*** Official January 2020 Thread ***

[Nina Y.]

I'm hoping to book a room soon for travel January 13-17th with my hubby and son to celebrate his birthday and going for the first time. I'm so excited to experience his first trip to Disney!

 

[kirs10paige]

We will be home January 7 -15, 2020. We usually go in September, but our oldest daughter will be in nursing school so we need to visit while she is still on vacation.

 

[kirs10paige]

Has anyone stayed during a marathon weekend? Wondering if we should avoid the parks on Saturday.

 

[Mike Kinder MK]

My wife and I are booked Jan. 19th through the 26th at WL! This will be our first trip without kids since our first trip together in 1997. We are pumped!
Does anyone know what to expect regarding MLK day crowds?
Also, I plan on keeping tabs on Galaxies Edge, it’ll be interesting to see how it affects the crowds and what strategies we will use to make the most of it.
Cheers to the January 2020 club! Let’s rock Disney!

 

[ParryOttertheChosenBoy]

We had planned to go again in early December 2020, but after checking out some prices and thinking about crowds we might do Jan 21-30. We love the Christmas atmosphere but are wondering if crowds might be better and the weather might be even cooler?

 

[Mellie08]

Hello all! Planning a few days at the parks before our Disney Cruise in January 2020! We'll be staying January 7-11 and are looking at Art of Animation or maybe the new Riviera resort (sharing a room with my in-laws so prefer two bathrooms and excited to try a resort on the new Skyliner system). I love planning our Disney vacations (we've been going almost yearly since 2016), but I'm getting frustrated having to plan our dining reservations so far in advance. Since this will be a short trip to the parks this time, I want to take advantage of Extra Magic Hours or even the Early Morning Magic events they've had at Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios to maximize our time. But the park hours are not posted for January 2020, and I'm not sure if or when they will announce the extension of the Early Morning Magic events. If we do have to change up our dining reservations due to changes in park hours or event announcements, I know I can use a reservation finder service to get the hard-to-get reservations, but I really wish the 180-day window for ADRs wasn't so far in advance of other park announcements, package deals, etc. Any advice? Will January 2020 park hours be posted before the 180-day window opens up in a couple weeks?

 

[Nyalims]

Just booked a solo trip for January 27-31 at ASMo! Plans fell through to go with a friend so I’ve been debating for a few days and just pulled the trigger. It might turn out to be a mother/daughter trip, my mother is a snowbird so will be in S Florida at the time but she’s not really a Disney fan. I’m hoping to convince her...

 

[TigerlilyAJ]

@Mellie08 I totally feel your pain! We are doing a split stay Jan 2-9, 2020, and so the ADR window opens up next week. But I don't want to try for some PPOs if the EEMH might get extended or ant other changes that make 8am reservations useless for getting a jump on some lines. Plus, EMM or just regular EMH that could make us when we go to a specific park. Sigh.

We are going end of Jan! We are doing a short Disney cruise first and then going to WDW for 10 days! We will most likely end up at Art of Animation, that has been our favorite from past trips!

We're booked for mid-January at Board Walk the first week followed by a few nights at Villas Grand Floridian! Family trip, so me, my husband and our three kids. Coming from West Coast Canada.

Wow, I would love more info about AoA and BWI, as those are (currently) our hotels. We staying for five nights in two AoA LM rooms for our family of six (which cost less than one AoA family suite), but now there's a thread saying the beds are overly firm in those rooms. I only have the Cabins at Ft Wilderness for comparison, from our Dec 2016 stay. Between fears about the bed, MK-area ADRs I want, and the fact that the Cabins cost less than anything at AoA, I'm tempted to go back. DHS is a huge focus this trip, so I wanted to try a Skyliner hotel, but can't decide if it's worth it when we'd need to travel to the MK region for three vital meals in those five days (when we'll have the dining plan): CRT (MK), Story Book (WL), and 1900 PF HEA (GF).
The last two nights we will be at BWI CL in a deluxe room (they take six people! hurray!) so we can walk to DHS and Epcot. Would love to hear AoA and BWI experiences, especially from you January vets.
@Carolynleanne I'm keeping an eye out for Canadian discounts from Disney or VisitOrlando.ca to help with the exchange rate, as we are coming from ON. (C'mon, Fed Reserve, drop those interest rates! Srsly, I have money I'm holding until July 20, ready to convert to US$ when the loonie goes up if US rates get lowered at their next meeting.)

 

[RolloTomasi]

Bit the bullet and booked myself a solo January 2020 trip! I’ll be at POFQ 1/27-1/31. It’s a little present to myself before jumping headfirst into my brother’s wedding (shaping up to be...interesting, to say the least) at the end of February. Room only right now, as I’m planning on upgrading to an AP when I go with family in November.

Crossing Festival of the Arts off my Disney bucket list. So excited!

 

[spoohs]

Hello all! Planning a few days at the parks before our Disney Cruise in January 2020! We'll be staying January 7-11 and are looking at Art of Animation or maybe the new Riviera resort (sharing a room with my in-laws so prefer two bathrooms and excited to try a resort on the new Skyliner system). I love planning our Disney vacations (we've been going almost yearly since 2016), but I'm getting frustrated having to plan our dining reservations so far in advance. Since this will be a short trip to the parks this time, I want to take advantage of Extra Magic Hours or even the Early Morning Magic events they've had at Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios to maximize our time. But the park hours are not posted for January 2020, and I'm not sure if or when they will announce the extension of the Early Morning Magic events. If we do have to change up our dining reservations due to changes in park hours or event announcements, I know I can use a reservation finder service to get the hard-to-get reservations, but I really wish the 180-day window for ADRs wasn't so far in advance of other park announcements, package deals, etc. Any advice? Will January 2020 park hours be posted before the 180-day window opens up in a couple weeks?

Do you have a link or more information on a reservation finder service. My Adr window opens Monday and if I can't get the reservations I want or if plans change depending on after hour events, this may come in handy.

 

[mommy2mrb]

Going January 12-19 with my DD 19 during her winter break from college.
Staying at POP looking forward to riding the gondolas, seeing the renovations and hopefully seeing SWGE and festival of the arts.

 

[them2854]

Do you have a link or more information on a reservation finder service. My Adr window opens Monday and if I can't get the reservations I want or if plans change depending on after hour events, this may come in handy.

Touring Plans has a reservation finder tool. I usually get their subscription to help with our daily planning, so I'm not sure if you have to have a subscription to use it or just an account. It says it's just testing, but I've had success with it on past trips. You put in what restaurant and the time range you want and it basically constantly searches for it and will notify you when something comes up, you log in to Disney and reserve it if it's still there.

https://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/reservation-finder

 

[chiisai]

Just booked a long weekend trip for January. Will be staying at the Gran Destino Tower at CSR. Can’t wait to stay there.

This a three full day trip, bracketed by partial park and travel days on each side. Priority will be Galaxy’s Edge, which we’ll Uber to if we can get one to come early enough.

 

[Denamac]

Just booked 1/5-10 for myself and DD18 for a quick trip on her college break. Staying at Pop this time! Trying to decide on ADR's since booking is Tuesday for me!

 

[spoohs]

Me and my DD20 are also staying at Pop 1/4-11 during her college break (also celebrating her 21st bday). Our ADR opens Monday.

 

[indyannamom]

DH and I are taking our oldest DD (14) on an "only kid for 4 days" trip. We'll take each of the kids when they're the same age.
We're tagging on the end of her winter break and will be at Boardwalk Jan 2-6.
ADR window opens in the morning...hoping to be able to book a few surprises for the 3 of us!

 

[chiisai]

And I’ve just changed to four full days instead of three. I have only just started paying attention to SWGE planning and think we may need to go there three mornings to be able to do both rides (if resistance is open), Oga’s, and Savi’s, and our fav rides, most Tier 1 now.

It will be me and my two kids, one teetering on tweendom and the other is a young teen.

The other attractions I’d like to do on this trip, but not sure we can squeeze them all in:

AK: FoP, Everest, Dinosaur, Safari.

MK: Thunder Mountain, Pirate’s, Haunted Mansion, Tiki Room, Space M (for the kids- I don’t ride as it gives me a headache)

EP: Test Track, Soarin’, Festival of the Arts

HS: ToT, RNRR (kids only- headache), SDD, Star Tours.

The only table service restaurants I’d like to try to eat at are the new Toledo and Three Bridges Bar and Grill, since we’ll be staying at CSR. Not sure it’ll work out, given the aggressive plans I think I have.

 

[shbarrett]

Hi friends! I recently booked a trip for my family. It includes me, my husband, and two daughters, ages 5 and 7. My oldest will be 8 by January. We will be there Jan. 24th through Feb. 2nd and staying at POFQ. This is our second family trip. We went last in April 2018 and stayed at the Poly. I'm looking forward to booking our dining soon. I'm hoping that the Space 220 restaurant will be open when we go. I'm really looking forward to that one. I'm also trying to figure out how to surprise our girls. Last time we told them we were going pretty far in advance. I'd like to do something to let them know at Christmas or even closer to when we go this time. I can't wait!

 

[mamamelody2]

I have not booked yet, but hoping to go January 25-February 1. Probably staying at All Star Sports, although if I could get a discount, I'd prefer POP Century. Trying to keep the trip rather "budget" and it's a $300 difference.
It will be just me and my 13-year-old son.

 

[bdarling]

Just booked today! My friend and I are driving from Massachusetts leaving Thursday 1/9/20. We are going with my son who is disabled in a wheelchair and with an older autistic man. We are trying to get a Saratoga Springs Villa Jan 11-16. My bday is the 13th and hers is the 12th. We bought 5 day hoppers and hope to get some GE in. I am hoping for a slower, non thrill ride trip. My friend and the guys are not thrill riders. We will hit all shows, parades, fireworks, and rides that allow staying in wheelchairs. It’s possible my husband will come too, but he definitely isn’t a thrill ride guy

We are going to Universal 1/16-19. I have that hotel booked and tickets bought.