Increasing crowds, some
I usually make a trip in January and the crowds are beginning to increase during that time.
In January 2002 it was absolutely empty due to the extreme down turn in travel in 2001, (remember the 4,000 person layoff worldwide for Disney that summer? Orlando took about 1000 person hit with that reducetion.) Also, it was post 9/11 so few people were going anywhere.
January 2003 was about the same.
January 2004 I miscalculated how close you could be to New Year's. I figured by the 5th everyone would have to be back at work/school from the Christmas holidays - wrong!
January 2005 beginning to see an upswing in attendance. I moved my trip back to the end of January/first of Feburary. I'm thinking this was the trip where the temperature dropped about 20 degrees in the afternoon one day and it was cool the next day.
January 2006 it was starting to get a little busy. I did go during the annual passholder preview of Expedition Everest on opening day and that was very crowded in the morning but by 3 that afternoon it was a walkon. The day I was at Magic Kingdom was quit busy.
I'm planning for January 2007 as well and am wondering what the effect of ending the 50th celebration will have. I'm thinking the general public will respond much as they did at the end of the Millenium celebration. People considered the Millenium a milestone event and attended but didn't much for the 100 Years of Disney. I'm thinking the Year of a Million Dreams may fizzle as well.
