First week of January 2017

[Chase055]

It's super early to talk about this I guess... But I'm going to be taking the family to Disney World the first week of January next year... How busy do you guys think it's gonna be? I see that there is a marathon going on.. Do you guys have any details on this? Which parks does it effect? Do certain parks open up later in the day because of it? Should I avoid any of the parks certain days because of it? I'm staying on property and it will be my first trip back since 2012.. Thanks guys..

[Strmchsr]

Definitely not too early to talk about it! With Disney you pretty much have to have everything planned at least 6 months in advance now. Early January has grown fairly crowded. You have the south american tour groups (it's their summer vacation) and then the marathon crowds. The biggest park impacted is Epcot since the races begin and end there but there are other parts of the resort that are blocked off. Not a huge deal if you're taking Disney transportation but it can be pretty frustrating if you're driving yourself, especially on Saturday and Sunday. In general on the race weekend the crowds aren't too bad until after lunch. The races occur in the morning and the runners usually go back to their resort for shower, food, and then hit the parks so things start getting super crowded from early afternoon on. So make sure to hit the big stuff first thing. Given the amount of changes that have occurred since 2012, and the increase in crowds year round since then, prepare yourself for a bit of a shock. Then you'll settle into the flow and it'll all be okay.

[jennsky]

We are arriving on January 2nd for a few nights. My DD and I are doing the 5K so since you'll be there for Marathon Weekend anyway, you might want to check it out! Registration opened up today. We walk the entire thing and it's neat being part of the "action"! And earning a medal makes some great bling! Otherwise the past Marathon Weekends I have been it is busy but definitely not unmanageable. The way the Christmas break falls this year for schools in my area, my kids will still be off. I'm not sure about other school boards though.


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[Arielfan98]

I am also planning to go early January. I went January 4th-11th this year, and it was decent crowds. I would say it only got crowded during the marathon weekend period. The race ended in EPCOT this year and EPCOT doesn't have many rides, so it was easy to get a FP+ for all the major stops like Test Track and Test Track and Test Track (lol Soarin' was closed). Anyway, I don't think it'll be overcrowded like it is during Christmas.