Headed to WDW in late January. A few questions to ask.

meaghanfortner · 5 months

I find personally that Animal Kingdom is a half day park. However you should go right for open since it closes early. Also ge the fast pass for the safari and wait in line for expedition Everest, it has an extremely well themed que. I always stay at the pop century I find the connivence of its own bus line and the extra magic hours make up for the slightly more expensive price. In MK my favorite attraction is the Haunted Mansion, at HS either the toy story mania or the great movie ride. At Epcot I am a huge fan of The Land and Test Track.

Babrook · 5 months

Not sure on the weather.

I will echo meaghan that Animal Kingdom is a half day park. When my family goes (two older adults, I'm 20, sister is 16) we skip a lot of the kid's stuff - all of the Dinoland USA area, the Nemo show, the Lion King Show (both are fantastic but we've seen them before, they're only really must dos if you have kids though IMO) and Planet Watch (maybe not kid's stuff but we've always found it dull). This really just leaves us with Everest, the Safari, and Dinosaur. And honestly - Dinosaur is kinda lame. The rapids ride always has too long of a wait and is a pretty lame experience for the amount of time we spend waiting for it. So yeah, we mainly go for three attractions.

The way we do it is:

Go on an extra magic hours day because we always stay on property (seriously, it's worth it)
Fastpass Everest
Get in line for Everest
By the time we're done with the first go it is time to ride it again with our Fast Pass
Head over, Fast-pass Safari
Get in line for Dinosaur, it's usually short earlier in the day because it is certainly an afterthought ride for most people now that Everest is here.
Lunch
Safari

We're usually done by 2 at the latest. If you've never seen the Nemo or Lion King shows, I'd say give 'em a go, though. That will add a few hours of life to the park.

All my knowledge is on-resort hotels. Yes, they run a bit pricey - however, the bus service and extra magic hours make up for it. Look at the Pop Century and All-Star Resorts as they're the cheapest. The rooms are a bit small but again, it is worth it for the extra hours and busing. Plus the Pop Century has an awesome counter service restaurant which is super handy for grabbing a bite to eat before you go to the parks, and the decor is awesome.

As far as attractions go, I'd say the best ones are Soarin' at Epcot, Toy Story Mania at Studios, Everest at Animal Kingdom, and Space Mountain at MK. At Epcot/Studios we rush over to Soarin/Toy Story Mania because these lines get nuts and the fast-passes sell out QUICK. Especially for Toy Story - usually if you don't get a Fast Pass by say, 11, you're hosed. You'd think you'd be better off going to one of the thrill rides at MGM first but Toy Story is the biggest draw there. I've found in recent years that the Tower Of Terror rarely has a crazy line anymore, we never bother fast passing that. They redid Star Tours earlier this year and it is FANTASTIC, though I might just be saying that as a Star Wars fanboy. The Great Movie Ride has a special place in my heart but good-golly has it aged poorly.

Enjoy your trip!

tdetillier · 5 months

trust me.

stay on site.

madk · 5 months

I may be alone here but I love spending a full day at Animal Kingdom. We usually spend a good deal of time watching the animals and like to hit the safari a few times. It's also a great place to just take your time and soak in the scenery.

Also stay on property.

Juffy · 5 months

The other two posters have good advice so I'll just touch on the weather- I usually go mid-January and from my experience, the weather is all over the place- one year it touched the 60s, one year we hit the 90s. The key is layers- itll probably be chilly in the morning, warm in the afternoon, and chilly again in the evening, so make sure you have a sweatshirt around. But you kinda have to pack for all seasons- check the week before to try to get a good idea.

Also, bring ponchos- it rains around that time and Disney ponchos are expensive, so try to bring some along.

blindscreams · 5 months

I personally do a lot more at Animal Kingdom so it will all depend on what you're looking to get. If you're interested in seeing the animals, there's some pretty good live shows (Flights of Wonder has some cool tricks with birds) that feature animals. There's a petting zoo if you take the train so it depends on the age there. And you can easily fast pass the Rapids and the Safari, watch Lion King live, and still be out of Animal Kingdom by 4pm.

I have stayed out of the resort before. There are advantages (as stated by others) to staying on property. If you stay off-resort, I suggest somewhere in Orlando. You will have to wake up pretty early to drive in to the parks if you stay out of resort as is and having to drive in from somewhere far will only mean you're tired by mid-afternoon. Also, if you stay on property you can use the park hopper feature and once you're done with Animal Kingdom, you can go back to one of the other parks for instance. And the Extra Magic Hours are GREAT because the parks are usually really full around lunch/early afternoon but early in the morning and especially late at night they are pretty empty. I have done MK in 6 hours from 8pm to 2am once with Extra Magic Hours, and Big Thunder is SO much fun at night.

MK - The Mountains (Splash, Big Thunder, Space).

HS -Tower of Terror, Rockin' Rollercoaster, Toy Story Mania (EARLY FASTPASS is ABSOLUTELY necessary), Indiana Jones, Star Tours, Great Movie Ride, Lights Motor Action, and Fantasmic. Honestly, this park is so much about timing that you may have to go back more than once to make it all work... Make sure you grab the times to see all the shows!

Epcot - Test Track, Mission: Space. Ellen's Universe of Energy is pretty funny but a very long ride. The countries are all very interesting for dining experience but there are some shows and rides there as well.

In terms of weather, I lived in Florida and have been to WDW many times in January. Sweater and poncho is right. Also realize that the water parks will be closed and some rides (Splash Mountain) can either close earlier, be seasonally closed, or might not be so much fun to ride if it's cold. Definitely check the weather closer to when you leave for rain! Some parks are easier than others when it rains.

Lecard · 5 months

Okay, this may sound crazy and you may not believe me but PM me if the on property sites seem too expensive for your taste. I may be able to help.

Jerkfish · 5 months

I can only really mirror what others have said.

First: It is 100% worth staying on property. Between the themed resorts, the free transportation and the extra hours, it makes up for any price markup.

Secondly: I agree that Animal Kingdom is a half day park. Everyone else did a better job of explaining why.

Finally: Best attractions IMO MK- Space Mountain, Haunted Mansion, and I may be in the minority, but Carousel of Progress.

HS- Tower of Terror and Toy Story Mania

Epcot - Again, probably in the minority, but even sans Jeremy Irons I think Spaceship Earth is a must.

dmareddit · 5 months

OK, so I see that some of the Deluxe Villa resorts are 35% off for the time we're looking to be there. We like the Boardwalk villa. Priced reasonably.

My question now is, from the airport in Orlando, is there a service or shuttle that can get us to the hotel? What's the point of renting a car if we're just going to be in the park and use inner park transportation to get around.

Thoughts?

jigby61 · 5 months

I might see you there, I'm going in january. animal kingdom is my favorite park, it's like a deluxe class zoo. They have authentic stuff like African fruit stands and bongo players, they even have things called "walking trees" which is women on stilts disguised as trees but watch put because they can hide everywhere. But they have other things like Dinoland USA, it's a bit small, mostly Chester & hesters Dino Rama which is a (on purpose)corny fair with a dumbo type ride,carnival games and primeval whirl which is a mouse coaster(ride it, it's FUN!) and DINOSAUR which is a rough dark ride about time traveling to rescue dinosaur before a meteor hits(think indiana jones at disneyland but darker and with dinosaurs). The detail of the park is amazing, you really feel like your in Asia,Africa and more. Plus in 2013 they'll start building a land based on James camerons avatar, where camp Minnie Mickey is. I think they already took down camp Minnie Mickey but festival of the lion king might still be there. Here's a list of the best attractions at the other parks:

MK

Pirates of the Caribbean

Splash mountain

Haunted mansion

Mad tea party

Under the sea journey of the little mermaid

Buzz lightyears space ranger spin

Space mountain

Carousel of progress

HS

Tower of terror

Rock 'n' roller coaster

Star tours II

The great movie ride

Epcot

Test track

Mission space

Living with the land

Soarin

Spaceship earth

Maelstrom

Good luck. :)

seahorses4lyfe · 5 months

Yeah, you'll be chilly in the evenings, wear jeans and bring layers

Animal Kingdom is great, you should make a day of it. Go on the safari early morning when the animals are more active. Be sure to hit Dinasaur, it's a great ride back in time. Expedition Everest is well worth it, get a fastpass. Also the shows (Lion King, Tarzan) are really good.

I suggest staying at a Disney hotel, it allows you extra hours at the park and they make it really easy to get around. The All Star resorts are the cheapest. Pretty basic, but you'll want to be out and about all day anyway.

MK: Rides - Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Runaway Minetrain, The Haunted House, The Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan. It's fun to eat in Cinderella's castle. Nearby The Jungle Cruise they have delicious pineapple vanilla soft-serve. Try to hit a light-up parade in the evening and there are fireworks every night.

HS: Tower of Terror, Rock 'n Rollercoaster (note: does go upside-down),Star Tours (Star Wars ride), The Fantasmic show is wonderful (don't sit too close, you'll get wet; also everyone in the park seems to pour in there so get there early and wait a little), The Muppet Show, The backlot tour is great, you must eat at the Sci-Fi Dine-In (the set of a drive-in movie theater, showing clips of old Sci-Fi movies and tv), and definitely the Great Movie Ride. Millionaire is actually pretty fun :)

Epcot: Gotta go on Spaceship Earth (the giant golfball), Test Track, check out all the restaurants before you choose, there are tons, the troll ride in Norway, the acrobat show in China, Honey I Shrunk The Audience, the flying one (I forget the name...you're hang-gliding over California)

Have fun! Sorry so long...I just don't want anybody to miss out!

badgermann · 5 months

Winter is the dry season in Florida, so it may rain a little bit, but the humidity is not bad at all, especially compared the to damp hell that is summer.

Animal Kingdom is good to go to in the morning, as the animals are more active. Due to the jungle-like landscaping, AK is also the hottest and most humid of all the parks, even in December, so the earlier you go, the more pleasant it will be. The big things are Kilimanjaro Safari, and Expedition Everest. The other big draws are the shows. Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo are good shows. See flights of Wonder if you want, it is a good bird show. Between the shows and the rides, you can fill out a day at AK. Skip Dino-land, not many good rides.

Try to stay on-property if you can swing it. Late January is one of the slowest times of the year, so you should be getting the cheapest rates possible for staying on-site. If you choose to stay off-site, do NOT stay on W. Irlo Bronson, unless you like spending an hour in bumper to bumper traffic to drive 2 miles to get onto property. If the price is a little higher on-site, it is worth it for 3 reasons: On-site transportation to all the parks and Downtown Disney, if you want to drive yourself to the parks, as an on-site guest , you park for free, and finally, there are extra magic hours which will let you knock out a lot of the big rides with little to no wait, although extra magic hours tends to lead to heavier park use that day by all the other on-site guests.

My biggest tip is this: Fastpass windows only open, they never close. So you can use a fastpass well after the end time printed on the fastpass, you just can't use it before. The only exception are fastpasses to see the princesses in Town Square, they will deny you entrance if you are late for your window, but everywhere else it will work.

Bruffy363 · 5 months

Where to stay im going to suggest Tuscana resort. (in kissimmee) 5 miles away from Disney World, 10 miles away from Universal Studios and 8 miles away from sea world. One or two bedroom condos are available starting at 89$ a night. I stayed there twice and i found it amazing both times! No complaints! Also Animal Kingdom is one of my favorite parks! Id say its a one day park. In Animal kingdom id recommend Kilimanjaro Safari first. ( best ride in the park in my opinion but get on in the morning! The animals are not usually out in the afternoon) also Expedition Everest is good. But get a fastpass or that one! the lines get big! And its tough to be a bug is a great one to. In Epcot id go for Sorin and Living with the land. ( Get a fastpass for Sorin) And Mission: Space is awesome to! Magic Kingdom is just amazing. Every ride in that park is good. But my top would be Splash Mountain, Mickeys Phillarmagic ( great 3-D show) and Tom Sawyer island. But be sure to catch the wishes firework show at night there! And dont worry about the lines for the attractions. i don think theres its going to be to busy there in January. Hope this helped! Have a good trip!

Watermelonpatty · 5 months

Last year, Jan/Feb was in the 50's during the day and close to freezing at night. We live 3 hrs away so we were there in early jan and early feb. in February it was in the 30's one day during the daytime! Definitely bring layers and bring hats/gloves from home if you don't want to pay a ton for them at the parks. I also agree with staying on property. Disney's Magical Express will get you from the airport to the hotel for free. I've never had to wait "hours" for luggage but I've only used DME twice.

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