When? Last week of August or mid Jan?

[shayausten]

My husband just found out he is off next week are we are trying to decide if we should leave and go to Disney next week or wait and go mid Jan. What is the difference in the crowds between the two different times? I know it will be hotter but at least we can use the pools.Thanks for any info.

 

[chyam]

I would say that the crowds in January would be a little thinner, although the end of Aug is not bad either. The problem with January is the weather is very iffy down here, it can be warm and beautiful one day then downright cold the next, so swimming could be a problem, but all the pools are heated. With August it is still very hot and humid and it is still hurricane season, having just gone through that scare I would be a little more leery of August.........but one never knows. If you are looking for enjoyable touring of the parks weather I would choose Jan. when it is not so hot and evey ounce of energy is drained out of you. To me I would rather put on a few more clothes then be in the position where you cannot take enough off

 

[DisFam95]

We've been both times. There's the obvious weather issues mentioned.

Jan may be beautiful or very cold and snowy. Aus is hot and will pretty much be guaranteed rain and chance of hurricane (but I don't think there's anything developing now).

Crowds are very thin in Jan but we were surprised how thin they were the last week of Aug. We went Aug 26 (our honeymoon) until the day before Labor Day. We thought Splash Mtn was closed because we walked all the way up to the ride. The CM's were leaning against the cues waiting for guests to come..it was parade time but to have absolutely NO ONE in line was kind of weird. Not sure how normal that was. Jan is probably consistantly thinner crowds and better odds of good weather.

I know it's tempting to hop on a plane and run off to WDW!!!! Good luck in your decision.

 

[Leota]

We had the same experience as DisFam95 with Jan & end of Aug. The crowds thinned significantly from the 3rd to the 4th week of Aug & made for a very nice trip.
Jan. the weather is unpredictable, I was a little disappointed with the weather this Jan when I went - but it beat the sub-zero weather at home!
Either trip time is great.

 

[pjlla]

I don't have any August experience, but January is terrific, as long as you realize that the weather can be cool (and sometimes downright cold). But as long as you avoid the marathon weekend and MLK weekend, most things have waits of less than 10-15 minutes, even at mid-day.

If you are really into doing the water parks, I guess I would say go in August. If you are looking to do mostly the big parks, I would say January.

Just a tip for January touring..... unless they are predicting 80+ degree temps every day, pack a bag with a sweatshirt and long pants and leave it in a locker at the front of the park when you arrive. It may make it possible (and more comfortable) for you to stay for an evening event such at Illuminations or Fantasmic. We missed Illuminations this past January because by 5pm we were all too cold (we were wearing shorts and sweatshirts). We learned our lesson and packed a bag for the next day and were very comfortable watching Fantasmic!.................P

 

[MUFFYCAT]

We are leaving in 2 days. Yippee!!!!!!!! and also went last year at this time. It was hot and humid, but it wasn't crowded. We only used the fastpass a few times in 6 days. However January might just be more pleasant to walk around and spend alot of time outside. It depends on how well you can take the chilly weather.
For me wearing a sweatshirt or jacket is perfect. We went in Febuary our first time and thought the weather was great. We got a kick of people buying gloves and hats when the temp was in the 60's.

 

[swilphil]

I would pick January. August is way toooo hot and hurricane season. The summer heat/humidity just drains me and my kids.

Being from the Midwest, I love going to Florida in January to escape the sub-freezing temperatures and snow here. It can get cool at WDW in Jan., but it still is sunny and I can wear shorts in the afternoon.

As far as swimming, we have a great pool here at home and use it all summer long. When at WDW, I like to do all the things in the parks, play miniature golf, and eat, eat, eat.

Crowds are much better in Jan, but park hours will be shorter. Many East Coast schools don't start until after Labor Day.