Has anyone gone to WDW in January?

[kdl121]

Hi everyone, my name is Katie, I'm new to the forum I'm here because in the next two or three years, I would like to go on a Birthday trip (January 21st) to WDW with a couple of friends. This would actually be my first ever trip to WDW! I've heard late January is a good time to go, in terms of value deals at the resorts and less crowds and such. I'm just wondering if anyone on here has gone in January, and if you could tell me what it was like weather-wise and crowd-wise and just your general experience.

 

[ToTBellHop]

My favorite time of year to go! Crowds are quite manageable and the weather is BEAUTIFUL. Very little rain, mild days (usually) and cool nights. Some days can get chilly, but those cold snaps are usually just a day or two. We've gone for a week in January 2011, 2012, and 2014 (going again Jan. 2015) and each time we've had one chilly day (where we wanted hats and gloves) and at least one day over 80 degrees where we could swim. We prefer that GREATLY to the summer swelter. The hotel rates cannot be beaten--cheapest of the year AND they typically have the deepest discounts in the winter.

 

[BrianV]

We went early January in 2010 I believe. It was a cold snap and the temperature only reached 60F one day--for the whole week. The rest of the time it was 30's -50's and it actually snowed one day. While this was a fluke, we swore we would never go there in January again and now mostly go in August where we can be assured of being able to swim. That said, we are breaking that very rule and going to HP world in January. In all likelihood, the weather will be lovely.

 

[Gomer]

As others said, if you are prepared for the cold its fantastic. Last year, had a day where temps never passed 45. It was below freezing a significant portion of the morning. I'm from the NE, and I was COLD. But as long as you can handle it, the rest makes up for it.

 

[kdl121]

Thank you for all your input so far

Oh, I should probably mention I'm from Canada, so I don't think I'll be a stranger to the cold but would it be safe to say I'll be packing more jeans than shorts? And when you say cold, will I need heavier hoodies or lightweight hoodies? I'm also not a major swimmer, so no bathing suits will be packed on my end.

 

[OSUgirl77]

Thank you for all your input so far

Oh, I should probably mention I'm from Canada, so I don't think I'll be a stranger to the cold but would it be safe to say I'll be packing more jeans than shorts? And when you say cold, will I need heavier hoodies or lightweight hoodies? I'm also not a major swimmer, so no bathing suits will be packed on my end.

It depends on the year, really. Last year was abnormally cold. I almost always go in January or February, and it's usually in the 60s and 70s, sometimes even the 80s. Even if it's hot though, the humidity is always much lower, which is great. One other thing to take into consideration, there are typically refurbs going on at that time of year. Make sure you check the refurb schedule before you go so you aren't disappointed if a ride you had your heart set on is closed.

 

[DVCPluto]

We were there Jan 20-28, 2014 and it was really chilly - needed a sweatshirt and fleece almost every day - But, we loved the crowd levels.

One thing to think about is that the days are shorter (sunlight) - I hadn't given that much thought. It just changes the trip a bit if you are used to going in the summer or spring months when the sun is up longer. We were in our room by 9/10 every night. In the summer, we would be out much later, and the parks seem to be open later as well.

That being said, I would definitely go in January again. Great crowds, hardly needed FP+, and we could always bundle up if we were cold. Happy planning!

 

[kdl121]

Refurb schedule is something I hadn't considered, so I'll definitely keep that in mind! Thanks OSUgirl77

I also hadn't considered the shorter sunlight, but that won't hinder my January decision, as it doesn't seem to hinder yours. Thanks DVCPluto

 

[OSUgirl77]

Refurb schedule is something I hadn't considered, so I'll definitely keep that in mind! Thanks OSUgirl77

I also hadn't considered the shorter sunlight, but that won't hinder my January decision, as it doesn't seem to hinder yours. Thanks DVCPluto

No problem! Good luck with your planning!

 

[Chernaboggles]

Hi everyone, my name is Katie, I'm new to the forum I'm here because in the next two or three years, I would like to go on a Birthday trip (January 21st) to WDW with a couple of friends. This would actually be my first ever trip to WDW! I've heard late January is a good time to go, in terms of value deals at the resorts and less crowds and such. I'm just wondering if anyone on here has gone in January, and if you could tell me what it was like weather-wise and crowd-wise and just your general experience.

We're going this January and picked it specifically because of the good weather and light crowds. The only thing to bear in mind is that the park hours may be shorter in the low-crowd times, things tend to close earlier when it isn't busy.

Edit: Oops, somebody already mentioned the shorter hours. Shame on me for not reading carefully!

 

[ToTBellHop]

To give you an idea, here was the weather from Jan 2014:

Wed
1/1/201465°59°0.06 in0 in70°50°
Thu
1/2/201482°60°0.39 in0 in70°50°
Fri
1/3/201460°43°0 in0 in70°50°
Sat
1/4/201467°46°0 in0 in70°50°
Sun
1/5/201481°58°0 in0 in70°50°
Mon
1/6/201477°43°0 in0 in70°50°
Tue
1/7/201447°33°0 in0 in70°50°
Wed
1/8/201468°37°0 in0 in70°49°
Thu
1/9/201471°58°0.23 in0 in70°49°
Fri
1/10/201480°67°0.03 in0 in70°49°
Sat
1/11/201484°67°0.67 in0 in70°49°
Sun
1/12/201468°50°0 in0 in70°49°
Mon
1/13/201478°49°0 in0 in70°49°
Tue
1/14/201475°58°0.01 in0 in70°49°
Wed
1/15/201465°52°0 in0 in70°49°
Thu
1/16/201456°42°0.05 in0 in70°49°
Fri
1/17/201463°36°0 in0 in71°49°
Sat
1/18/201457°42°0 in0 in71°49°
Sun
1/19/201468°37°0 in0 in71°50°
Mon
1/20/201471°45°0 in0 in71°50°
Tue
1/21/201473°54°0.01 in0 in71°50°
Wed
1/22/201455°40°0 in0 in71°50°
Thu
1/23/201461°39°0 in0 in71°50°
Fri
1/24/201457°44°0 in0 in71°50°
Sat
1/25/201471°44°0.01 in0 in71°50°
Sun
1/26/201468°50°0.02 in0 in71°50°
Mon
1/27/201475°60°0.33 in0 in71°50°
Tue
1/28/201480°56°0 in0 in71°51°
Wed
1/29/201468°44°0.59 in0 in72°51°
Thu
1/30/201451°43°0.26 in0 in72°51°
Fri
1/31/201463°48°0.40 in0 in72°51°

 

[kdl121]

Chernaboggles: I was excited to see less crowds around my birthday week My initial thought was to go in September with the weather being still nice. Hopefully I'll remember that things may close early in January!

ISTCNavigator57: I had to use google to convert fahrenheit to celsius, but that doesn't seem too bad Although I could be reading it all wrong ... there are a lot of numbers there, lol. But thanks for the insight

 

[Chernaboggles]

Chernaboggles: I was excited to see less crowds around my birthday week My initial thought was to go in September with the weather being still nice. Hopefully I'll remember that things may close early in January!

If you look at the weather down there right now you'll see that it's been hot as Hades most of this month. September is also pretty rainy, I believe, so you do pay a price for the low crowds. We went last February and it was basically perfect.

Most people write trip reports, so you can always check for ones from January in previous years, and come back this January to read what people are saying. I found those to be very helpful when planning our trip last year.

 

[ToTBellHop]

Chernaboggles: I was excited to see less crowds around my birthday week My initial thought was to go in September with the weather being still nice. Hopefully I'll remember that things may close early in January!

ISTCNavigator57: I had to use google to convert fahrenheit to celsius, but that doesn't seem too bad Although I could be reading it all wrong ... there are a lot of numbers there, lol. But thanks for the insight

Most days start out around 10 celsius and rise to about 21-22 celsius. Cold snaps send nighttime lows down around 0, but daytime highs still hit 10 even on the coldest of days (and those are pretty rare). Every January trip I've taken has had at least one day around 29 celsius.

 

[Disnee4Me]

January is usually less crowded. I was there early January ~ maybe somewhere around the 5th to the 10th. However, January 21st is close to Martin Luther King day (Third Monday of the month) and if the year you go, the holiday falls on that weekend, it might be a little more crowded that particular weekend.

 

[kdl121]

January is usually less crowded. I was there early January ~ maybe somewhere around the 5th to the 10th. However, January 21st is close to Martin Luther King day (Third Monday of the month) and if the year you go, the holiday falls on that weekend, it might be a little more crowded that particular weekend.

As it stands, I'm aiming for 2017, and MLK day is the 16th of that year. Unfortunately, my birthday lands on a Saturday, and I wasn't anticipating that (more crowds on Saturdays, right?). But in terms of MLK day, would you say the Friday before to the Monday of is the busiest (in this case, the 13th to the 16th)?

 

[OSUgirl77]

Also, it looks like you are going later in the month, but if you go around the second weekend, that's when the marathon is. It doesn't affect crowds that much, but they do close down some roads, so getting around on busses can be a pain.

 

[kdl121]

Also, it looks like you are going later in the month, but if you go around the second weekend, that's when the marathon is. It doesn't affect crowds that much, but they do close down some roads, so getting around on busses can be a pain.

I worried about that too I think I should be okay, but perhaps I should fly in on a Tuesday or Wednesday?

 

[ToTBellHop]

As it stands, I'm aiming for 2017, and MLK day is the 16th of that year. Unfortunately, my birthday lands on a Saturday, and I wasn't anticipating that (more crowds on Saturdays, right?). But in terms of MLK day, would you say the Friday before to the Monday of is the busiest (in this case, the 13th to the 16th)?

Yes. If you come after the 17th, there are no holidays or marathons to contend with.

 

[LAKid53]

We go in January to celebrate a birthday - Martin Luther King holiday weekend. The weather is nicer - cool to cold, but since you are from Canada, Orlando in January will be like spring to you. However, since that is the last holiday weekend in the U.S. until Memorial Day in May, the parks are usually more crowded than other times in January after the Christmas holidays. Be aware that the Disney World Marathon is usually the weekend before the MLK holiday weekend. As ISTCNavigator mentioned, if you come after the MLK weekend, the crowds are probably at their lowest of the year.

As far as crowd levels at a particular park on a particular day of the week, Touring Plans has a crowd calendar function that can provide that information. While this feature requires membership (about $10 U.S. I think), the site has a sample crowd calendar you can view.

Disney also uses this time of the year (colder weather, smaller crowds) to refurbish rides. Splash Mountain is typically closed for its annual cleaning and repainting, at least it has been the past two times we've come in January.