January at Disney?

[jess20k]

We have gone in Jan many times, and continue to go in either Jan or Feb. It is a great time to go regarding weather as long as you are aware that it can be unseasonably cold some years. One year I had to buy mittens there it was so cold. But, most of the other times it is chilly in mornings and evenings, and beautiful in the afternoons. The last few years in either Jan or Feb when we have gone, it was so nice and warm, even in the mornings and evenings that we did not need a jacket. It even got to be 80 one day this past Feb. The Festival of Arts is amazing, I absolutely love it. The crowds used to be nice and low, but those days are gone. It is still better than some months of course, but the low crowd days are over sad to say.

 

[bdarling]

My best memory of January was in 1992 mid month. It was unseasonably warm. We asked some landscapers and they said this high 70 degree weather and unclouded skies was not typical January. All the rides were walk ons all day. We did every ride in MK that was open. Even Mr. Toad. There were a lot closed for refurb.

I am going this Jan for the same week, but didn’t realize it was Marathon weekend the first days we are there. We are not really worried about crowds as our party is not doing many thrill rides. We want to check out Pandora and Star Wars, but I assume that will involve lots of planning and Rope Drop.

We are driving from MA, so will have the room for jackets and hats. I was hoping not to need them.

 

[dachsie]

I just went this year on the first week of February and the weather was great. And FotA is fun too. I really enjoyed it! At one point I walked in the hub and hardly saw any people

 

[snappy]

Disney reduces staffing and ride capacity when crowds are lower, so the wait times can be nearly identical to when the parks are more crowded.

We have been in late January/early February the last 3 years on a row as well as a number of times in prior years. We definitely noticed that ride capacity was reduced. We needed our fast passes for sure. It was frustrating because park hours were also reduced.

 

[Val56]

We usually love going in January and February... as noted weather is variable but if you bring layers you'll be fine. A long sleeved shirt or hoodie tied around your waist during the day and put on once the sun goes down is usually enough.
BUT as another person advised, make sure you avoid race weekends (and the 3-5 days following a race) because you won't BELIEVE how many runners flood into the parks! Last year we forgot about Valentine's Day and were sorry. Crowds, and higher prices that weekend too.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I do feel you miss some experiences when WDW is cold. a number of WDW attractions use the surprise shot of wet mist effect, for example. That effect is more fun on a warm day than a cold one. January is also a time of predictable ride closures. They are called 'maintenance' closures, but Kali and Splash closures happen regularly every winter, plus a few more that likely are for actual maintenance. It is a good time of year for WDW to do work property-wide - not that they don't do work year round. WDW just tends to limit repair work during peak holiday times.

 

[GeneralTso]

OMG--January is an awesome month to go! Last time we were there in Jan, we walked around saying "can you believe we're not out here sweating and suffering?" It's a completely different ball game. Completely. You don't realize how awful the heat and humidity are until you go there and don't have to deal with it at all, and you just enjoy all the outside time and the experience is just better all around. We were there 3rd week of June this year for a few days post-cruise, and the weather was miserable. Just a good reminder to never go in summer for us. Never.