Thinking of going 1/1/05-1/7/05...what to expect

[alicenwonder99]

Everytime I come onto this board, I move my WDW vacation up a few more months. Now I'm thinking of Jan 1 2005 for a full week. I know there is supposed to be the largest crowds Xmas to New Years, but it shows the first week of Jan is Value season for the Deluxes.

I won't have to pull the kids out of school if we go then, so I'm thinking there's got to be lots of other families going the same time. What are the crowds like then? What can I typically expect of the weather then? What kinds of savings can I expect?

Oh, and should I book now, or wait until the specials on the resorts come out?

TIA!!

Mary

 

[7thdwarf/dopey]

Each year it becomes increasingly more and more crowded during this first week of January. But , still less than June and July. At times it can also be to chilly to swim.

 

[purplebelle]

I stayed one year from about Dec. 28th-Jan 4th. Whoa was it busy around Dec. 30th-January 3! And maybe a few days before and after. It is crowded, but still doable and enjoyable. The resorts didn't ever feel too full, just the parks after like 11:30am. I remember standing by Splash Mountain on that bridge and looking out towards the center of the park and there were people virtually everywhere. We enjoyed spending time at our resort WL and still went to the parks, but when I think back on the trip, the resort time sticks out in my mind. Maybe opt for a Deluxe resort so that there's plenty to do in case parks aren't as enjoyable as expected.

 

[Simba's Mom]

One thing you can expect-there'll be another DISer wearing a lime green Mickey head! This will be the fourth time I've gone that very first week in January, checking in on New Year's Day for the second time. Crowds are very low-everyone leaves so quickly, I guess. I commented about that once to a CM in Epcot and her explanation was that everyone parties so much and spends so much money NYE that no one can afford to stay after that! However, bring your hat and gloves. I've encountered some very cold weather at that time. One year, AK was so cold, although the park opened on time, many shows and animals weren't on until later in the day. One year, there was an Enite 1/3, and between the weather and the low crowds, hardly anyone was there.

 

[7thdwarf/dopey]

Simba's Mom.........our counters are only 10 hours apart! We will be looking for the lime green items as we always do.

Never have found another Dis'er tho.........

 

[TWOOD]

My DD & I were @ WDW 1/1-1/6 '04 & I was surprised by how crowded the resort (POR) & parks stayed. I just knew everyone would be leaving ON the 1st - NOT! However, the Christmas decorations stayed up during our entire stay & we had a great time by taking advantage of early openings. The weather was very nice - have a great time!

 

[leslieh]

We went to MGM and park hopped to Epcot last NYE, we paid for five aduts to get in and got to go on 4 things all day, Epcot was an absolute mess, we had the biggest traffic jam pedestrians around by mexico after the fireworks. We were there on NYE 99 and it wasnt as bad. If we go during the holidays again, I think I'll stay out of the parks on NYE.

 

[alicenwonder99]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I think I'm still up in the air. Some say it's not crowded and some say it's very crowded!! lol.

Keep the responses coming!

Mary

 

[TWOOD]

If you don't mind pulling your kids out of school (I'm a teacher who did it with my DD k-7th gr. ) - the last week of Jan. - 1st few days of Feb. was a great time to go! We practically had the parks to ourselves & the room discounts were about 40% off the value rate (2003). The weather was in the 60's, so we couldn't swim, but hot tubbing was fun in the evenings. If you don't want crowds & you have kids in school, I've found that you pretty much have to miss a few days...