Disney in January

[DizMagic]

This is my first post, though I've been a long time reader. Our family usually travels to Disney World in October. We love it that time of year and we love attending the MNSSHP. It's getting harder to visit that time of year because of school. We miss it so much that we have decided to give January a try because we have a short school break around MLK day. My question is do you think this will be a good time to visit? And, how crowded do you think it will be with the holiday?

[Strmchsr]

:welcome: to Intercot!!!

Glad to have you involved now.

January is a mixed bag. The crowds aren't bad except for the South American tour groups. They're EVERYWHERE. But, as long as you're not running into one of these groups crowds are very reasonable. The other downsides to January is it's often a time when several things are down for refurb and the weather can be very iffy. Other than those things, though, January is good. MLK weekend is a little more crowded, but it's still not horrible.

[Altair]

Again, welcome to Intercot.

The post by Chris pretty much covers it. The weather is the biggest variable. Be prepared for anything, the the mornings will almost certainly be very cool to cold.:mickey::thumbsup:

[AgentC]

January is okay. It used to be one of my favorite times because it was very quiet. Those days are gone but I think you will find it comparable to October (or even quieter is you avoid the tour groups.)

Weather wise just be prepared for anything and you will be okay. To give you an idea over the last two weeks I've had a day where it warm enough for shorts and a tank top and a day were it was cold enough for a coat and jeans.

I have always had successful trips in Jan. Have fun!

[Melanie]

January by far used to be our favorite time to vacation. Loved it! The crowds from the tour groups have severely dampened my spirits about that month though. Like Chris said, they are EVERYWHERE.

[NJDad]

We did a few January trips for the smaller crowds but had a kid who had never rode Splash Mt so had to go at a different time.

[MyDisneyworld]

We tried January once and found it just a little cold for us. The mornings and evenings we were in jeans and jackets and on a few of our nights we had to use our winter jackets with hat and gloves. We did try swimming in the heated pool but getting out was very cold so we didn't do that again. The crowd levels were great though and most of the afternoon we were able to wear jeans and tshirts. But every year can be different and any trip to Disney is better than no trip. Enjoy.

[MargaretMessler]

The last time we did WDW in January, we had the misfortune of catching one of the coldest Januarys on record. So we ended up re-running a lot of clothes, buying a few extra pieces while there. We also were wearing heavy jackets and gloves all the way up to our last two days, when we were finally able to go out in the shorts and tank tops which were the majority of what we packed.

For that reason alone, I would personally avoid January since this is always a possibility, however remote.

[gottaluvtink]

We just got back from our first January trip out of 17 previous trips. I have to say, NEVER AGAIN! it was very crowded and the South American tour groups are EXTREMELY obnoxious. I blocked one couple from trying to jump the line on Everest. They tried to push by me and my daughter but we held them back. We told the cast member at the top and she took them out. It was the worst week ever as far as rudeness and annoyance. I have no desire to go back when those people are there.

[dtootsie42]

Are the groups bad the entire month of January or is there a part of the month that is not filled with so many tour groups??

[Strmchsr]

Are the groups bad the entire month of January or is there a part of the month that is not filled with so many tour groups??

They're pretty bad all month. Generally start to leave the first week of Feb.

[chefmickey3]

We travel mostly in the summer because of the kids' and our schedules. Over the years we have visited in November, January and recently last October. October was just plain fun because we have never had the opportunity to do the Halloween party. It was a hoot! January was by far our least favorite time. The weather was cool (and we barely made it from Phila because there was a big snowstorm.) The crowds were light except for the really rude South American crowds. We had a bad experience at Malestom among other places- CMs are great though and let us ride again without getting off. All that being said, we love going in the summer. We love to use the pools and everything is so alive. For us, it is not how many rides we can ride in a day (definitely easier in the "off" months) but enjoying the Disney details and atmosphere. My suggestion would be try it if it works for your schedule because any time in Disney is fun.

[gottaluvtink]

As far as the weather this January, it was in the 80s all but one day. Actually, I was disappointed with that because I much prefer sweat shirt weather. It was actually HOT some days. 85! Blah

[Strmchsr]

As far as the weather this January, it was in the 80s all but one day. Actually, I was disappointed with that because I much prefer sweat shirt weather. It was actually HOT some days. 85! Blah

You caught it on the one warm week of this year. The rest of the month has been pretty seasonal - low 70s and upper 60s.