So, tell me about Jan-Mar at the Fort

[StormyCA]

Just got back from our 4/30-5/9 stay. It was pretty great. Didn't miss FP+ at all, partly because the crowds were so reasonable and partly because DH blew his knee out so he had to use an ECV. Disney was so great about accommodating him. The catch was the weather. It was HOT and it really affected the length of the days in the parks. We'd been twice before at the same time and the weather was nowhere near as hot. Or maybe we've reached the age where our tolerance is lower. Who knows?

So we're thinking of doing our next trip earlier in the year, avoiding any holidays. Our main questions are how is the weather and how are the crowds. We already know it's a more expensive time of the year.

PS went to Buccees for the first time. OMG those Beaver Nuggets!! I just finished our last bag. I'm really glad there aren't any Buccees near us!

 

[Stratman50th]

Jan-March can really be a coin toss as far as weather. It's the dry season so rain would be marginal but we can get some nights around freezing. That being said, there can be some 90 deg days as well as 50 deg days. Mostly sunny and low humidity.

 

[Teamubr]

We have been 4 or 5 times in February and March. We have 2 weeks booked for this January. Crowds will be pretty good (lower than average) except around holidays. Depending on when Easter falls and Spring Break crowds start, things will get more crowded at the end of March. Early January is busy with runDisney events.

Weather will be all over the place. Plan for 40s to 80s, all in the same week. We had one trip in mid-March where we had to wear heavy coats all week. 3 years ago, we had a week in February with highs in the mid-80s all week and low humidity. It was great.

j

 

[StormyCA]

We have been 4 or 5 times in February and March. We have 2 weeks booked for this January. Crowds will be pretty good (lower than average) except around holidays. Depending on when Easter falls and Spring Break crowds start, things will get more crowded at the end of March. Early January is busy with runDisney events.

Weather will be all over the place. Plan for 40s to 80s, all in the same week. We had one trip in mid-March where we had to wear heavy coats all week. 3 years ago, we had a week in February with highs in the mid-80s all week and low humidity. It was great.

j

Jan-March can really be a coin toss as far as weather. It's the dry season so rain would be marginal but we can get some nights around freezing. That being said, there can be some 90 deg days as well as 50 deg days. Mostly sunny and low humidity.

We can deal with seesaw weather, no problem! Most of our trips to Yellowstone have included everything from snow hats and jackets to sun-hats and sunscreen! And low humidity, whether it's 40 or 80 sounds wonderful!

One of the benefits of RV travel is being able to pack for all kinds of weather.

Thanks! I think we'll be going earlier in 2023!

 

[bama_ed]

We've been many times in January and March (see my signature below).

January is iffy on weather - some nice days and then others cold/wet. February usually starts a dependable trend of weather of warm in the sun (cool in the shade) but better weather and less rain. March is warmer (can go shorts day and night mostly - at least we did).

There are a number of "events" during that time of the year too that clog the Fort. Early January is the Marathon weekend (Thur-Sun) and the 3-day MLK weekend. The weekend in February around Valentine's Day is busy and also the third weekend is another Half-Marathon race weekend (the Princess?). March is week after week of spring breakers. Mardi Gras is Tues Feb 21 in 2023 and a lot of Louisiana folks show up that week (schools shut down all week in much of South LA).

If the rate fluctuations don't matter to you, a good window might be mid-Jan through mid-Feb. Come in after MLK weekend (I'm arriving on MLK day 2022 the day many are leaving) and stay till around Valentines.

Park crowds are different from Fort crowds. After the Marathon weekend the parks are slower except for MLK weekend but that usually means shorter operating hours. Also Jan-early Mar is a popular time to shut down rides for refurb/updates so you might not have your favorite ride or show available. Epcot usually has Flower and Garden start up in March too if that's a consideration.

Good luck with your plans.

Bama Ed

PS - the parks transition out of their Christmas decorations pretty soon after New Years. The exception is MK that stays decorated through the Sunday of the Marathon weekend but then they start taking down that Sunday night. Not kidding. Christmas Decorations around the Fort (bus stops, Trading Posts, Trails End etc.) comes down during Marathon week. One year I arrived and set up in site 116 looking DIRECTLY at Trails End all lit up in Christmas Lights and I got pix of it all that night. The next morning, it was all gone so glad I did make the pix.

 

[Part-Time Paradise]

Jan-March can really be a coin toss as far as weather. It's the dry season so rain would be marginal but we can get some nights around freezing. That being said, there can be some 90 deg days as well as 50 deg days. Mostly sunny and low humidity.

Did you used to be a weather man? All you need is to throw in a snow forecast of trace to 7 feet and/or "this storm MAY have hail in it from pea sized up to semi truck" and you'll sound like the guy on my TV each night.

I know what you're saying, but it just tickled me as the weatherman was particularly wrong and ominous this week.

 

[StormyCA]

We've been many times in January and March (see my signature below).

January is iffy on weather - some nice days and then others cold/wet. February usually starts a dependable trend of weather of warm in the sun (cool in the shade) but better weather and less rain. March is warmer (can go shorts day and night mostly - at least we did).

There are a number of "events" during that time of the year too that clog the Fort. Early January is the Marathon weekend (Thur-Sun) and the 3-day MLK weekend. The weekend in February around Valentine's Day is busy and also the third weekend is another Half-Marathon race weekend (the Princess?). March is week after week of spring breakers. Mardi Gras is Tues Feb 21 in 2023 and a lot of Louisiana folks show up that week (schools shut down all week in much of South LA).

If the rate fluctuations don't matter to you, a good window might be mid-Jan through mid-Feb. Come in after MLK weekend (I'm arriving on MLK day 2022 the day many are leaving) and stay till around Valentines.

Park crowds are different from Fort crowds. After the Marathon weekend the parks are slower except for MLK weekend but that usually means shorter operating hours. Also Jan-early Mar is a popular time to shut down rides for refurb/updates so you might not have your favorite ride or show available. Epcot usually has Flower and Garden start up in March too if that's a consideration.

Good luck with your plans.

Bama Ed

PS - the parks transition out of their Christmas decorations pretty soon after New Years. The exception is MK that stays decorated through the Sunday of the Marathon weekend but then they start taking down that Sunday night. Not kidding. Christmas Decorations around the Fort (bus stops, Trading Posts, Trails End etc.) comes down during Marathon week. One year I arrived and set up in site 116 looking DIRECTLY at Trails End all lit up in Christmas Lights and I got pix of it all that night. The next morning, it was all gone so glad I did make the pix.

Thanks for the details, Ed. Trying to plan trips (vis a vis crowds) around events is something I'm used to with Disneyland here in CA. The DL forum usually has an 'events calendar' thread that shows known/planned events month by month. I'll have to search the WDW threads to see if there's a similar one. I'm also used to 'off-season' refurbs too as I usually go to DL in the 1st 3 months of the year. As I mentioned before, any cold weather is sort of a non-issue for us. Other than torrential rain we'll do fine. Layers and a large locker take care of weather fluctuations.

Since our next trip isn't til '23 I've got some time to do my research. nDH is actually lobbying for a trip to Maine/New England instead of WDW now that DL has reopened and I can get my Disney-fix there (which is why I call him nDH) so it may not be until 2024 for WDW. I only managed to get him to WDW this year (a year earlier than normal) because last year was supposed to be a DL year and I was having the 'Disney DTs'.

 

[morrik5]

I know you didn't ask about this time of year but we always schedule mid-April and in next year's case wen we go, just after Easter Weekend due to our daughter's teaching schedule . The college she teaches at is usually in between semesters at that time and she gets two weeks off then. Weather then is humid to us Canadians but enjoyable, especially in the evenings when it cools down. Also it is easier travelling by MH with less chance of inclement weather on the way down.

 

[rideswithchrist]

We went the last week of Feb/early March last time and it was pretty packed because of Mardi Gras. The week started in the 80s and we swam, then we had a wet cold front and we spent Epcot in the 50s-60s and drizzle (but we loved it) and we stood in the 44 degree sun waiting for a bus to HS on Wednesday. By the weekend it was back up to 90 and we got hot!

We actually enjoyed the fluctuations because we still were able to swim but were also able to enjoy ourselves without overheating (and we are coming from TX). We just watch the (as good as it can get) forcast a few days before we leave and pack warm clothes just in case. Beanies go a long way to stay warm.

We are going again in February.

 

[tinkerjo]

We have gone in anywhere between the 20 February-March 10 the last few trips we have done. We must have been lucky because the weather has always been perfect for us 70-85 during the day with cooler nights and zero rain. We were standing in rope drop line in shorts and the CMs were in winter coats. DD went one year though with a school trip and froze