in Alaska and of course are used to cold weather. However, we do not expect it when we go to Florida. We went early January this year and did not wear shorts at all. I always had my sweatshirt with me and wore it often. I have even been grateful that I have brought those little stretch gloves to keep my fingers warm at night The sun was shining but it was still cold. On the plus side, crowds are minimal and it never rained. We are going again this coming January to participate in the half marathon. Hope the weather is decent! Dawn

 

[Harambe]

Glad you mentioned the marathon. I believe it is around January 12. That weekend can be crowded, as can be MLK weekend. We willl be there for a week with MLK weekend sandwiched in there. We plan non-park days for ,most of the weekend, with light crowds prior to and following MLK weekend.

 

[marypopfan]

Thanks for all of the great info. I really need to decide what week. Does anyone know if they have any Annual Pass discounts at that time?

 

[Mr D]

Only time of the year when I am off season (not working) is january, the last time I went to WDW it was dec. 2001, everyday was 75-80, no rain, no bugs, low humidity, lots of sun, low crowds except weekends (stayed 14 nights).

A couple weeks ago I booked a vacation rental home for 4 weeks from jan 3-31, If it was possible I would stay 3 months! Winter in Alaska is long dark and dreary, even now in may its still 30-45 degrees.

The only bad thing is that Blizzard Beach is usually closed in jan, but I'm hoping the weather in 2004 will be warm and for me thats around 70, any warmer here and we get heat exhaustion Looking forward to just spending day after day on the beach at Typhoon Lagoon soaking up the sun. What did bother me on the last trip was allergies, havn't had much problems since I moved to Alaska years ago, but coming into Orlando it hit me hard, was stuffed up for days.

 

[ScarletIndigo]

So is January generally considered the least-busy time of year for WDW? My DF doesn't know this, but I'm already contemplating a late-January or early-February trip next year, and THIS year's trip isn't happening for another four months! ;-)

 

[DawnAK]

where in Alaska do you live? I live in Fairbanks. Not very often I see other Alaskans on the DIS. We too are planning a trip for January. This will be our third January in a row. We usually go the first week or two of the month. The last couple of times it has been very cold. We aren't used to that humidity and wind! I have even worn gloves, I know, call me a wimp! DawnAK