January dates

[Pdollar88]

Hi all!

I had a trip on the books for January 17-21 with my mom. Unfortunately, she has decided to back out. So I canceled our reservation at the Poly (no way I'm going solo to the Poly, as much as I love it). I went ahead and booked a potential trip for myself from January 31-February 4.

What do folks think about these dates? Would you go earlier than that in January?

I've never really been in January, and I really want to experience Festival of the Arts. I hesitate to put it off, since most things I've put off at WDW are then canceled or altered beyond recognition. I am going back to WDW in May, however. Thanks in advance!

 

[gharter]

We used to go in January, but the weather was very hit or miss. Some years, warm, beuatiful. Other years, cold (50's), windy and rainy. Now we go later in the spring.

 

[destinationdoug]

My wife and I usually take either the last week of January or first week of February off and spend it at Disney. That tends to be the coldest time of the year, which is precisely why we go then! With the cooler temps, it’s much easier to spend all day “commando” touring without getting tired and cranky. We live less than an hour away, but we get a hotel and everything.

I think the Festival of the Arts is a very worthwhile excuse to go then. It’s a blast. Best festival they do. The food is almost as good as F&W, but the non-food offerings (at least the free ones) and weather are much better.

Go for it!

 

[CarolynFH]

January & February are our favorite months to go, for weather & crowds. I’d say you should go. The Festival of the Arts is lovely!

 

[NavyDad]

We went last January during the Arts fest. We had great weather, low crowds and really enjoyed the Festival of the Arts. We had been to Epcot during Food and Wine and Flower and Garden before and were pleasantly surprised by Arts. Lot's of cool food stands, unique photo opportunities and lots of really cool art. Some of the tents got bit crowded at times but overall World Showcase was nowhere near as crowded as during the other events in our experience.

I highly recommend January but one thing to be aware of is the park hours are much shorter. If you are used to be at MK until midnight January is not the time. Also need to be flexible with layered clothing. Many mornings it was a bit chilly and damp but during the afternoon when the sun was out it would get pretty warm for us coming from PA.

 

[sanapp]

I booked 2/2-2/9 for my first solo trip. I just book DAH for 2/7. I have never been this time of year, but I am really looking forward to it.

 

[magicwdw]

Late January/early February is our favorite time to go. Crowds are decent and the weather is cooler. There are some ride closures (Splash mountain sometimes), earlier park hour closings, and cooler weather. I still wouldn't trade it for the spring break crowds or the summer heat. You'll have a blast!

 

[winnieofpooh]

We just went from Jan 29-Feb 4 this most recent winter. Crowds weren't as low as we were expecting, but I think a lot of that was due to not loading rides at capacity and what not. It never felt too crowded walking around! The weather was a little weird for us - two days in jeans and tshirts, one day in shorts, one day freezing our butts off wearing sweatshirts. But overall I think it's a great time to go!

 

[Dawn68PA]

I prefer February over January for the weather. I hate going on vacation and dressing like it’s winter in PA. I get enough of that at home lol

 

[snappy]

I have that time of year in both 2017 and 2018. Going again in 2019. Ride wait time was worse in 2018, due to apparent ride capacity reduction. Weather was awesome except for 1 cold night. I like the festival of the arts very much. I used the pools at BCV and BWv. Some shorter park hours but with hoppers you can always hop to Epcot until 9 pm. Animals at AK were abundant. Relaxing trips.

 

[nkereina]

As others have mentioned, the later you go, the better luck you'll have with warmer temperatures. We were there the first two weeks of February this past year (checked in on 1/28) and we only had 1-2 days where hoodies/jackets were needed. By the middle of our trip, it was in the 80s. It can certainly vary, but the chances increase a little that it will be a touch warmer.

 

[chris1212]

We are looking at going the weeks of January 14th and 21st - haven't read about anyone going in that time frame? I'm okay with it being cooler, prefer that on park days, but is it uncomfortably cold that time of year?

 

[nkereina]

We are looking at going the weeks of January 14th and 21st - haven't read about anyone going in that time frame? I'm okay with it being cooler, prefer that on park days, but is it uncomfortably cold that time of year?

January 21st is Martin Luther King Day which is a federal holiday, so I assume that weekend/day will be busy. Not sure if it trickles into the rest of the week.

As far as weather, it CAN be uncomfortably cold as a few of us have mentioned. It's really a crap shoot that time of year. We were once there the week before Thanksgiving in November and had a high of 55 one day. A high of 55 means its in the 40s in the morning and at night, with it reaching 55 around 2pm or 3pm. It was brutal on the outdoor rides and outdoor dining and pool time (obviously) were out of the question. January has a higher probability of this, but knowing this, you can prepare by bringing the proper attire. We did not have the right jackets for that day in November.

We were there this past January/February - last 3 days of January. One day it was in the 60s and the other days it was in the low 70s. It was mostly comfortable.