Weekend Crowds in Late January

[Momof3greatkids]

We are planning a late Jan. 05 trip. We know that the overall crowds are down at this time of year, and that crowds go up on the weekend. Our question is, on an overall uncrowded weekend, how long are the lines in MK? Is early entry needed to avoid long lines? Thankis

 

[stinkerbelle]

we went jan 23 through 27 of this year.

Sunday was BAD at MK...65+ minute wait for BTMR, not even a wait time listed for Splash mountain the wait was so long..60 minutes for space mountain and the indy ride...everything else was around 30 minutes.

I think we did MGM on the saturday and lines were manageable with FP's.

 

[jtjarvis]

Wow, we did a short trip Jan. 29-Feb. 1, concentrating on MK, and though we stayed onsite we pretty much had to go to MK—against everybody's advice—on Sat. as well EMH Sun. (so my mom could come along-important! )

True, we had a good strategy and the Sat. low crowds could have been really unusual but we found it heavenly. We did everything in spades! Got the normally "long wait" attractions done early etc. But even at about 2-3 p.m. we did Splash Mountain twice in a row, with hardly any wait. I found that curious. Other FP rides like Peter Pan had the typical 45 minute waits by day's end.

I forgot -- it was rainy too! But I think it helped us all the more! We just put on our ponchos.

Sunday seemed a little lighter if that was possible-- all in all, I found late January to be "the ticket" for touring MK. Once again I've never heard anyone before or since advocating going to MK on Sat. But whether that was typical or an anomaly, I've never had a better day in all my life!

 

[BAST]

We went January '03 from the 21st through the 31st. Two dates will affect your plans in January - MLK day and the WDW marathon. Try to avoid those times. When we went, we were able to avoid those days and had very small crowds for most of our visit. Also, remember that MK is very crowded (and was on our trip) on Sundays and Mondays. MK tends to be the first park that people visit and most people arrive on a Sat. or Sun. and therefore head to MK of Sun or Mon.

Also, it can be cold (we had record cold temperatures) but since we are from Wisconsin, it was not that bad.

 

[Momof3greatkids]

Thanks for the info. I do find it confusing that as I read multiple posts, some people report very low crowds, and for the same exact time period others report very high crowds. Example, Jan 27 -31 60+ min wait times, and another poster Jan. 26 - 29, 5 min or less wait times. Anyone have any explanations?

 

[stinkerbelle]

Originally posted by Momof3greatkids
Thanks for the info. I do find it confusing that as I read multiple posts, some people report very low crowds, and for the same exact time period others report very high crowds. Example, Jan 27 -31 60+ min wait times, and another poster Jan. 26 - 29, 5 min or less wait times. Anyone have any explanations?

It all depends on when you hit it.

I think the poster who said 5 minute wait went first thing in the morning. We didn't get to MK until after noon.

 

[jtjarvis]

Yes of course hit MK first thing in the morning! I.e., as early as it opens for you, EMH or otherwise. I can't imagine going to that park any later than, say, midmorning and expecting to do too much, at any time of year.