January during marathon weekend- how crowded?

[MomofKatie]

DD and I have a trip planned with DSIL and her family for the long weekend in January during the Marathon (Sat, 1/6 to Tues, 1/9). I've never been to WDW during this time, and wonder how are the crowds? The UG gives that weekend 6's.

We have gone before during Jersey Week and the week leading up to Columbus Day weekend. We thought both of those weeks were okay- not crowded, but not dead (waits anywhere from walkon to 20 mins, mostly). How will Marathon weekend in January compare?

Thanks!

 

[mamacatnv]

We will also be there during that time 1/1-9/07 and I have read mixed reviews on the crowd levels. My TA says the resorts are full but the marathoners aren't necessarily park visitors and do not overly impact the crowds. I have read from some that the crowds are low and others that the crowds are low. My TA did say that the restaurants outside of the parks are really full and to be prepared to make ADR's for them and to make the ADR's early.

I think a lot of it depends on what you are used to. We have always gone between Christmas and NYE, so slightly lower crowd levels would make a huge difference to us.

 

[dixiedizfan]

We were there from January 1 thru 8 this year and were surprised (and dismayed) at how crowded it was! The UG listed the week from 7 to 5's, but it was more like 8's and 9's. We thought most people would leave after New Years Day but they didn't. I expect it might be even more crowded next year since New Years Day falls on a Monday.

 

[Stitch1404]

This year will be our 4th year in a row at Disney for the marathon. My mom and sister run, not me! We have found that on the days surrounding the marathon the hotels seem packed. But I really can't say that I felt like it affected the parks. I think that week is busy from leftover Christmas break crowds. It is not at all unbearable, but it's also not crowd free. You want to avoid driving in the morning. They close down roads for the runners. We learned that the hard way when it took us an hour to get to the Magic Kingdom from the Beach Club!

 

[MinnieM21]

We were there Jan 5th-9th and didn't think it was crowded at all. At times, my mom and I felt like we were the only ones walking around Epcot (when the marathon was happening of course!) I would definitely recommend going during January, it's the least croweded time we've gone. (we've gone in Jan, Feb, Oct, and Dec.)
It seemed that the only thing affected by the marathon was the transportation. The monorail was packed and the traffic was bad on Friday and Saturday.

By the way, the picture in my signature is from January 5th in the late afternoon.

 

[kellymonster23]

My family and I were there from December 31 - January 7th. New Years Day wasn't bad at Animal Kingdom (minimal wait times) but the rest of the week was terribly crowded. We too, were quite disappointed at this, since most guides, unofficial and official, including Burnbaum said this was typically a slow time. We had very long wait times for the "3 mountains" at Magic Kingdom. We are planning a trip for November 4-8 so hopefully this will be a better time for crowds.