January 2016 vs. September 2016

[Gina Starr]

Hi! I'm hoping to get some opinions on when my hubby and I should visit WDW? We have gone in May 2014 and May 2015 and we were originally planning September 2016. We picked September for a couple reasons- it's my birthday month, lower crowds, and Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party. Now we are thinking about January for one main reason- we can't wait that long! We would probably arrive Sunday the 3rd so we could see the Osborn Lights at DHS and hopefully still the Christmas decorations at MK. I have really been wanting to go around Christmas time so this would be an added bonus. I checked crowd calendars for January and some say it shouldn't be too busy and some say it will be kind of busy. I know better than to visit on the 1st!! I know we are past the 180 days for divining reservations but that doesn't bother us too much. I have also heard January has a lot of refurbishments but I haven't seen any I'm too upset with. January is a bit cheaper than September but that isn't a selling point either. So my question is: when should we go?!? Thanks everyone!!

 

[5kidsmommy]

I love the weather in January but we went last year that week for my 40th birthday and the crowds were larger than I anticipated but still not that bad.

 

[ArmyVet80]

We go in September to celebrate our anniversary. The crowds are lighter, MNSSHP and the Food & Wine Festival are other good reasons. We like the halloween decorations better than the christmas decorations too. The one downfall is the weather but we don't mind warm/hot and humid.

 

[Maggie Lizer]

I prefer January because I like cooler weather, and my birthday is in January. We've gone toward the end of the month and had weather ranging from 40's to 70's during mid-day, so you have to pack for everything (except maybe the pool, YMMV). We went at the beginning of last February and while there were a lot of guests from South America, it was a lot of families and not the huge BTGs that visit in January.

If I had to go in September, I would want to go the week of Labor Day for the lowest crowds. The last time we went in September, the heat & humidity was a killer. And there were nearly daily afternoon thunderstorms, some lasting only an hour (not too bad), others going on all afternoon/evening.

With January trips, since it does snow a little bit up in the DC area, I worry sometimes about flights out and back, and in September I worry about hurricanes.

Each time has its ups and downs, really.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

There are only two refurbs that happen in January that set it aside - one of the water parks will be closed, and Splash Mountain may be closed. Any other refurbs during this period are no more likely than any other time of the year. The second half of the week that you mentioned will see the runDisney races at WDW, but they only impact traffic so take the busses instead of driving to the parks on those days.

We are going in Sept this year (leave in a few days) AND Jan of 2016, so we love both times of the year.

 

[Jenna319]

I say, the sooner the better!!

 

[Sammyjo199]

We go in January (end of January) and love it. The weather can be jeans and a sweater in the morning and other days shorts and a t-shirt. If you love the pools then January is not the best time, if you love the parks the weather is perfect and not too hot. The crowds were busy last January but still less than September crowds due to free dining.

 

[md1982]

A plus to waiting til sept is new things to see. Presumably rivers of light, nighttime safari and frozen ride will likely be open by then!

 

[JessiMommy]

Both times are great! Sounds like you'd rather go sooner. Just go in January. We are FL residents and can go whenever we want but we typically only do January & September. January will be a little more crowded but the weather is much better unless we get a big cold front. September's low crowds are amazing but if you don't like the heat it can be a deal breaker. It's super hot down here then. We love spending the afternoons in the pool and you can't do that as easily in January. Basically it boils down to weather and crowds. September crowds are better but January crowd level is still very manageable. September is crazy hot and humid and perfect for the pool. January weather is usually mild and very comfortable with a bitter cold front possible. You really can't go wrong with either time frame.

 

[robndani]

I like Sept because food and wine is our favorite Disney event!!!! Who needs dining reservations when you can eat there every night!!!! The weather is still really hot in September but it's usually too chilly to swim much in January. Either way, ENJOY!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

My vote is for September. We've done December, February, April, May, June, August, October and November and the weather can be pretty darn cold in fall and winter. We were there for President's week this past Feb. and it barely got past 55 Fahrenheit the entire week. It was just too cold for us. I love the fall. There is so much more to do, as other PP's have noted, and September should still be warm.

 

[tink9702]

January can be very cold. Like 30 degrees F. cold! We wore winter coats, hat and gloves when we visited one year during new years. As long as you are aware of that and pack accordingly (meaning everything from short sleeves to winter parkas) you'll be fine.

 

[Gina Starr]

Thanks everyone!! We are going to go with January. I absolutely hate the heat and when we went in May this past year it just made me crabby. We are driving so having to pack clothes for every season isn't a problem. I would actually love being able to wear jeans and a sweater everyday. We could do with or without the pool too. Don't hate me for this but the food and wine festival doesn't interest us. We aren't adventurous eaters and don't drink. September is definitely on our list of times to go but this year, January just feels right. Thanks again for everyone's input!