January 2017

[RuthieT]

Tell me about weather and crowds!!

 

[hakepb]

Average low 50 average high 70
Can be literal freezing lows and highs in the 80's

In general you may have to deal with layers due to chilly am and evening temps

On average it is pleasant weather, but you will have to pack for many possibilities.

Crowds... It really depends on "when". The marathon and MLK holidays result in higher crowds than existed 10 years ago.

 

[LSUfan4444]

Tour Groups

 

[Mom B]

Crowds used to be better than they are now, due to the marathon weekend, MLK day, etc. Weather can be iffy; we've had some years where it has been just gorgeous and others where it has been a little too (uncomfortably) chilly. But if you're from anywhere in the frozen northland, it will feel much warmer than home! Our anniversary is in January so we try to visit WDW every year...much nicer to go out for a special dinner at even 40 degrees above zero, rather than 40 below! If you MUST spend some of your time in the pool, it's probably not a good time to go, but if you can live with or without it, and dress according to the weather, you will have a good time.

 

[drdrowsy]

been there the last week in jan twice (2014, 2015) and am planning on going back this jan.

as stated above, weather can be highly variable-- one year most days were cloudy/rainy with highs barely reaching 55, we wore scarfs and gloves. The other year it was glorious, rained fo maybe an hour out of the 10 days we were there and was in the mid-70s eveyday. People were in the pools, but it's not really pool weatherm either way.

crowds-- also variable. Yes, there were tour groups, but for the most part they really weren't an issue, i think this was especially true because we were pretty careful about only going to recommended parks. Most tour groups are from south america (esp. Brazil) and i wonder with major downturns in the economy there if there will be fewer groups this year. some days seem randomly busy, some days (especially is weather is bad) the park can be a ghost town. Some lines are long, most aren't. (having a touring plan helps immensely). Overall crowds seemed on the smaller side and definitely manageable.

other things to think about-- price is just about the lowest it is all year (second half of jan/first half of feb) More rides tend to be down for repairs than at other times of the year (ex: splash mountain is generally closed for the entire month of jan). Parks close earlier on many days (ie. MK 8pm), Night time entertainment may not occur on all nights, or may occur only once per night (F! once per night, MSEP may only occur a few times a week). This year, NFL Probowl will take place on 1/29 in orlando, with some events taking place in WDW resort over the week before the 1/29, including activities at ESPN and a parade at MK. At this point, specific dates of these events and the impact on crowds is unknown.

overall we think the tradeoff of avoiding 100 degree + weather and super long lines is worth the negatives.

 

[10MoreMinutes]

We went in January this year and happened to be there during a cold snap (highs in the low 50s, lows below freezing, and maaaan was it windy!) but that seemed to have been the only really cold days in January from what I could tell. As others have said, average temperatures are highs in the 70s, lows in the 50s. One good thing, though, is that it doesn't rain as often in January as in the summer months. We were there four days and it only sprinkled on us for a few minutes on our AK day...not even enough to find cover.

We also got lucky in terms of crowds. I don't recall seeing any large tour groups. We went on the weekend after MLK day and there were no other events going on that weekend, as far as I could tell, so that could have factored in on the lower crowds.

As PP said, rides tend to be down for refurbishment at this time of year, so make sure you check on that if you have a ride you definitely don't want to miss.