Advice on January trip to WDW?

[nj_to_wdw]

We are celebrating our 35th anniversary in January and are returning to Disney World where we had our honeymoon in 1978. We are driving down from New Jersey (we often vacation down South).

We have made reservations for 4 nites at the Poly the week of Jan. 14th, and were told that there were (as yet) no promotions but we had until Nov. 30th to find any deals and/or adjust our plans to match any that may come up. We also have that long to decide on trip insurance.

We did choose the meal plan (Quick, Table & Snack) and have made dining reservations at Narcossee's, Via Napoli, Raglan Road and Liberty Tree Tavern.

After booking we received (probably by coincidence) a Disney Destinations offer for WDW Resorts mentioning discounts of 25% or 30% at certain resorts for certain dates in October, November & December (with only rooms allocated).

I am asking for advice on these points:

- were we told correctly that until Nov. 30th we can adjust plans to match any new announced deals (of course that assumes we could get room and dining reservations)?

- would it be worth trying for mid-December to take advantage of the 25/30% offer we got in the mail, assuming we can get in the "limited number of rooms")

- we want to avoid crowded times, whether that be school break times or any other events that may make for long lines, in January 2013 would there be a better week?

- any other general advice, including but not limited to trip insurance

This is my first post to WDW Magic so I apologize in advance if I have made any forum posting mistake(s).

Thanks for any advice!!!

 

[ParentsOf4]

I am asking for advice on these points:

- were we told correctly that until Nov. 30th we can adjust plans to match any new announced deals (of course that assumes we could get room and dining reservations)?

- would it be worth trying for mid-December to take advantage of the 25/30% offer we got in the mail, assuming we can get in the "limited number of rooms")

- we want to avoid crowded times, whether that be school break times or any other events that may make for long lines, in January 2013 would there be a better week?

- any other general advice, including but not limited to trip insurance

This is my first post to WDW Magic so I apologize in advance if I have made any forum posting mistake(s).

Thanks for any advice!!!

Welcome to wdwmagic.com!

The following link has historical data for discounts:

http://www.mousesavers.com/historical-information-on-walt-disney-world-resort-discounts/

This should give you a good idea what to expect for upcoming discounts. WDW usually offers something for January.

In January, the post Christmas crowd tends to start leaving by January 2. Thus, for example, there's a huge difference in crowds between Janaury 1 and January 3. WDW Marathon Weekend is January 12-13. MLK Day is January 21. WDW tends to be more crowded these weekends than the rest of January. WDW used to be a ghost town in January but between these 2 events plus discounts, January crowds today are more moderate than they used to be.

The Christmas decorations are up throughout the month of December. Many people consider this to be the most beautiful time of year to visit WDW. It really is wonderful.

If it were not for your anniversary, I'd pick mid December over mid January. Since it is your 35th anniversary, you'll probably have to decide if you want to celebrate it early.

 

[s&k'smom]

I just read the mousesavers info and it sounds like the weekend we may be there is considered a value (this is if all goes well) but if anyone else has info I would like to know too!

 

[Mukta]

Welcome to the boards and happy upcoming anniversary!

If a free dining or room discount offer becomes available, you may be able to add it to your reservation at the Poly. It depends on whether the Poly has enough rooms with that discount when you ask for it. To be first in line, check mousesavers front page every day and call as soon as you see the discount is available.

You can take advantage of the Dec discount, but remember that the base price for the room might be higher at that time. There will most likely be a discount for January also, so that time frame will be cheaper. December is a beautiful time at WDW, but it will also be more crowded.

Most of January will not be that crowded. MLK weekend is a holiday weekend and will probably see higher crowds.

Your dining reservations are yours no matter what happens with the room. Even if you change resorts, you can keep the dining reservations.

 

[myhappyplace]

I have gone twice in January, once in 2008, and once in 2011. Marathon happens in January; which didn't really cause us any extra crowds, just if you are in the park when they pass through, you might have to cross the path of the runners. But overall it didn't impede our visit.

MLK weekend however does pick up in crowd numbers. Our last day in the parks was the Friday prior to MLK Day and we noticed a significant increase in people (we were at MK that day).

Pack for weather extremes...2008 I was fine in shorts/cropped pants, tanks/tees, maybe a light hoodie in the early morning, but in 2011 I wore jeans several days (a major dislike of mine but what are ya gonna do?)

Light lines on everything overall. Be aware of the refurbs that will have certain rides down typically in Jan (specifically Splash Mountain traditionally).

Overall, a nice time to visit. I personally prefer October but January was nice too.

 

[nj_to_wdw]

Thanks Parentsof4, mukta and myhappyplace, that is all very helpful. And yes, we were agonizing over which would be more crowded, the marathon or the MLK weekend, and decided on the Marathon weekend.

 

[maryszhi]

i would book it to be on the safe side while watching for the deals. january is a great time to go as long as its not around new years. also weather can be iffy.
welcome to wdwmagic!

 

[crispy]

We went on marathon weekend this past January. It was actually a bit more crowded than I expected, but they crowds were still very manageable. The weather was really great, and it made touring the parks so much more enjoyable.

I also wanted to mention that Narcoosee's is a signature dinner so that will require two dining credits. I know you probably know that, but I just wanted to mention it just in case.

 

[javy2004]

congrats on your anniversary. this is what i'm curious about as well. i'm going with my lil sis from the 17th-21st at shades of green as a celebration for me finishing serving my time in the army and to spend some quality time with my sis. i didn't take into account how busy it might be because of MLK holiday. my most recent WDW experience was a sunday in july at MK. we got there after 1pm until 11pm and got to experience 10 rides/ shows with my sis, parents and 6 year old nephew. i'm figuring that if getting to the park that late in that busy a time of year should make going in Jan to be a breeze. and i finally will get to experience all 4 parks I just want to know whether or not i'll be happy with the MLK weekend crowds if my sole comparison was getting to the park late of a mid july day. ugh... sorry for being so wordy and thanks for any advice or knowledge you could drop on me.

also made pre-opening reservation at the crystal palace. just wanna know if anyone else has done this already and it'd be great if you could let me know what you thought and if it was worth it

 

[luv]

Be prepared for very warm weather. Be prepared for some cool/cold weather.

I never got trip insurance for Disney. But, at worst, I'd have lost one night's room and tax. If I booked something that cost thousands of non-refundable dollars, I'd absolutely get it insured.

 

[pixiesteno]

Welcome to the boards.
If you haven't already checked this week there were deals announced for January, I would check the dates and see if you can get a discout. The current promotion is either room only discount or package discounts.
Happy Anniversary. DH and I will celebrate our 25th this coming January and we are looking to spend a week at WDW to celebrate.

 

[acrab3t]

For our 11/11 trip we booked before the discounted package came out. We were told as long as we booked with Disney directly (we did) they would credit our account back the difference for the savings for any available discounts as long as they applied to what we already booked. Sure enough, a free dining deal came out and it applied to our stay. We called Disney and they credited our card back the difference.The deals just came out and it should apply to your stay in January. Call Disney and see. You should save around 35%. We will be there 2 weeks before you for our 2 year anniversay. We were there 2 years ago for our honeymoon. The crowds were non-existant but it was a bit chilly. We loved it! Congrats on 35 years!