WDW in mid January

[madame_jedi]

I am debating booking a trip from Jan 14-19 with my (adult) sister. We would be staying for 5 nights at pop with a meal plan. The price is pretty great ($1,440 per person Canadian including flight, which is less than we have paid for any other trip of comparable length in the past three years). I am just wondering about some of the advantages and disadvantages to going to WDW in mid January. I know the crowds overall will be lower but our trip would fall during MLK weekend. Also I have read very contradictory things about the weather in January. I assume compared to a Canadian January it's still going to feel pretty nice. I have also heard there are often lots of refurbishments in January although the only one I can find at the moment is the WDW railroad.

Does anyone have experience with post Christmas/pre spring break trips they could share?

 

[NH-to-FL]

Last year was our first snowbird winter near Disney. I would call January weather variable. According to the Weather Channel the average high/low for January 17th is 71/47. But the record high is 83 and the record low is a brisk 29. Which is probably why you have heard contradictory weather reports. I seem to recall being told that last year was cool (but never below freezing) and a bit cloudier than "average". Maybe that means this year will warmer? We can hope. But it always beats winter in New England. Pack one outfit for each extreme and you'll be fine.

I think you have done a pretty good job assessing the pros and cons of a January trip. You note the slightly higher crowds around the MLK holiday. There is nothing "special" going on in mid January. Holiday decorations are gone. Refurbs are more likely. Which is why the prices are lower.

I predict you will enjoy a wonderful winter break at Disney!

 

[madame_jedi]

Thank you so much NH to FL. You helped put my mind at ease.

 

[10MoreMinutes]

I'll pop in and share my experience too. We (me, age 28 at the time of the trip) and my parents stayed at Pop for three nights/four days this past January (22nd-25th) and imo it was unseasonably cold while we were there. I remember it being in the 40s when we got up and out the door in the mornings (before 9 am every morning). It did warm up nicely, up into the high 50s/low 60s I think, but it was super windy which made it feel colder. For the most part, I wore a light sweater and my mom wore a thin windbreaker and we were fine, but I do remember being really cold sitting on the metal benches for Fantasmic. I grew up in Florida, which is why I say I'm pretty sure it was just unseasonably cold when we were there this year...usually it's a bit warmer than that.

In MK, the railroad and the riverboat were down for refurb when we were there, and I'm sure there were others but I can't recall them. Also Soarin' was down but that was when they were adding the third theater.

I planned my 2017 mostly-solo trip for January mostly because I had such a good experience in terms of weather and crowds this year.

 

[DisnerdNZ]

I went mid to late Jan in 2015 and found the days were reasonably warm, you tend to do a bit of walking at WDW so even if the day is a bit chilly you warm up reasonably quickly. The evenings were quite cold, from about 4pm onwards the temp starts to drop and I usually ended up putting something warmer on, I wasn't expecting it to be quite that cold in the evening as coming from a colder climate like NZ I thought I'd be fine.

I was there for 13 days and only had one full day of rain. Also the temp can be quite different day to day, I wanted to visit a water park when I was there but couldn't schedule it in due to the weather, we just went when we had a good day.

 

[jenniy122]

Weather in January can be wild, other than no snow there's no guarantees. In 2015 I was there and had a few mornings in the 30 and wished I had brought my winter gear, I ended up buying a hat and gloves. This year I was fine all but one night, and I was even warm the one day at Universal I had long lace sleeves on. Check the weather a lot and either pack for everything or budget extra in case you need to buy something.

 

[madame_jedi]

Thanks everyone! I will plan to check the weather often.

 

[goofyernmost]

Thanks everyone! I will plan to check the weather often.

After you have made reservations, I wouldn't spend to much time obsessing over the weather. Simply bring one or two sets of clothing that would work for cooler weather and layer if necessary. Weather can and does change from day to day. The forecasts are really not much more then educated guesses. You can drive yourself crazy trying to figure it all out. I have been there a number of times in mid January and have experienced everything except rain. Cool in the morning can be expected, but, it has usually been quite comfortable by midday and cool again in the evening. But not always. There just is no way to know for sure. Whatever, it has never been unbearable, so just go at least partially prepared for different things and you will be fine.