January 2018 ?

[BreezysMom]

it has been 5 years since our last stay at the Poly. We used to go in October but can't take the kiddo out of school.

Last week DH had a work trip in Orlando so we got to spend one glorious hot and rainy day at the MK and lunch at the Poly and now we are dying for another stay. The only thing is that our only availability is 1/2 to 1/9/18

Any thoughts on this time of year. When will the holiday crowds disperse and the Marathon crowds descend.

I mean our last trip was 4 days in August and just spending one day at the MK in August and we were able to ride all the mountains and POTC, the Dwarfs Mine Train and many others.

Any advice?

 

[JonesFamilyTravels]

That is a great time to visit! It may be a little busy on the 2-3, but once January 4 hits - it will be perfect! That is one of the best times of the year to visit. It could be a little chilly. January is usually when we get the cooler weather, even in Florida. You may not be able to swim (even in the heated pools) but the parks will be perfect.

 

[gillep]

I expect 2018 to be very similar to 2017, given that once again the marathon is so close to New Years, which means that it is likely to be extremely crowded until Monday the 8th. We do the marathon every year, and it is always very crowded when the marathon is that close to New Years, we managed in 2017 OK, but we took a lot more breaks at the resort, and bailed on MK pretty early, as it got especially crowded and difficult to maneuver, especially Fantasyland.

Overall the parks have gotten significantly more crowded in the past 5 years, and I have read here that this summer has been much slower than expected, but I don't have any first hand knowledge. Weather in early January can be pretty much anything, we have had 80s and 30s over the years.

 

[GunnarCharles]

I was there in January 17 for a quick trip to do the marathon. Spent half a day Thursday and all day Friday (5th and 6th) at the Disney parks. I have to say, it wasn't to the extent of crowds I've seen on New Years Eve or Thanksgiving, but still very busy. Maybe a 8/10.
We did Universal on that Saturday and it wasn't crowded at all, but the weather was a factor in that as well.
I spend Sunday afternoon and evening in Epcot once I was done with the marathon and it was surprisingly very manageable, I would say probably 5/10.
The biggest thing on that trip for me was time of day. The mornings and nights were very manageable, middle of the day got pretty crazy.

 

[Gehrig1B]

We were there last year New years' Eve through January 8th. I thought the crowds other than NYE were pretty manageable. As already stated, mornings and nights were pretty easy, afternoons could get crowded. New Years' Day was slow and the rest of the week increased in crowd size but not awful.

We are returning this year. One thing we do is always buy hoppers to allow for flexibility. If we find one park too crowded we will hop to another. If things get crazy in the afternoon we head to Disney Springs or back to the resort.

 

[mom22boys]

We were there last year New years' Eve through January 8th. I thought the crowds other than NYE were pretty manageable. As already stated, mornings and nights were pretty easy, afternoons could get crowded. New Years' Day was slow and the rest of the week increased in crowd size but not awful.

We are returning this year. One thing we do is always buy hoppers to allow for flexibility. If we find one park too crowded we will hop to another. If things get crazy in the afternoon we head to Disney Springs or back to the resort.

Wow, that is interesting that New Years' Day was slow. Do you know if that is typical? I just assumed that it would still be crowded. Thanks!

 

[GovieMom]

I expect 2018 to be very similar to 2017, given that once again the marathon is so close to New Years, which means that it is likely to be extremely crowded until Monday the 8th.

This.

 

[Gehrig1B]

Wow, that is interesting that New Years' Day was slow. Do you know if that is typical? I just assumed that it would still be crowded. Thanks!

My educated guess is many NYE revelers are awakening late morning and others choosing a resort day instead of a park day. Saying it was "slow" was when comparing to other days, still probably a 7/10 day.

 

[HopperFan]

I expect 2018 to be very similar to 2017, given that once again the marathon is so close to New Years, which means that it is likely to be extremely crowded until Monday the 8th. We do the marathon every year, and it is always very crowded when the marathon is that close to New Years, we managed in 2017 OK, but we took a lot more breaks at the resort, and bailed on MK pretty early, as it got especially crowded and difficult to maneuver, especially Fantasyland.

Overall the parks have gotten significantly more crowded in the past 5 years, and I have read here that this summer has been much slower than expected, but I don't have any first hand knowledge. Weather in early January can be pretty much anything, we have had 80s and 30s over the years.

Agree. This is also a week many are still out of school (several hundred thousand in our area, and we are close) and is very popular time to go. We used to go that week until crowds caught up. Doable, yes; low season, no.