When is the best time in January to go to WDW?

January as a rule is pretty light attendance-wise after you get past Jan. 5. If I was going this January, I would pick Jan. 24-Feb. 1. You safely avoid the New Year's madness, marathon weekend, and Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend--all of which cause slight increases in crowd level. There's a great sight called touringplans.com that uses past crowd data to predict future crowds. They have a subscription fee to see data into the future, but I'm pretty sure you can see 30 days worth of crowd levels for free. It's a little early to see January for free yet, but for me it's been well worth the subscription fee. They factor in things like local school holidays, international travel trends, and area events that you might not know about when planning your vacation.

After Martin Luther Jr King day is a good time to come. All the kiddos are back in school and you miss the last rush of the holiday crowds and marathon crowds. Not that marathon is too bad. My boyfriend and I came during the marathon weekend once and it wasn't bad.

Do the activity levels in the animals at AK decline more in the "colder" months of Jan/Feb?

I don't think so.

We go every year in January and through the years we've found that anytime but the first weekend of January is a nice time to visit. The first weekend is still a madhouse.
By the second weekend, everyone celebrating Christmas and New year's is gone, it's beautiful weather and low crowds. Although, we try to avoid Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend too. It's no where near as crowded as the first weekend but it can get crowded. We've never had an issue with it being too crowded over Marathon weekend.

We especially like the second week of January. We've gone 3 years in a row the second week of January and we will be there again the second weekend of January 2014

Last week after MLK week is the best. We are going Jan 25 - Feb 1.

The week after the marathon was awesome.

I'm happy to see this information. My husband and I will be there 12-19 January.
Thank you

Just something to keep in mind, January is usually the coldest month in Florida. I know, I know, this doesn't bother most of you, and some of you are probably laughing at me right now, but just be aware you probably will need something a little warmer than shorts. A combination of wind and cold can make things quite miserable outside. But it won't be enough to ruin any Disney magic. Just check the weather forecast before you come down. You don't want to end up like the frozen lizards.

The first time my boyfriend and I came down in January, we were at MK. I was wearing shorts and a tank top, he was wearing shorts and a short sleeve shirt, once that sun went down, we were freezing. We didn't bring sweatshirts or anything to put on. We had reservations at Crystal Palace as well so we couldn't leave until we ate there.

It does get chilly down here.

the best time is ANYTIME! Just kidding listen to them , but I had to say it.

Us Too

I love the touring plans site, too, alicemouse! Very helpful.

I hope you have a wonderful time in January, Poppet!