January....are we crazy to go this time of year?

[Thing 1]

We have a lot of January trips under our belts. Crowd wise as long as you avoid the first week of January, it’s good. MLK weekend gets a bit more crowded but not terrible. Weather can be all over the place. We just don’t plan to swim. One year the first week of January was COLD. I’m talking 26 degrees when we got to AK for EMH. I’m talking wind so cold it hurt. We have also wore shorts and tees. End of January tends to be a bit warmer. There just are not any no crowds times anymore but January is one of the lowest crowd times. We like it a lot.

 

[WillowRain]

We did the 9th to 19th this year. 3 days were over 70, and then the last day was a high of 42. It was so cold our hands could not warm up. We were ill packed for this. The first week was kind of crowded, 2nd week was nice, but still didn"T get to do everything we wanted to.

 

[NWOhiogal]

I'm reading this thread with interest since I'm planning a trip in January too! What's the best kind of winter coat to wear? I imagine wearing a coat and a hat is better than wearing a coat with a hood since you can see better. Anyone have any style tips? I have a puffy coat but I look like the Michelin Man in it...

 

[AngieInOH]

I'm reading this thread with interest since I'm planning a trip in January too! What's the best kind of winter coat to wear? I imagine wearing a coat and a hat is better than wearing a coat with a hood since you can see better. Anyone have any style tips? I have a puffy coat but I look like the Michelin Man in it...

I wear a Columbia coat that has a silver reflection liner. Its warm but lightweight and squashes up easily into a backpack.

 

[Disneylovingmomof2]

I'm reading this thread with interest since I'm planning a trip in January too! What's the best kind of winter coat to wear? I imagine wearing a coat and a hat is better than wearing a coat with a hood since you can see better. Anyone have any style tips? I have a puffy coat but I look like the Michelin Man in it...

Patagonia down sweater I think they’re called. DH has one.

 

[FancyNancy]

It's a mixed bag. I would prepare for anything. We went at the end of January a few years ago and had a couple of really nice days in the 70's and some cold rainy days in the 40's.

 

[deedeezee]

We loved January, but we are used to cold weather. We had one day when we were able to swim (70s), 3-4 that were cool but mild (50s) and one day that we needed gloves and hats.

 

[gillep]

We have been going in January every year for almost 10 years. It is my favorite time to visit and I have experienced pretty much every type of weather you can imagine, including early morning snow and temperatures in the 90s, although neither of those extremes usually last very long. The only thing I hate about that time of year is how much extra packing I do in order to be prepared for the conditions. one time I didn't pack all of my cold gear (coat, hats, gloves, extra pair of sneakers) because the temperatures were supposed to be 70s to 80s, and then the day after we land the forecast completely changed and WDW ran out of gloves at numerous locations in the MK, never again will I go unprepared.

 

[nooneshome]

I just hope it is fairly nice when we go 1/6 - 1/11.....

 

[Gehrig1B]

I'm reading this thread with interest since I'm planning a trip in January too! What's the best kind of winter coat to wear? I imagine wearing a coat and a hat is better than wearing a coat with a hood since you can see better. Anyone have any style tips? I have a puffy coat but I look like the Michelin Man in it...

We go every January... I take a North Face down filled hooded jacket and a pair of lightweight gloves. The jacket weighs almost nothing and can be folded tightly taking up almost no room in a small bag. By mid day you will be glad you have a jacket you can neatly tuck away somewhere as it usually warms up rather quickly.

 

[aballerina]

Do the South American tour groups still descend upon the parks in January? Do they still chant?

 

[SarahC97]

Do the South American tour groups still descend upon the parks in January? Do they still chant?

They were there this January - chanting and all. In fact, it seemed there were a lot of South American tourists there including families. Disney must have offered a great promotion to that market.

 

[jworthy]

Going in January is the WORST TIME to go! Just kidding, we are planning on going next January and I don't anyone else to go.

We have been 4 times in January and despite the Brazilian tour groups, it is a great time to go. Weather varies, but the temps are usually in the 60's to 80's. We have been able to swim every trip. You just have to pack for both cold and warm days. We are booked, but we are waiting for the play stay and dine promotion.

 

[ols386]

We’ve been to WDW in January and liked that time of year. Crowds are a bit more manageable and weather is cooler. However, the parks close earlier.

 

[focusondisney]

We enjoyed the weather this past January. Chilly in the mornings and at night, but beautiful fall-like weather all around. We were there the end of January/beginning of February and I'm unsure if it was a fluke, but the crowds were the worst we've encountered in the last 5 years. It was definitely a lot more crowded than we anticipated. I guess January 2019 will signal if it's a trend or if it was a fluke, but the crowds kind of sucked.

I agree with you about the crowds. We were at POR & the resort was full. The food court was busier every morning than when we have stayed there in late August. The loading area at Carousel of Progress was so full & crowded, I had to take a picture. Been going the WDW for over 20 years & have been there in April, May, August , September & December. We have never seen that kind of crowd waiting for COP in all that time.

I think it will be interesting to see if it is slower this year too. I have read the speculation about the crowds being from the Pro Bowl or not. The NHL All Star game was the same weekend in Tampa. I know hockey is not as big a draw as football, but with both games in the region at the same time, it might have brought more people in. It was a miserable winter too, so more people might have been looking to get away. I’m still deciding on if we’ll go again the same time next year.

 

[ddavis3586]

We normally go in the middle of February, but we were there this past January from the 7th-21st. Personally, I will never go back during this time. The crowds were manageable, but definitely busier than I would have expected! I was also not a fan of the weather, we wore sweatshirts every morning and also our winter coats a day or two. That is not vacation weather to me, but that was just my personal preference. We did manage to get one pool day in, but we have booked our trip for next year in April, looking forward to the nice weather!

 

[Jedi Dad]

Some of it is relative to where you live. We are from NJ, so when we go in January, we are usually in T-Shirts/shorts, maybe a long sleeve at night. For locals, it probably feels much colder.

 

[wfjny]

We are planning on January 12-19

Just mentioned on another thread, my kids school often does a five day weekend on MLK weekend. What I have noticed the past few years, the crowds have crept up a bit over that weekend. So, I would say that Saturday and Sunday were busy, levels dropping Monday evening, and rather light Tuesday and Wednesday. Can't tell you first hand much beyond that, we are normally gone after lunch on Wednesday. I would imagine low crowds the rest of the week.

Having said that, weather can be a toss up. You can wind up with a rather warm day, but nights get rather chilly, Not swimming weather to me, but you do see people in the pools. the average high is 72, with a low of 52, but that is the average. I have been there when they have had to close the water parks due to cold temperatures.

Hours - keep in mind, this is an off peak time, and the parks close rather early. Sunset is before 6:00 PM, and the parks normally close between 7 and 9.

Rehab - This is the time when a lot of work is done, Christmas is taken down, and the world switches to "Normal Mode". Do not be surprised that rides may be down, construction barriers may be up, etc.

Having said all of that, it is a great time to go.

 

[Miffy]

I used to go in January or early February all the time. The weather is completely unpredictable. You could spend the entire trip in your winter coat or in shorts and a T-shirt. I stopped going at that time of year because too many rides were consistently closed for refurb then. After the third year in a row when Kali was closed, I started going in March instead.

If you read through threads here, you'll see a lot of posters talking about how crowded it was in WDW this past January (2018). I don't know if that was a fluke or if that's how it is now. But if you're looking for low crowds, that may never happen, since WDW seems to be more popular than ever and crowd levels are as unpredictable as the January weather!

 

[Liljo22]

It's Florida so any time of the year the weather can mess with a trip. Go in the spring and you run the risk of higher amounts of rain. Go in the summer and you battling the heat and possibly a tropical storm.