January???

[tlovesdis]

Please tell me the pros and cons of going to Disney World in January? Thank you so much!

 

[WDWDennis]

PROS- Value season, so the prices are good and the crowds are usually small. One exception is the marathon weekend when it gets really crowded!!!

CONS- Its hit or miss with the weather, but more often than not, its cold!! The park hours are usually shortend. Usually, they do rehabs on the water parks at this time, so only one may be open. Then again, when its cold, your not gonna want to swim anyway!

 

[yellowfish78]

I went January 31 to Febuary 3rd of this year. The weather was great during the day, but did get chilly in the evening. Sweater or light jacket for the evening is fine. Crowds were ok too. I did see lots of kids, but I've never been there during peak season, so any kids are alot to me. As for park hours, that was never really an issue. We just made sure we took advantage of the extra magic hours and still had plenty of time. The evenings were spent either in Pleasure Island or in the hot tub at FQ.

 

[JMD]

PROS- Value season, so the prices are good and the crowds are usually small. One exception is the marathon weekend when it gets really crowded!!!

CONS- Its hit or miss with the weather, but more often than not, its cold!! The park hours are usually shortend. Usually, they do rehabs on the water parks at this time, so only one may be open. Then again, when its cold, your not gonna want to swim anyway!

Ditto

 

[mousiemom]

We are going in Jan. this time and we were there last Feb. and the weather was great!! That is the only time we go to WDW now. The weather is great!! The highest it got was 77 and the lows were in the mid 50s. We got to wear all of our disney sweatshirts at the night shows. We wore shorts during the day and jeans. The lines are awesome. 5 min. waits. We don't do the water parks because we have them where we live and the beaches so we just do the heated pools at night after walking all day, it's great!!
Mousiemom

 

[MissMagnolia]

The only time we go is in January - usually the first part of the month. We have been there twice during the marathon and there were no crowds - we had no waits on rides whatsoever. Two years ago we swam at Caribbean Beach - it was warm and wonderful (I think we were there the second week of January). We have never done the waterparks. In the morning the temps were in the high 50s (shorts and t-shirts with sweatshirts that we took off as needed - then put them back on for the fireworks or parades). The parks have shorter hours, but since you don't have to wait for rides, you still get in everything that you want to do. A drawback is that some venues are closed during low season - Body Wars and the area of Epcot it is in was closed during our visit.

We have been to WDW in May, September, October, and January and we'd choose January every time!

 

[tlovesdis]

We are going in Jan. this time and we were there last Feb. and the weather was great!! That is the only time we go to WDW now. The weather is great!! The highest it got was 77 and the lows were in the mid 50s. We got to wear all of our disney sweatshirts at the night shows. We wore shorts during the day and jeans. The lines are awesome. 5 min. waits. We don't do the water parks because we have them where we live and the beaches so we just do the heated pools at night after walking all day, it's great!!
Mousiemom

Are all resort pools heated and if so to what temp? I really want to be able to relax and swim. We were in Disneyland in December and it was cold and raining but the pool at the Disneyland Hotel was heated to 80 degrees so we went for it and it was very nice!

 

[Beiji]

I was there in January 2001, and it was just like everyone has said. Low rates at the resort and light crowds. I was in the MK during the marathon and got to see some of the participants go through Fantasyland. It was mostly tired people walking. It was fun because we got to encourage them by clapping and cheering.

There were some cold nights, but it was still much warmer than Syracuse in winter! My son was able to swim only a few days. He gets chilled easily. You may want to have a robe or fleece jacket to put on when you get out of the water if it's a cool day. I'm going to try to find a shortie wetsuit for him for our December trip.

 

[RumpleMom]

We were at WDW the first week of January 2005. It was 78-82 degrees each day and we swam three times during the week. We were told it was an unusual week. We were thrilled as we left snow and ice back home. But I have heard it also could have been chilly, so we were prepared for either weather.

We were just happy to be at WDW and we knew for sure we would not be shoveling snow

 

[pandora174]

We're planning a trip last week of Jan '06 & we prefer chilly weather than hot & the plus of low crowds makes it a great time to go !

 

[Jen_in_NH]

My husband and I went in January 2004, and then in May 2005. We definitely preferrred January. There were less crowds and better weather (we're not used to 90 degree weather, so May was a shock for us). We didn't think it was too cold to swim. The only time it got chilly was later at night.

Have a great time!

Jen

 

[sunni]

Pros: fewer people, not so humid and hot, you spend less on water

Cons: shorter hours, more attractions are closed, couldn't even find a Beavertail to try, have to pack for both hot and cold weather


We've gone in January and there was frost in the morning that had killed some of their landscaping, it was in the low 40's (F) when we headed out in the morning. It was nice not to be hot and sweaty all day, but it was only warm enough for the the kids to swim twice and the adults didn't at all. You take your chances with the weather. Overall I'd say I liked our January trip better than September, but it's a close call.

 

[MdmMim]

Ditto on the weather! One January the wind chill was 18 and it was damp, so it can be very cold. I wore my winter jacket, turtleneck, hat, gloves, and I was still cold. However, I've also experienced temps in the 80s, so it's best to be prepared for a range of temperatures.

However, January is the best time to visit, IMHO!

 

[Doede95]

We went in Jan. 2002 and it was record breaking heat. So, I guess be ready for anything.

 

[BCV23]

We went in Jan. 2002 and it was record breaking heat. So, I guess be ready for anything.

I agree with this. I love going in January.

All the WDW pools are heated and my family has always been able to swim with the exception of one trip. Even so, if my children had still been young, I know they would have been in the pool.

We have not noticed the marathon affecting crowds at all. It does get more crowded MLK weekend though.