January 2013 Trip?

DonaldsBFF · #1 07-21-2011, 11:36 AM

We are in the early stages of deciding if we want to go to WDW in late Jan 2013. The trip would probably be 10 days at POR with myself, DW and two boys who will be almost 3 and 2 at the time. Wanted to see what thoughts people had about that time of the year. Also, any thoughts if the rumored completion of some of the FL expansion will have any impact on crowd levels? With having young kids and it being their first time to WDW I want to pick a nice time of the year that won't have long wait times because I don't think that would go very good. Thanks for the replies.

WDWCrazyKaren · #2 07-21-2011, 12:02 PM

Having been there in January many times, we adore the weather at that time of year. We are fine with cooler days and shorter lines. That said...sadly we will no longer go in January. We will be there from now on in early February instead. We are hoping the weather and crowds are similar to January. We have found that the increased number of tour groups have made January very undesireable as of late. With small children, you will probably be leaving the parks quite a bit, so maybe it would make the big groups a little less daunting than they were for folks who were at the parks for the entire day.

Have fun planning, and enjoy whenever you go!

arm00leg · #3 07-21-2011, 12:45 PM

We decided to try January this year - it was great weather but the Brazilian tour groups overwhelm the parks. I do mean overwhelm - hour and half waits for rides, fast passes gone for the day by 9:30 am, many many large groups of people making it difficult to even motivate around the parks, With little ones I would think it would be very stressful. It was just two adults when we went and it was difficult to avoid the massive groups, we will never go in January again. We did have some fun - it is Disney after all! But we will avoid visiting during tour group season.

special ed teacher · #4 07-21-2011, 12:49 PM

I do not like going in January. I do not like having to pack both warm and cold weather clothes. I do not like starting off with sweat shirts or coats and then having them to hold in the afternoon when it warms up some. I like to have the kids swim when the temps are above 60 and many days it was cooler then that in the afternoons. I would go if it was the only time I could go, but I do not plan on any January trips if I have a choice.

DonaldsBFF · #5 07-21-2011, 12:58 PM

Any idea on when the tour groups start dying down? We were thinking of going Jan22nd thru the end of the month. Also when in January did PPs go?

ibelieveindisneymagic · #6 07-21-2011, 03:04 PM

We went in early January this year (3 - 13ish) and it was wonderful.

To be honest, DH wishes it was a little warmer, even the pools seemed quite chilly, but it was so nice to be at Disney and not be hot, and we had few problems with lines or crowds (except the Monday after Marathon weekend). We did the Family 5K that weekend, and it was a great experience

The tour groups seemed to be arriving as we were leaving. We didn't see too many of them during our trip, until the last couple of days. Honestly, they really didn't cause us too many issues, and we did just pick another ride if we were worried about getting stuck behind a large influx of people.

WDWCrazyKaren · #7 07-21-2011, 03:45 PM

From what I have learned talking to some friends from Brazil, their school starts again the first of February. December and January are summer holidays for them, hence the influx of south american tour groups that time of year. So, we'll head back in February!

Truly, I do love Brazilians in general, have many friends, and have even hosted two teenagers for a year for exchange students. I harbor no ill will...however, we ran into dangerous situations with them where they could have (and maybe did-but we didn't see it) caused harm and injury to others (we did see one with a switchblade, but couldn't find a cast member in the throngs leaving Lights, Motors, Action quick enough before losing them in a crowd). The groupd were just too large for things to run smoothly, and they did pose situations that could turn very ugly. I'd rather avoid them completely than simply 'ignore' them.

But that's just me.

kimber122 · #8 07-21-2011, 03:52 PM

We went January 18-25th in 2009 to celebrate my 40th Bday. There were 8 of us and it is was a mess due to all the Brazilian Tour Groups. We even joked we were going to make our own family flag! The weather was freezing. We had to buy hats, scarves, and gloves. We still had a great time but would have enjoyed it alot more if the parks weren't overrun with Tour Groups. Our group of 8 included my husband, parents and my sisters family. And we have all been to DisneyWorld many many times but will never go again this time of the year, which stinks since that is my birthday!

Gator · #9 07-21-2011, 06:09 PM

This may get a few laughs, but here's something that will absolutely happen in January: Splash Mountain will be closed. That may not be a big deal to you, but if it is, pick another month.

Also, the Brazillian aren't really that bad. If you see a tour group getting on an attraction, head the other way. It's real simple.

faline · #10 07-21-2011, 06:31 PM

Typically, January has featured lower crowds and lower temperatures. Disney World seems to be busy year round these days. As more and more sites such as this recommend certain times of year as better than others, those times become more and more busy as everyone is looking for the same thing - fairly nice weather and short lines. I wouldnt expect to have the parks to yourselves and the weather might be too cold for swimming but I still think you'll have a wonderful time and not find it too crowded for your family.

arm00leg · #11 07-21-2011, 10:13 PM

We were there the week of January 19th and the parks and Fantasmic were nothing but tour groups. We stayed at the BC and found that if we got to the parks for early entry we got about an hour to hurry and get on the rides before the tour groups took over. There was only one cold day, and like someone else mentioned - it was kind of nice to not be sweating, it was quite comfortable when we were there - but I still don't recommend going during tour group season.