A trip to Walt Disney World in January can be the best time to go with beautiful weather, low crowds, and savings. User our crowd calendar for January 2023, to help you achieve the best trip that you can for you.
Weather in January
One of the best parts of visiting Disney World in January is the weather. If you visit Orlando during January through April you will have the opportunity to experience mild temperatures and lack of rain. So if you have the hopes of January to be a great time to hit the water parks, you might be disappointed. While it is true if you are looking to hit up one of the best pools at Disney World, you can, and the pools are heated….but it doesn’t mean getting out of the water won’t be freezing.
For a more technical break down here are the average break down temperature wise:
Week 1: High 72°F, Low 48°F
Week 2: High 74°F, Low 52°F
Week 3: High 76°F, Low 55°F
Week 4: High 77°F, Low 54°F
Feel free to check out the latest weather via WeatherTab
January Crowd Calendar
January can be a wonderful time to visit Disney World thanks to the low crowds. However don’t just assume that all of January is a low crowd month, because you have so important holidays such as New Years Day, and Martin Luther King Jr Day. These holidays can lead to larger crowds at the start of the month. If you go before about mid month expect to see some staggered Christmas decorations.
At EPCOT, the yearly Festival of the Arts will return. This 2022 festival of the Arts will start January 14 and run to February 21 this year. This festival while fun, isn’t as interactive like the Food and Wine or Flower and Garden festival. However do expect a slight bump in EPCOT traffic after this festival starts, especially on the weekends.
January also has a short window for the runDisney events, and this year it’s being hosted on January 6th-9th of 2022. All of the in-person events for January are sold our currently. If you’d like to run virtually you can still sign up, and participate. You can also prepare with our Ultimate runDisney Guide 2022.
How to save money going in January
As you can see here are a few events that will cause resorts prices to go up, but you can still save a good amount of money, especially if you’re flexible by staying on-site vs off-site. Avoid trying to book the first week of January due to New Year’s Day, and the runDisney Marathon events. Also avoid Martin Luther King Jr. Day as well, as it will be a 3 day weekend for those with kids as well.
If you are interested in camping, this is an opportune time, as the weather outside isn’t still fresh – and if you are looking for information for Camping at Fort Wilderness, we have linked to our guide for what you need to know. Campsites can go for about $89 a night, before any discounts.
What to wear in January at Disney World
As we mentioned in the weather section of this piece, it can be a mix of warm and down right cold in January. So you will want to lighter clothing, and you might want to consider a sweater just in case for those cooler evenings.
Shirt wise, ladies please do not pack only thing spaghetti straps. Enjoy tanning those shoulders (if it’s warm enough), and wear them with regularly applied sunscreen, but give your skin a break and back those matching family t-shirts you’ve been dying to wear and take photos in!
Don’t forget your bathing suit! If you’re staying at a deluxe or even some moderate resorts, they have hot tubs. Sadly the value resorts do not have hot tubs. If you’re willing to try Disney’s Swan, Swan Reserve or Dolphin resorts, they have over 5 different hot tubs to choose from, best of all you can score heavily discounted room rates for this resort if you go in January.
What to pack if your going to Disney World in January
Do not forget to pack and apply sun screen often if you’re going to be at Disney World. We would recommend a bare minimum of SPF 30 for your sunscreen protection. If you forget your sunscreen, most resorts will have a store that will have sundries you can purchase. You also have the option to get items delivered from the grocery store or Walmart directly to your hotel. I’ll link below the information you need when doing so.
Read Also: Grocery Delivery at Disney World; How to get groceries delivered
Don’t forget to pack your favorite pair of sunglasses, and hat as well. Sun screen is a necessity, but what about your scalp and your eyes? Do not forget them, and trust me when I say having a sun burnt scalp trying to apply aloe to, it’s not fun to do at night – and can ruin the rest of your trip. So my recommendations is bring a hat, and sunglasses that offer polarization.
I’m a fan of Shady Ray sunglasses, as they donate 1 meal with each order, they are quality glasses at reasonable prices, and even will replace them if you lose them when you don’t remember to take them off during Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. That might have happened once or twice to me, and the customer service replacements are quick, and painless.
Read Also: How Fast Is Rock ‘n’ Roller In Disney World?
Final thoughts; going to Disney in January
If the holidays have you longing for some Sun and Disney magic, I’d consider booking a trip to Disney World. January is great for short trips (think 3-4 days). Flights can be had cheaper usually as everyone did their traveling during the December holidays. It would be a great time for those that enjoy being outside walking, not in the pool, as the air temperature is going to be cozy average at 73°F during the day, but chill at night time potentially dropping before 50°F at night.
Use Priceline to get an idea of the resort prices – call direct. The Swan and Dolphin Resort has discounts for teachers and nurses for example. If you have access to Annual Pass Discounts, or military, again make sure you login when you are checking on the Disney website.
If you have any questions feel free to comment below, or join our newly created WDW Forum community.
January is my favorite month. If you don’t go then you are missing out!