January Crowd Levels , Weather ?

[vacation_junkie]

We usually go to Disney in April but I can't hold off until then so I am looking at Jan 20th.
Has anyone been around that time?
What was the crowd level like?

 

[stargazertechie]

I've been early-to-mid January. It's cold (but you're from Canada, so it won't be too bad). It's mid-to-high 60's/low 70's during the day, and down to almost freezing during the night.


There are brazilian tour groups, but mostly families, and the groups are smaller (30ish people) vs. the 100 member groups of nothing but teens in the summer.

There will be rides closed for refurbishment, but the SUPER SHORT LINES make up for whatever is closed!

 

[campbellus]

I think you will find the weather very nice, compared to January where you are. I'm in Michigan and I think you will find it perfect really. Pack a few pairs of shorts type clothing but also long pants and layers that can be removed0light jackets/hoodies. Possibly pack a blanket for evening parade watching.
I think you will find crowds way less than your April ones for sure. Earlier park hours means that you can start your days early, but don't really need to take mid-day breaks like you might in the hotter times of the year so you can stay right through and even head back to your hotel for dinner if not eating in the parks for your evening meal.

I think you will find it much more refreshing and relaxing than an April vacation.
I hope you have a BLAST!!!

 

[stargazertechie]

I think you will find the weather very nice, compared to January where you are. I'm in Michigan and I think you will find it perfect really. Pack a few pairs of shorts type clothing but also long pants and layers that can be removed0light jackets/hoodies. Possibly pack a blanket for evening parade watching.
I think you will find crowds way less than your April ones for sure. Earlier park hours means that you can start your days early, but don't really need to take mid-day breaks like you might in the hotter times of the year so you can stay right through and even head back to your hotel for dinner if not eating in the parks for your evening meal.

I think you will find it much more refreshing and relaxing than an April vacation.
I hope you have a BLAST!!!

You're much more optimistic than I am. I'm also a Michigander, and I've had January trips that were downright brutal.

 

[mountain man]

We went last year. The crowds are pretty manageable. Just try and steer clear of the tour groups. We got stuck behind a large tour group at Soarin'. The sudden large influx of people snarled the fastpass line. The Standby line went from a 30min wait to a 60min wait just because of one tour group. They had to make an announcement to apologize to the people in the standby line.

The weather at this time of year is a real crapshoot. You can get days with a high of only 12 or 13 and other days in the mid 20's. Don't forget Jan 14-16th is Martin Luther King weekend. Could be larger crowds and higher price for the room.

 

[DopeysGal82]

I LOVE going in January.

I've gone a few times then and the weather has been great. Usually goes up into the 70's or low 80's during the day but can definitely drop at night, so wear layers.

There are practically no crowds. The one downside is that there can be a lot of ride closures at this time

 

[JessZacc]

Our last trip was the end of Jan 2010 and it was downright COLD in the morning and at night. A few days it was freezing cold all day long (like 63 high) and then a few of the days it did get up into the low 70s which was nice. I wouldn't go back there during this time of the year though because we couldn't use the pools or anything and it just didn't feel as much like being in sunny florida when it was just sooo chilly..

 

[campbellus]

You're much more optimistic than I am. I'm also a Michigander, and I've had January trips that were downright brutal.

Considering I've NEVER been called optomistic in my life, January must not be that bad...lol
Maybe it's because I will be there too and just know there will be excellent weather, beautiful crowd levels and nothing else will get in the way of a magical trip!!
Or, could just be that I've been before, know how to pack for the changing weather and make good use of touring strategies just in case I need them.
In either case, when comparing to April, I would take January every time!!!

 

[JessZacc]

Oh, the crowds were very low though. That was definatly a plus!

 

[hops&dreams]

We went in Jan 7-15, 2010. Crowds were light at the beginning, especially considering it was Marathon weekend. They picked up, especially on the 15th, as it's President's Day. I guess some schools have it off? Every day, other than that last Friday, we walked onto every ride, and just walked through the queues. I'd trade the weather for the crowds any day. I can deal with the weather much more easily than I can deal with the RUDE!

As for the weather, It was a freakishly cold year in Orlando. The headline of the paper on our first morning there was that it was actually warmer in Alaska than it was at Disney World. Luckily, we had brought our coats (We're from the midwest - DH, DD7, and I all have the 3-in-1 coats by columbia), hats, and gloves, and started out wearing it all the first day or two, and started shedding a little more each day. By the end of the week, we were in jeans and t-shirts. It might have been in the low 30's, but to us, that was still much better than the single digit temps and 10" of snow we had back home.

For our upcoming trip, we're planning on Jan 27-Feb 3, 2012. We chose this time of year again for the low crowd levels, the lower pricing (staying at WL with DDP for $3300 for 3 of us, including everything but airfare, tips, and souveniers).

For good, detailed crowd projections, check out easywdw.com. They even give you park suggestions for each day, etc.

Good luck!

 

[At World's End]

We were there the past two Januarys. In 2011 (Jan 22-Feb 1), the weather was great, rained only one day out of 10, temps were in the 70's-low 80's during the days. Crowds were very low. We walked on to just about everything. Waited 20 minutes max.

We were there for the freakishly cold weather in 2010. Temps got up toe mid 60's if we were lucky. We were prepared with winter jackets, but our family from CA were not. Just watch the weather and when in doubt pack for cold rather than hot. You can always buy shorts and t shirts in Florida. You couldn't find a pair of gloves anywhere in Orlando in Jan. 2010! The crowds were great, except MLK weekend got really busy in comparison to the other days we were there.

I would still use the crowd calendars and plan accordingly. Fantasmic will not be shown for most of Jan. 2012 so that should help with crowds at HS. Also, make your meal reservations - don't assume you can just walk in even at slow times.

 

[mountain man]

Fantasmic will not be shown for most of Jan. 2012 so that should help with crowds at HS. .

What is the deal with no Fanstasmic for the whole month? I thought that they just hadn't fully updated the calendar yet.

 

[lovesdumbo]

I've been to Disney over 30 times. Four of those trips in January. I am from MA so I can take the cold but the cold does seem more brutal in Orlando. I think it is the humidity-it is a damp, bone chilling cold.

The best weather of any trip ever when when I took my DS for his 7th birthday 1/10/08. It was warm enough for shorts and T's the entire trip, never even needed a sweater at night (but my DS did) and not brutally hot. I remember the brilliant blue skies on that trip.

The worst weather of any trip was in January of 2009 (late into Feb). Not only did we have temps at night drop into the 30s but we also had LOTS of rain. It is one thing to have to deal with a poncho in the summer in shorts but we were in jeans and they were getting wet-YUCK! We did have one nice day and my DD was in the pool.

I was there in Jan 2010 for my youngest's 7th birthday 1/21/10. That trip had a few cold days but again one day warm enough for the pool and we didn't get the rains of the 09 trip. It was not as brutally cold as the rest of the month but we saw all the dead plants-Orlando isn't used to getting sustained below freezing temps.

Packing for a January trip is a challenge because you do have to be prepared for any kind of weather. And I tend to worry about flight delays due to weather in my home airport.

Crowds on all of those trips have been very manageable.

 

[mariethecat]

I was there from Jan 23 to Feb 4/2011 and the weather was very good. We had a heavy rainstorm one evening and that was all for the 2 weeks. The temperatures were low 70's to low-mid 80's which is what I like. We went swimming almost every afternoon. The mornings and evenings were cooler but the afternoons were nice. The last night we went to the parade and fireworks at MK and we wore shorts and T-shirts and were very comfortable.
The attendance is as low as it is going to be for any time of the year. We did not encounter any large groups and rarely waited more than 10 minutes for anything (other than the more popular attractions.)

 

[nutty4wdw]

is there a specific week(s) the tour groups arrive or is it throughout the month

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

We were there in 2011 the last week of January into the first week of February. We did stay at POP so we did encounter some tour groups but nothing to complain about.

The crowds are low and the lines are short. However, I think there are a lot less busses running so the wait times for them could be a little longer at times than in the higher volume times.

The weather is a crapshoot. Some days were warm and some cool. We travel by air so I always stress over cancelled flights when going to WDW in the winter.

 

[Colleen27]

Crowds are awesome, probably as light as they ever are any more. MLK weekend is a slight bump but still not as busy as you'd find in April.

It is the weather that can put a damper on the fun. We had okay weather on our January trip, a few days of high 70s swimming weather but also a few nights of lows in the 40s. But that was a good year - in a bad year you might need the same coats and gloves you wear at home if you hope to stay for the fireworks, and not get to enjoy the pool at all. (On the upside, cold weather tends to push crowd levels even lower!)

Rehabs are also something to consider. Splash is usually closed for most or all of January. For 2012, Fantasmic will be closing right after the holiday rush for an extended rehab, and there's a rumor that Big Thunder Mountain will be going down for rehab then as well.

I'll be honest - of all the times of year we've gone to Disney January is probably my least favorite. I would prefer more dependable weather and fewer ride closures. But we're going back in Jan '12 because that's the timing that works out for my family and there are aspects of a cooler-weather trip I'm very excited about, but I'm also uneasy about the weather both for getting to/from WDW (by plane from Michigan - lots of potential for weather delays) and for enjoying the trip once we're there.

 

[vacation_junkie]

We were there the past two Januarys. In 2011 (Jan 22-Feb 1), the weather was great, rained only one day out of 10, temps were in the 70's-low 80's during the days. Crowds were very low. We walked on to just about everything. Waited 20 minutes max.

We were there for the freakishly cold weather in 2010. Temps got up toe mid 60's if we were lucky. We were prepared with winter jackets, but our family from CA were not. Just watch the weather and when in doubt pack for cold rather than hot. You can always buy shorts and t shirts in Florida. You couldn't find a pair of gloves anywhere in Orlando in Jan. 2010! The crowds were great, except MLK weekend got really busy in comparison to the other days we were there.

I would still use the crowd calendars and plan accordingly. Fantasmic will not be shown for most of Jan. 2012 so that should help with crowds at HS. Also, make your meal reservations - don't assume you can just walk in even at slow times.

I booked out ADR's (Had to make sure to get Chef Mickeys atleast once) but was disappointed Le Cellier is now a signature dining experience. Booo My son always gets a kick out of eating in "Canada" when we are there!
We are going Jan 21-28th so after the Marathon and MLK day!

 

[vacation_junkie]

Crowds are awesome, probably as light as they ever are any more. MLK weekend is a slight bump but still not as busy as you'd find in April.

It is the weather that can put a damper on the fun. We had okay weather on our January trip, a few days of high 70s swimming weather but also a few nights of lows in the 40s. But that was a good year - in a bad year you might need the same coats and gloves you wear at home if you hope to stay for the fireworks, and not get to enjoy the pool at all. (On the upside, cold weather tends to push crowd levels even lower!)

Rehabs are also something to consider. Splash is usually closed for most or all of January. For 2012, Fantasmic will be closing right after the holiday rush for an extended rehab, and there's a rumor that Big Thunder Mountain will be going down for rehab then as well.

I'll be honest - of all the times of year we've gone to Disney January is probably my least favorite. I would prefer more dependable weather and fewer ride closures. But we're going back in Jan '12 because that's the timing that works out for my family and there are aspects of a cooler-weather trip I'm very excited about, but I'm also uneasy about the weather both for getting to/from WDW (by plane from Michigan - lots of potential for weather delays) and for enjoying the trip once we're there.

We usually cruise every January. We leave out of Buffalo..knock on wood we have never had a weather delay in 13 years! So i'm hoping for good flying weather again!

 

[MikeAGeorge]

Mid January normally has VERY low crowd levels at the parks. In my experience nearly all rides/attractions were walk on to 10 minute waits. Weather can be cold so rolling the dice there a bit if you prefer the sunny and warm days.