How different is a winter vacation?

Ozzmal

Ozzmal

New Member
Original Poster
We took our first trip to WDW in June, and while we absolutely loved it, the heat was terrible. Not enough that I regret going, but enough that I can't imagine I would ever pay to go back in the middle of summer lol.

I booked another weeklong stay in January, I'm hoping the weather makes for a better experience overall. I've heard that the parks have reduced hours, is their still enough time in the day to hit most of the rides? We do use a DAS for my autistic son, as standing in long lines usually has him melting down a bit, and even in a stroller its hard to keep him from distracting or annoying other guest. Usually he can handle anything 15 mins or under though (weve gotten decent at keeping him distracted).

Is their any other things I should keep in mind for a winter trip? Just looking for some input =)
 
RememberWhen

RememberWhen

Well-Known Member
You’re going to love it! Some days can be cold and some can be hot. Sometimes it’ll start cold, get hot in the middle, and then be cold at night.

When we do a summer trip we rope drop, get out of the parks after lunch and maybe go back in the evening.

In the winter we can stay all day.
 
Ozzmal

Ozzmal

New Member
Original Poster
RememberWhen said:
You’re going to love it! Some days can be cold and some can be hot. Sometimes it’ll start cold, get hot in the middle, and then be cold at night.

When we do a summer trip we rope drop, get out of the parks after lunch and maybe go back in the evening.

In the winter we can stay all day.
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Thats exactly what we had to do, everyday around mid-day we would have to go back to the rooms for a break. That heat really drains you haha! Especially if your not used to the climate.
 
Smiley/OCD

Smiley/OCD

Well-Known Member
We’ve never gone in January, but have gone several times in early December and found in to be a great time to go weather wise…as others have said, mornings and nights you will probably need a sweatshirt and/or a fleece jacket. Afternoons tended to be in the upper 70’s to mid 80’s. My biggest gripe is that the buses tend to have the A/C blasting especially at night and watch the water rides. Other than that, we had an awesome time. Some attractions go into refurb mode during January and February just because it’s the slowest time of the year. If you’re not a fan of Florida heat, that’s the perfect time to go!
 
Tom Morrow

Tom Morrow

Well-Known Member
As someone who has lived in Florida for a long time now but still loathes the extreme heat...

January weather here is fantastic. It could be anywhere from legit cold to moderate. January is the month with the highest chance of cool weather, though you still might get warm days. In general, mid November through late March means that it could be anywhere from jacket weather to relatively hot, but keep in mind that the hottest days of these months don't even come close to how awful and unbearable Florida is in the hot/wet months (mid May through late October).

Being in the parks when it is cool out is SO much more pleasant. Everyone is in a better mood because nobody feels miserable. You even get better service because the employees aren't miserable. Also, winter means it gets dark earlier, and the parks are much better at night in my opinion. The only major downsides have already been mentioned: reduced hours (though reduced hours typically also reflect lower crowds) and possibly not being able to use the pools/water parks.
 
Ozzmal

Ozzmal

New Member
Original Poster
Cmdr_Crimson said:
While Temps are great...Be advised..

Cheerleader Competitons and Tour Groups clash together in an all out battle during the ending of January...This also doesn't help with the crowds at Epcot during Festival of the Arts..

I'm so forever greatful Orlando stopped hosting The Pro Bowl..It made it worse..
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I’m not sure what events are actually goin on, it’ll be the second week of January right before MLK jr weekend.
 
jloucks

jloucks

Well-Known Member
We generally go Oct-Dec.

I have multiple pairs of Disney coats and sweat pants because unseasonable cold fronts rolled through while I was there in shorts and 'bout froze my jibblies off.

I have some buyers remorse on my $200 Anniversary coat I bought in march that I will probably never ever wear again. :p
 
Simba's Mom

Simba's Mom

Well-Known Member
Ozzmal said:
We took our first trip to WDW in June, and while we absolutely loved it, the heat was terrible. Not enough that I regret going, but enough that I can't imagine I would ever pay to go back in the middle of summer lol.

I booked another weeklong stay in January, I'm hoping the weather makes for a better experience overall. I've heard that the parks have reduced hours, is their still enough time in the day to hit most of the rides? We do use a DAS for my autistic son, as standing in long lines usually has him melting down a bit, and even in a stroller its hard to keep him from distracting or annoying other guest. Usually he can handle anything 15 mins or under though (weve gotten decent at keeping him distracted).

Is their any other things I should keep in mind for a winter trip? Just looking for some input =)
Click to expand...
Just don't do what I did last year, my first January trip-As I packed, I figured "I'm going to WDW, gotta bring shorts." So I had 3 pairs of shorts, and 2 pair of sweatpants. Ended up having to buy another pair of sweatpants there, at Disney prices! At the very last minute I threw in a jacket, and ended up wearing it every day. Never wore those shorts. But lines were short, the Festival of Arts was super-fun. That's why I'll be there again this year-sounds like the same week as you. But this year I'll be prepared for the weather-and with my luck it will be unseasonably warm.
 
JIMINYCR

JIMINYCR

Well-Known Member
Weve gone on trips in Dec. and Feb. The great thjing is having the sunshine and hotter temps compared to whats happening at home. It helps break up the winter doldrums. Yes, even though the parks may have shorter hours you can still get lots done if you plan well and then add things to do in the evening around the resorts or DS or other places. Mornings may be chilly, the mid day hot and then chilly evenings so be prepared to possibly be changing from shorts and t shirts into jeans and sweatshirts. Pools may be something you will spend shorter times in. The water temps will be ok but the air as you rise above the water will be chilly.
As far as the cheerleaders, you will not have much contact with them during the morning hours because their events go on early, you will start to see them and their families start filtering into the parks by mid to late afternoon and really notice them in the evenings. Depending on where you are staying on property you may lose some sleep because the groups can be noisy at night.
 
mf1972

mf1972

Well-Known Member
we’ve never stayed there in january, but have gone in december on 4 occasions. it was hit or miss with the weather. on 2 of the trips, it was mostly 70’s, sometimes 80’s. the other 2 trips we were wearing our winter coats the entire time. temperature could’ve been 30’s-40’s. still had a good time though.
 
MickeyLuv'r

MickeyLuv'r

Well-Known Member
December is different from January. December tends to be a little warmer. Do look up weather trends. I have been to WDW in every month, they all have trade-offs.

To me, January is colder than I prefer. Typically, mornings and evenings are quite cold. though afternoons hit low 70's, it is only for a short time, and still windy. So most folks end up wearing long pants, sweatshirts most of the day. You may well want winter coats, hats gloves. but then...in the afternoon, you can maybe take of the extra layers for a short period. Then you need to figure out how to carry all of it. Water rides are not appealing on a morning where you've scraped frost off the windshield. (Usually soft frost, but still frost.) Bringing layers is good.

The trade-off used to be low crowds, but WDW was pretty busy this past January. The Jan holidays are busy, incl MLK Jr weekend.

Another trade-off of Jan is short park hours esp at MK. Short park hours make it a little harder to take afternoon breaks, but it depends on how you tour/where you stay.

Water rides tend to be closed for annual rehab, but rain isn't very common.

If you are flying to FL, big snowstorms can cause flight cancelations and delays. A number of times, I have been stuck in FL for an extra day or two. weather in FL might be fine, but if a big storm much travel across the lower 48, then FL also sees cancelations.

I kinda like summer WDW, even with the weather limitations. The bonus of Jan used to be low crowds and low prices, but we did not get that this year. In January of 2022, people were visiting WDW. Next year might be different with the economy down, and many folks have now made up for lost vacations.

A plus of January is the Epcot Art Festival. It is fun to find all the semi-secret character drawings in each of the lands, and some of the festival foods were fun and creative.
 
Club Cooloholic

Club Cooloholic

Well-Known Member
Temps can change quick too. I remember going in November once and it was really nice when we left but walking around Epcot the wind picked up and we all started to freeze. Mexico had the best deal for warmth...the Drug Rugs were about 25 bucks.
Authentic Mexican Baja Hoodie - Woven Pullover Sweater Jacket
https://a.co/d/dhbWcro
 
MickeyLuv'r

MickeyLuv'r

Well-Known Member
JIMINYCR said:
The great thjing is having the sunshine and hotter temps compared to whats happening at home.
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There are times I've gone all the way to FL, only to have temps that are minimally warmer than much farther north. (Prob still warmer than Canada or the Dakotas, so it depends on the point being compared.)

When it works out that FL is warmer, it is great, but often that has not been my experience that Orlando is all that much warmer, not enough to get excited.

Now driving/traveling a few hours south of WDW- to like Ft Lauderdale, Miami, or Naples/Ft Myers- they trend a bit more reliably warm in winter. OP, if warm is what you crave in winter, a split stay is a decent option.
 
Queen of the WDW Scene

Queen of the WDW Scene

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
What I don't like about going between November and March is that the weather is unpredictable and you have to be prepared.
I've been in December when its high of 55F with a raw breeze and rained all day and the wind chill was 38F and I've been in February when it was 85F and sunny all day.
And it seems like the weather can shift back and forth like that quickly so maybe the first half of the trip its hot and sunny and the second half its freezing and raining meaning you need to pack shorts and pants, tanks and hoodies, sandals and sneakers, ponchos and parkas...
Nothing has made a trip less pleasant quite like shivering while waiting for the fireworks because dumb me thought it was going to be shorts weather and brought zero pants and only a light jacket and had to go buy a beach towel to wrap around me.
 
Disstevefan1

Disstevefan1

Well-Known Member
Ozzmal said:
We took our first trip to WDW in June, and while we absolutely loved it, the heat was terrible. Not enough that I regret going, but enough that I can't imagine I would ever pay to go back in the middle of summer lol.

I booked another weeklong stay in January, I'm hoping the weather makes for a better experience overall. I've heard that the parks have reduced hours, is their still enough time in the day to hit most of the rides? We do use a DAS for my autistic son, as standing in long lines usually has him melting down a bit, and even in a stroller its hard to keep him from distracting or annoying other guest. Usually he can handle anything 15 mins or under though (weve gotten decent at keeping him distracted).

Is their any other things I should keep in mind for a winter trip? Just looking for some input =)
Click to expand...
January is great for multiple reasons.
It's after the holidays, less crowded; it's considered off peak.
The weather is great! And be sure to bring light hoodies or jackets, it actually can get cold a night or two!
The WDW RR and TRON SHOULD? be open and possibly be past the initial mad rush?
 

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