Hey all! I am planning my first January trip, I usually go in October. I need some advice...

We'll go for 5 or 6 days. Weather isn't an issue for me. I'm thinking about going Saturday January 3rd through Wednesday the 7th. The reason for this is that the Haunted Mansion always closes the monday after New Year's (which is the 5th next year), and I would like to be able to ride it. IASW doesn't usually close till mid-late January, so that won't be a problem. My question is- How will the crowds be at this time? Should we do the 4th through the 8th instead?

Also, if we choose to go from Sunday the 4th through Thursday the 8th, do they usually hold Fantasmic! on Sundays this time of year?

As you can see, I'm trying to see Fantasmic, Mansion, IASW and still beat the crowds, haha! Thanks for your help!

Two years ago, we went the last week of January. Crowds were awesome, and most rides were walk on all day.

The parades and fireworks only run on weekends this time of year, so plan those activities for Fri, Sat, Sun.

You are going to have a hard time catching both HM and IASW. That early in the month, one of them is going to be down to remove the overlay. I've noticed that as soon as one is back up, the other goes down.

We have gone mid-January several times, and the crowds are very low.

Early January may have some carry over from New Years vacationers, but I suspect it will be less crowded as the week goes on because school starts back up then.

And we have always been lucky with our January weather at Disneyland.

Have a great trip!

We went January 2-5 this year. Crowds were very resonable (I thought so anyway) especially on Friday, do to the threat of rain. I love it when it rains in the parks. It clears the parks like nothing else.
The Fireworks, and Fantasmic, shows were both scheduled to run each day, however do to inclement weather the Fireworks were seen only on the 2nd. I believe that it was the same for Fantasmic.
HM and IASW were both up and running, I think.

Hi everyone!! My family and I are coming to California for Christmas, and it got me thinking about a day at Disneyland. I spent my whole life in Los Angeles and I miss Disneyland so much. We will be there December 22-January 5. I know how crazy and hectic the weeks around Christmas can be, but I was wondering about the first few days in January. What has your experience been? We would just drive down for the day. Are the first few days of the New Year as busy as the last few weeks of December?

Thanks for any advice or input :)

Julie :)

BUSY.

Many schools in the area do not return to class until after January 7th.

The Rose Bowl Game brings in a lot of out of town visitors and will stay a few extra days after the game/parade.

Disney does schedule extended hours due to the expected crowds.

BUT, it is not as bad as the week between Christmas and New Years.

We might take a trip to Disneyland mid January. How is that time as far as crowds and closures? Are the christmas decoratiuons still up at that time?Thanks!

We went Jan. 18-23 in 2006 and loved it. Christmas decorations were not still up, crowds were minimal and the weather was okay. Sometimes chilly but not too bad. This year we're trying September (17-21), so we'll see if we like Jan. better. :)

HM will be closed until about the 20th to remove the holiday overlay. IASW, I don't think anyone has firm info about whether or not it will re-open end of Nov. with it's overlay. If it does then there is a good chance that it too will be closed a couple of weeks in Jan. for it's removal. Crowds last week of Jan. should be relatively light, although I have run into groups of schoolkids then. Temps are usually mild with chilly evenings! Chance of rain is normally higher. Watch the extended forecasts (such as Accuweather.com) and plan accordingly.

We might take a trip to Disneyland mid January. How is that time as far as crowds and closures? Are the christmas decoratiuons still up at that time?Thanks!I merged your thread with another recent thread on the same topic. See above for more responses.

We did January 3-7 about six years ago (2002) and the crowds were very manageable. Most of the kids had gone back to school and the holiday travelers were on their way home by the weekend. Added bonus (for us) was that most of the Christmas decorations were still up.:~D

We went the last week of January last year, and the crowds were really light. We even had rain, and we put on our rain jackets and went for it. Most of the crowd scattered to shelter, and we had a lot of rides completely to ourselves. It was perfect.

I always love to go for my birthday in August, but now that my guys have been in Jan, I might have a hard time getting them there again during the hot/busy summer! ;)

I'm going during the first full week of Jan (Jan 4 - 10) when some schools are still out.

The Disneyland website lists the closing time for DL as 8:00 pm for Mon-Thurs. What are the chances of that closing time being extended? Isn't that a fairly busy time with kids still out of school?

No, most schools are back in session that week. I don't know about the different year-round school schedules though, but traditional schedules will probably be back in school that week. I wouldn't count on extended hours, but if it's busy maybe they'll add more. I would hope that the hours will stay as is because I'd rather have shorter hours than crowds.

I'm going during the first full week of Jan (Jan 4 - 10) when some schools are still out.

The Disneyland website lists the closing time for DL as 8:00 pm for Mon-Thurs. What are the chances of that closing time being extended? Isn't that a fairly busy time with kids still out of school?

ALOT of rides might be down for refurb, check the schedule....

Right now, Haunted Mansion and IASW will be down from the 5th on. Make sure you ride them on the 4th. We will be leaving on the 3rd.

Our local schools are almost all back in session with the exception of a few random year round schools here and there. It is usually pretty empty that week, hence the 8pm closing time.