Scheduling after the Marathon

[wilcat]

How busy is it the week after the Marathon? I am thinking of going down Jan 9-13 but wanted to know what the crowds would be like. Also any clue what the weather is like the beginning of January?

Thanks,
Cathy

[Basket Mommy]

We're going Jan 12-16. I just did my ADRs this morning, and judging by what's available, it's not going to be very crowded. I had no problems getting CRT, BOG or Chef Mickey's.

Weather in January is always hard to predict. We've been there when it's been in the 40s, and we've had 80-degree weather. The best advice is to prepare to layer clothing to prepare for any type of weather. It will be chilly in the morning, but could get hot by afternoon. January is by far my favorite time of year to go!

[Strmchsr]

January has become much more crowded in recent years due to the marathon, cheerleading and dance team competitions and, most notably, South American tour groups. However, indications are that the tour groups are down significantly so that might make January better than it has been.

As for weather, Florida winter weather is 100% impossible to predict more than 5-7 days out. Check the weather thread then. As noted above it can be cold (I've had it 33 and snow flurries at noon on Main St in Jan, though that is an admitted aberration) or in the 80s.

[ThanxForNoticin]

I would expect the week after the marathon to be a slightly quieter time, especially after coming through Christmas, New Year's, and the marathon periods. As mentioned above, Central Florida weather is unpredictable, but especially in January! We've been on trips around that time where we've done some swimming - and some trips where we've built up on Disney souvenirs - like gloves and hats and blankets!

[Arielfan98]

I went this past January---Jan 4th-12th and the crowds were not bad at all! The only time you will have to worry about is the beginning of the race and the end of the race. Make sure you find out where and when both occur; the start of the race shouldn't interfere with your plans or cause traffic since they begin at 4am.....but the end of the race be sure to check which park it will be. My family failed to research this, and ended up at the finish line in EPCOT. The only interference was when guests were trying to cross inoventions---the race goes right through it, and also around world showcase (but you could walk around them). I would just steer clear of the finish line area and you'll be fine. We found that even after the race, the runners and their families didn't add on much volume to the wait times since early January is naturally a quiet time anyway. A day or two after the race, it will be a ghost town.

[Simba's Mom]

We've gone for Marathon weekend and usually stay a couple days afterwards. Crowds drop off very quickly. My husband was very surprised at the number of people at the start of the Marathon who had plans to return home that day. Several people had DME buses to catch that afternoon. I thought the weather was great-mid 70s. Maybe not warm enough to swim, but it depends on where you live. Some people swim in that weather, some of us wait until the mid-80s. On the first couple days you're there, expect to see some people walking around wearing their medals from the Marathon. I always thought that's pretty fun!