Which week in Jan./Feb.?

[humboldthny]

For those of you who have traveled in Jan. and Feb. which of the weeks above would you choose? Pros and cons for each (ride refurbs, general crowd size)? I'm leaning towards one of the first two, as the 3rd would only give us a day before dd would have to return to school...so unless there's a really good reason that someone can give me for that week it's unlikely we will choose it.

My dd is on a year-round school schedule and we have those 3 weeks to choose from next year....we've previously been to WDW twice in Dec. and, soon, twice in late April/early May.

 

[vicki_c]

We have been multiple times in the Jan 19-Feb 8 time frame and it's always been great for us. Crowds are low, weather is cool, sometimes cold, sometimes warm but good for us.

 

[bellefromboston]

We went Feb 1 - 6 in 2009. What a great time to go! Weather is very unpredictable, we ended up in the "Florida Freeze" period. Crowd-wise though, it was great.

 

[hsmamainva]

I chose Feb 5-12 because that's when we're going!! Woo hoo!

This is our first visit, so can't give advice on weather or crowds, but I've heard that the crowds are light and the weather can be iffy,

 

[Spazzie]

We just went to Disney this last winter Jan 30th thru Feb 7th. Towards the later part of our trip it got a whole lot busier and crowded due to Super Bowl in Miami and Daytona 500 race. Next year's race is scheduled for Sun, February 20, 2011 and the whole week before there is qualifications so might be busy again. Weather was nippy (50s and 60s) so no swimming and very chilly at night. Enjoy!

 

[arielmomma]

I chose the 30-5th because we will either be going this week or the following week b/c my children's birthdays are the 3rd and the 7th of February and this is when we always go. Crowds are low. Weather is very unpredictable, but you'll be at Disney!

 

[humboldthny]

Thanks! Bump for more responses....

 

[perkinsrose]

The weather is a total toss-up. This year we did the Jan week and got some 80s. We've had really cool weather those Feb. weeks as well as mid 70s.
Crowd-wise, the last week, the closer you get to Presidents week will have a rise in crowd volume.

We had a couple unpleasant experiences staying at AllStar Sports the first week in February due to unruly teens at resort & on busses. The same week, at deluxe resorts we had no issues with cheer/dance teams in the parks.

It really is a toss-up. We love Jan/Feb. Lower crowds, generally nice weather, & a great escape from Michigan winter!

 

[perkinsrose]

Thoughts on refurbs/closures...

Splash Mountain is always closed for us when we go that time of year.
Often Kali River Rapids is closed at Animal Kingdom.
You might have a better chance hitting these two rides if you went that 3rd week.

January in general has a few more refurbs but I think its worth it not to deal with huge crowds.

 

[humboldthny]

We had a couple unpleasant experiences staying at AllStar Sports the first week in February due to unruly teens at resort & on busses. The same week, at deluxe resorts we had no issues with cheer/dance teams in the parks.

It really is a toss-up. We love Jan/Feb. Lower crowds, generally nice weather, & a great escape from Michigan winter!

The weather we don't mind so much...hanging out at the pool in general isn't a very big part of our WDW vacation.

You mentioned cheer/dance teams...are they there a lot this time of year? We typically stay at moderates, so maybe not an issue for us either?

Thoughts on refurbs/closures...

Splash Mountain is always closed for us when we go that time of year.
Often Kali River Rapids is closed at Animal Kingdom.
You might have a better chance hitting these two rides if you went that 3rd week.

January in general has a few more refurbs but I think its worth it not to deal with huge crowds.

I was wondering about the closures...Those 2 rides we enjoy, but wouldn't be a huge disappointment if we missed them.

 

[perkinsrose]

There is a cheer competition every year at that time. I think its the first weekend of February. Nearly all of them stay at AllStarSports. Not sure. I'm sure someone else or on another forum would know.

If you ask on the ResortsForum you might find out more. I think I've read that people see just a few cheer people here and there at mods but not the problems like we experienced at AllStars.

At AllStarSports, we dealt with alot of noise, sometimes unsupervised teens with questionable behavior, a couple prank "wake-up" calls at 1am, and cheering on the busses.

I'm a teacher and certainly not anti-teen but it was too much for us. Along with a totally unrelated problem at Allstars, we decided the money savings just wasn't worth it to stay there. We scrimp and save all year and have loved Jan/Feb at deluxe resorts.

CLOSURES

This year we were there Jan 21-28.

I think Kali was open this year . Splash Mountain was down for an extended closure & the water was drained. The few other things that were closed that I recall: Living with the Land (Boat revamp) & Crystal Palace (extended refurb)

As it gets closer (won't help for planning/booking weeks though) you can check http://www.stitchkingdom.com/refurb/

on their site: "TOOLS: Research! Refurb Tool"
& check for closures/refurbs---I love this

 

[WDWRocksMySocks]

I voted for Jan 23-30. We went the same week this year and the crowds were great! My nephew and I rode EE at least 20 times b/c the crowds were so low. AWESOME!!! The downside was that Splash was close, along with the Crystal Palace and Living with the Land. Kali was open, and the day we went to AK it was plenty warm enough to ride it!

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

We went this year January 25 -Feb 1 and we loved it. The crowd level was awesome, no waiting for anything! But it was freezing. But we are going back the last week of January 2011 but I'll bring warmer clothes As long as you don't want to go to the water parks I'd highly recommend

 

[sharadoc]

We went this year January 25 -Feb 1 and we loved it. The crowd level was awesome, no waiting for anything! But it was freezing. But we are going back the last week of January 2011 but I'll bring warmer clothes As long as you don't want to go to the water parks I'd highly recommend

We had the same experience this year. We're going December instead of January for the first time, so our next January trip should be 2012. We're packing long underwear, hats, gloves and scarves along with our winter coats. Never had that before, always had layers ending in a sweatshirt so we were caught a little unprepared in 2010.

I voted 23-30 because it's the week before cheer and tour groups start arriving in droves.

 

[TaraZ]

We are a late January family and LOVE it! True, the weather can be a bit chillier than one might expect of Florida-- but we are from NJ so it is always better than home!

Bring some jeans (not just capris and shorts), long sleeves, and hoodies... you'll be fine! It is a GREAT time of year to go-- this will be our third late January visit! Now, if only I can pick a resort...

Happy planning!!!

 

[pixarmom]

I think all of these time frames are great, but we try to book as close to the end of value season as possible. That gives us the best chance of warmer weather and breaks up the winter a bit more. (Gives us something to look forward to in February!) As previous posters have mentioned, the weather is a complete toss up, but the low crowd levels are outstanding! We have been at the pool with temps in the 80s some years, and layering for temps in the 40s others. We have had very little rain during that time, which has been great!

 

[BelleChick]

January is a great time to go, but make sure you pack all types of clothing including a coat! You never know what the weather will be like at this time of the year. Sometimes it is in the 70's and sometimes it is much cooler. And as others on her have said...Splash Mountain is usually closed this time of year. We have been about three times in January...and every time it has been closed. On the upside, we did get some really neat pictures of it drained!