January crowds

[Disney0010]

How is the parks in January as far as the crowds and the amount of kids? I know that the weather can be iffy but I can deal with cool mornings and evenings. Looking at staying at either the Boardwalk or Yacht club.

 

[kilee]

Just remember you may encounter entire days that are cold- not just cool, and I'm from the Northeast and it's still long pants and coat cold.

Anyhow, crowd wise if you plan around the marathon and MLK weekend it's one of the best times to go. Crowds are pretty low the entire month and some great deals can be had.

 

[Disney0010]

Thanks!

 

[Jaime]

We went Jan 2004. We had days where we wore tanks and shorts and went swimming and days that we had to where jackets and pants and one night I wish I had a pair of gloves. The crowds were great!!! We never waited to get on any rides. We did find it best to stay away from Extra Magic days as those parks were busy. We stayed at the Boardwalk and loved the location. We found it great because we had to wear heavier clothes in the morning but when the sun came out in the afternoon we would go back to our room and just walk back to MGM or EPCOT. We could also watch the fireworks at EPCOT from our room. The cheesecake at the bakery is fablous. We did notice that there seemed to more be younger children in the parks in January. You'll have a great time.

 

[PA DISNEYLOVER]

We went in January 2005. It wasn't cool it was freezing. We wore hats, gloves and winter jackets. We are from the Northeast so we are used to the cold but there were alot of people who were not prepared. Lots of people walking aroung the parks wrapped up in towels and anything that would keep them warm. The crowd were alot better then when we went in June. We went over MLk holiday so it was a little bit more crowded then it usually is in January. The parks close very early 7 pm and it was way too cold to swim while we were there. The high for the week was 45.

 

[Disney0010]

We went Jan 2004. We had days where we wore tanks and shorts and went swimming and days that we had to where jackets and pants and one night I wish I had a pair of gloves. The crowds were great!!! We never waited to get on any rides. We did find it best to stay away from Extra Magic days as those parks were busy. We stayed at the Boardwalk and loved the location. We found it great because we had to wear heavier clothes in the morning but when the sun came out in the afternoon we would go back to our room and just walk back to MGM or EPCOT. We could also watch the fireworks at EPCOT from our room. The cheesecake at the bakery is fablous. We did notice that there seemed to more be younger children in the parks in January. You'll have a great time.

I did not know that you could actually walk to Epcot and MGM from the Boardwalk. That is great to know. Not having to use a bus is good news. Like I said in my earlier post, I can deal with the weather as I'm from Florida and like the colder weather. I like the idea of not having to wait to get on the rides.

I think that Epcot is open until 9:00 most of the nights year round but does anyone know what time MGM closes during this timeframe?

I appreciate everyones feedback here.

 

[lovethattink]

Once all the New Year's crowds go away, the parks are relatively empty. There was one night in Jan when my family went to Epcot and got our picture taken with Snow White and all 7 dwarfs in one picture! As far as children go, Disney is a family destination, so there are always plenty of children there. Especially if you are there during a holiday weekend in Jan.

 

[kilee]

There is actually no bus service from the Epcot resorts to Epcot. You either walk or take the boat. There is also boat service to MGM from these resorts too. There is a walkway to both. From the YC/BC it would be about a 10-15 min walk into Epcot depending on your pace. It would 20-30 minutes to MGM. If you walk briskly of course it could faster.

Epcot will still close at 9pm. However parks like MGM and MK will close most nights at 7pm.

 

[Disney0010]

One more question. Is the Disney on line site the best way for booking the resorts? Right now I am looking at January 27th through the 29th for two nights at the Boardwalk and am getting a price of $340.00 a night.

 

[goofydad621]

We went Jan of 05, I am born and raised New Hampshire, if you put things into proper perspective it was warm, if you lived ina warm climate it was cold a couple of the days, I mean jeans, tee shirt hooded sweat shirt and LL Beans fleece vest (which by the way is how I dress for winter here at home most times) for touring all day one day in Epcot, another day was tee shirts and shorts and into the pool in the afternoon.

If you are traveling from a cold climate bring your cold weather gear just in case. The thing we found that helped was the little stretchy gloves that wal mart sells for a buck, lite cotton but warm enough if it is cold and winding to keep your hands from getting to cold.

Hope this helps Dave

PS low crowds sometimes did not even get off rides they waved us threw for a second round