January 2022 at Walt Disney World | The Complete Guide

Are you thinking about visiting Disney World in January? If so, this planning guide will help you understand everything you need to know to plan January in the Disney World Parks.

Even though it might seem odd, January is one of my favorite months at Walt Disney World, and there are many advantages in visiting during the so-called “off-season.” It’s a whole different experience than just a few weeks earlier during the holidays.

In this post, we’ll explain what the parks are like in January including the crowd levels, weather, what to pack, events, discounts and what problems you might run into with closures during the month. We’ll also rate how this month stacks up to the others.

This guide includes info for visiting the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom, as well as the resort hotels in January.

January 2022 is different from any other year with many changes, and we’ll cover all of them so you are well-prepared. Many of these suggestions will also still be good in January 2023 and beyond.

Before we get started, read our post on the Best Times to Go to Disney World for month-by-month rankings and why January is near the top.

Also, don’t forget to sign up for our FREE Weekly E-Mail Newsletter. There we bring you the latest updates on all the newest additions to the parks as well as vacation planning tips. You can sign up here: Join our E-Mail Newsletter!

Overview of January 2022 in Disney World

Even if you’ve been to Walt Disney World in the past, January 2022 will be much different than anything you’ve experienced before.

50th Anniversary – For starters, we are right in the middle of Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary celebration which started in October and will carry on through the rest of the year and into 2023. With that, there have been plenty of new additions to the parks including new attractions, new entertainment, and new restaurants.

Granted the celebration isn’t as big as it was supposed to be originally, but it has been a pretty fun celebration so far and you will see 50th-related stuff everywhere you go when you visit.

Returning Attractions and Entertainment – We also are finally starting to get some of the things back that we lost when the parks closed. Character meets have started to return in an updated format as well as a number of shows. Most attractions are open now, so unless there is a refurbishment going on you shouldn’t miss your favorite rides.

Park Hopping is back at Disney World after months of only going to one park per day. Fireworks have returned, including two new shows (Disney Enchantment and Disney Harmonious) which fans are split on.

We are still waiting for the Disney Dining Plan, many of the tours, and quite a number of shows and entertainment to return, but compared with this time last year, it’s night and day.

Disney Genie – Then there is the little FastPass+ replacement called Disney Genie. It offers some free planning advice, but mostly it is a pay-to-ride version of FastPass through Genie+ and the Lightning Lane. Love it or hate it, it has a huge effect on touring the theme parks.

Safety Guideline Changes – Some guidelines that Disney has implemented like wearing face masks, have continued since the reopening. Others have fallen by the wayside such as keeping 6-feet of distance between guests, distanced ride queues, and temperature screening. You need to know what guidelines are currently in place in the theme parks, hotels, and restaurants.

Read our article on Disney World Safety Guidelines Changes for more detailed info.

Limited Park Capacity – Disney has limited capacity in all 4 Disney World theme parks compared to their normal numbers. On an encouraging note, we have seen a theme park capacity increase in recent months, and this could continue to rise as the year goes on. 

Disney Park Reservations – Since park capacity is limited, reservations are required for entry. Disney has also created a Park Pass reservation system, so make sure your entrance is booked well in advance.

For more info on how the reservations work, read our guide to the Disney Park Pass System, which explains it in more depth.

At this point, it’s hard to say with any certainty how long these changes will remain in place. Expect safety guidelines to continue through the first half of the year, and at the same time, we should be seeing more entertainment returning, with guidelines possibly loosening later in the year.

At least some of the usual big draws for January are now back in 2022 like The Walt Disney World Marathon.

This has made it extra difficult to plan a Disney World vacation, so expect some uncertainty in the next few months.

Events

January is a somewhat underrated month at Disney World, and it is home to some of our favorite events of the year.

• New Year’s Day – One of the busiest days of the year at Walt Disney World.
• Holiday Decorations – You can catch the tail-end of the holiday decorations around the parks before they go down for the year.
• Walt Disney World Marathon – Participants and observers come from all over the country to watch and run in events throughout the weekend.
• EPCOT Festival of the Arts – The first EPCOT festival of 2022, and an absolute must-go if you are in the area.

January Dates of Note:

• New Year’s Day – January 1
• Walt Disney World Marathon – January 5-9
• EPCOT Festival of the Arts Opens – January 14 – February 21
• Martin Luther King Jr. Day Weekend – January 16-18
• Pro Bowl Weekend – *Canceled in 2022

New Year’s Day

Even though most of the month is quiet, New Year’s Day is one of the most packed days of the year at Walt Disney World. Guests visiting during the Christmas holiday usually stay through New Year’s, making it a day you should definitely avoid the parks if you can.

After New Year’s the crowds, disperse and Disney World becomes a ghost town the following week.

Holiday Decorations

Of course, during the holidays, thousands of guests come to Disney World just to see the holiday decorations around the parks and resorts. Those decorations stay around even for a while into January.

When Do the Holiday Decorations Come Down at Disney World? – This usually starts on the first Monday in January, which this year is January 3. This doesn’t happen overnight, however, and some of the decorations will still be visible into the first week of January.

Walt Disney World Marathon

The Walt Disney World Marathon is an extremely popular 4-day event that usually happens during the second week of January. In 2022 the Walt Disney World Marathon is taking place from January 5-9.

Events during the weekend include a 5K, 10K, Half Marathon, and a Full Marathon on Sunday.

It’s one of the fastest runDisney events to sell out, so if you are planning to go, make sure to be online right when tickets go on sale to reserve a spot. The theme parks aren’t affected much, since most runners are too tired to visit the parks much during their trip.

The only time your visit to the parks might be affected by the marathon is on Sunday morning with an impact from runners seen in EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. By the time the parks open, they’ve already been through the Magic Kingdom, so this is a good choice for that day.

However, you should book your hotel room far in advance as the best rooms sell out quickly.

EPCOT Festival of the Arts

The 2022 Taste of EPCOT Festival of the Arts is running from January 14 – February 21. This newest EPCOT festival runs seven days a week and is one of our absolute favorites.

It’s run similarly to the other festivals, but it combines the visual, culinary, and performing arts into one event. There are a lot of fun activities for kids and street artists that create some incredible work including sidewalk images of Disney characters.

Read our overview on the EPCOT Festival of the Arts for more info including full menus.

Crowds

How Busy is Disney World in January? In a normal year, Disney World is not crowded in January, in fact, it is one of the least crowded months to visit and excellent for finding low wait times in the parks.

Many days are a 3/10 on the crowd calendar, with the “busy” days reaching up to 6/10.

The first day of the month has the worst crowds and should be avoided at all costs. After that, the rest of January is very quiet with only a few events bringing in tourists. Thousands of people usually come out for The Walt Disney World Marathon, but it doesn’t make much difference since the crowd levels are already so low.

The most important thing to do if you are trying to avoid crowds in January is not to come on Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend, which in 2022 is Jan 15-17. Any other time is great with low wait times in all the parks and easy-to-get dining reservations.

It’s hard to tell where crowd levels in January 2022 will rank against a normal year. Last year was extremely low, but very few people were traveling out of state at that point in time. Disney has increased park capacity, but we should still see a big drop off after the holiday season finishes.

Reluctant travelers, a bad economy, and potentially increased travel restrictions mean on most days this year you will find minimal crowd levels, below a normal year. It will likely be halfway between 2021 and a normal year, and the pattern should continue at least through the first quarter of 2022.

There are no big events to bring in crowds at the Magic Kingdom in January, so almost any day of the week is fine to visit. When visiting EPCOT, we always recommend skipping the weekend because of the festivals taking place. Even if you go on the weekend this year though it shouldn’t be packed.

The Animal Kingdom is quiet in January with no events, but the park hours are shorter so don’t expect to stay late. Hollywood Studios is the only park that will be crowded, but as long as the Rise of the Resistance ride stays popular, it will be full every day of the week.

Read our Disney World Crowd Calendar to understand which months are the busiest and when to avoid going.

Disney World Weather in January

The weather at Walt Disney World in January is marked by mild days, cold nights, and very little humidity and rain. No, it’s not hot for the most part, but the mild daytime temperatures make it one of the best months for touring the theme parks.

Temperature – According to USClimateData.com January in Disney World has an average high of 71°F (21°C) and an avg low of 50°F (10°C). That means January is the coldest month of the year in Walt Disney World on average.

In fact, anywhere from late November through February, there is a chance of cold weather at Disney World. That doesn’t mean there aren’t warm days. We’ve seen temperatures get into the 70s or even reach 80 in January, but you shouldn’t expect it.

The biggest adjustment is the big difference is between day and night, with nighttime temperatures significantly colder than the daytime.

Can You Swim in January? – It’s not usually hot at Walt Disney World in January, and most of the days are not conducive to swimming. You may catch a break and get a few days in the mid-70s which could be pleasant for swimming if the sun is shining.

Obviously, it depends what you are used to. If you are from a northern state, 70 degrees might feel hot to you compared to back home and you might want to take a dip. Kids also are less likely to care if the air is a little chilly and might go swimming anyway.

Rain – Significant rain is not likely on most days in January at Disney World, and it is much drier compared to the Summer months. Orlando gets approximately 10 days of rain in January and averages 2.7″ of precipitation for the month.

Even if there is a little rain, it will most likely be a passing shower and shouldn’t last all day. As long as you dress properly it won’t be an issue or affect touring the parks.

Daylight – On average, Orlando, Florida has 10 hours and 32 minutes of sunlight in the month of January, making it the second-shortest amount of daylight per day just behind December.

What to Wear to Disney World in January

Now that you know the weather, let’s see what you should wear at Disney World in January. The first thing you should do is check the weather forecast a couple of days before you leave. The temperature can vary a lot in January which will affect what clothes to bring with you.

In general at Disney World in January you should dress for mild weather during the day and cold nights. That means you should dress for layers with sweaters and jackets in the mornings. You might even need a hat, gloves and a scarf depending on how chilly it gets.

During the day when it warms up, you will probably shed some layers and you might even wear a t-shirt if the sun is out. Bringing a small bag to put your extra layers in when it warms up is a good idea.

You will probably need a bigger suitcase than during the summer months since heavier clothes take up more space. We recommend a different set of clothes during the day at the parks and then change into something warmer for dinner in the evening as it gets colder.

You probably won’t need many pairs of sandals in January and we recommend close-toed shoes most of the time since your feet are bound to get cold. Wear comfortable sneakers for all the walking. Our average is 8-10 miles per day at Disney World making them indispensable.

You also won’t be wearing swimsuits very often, but you should pack at least one in case the weather warms up or you want to go in the hot tub.

As with any trip to Florida, make sure you pack enough sunscreen as there are many sunny days. Ponchos and small umbrellas are always a good idea since you never know when it will rain in Orlando.

Park Hours

In January, park hours are always reduced compared to other months, but this is especially true this year. Disney has lowered the normal park hours even more since the reopening, with all parks open at least 1-2 hours less.

Here is an example of what you can expect the park hours to be in January:

• Magic Kingdom – 9:00 am – 7:00 pm (Weekend Hours 9:00 am – 8:00 or 9:00 pm)
• EPCOT – 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios – 9:00 am – 7:00 pm
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom – 8:00 am – 5:00 pm (Weekend Hours 8:00 am – 6:00 pm)

Prices & Deals

January is the cheapest time to go to Disney World and you can get some of the best deals of the year if you go during this month.

Most of January is listed under the “Value” season at Disney World, which is when you can expect the lowest crowds and the lowest prices. As long as you don’t go during the busy New Year’s holiday or Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend you will find amazing discounts.

This year should be good for deals since there could be fewer people traveling, and uncertainty around the current health crisis remains. Even though the Disney Free Dining promotion isn’t running there are still deals to be had, although the savings aren’t as big as last year.

Hotels

In general, Walt Disney World Resort hotel rooms will be priced lower than any other time of the year, even before we start calculating extra discounts. If you’ve read our guide about How Much a Disney World Vacation Really Costs, you know that January is one of the best months.

Let’s look at a comparison in price between going in January and other times of the year at Walt Disney World.

Below are the prices for a standard room per night at 3 different Walt Disney World Resort hotels (I chose one from each hotel tier, Value, Moderate, and Deluxe). The prices show the base prices during the various seasons of the year:

• Pop Century Resort price per night: $193.97 in January, $249.50 in Summer, $333 during the Holiday Season.
• Caribbean Beach Resort price per night: $269.39 in January, $318.50 in Summer, $432 during the Holiday Season.
• Animal Kingdom Lodge price per night: $480.13 in January, $519.05 in Summer, $766 during the Holiday Season.

By going to Pop Century in January instead of the Summer you will save $55 per night, and instead of going during the Holiday season, you will save $139 per night. With a 5-night stay, that means saving $277 and $695 respectively.

The savings are even higher with the other two resorts in our example. You can see how all that extra money would be useful to put towards park tickets and meals.

From time to time Disney runs even deeper discounts on hotel rooms and vacation packages that you also can take advantage of. Make sure to check the Disney World website for the latest offers.

Current Disney World Hotel Discounts:

• Annual Passholders: Save Up to 25% on Rooms at Select Disney Resorts in Early 2022 – Stays most nights from January 2 through March 10, 2022.
• U.S. Military Members – Discounted rates at select Disney Resort Hotels on stays most nights from January 1 through December 16, 2022.

Park Tickets

Single-Day park tickets in January fall under the Value season, so you won’t be paying nearly as much as if you went during the Summer or holiday season. Prices for single-day Disney World theme park tickets range from $119 to $150, but most days are definitely on the lower end of the spectrum.

The most expensive day of the month for park tickets is on New Year’s Day, and tickets are higher for Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend too. Avoid those dates to save the most money.

The best way to take advantage of the discounts in January is to use an Authorized Disney Travel Planner. We recommend Show You the World Travel for all your trip planning needs. They are super helpful and the best part about it is they are FREE to use!

January 2022 Refurbishments and Construction

January is the biggest month of the year for refurbishments at Walt Disney World and there is a good chance one or two of your favorite rides could be shut down during your trip.

During the holiday season, Disney doesn’t get a chance to close many attractions, and with the increased attendance and park hours during that time, when January comes around, there is a lot of general maintenance that is required.

Both Expedition Everest and the Walt Disney World Railroad have refurbishments and are closed for at least part of the month. Keep up-to-date with what attractions are open in our Walt Disney World Refurbishment List so you won’t be surprised when you get there.

There are always other attractions that can close at any time, so take this into consideration when planning your trip.

Also, at least one of the two water parks will be closed in January. Disney uses the cold weather to do regular maintenance at Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon, so only one of them will be open with you go.

There is also a lot of construction in Walt Disney World at this time, and there will be for the next few years. The biggest project is the huge EPCOT expansion which has split Future World into 3 separate areas. The construction here will be going on until at least 2023.

Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Space 220 are two of the newest projects completed in the park and we suggest trying both of them. You can also see the new fireworks show “Disney Harmonious” which opened in 2021.

We wrote about these and more in our New Disney World Attractions post and we share everything coming to the parks in the next few years.

Lastly, the Disney Skyliner is getting a small refurbishment at the end of the month so you’ll want to keep that in mind if paying extra to stay on the Skyliner route during those dates.

Tips

Here are our most important touring tips for the month of January.

1. Start Early and Stay Late

Park hours have been greatly reduced in January with fewer total hours in the day to ride your favorite attractions. That means waking up early and being at the parks for rope drop.

Doing this you’ll be able to knock out some of the most popular attractions in the park early in the morning before the crowds come and the wait times increase.

Most of the parks are open at least 30 minutes before the scheduled open time, so if the Magic Kingdom opens at 9:00 am, be there no later than 8:30 am.

To get an even greater advantage, we suggest using the Early Theme Park Entry when staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel. This gives you entry to the parks 30 minutes before the general public and it’s a big help in getting some of the more popular attractions done.

All the parks close earlier in January too, so skip those afternoon naps if you can and stay in the parks until closing time. This is especially true at the Animal Kingdom since it closes the earliest of any park.

2. Plan Hollywood Studios

January is not a busy month in Walt Disney World, but Hollywood Studios is still the most crowded of the 4 theme parks and has not slowed down since Rise of the Resistance opened.

If you are at all interested in riding what is arguably the best attraction in Disney World, you need to know how to ride it. Right now, Rise of the Resistance is using a standby queue, instead of the Virtual Queue which it used for the first 2 years. 

It’s always possible it can switch back to the virtual queue, so in that case, read our detailed post on How to Ride Star Wars Rise of the Resistance for more info.

We have seen wait times increase for this attraction in recent months, so it will take patience and planning to ride, and it even might be a good use of an Individual Lightning Lane purchase if the lines are too long.

Hollywood Studios does empty out some in the afternoon, so if you don’t get to the most popular rides in the morning, wait until later in the day when the wait times will be shorter.

3. Be Flexible

January has arguably the lowest prices and best discounts of any month at Walt Disney World. However, the best deals come when you keep an open mind about your vacation dates and your hotel choice.

Even after you book your resort, keep checking the Disney World website for new offers to get even more savings.

December vs. January in Disney World

Choosing between going to Walt Disney World in December or January comes down to what is more important to you, special events, or saving money.

December has one of the best lineups of special events and entertainment of any month at Disney World. Some decorations are still up in the first few days of January but you will miss most of them.

Of course, it is much more expensive to go to Disney World in December than it is in January, so if budget is your number one priority, there is no choice here.

The weather for both months is about the same with mild days, chilly nights, and little precipitation. Crowds are overall lower in January, but early December also isn’t crowded and is a good alternative to saving some money and still getting the holiday special events.

If you have children, however, your schedule might not allow you to go when the kids are back in school, and in that case you are stuck in December.

January vs. February in Disney World

This is a much harder comparison as January and February are very similar months in Walt Disney World.

January has slightly better discounts, but quite a few deals can also be had in February. Crowds are also similar as both traditionally have low crowds for most of the month except during the Martin Luther King Jr Day and President’s Day holidays.

Even though both had very low crowds last year, both January and February should get more visitors in 2022.

As for the weather, we give the nod to February. It still has chilly mornings and evenings, but the temperature warms up quite a bit during the day and we’ve been there when it’s been above 80 degrees.

It really depends on which dates are most convenient for you as both months are pretty good times to visit Disney World. Read our Guide to February at Disney World for more tips and info.

Should You Visit Disney World in January?

There are a lot of good things about visiting Walt Disney World in January. The weather is mild if you don’t like the heat and great for touring the parks.

The only real downsides are a lack of good entertainment and special events and the probability that one of the big E-Ticket attractions will be getting refurbished. The weather also isn’t good for swimming if that is a big part of your trip.

If you can put up with those three things then we think January could be a very attractive time to visit.

Visit Disney World in January If…

• You like big discounts on hotel and vacation packages and lower park ticket prices.
• You like lower crowds and shorter wait times.
• You like cooler temperatures and want to avoid the heat and humidity.
• You don’t have any problems getting off from work or school during the month.

DON’T Visit Disney World in January If…

• You like warm weather and want to spend time in the resort pools or water parks.
• Going to special events is important to you.
• Riding Splash Mountain or Kali River Rapids is a must.

Make sure to read our Disney World Vacation Planning Guide for more tips on your upcoming trip and everything you need to know!

FAQs

Your Thoughts

I want to know what you think about visiting Disney World in January…

• Do you think this is a good month to visit?
• Which month do you think is the best?

Let us know in the comments section below!

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