[chottsy]

everywhere i read that you need to have a "list" of what rides you definitely want to hit, and that way you can see that you get to those. well, for us..we are going to be in MK 2 days and we know of 3 rides we are not going to ride due to age/height restrictions.(space mnt., thunder mnt. and splash mnt.) so is a list really nesseccary? i mean are the waits for the kiddie rides crazy long too? (we are going in jan.2007)

am i crazy to think that we are going to be able to do all of MK in 2 days? i want to be able to see and do it all, (except for the 3 listed above) but after looking at the crowd estimates...not sure i am realistic about how little of a wait we might have.

what is your experience in the MK during the first 10 days in Jan.?

please share...
~thanks
~char

[lovemysons]

I have never been in January, but I know that even during "slow" periods, you can experience long wait times at the more popular rides. I don't think that time of year is especially crowded, however, and you should enjoy smaller crowds. Since you won't be going until 2007, I would suggest you get a copy of the Unofficial Guide to DisneyWorld. It will really help you out! Oh, and, if I haven't yet already welcomed you, Welcome!!!

[ingamba]

Welcome to DC.

LIMS is right, major attractions are always going to get a lot of attention, but generally speaking, January is a great time to go. And you've got plenty of time to plan.

[chottsy]

okay on barns and noble's site they have the unofficial guides for 2005, 2006 and one for adults and one that is not year specific but specific to kids. thinking this is the better choice. whatcha think? would the 2006 be more informative? will just order it online if someone can offer a tid-bit of advace as to which one might be better.
~thanks
~char
...also...thanks for the MANY welcomes...everyone is so nice and helpful!! :)

[WishUponAStar]

I'll be honest, I don't necassarily think a list is going to be mandatory in January. I'd say definately if you were going during Spring Break, summer recess, or Christmas but you should have plenty of time to see everything in your agenda with no problems.
Yes, some of the "kiddie" rides like Dumbo, etc... do tend to have longer lines any time during the year but certainly nothing unexpected.

If you feel more comfortable laying out a "game plan" then by all means do it but I've been plenty of times with no planning and still were able to knock everything out during the slower times.

Enjoy!

[missy H]

If you want to do specific rides go as soon as the parks open, especialy if you are staying on property and use the early morning extra magic hours. You can get all the ridea nad attractions done pretty quickly even on busy days. We found this out going over the Christmas Holiday period.
Going in Jan shouldn't be a problem though.

And welcome to DC!!

[bali]

January is usually a pretty slow time for WDW. The first few days you'll have Christmas Holiday crowds, but it should empty out pretty soon. Kids' rides do have long lines--sometimes the longest in the park (especially popular fantasyland rides like Peter Pan, Dumbo, and Winnie the Pooh)--but a list shouldn't be too necessary as long as you make good use of fastpass.

As for the Unofficial Guide, I say, "more is better!" I would get both the 2006 version and the "for kids" version. Both will give different insights and going to WDW without reading the full Unofficial Guide is crazy (IMHO)!

Welcome to DC, by the way! You have plenty of time to plan, plan, plan!

[Cavey]

I completely DISAGREE with some of the comments my DC friends have made. As a father of 3 little ones who has done WDW twice in January, I assure you Fantasyland, where most of the "kiddie rides" are, will pack out on any given January afternoon. Lines for Winnie the Pooh, Peter Pan, and Dumbo can reach almost an hour. Other lesser attractions can go up to 30 minutes.

The difference is, where an adult can look at an adult attraction and decide the wait is too long, try that with a child who is in tears because they can't ride Dumbo.

So I HIGHLY advise, get the Unofficial Guide to WDW and use the Dumbo or Die touring plan as gospel truth (and ALWAYS be at MK 30 minutes before the scheduled opening!).

MY first trip in January, I went prepared with the plans. We did everything and NEVER stood in line, but we'd walk past long lines of people waiting 45 mintues for 3 minute ride. Now, after mulitple trips, I don't rely on the plans, but I keep them in my proverbial "hip pocket" just in case.

AND say you don't need the plans afterall. At least they give you an agenda to work from to make sure you see it all.

Oh, and 2 days at MK will let you see most of the park, but we never seem to get it all in with just two days (don't sweat it out--it's incentive to go back later!).

[Dana]

I have to agree with caver. Fantasyland, not matter what time of year, can get seriously congested. All the kiddos flock there. Always, always, always hit fantasyland first thing in the morning. Do them all....twice if you want to, but go there first. The rest of the park is cake. I tour this way every single time I go to WDW no matter what time of year it is. I start at pooh and work my way around the entire fantasyland...sometimes hitting several rides twice. I then go right to Splash, pirates, and jungle cruise...then haul it over to tomorrow land and do buzz and space. I never have more than a 20minute wait and I always get done all the major things I want to do before or a little after lunch. You have to speed walk and you are bushed when you are done, but it's fun to watch the others scramble and scratch their head deciding what to do next. I highly suggest picking must-do's for each land, getting there at least a half hour before the park opens and line up for the rope drop. Go straight to the castle and hit fantasyland first and then go either left or right hitting the other lands. You will be taking a break at your resort just as the crowds hit in full force. It's ideal. I love having the second part of my day to take it easy and enjoy my resort or just shopping through the park with the attractions done and behind me.

[SDuncan]

My last trip was in January and the crowds were non-existant prior to 10:30. I did not wait for any ride. Be there early and go straight to Fantasyland and there is no wait. By 2:00 we had ridden every ride (some rides multiple times) in MK that we wanted. Went back to the hotel and rested and then had a wonderful night of Spectro magic and fireworks.

For what it is worth I used tourguidemike.com on that trip and I felt it was very useful. I used his planning guides throughout the trip and never waited in line. I personally feel that a plan is essential espicially for short trips.

[MissDisney]

welcome to DC!!!

You need a plan and it is to be sure you hit all your goal attractions. Be sure to make use of Fast Passes, and also try if you can with little ones, to arrive at MK early. You can make your way up to the hub in front of the Castle before the official opening, and then they drop the rope and you're on your way. If Fantasyland is your first stop, you can wait for rope drop inside the castle! You should perhaps get an early start for Dumbo, in particular!

[MissDisney]

oh and chottsy, be sure to also plan some freewheeling time too, where you can wander around aimlessly -- a lot of magic happens when you are doing that!

Also, take a break in the middle of the day -- either go back to your room and rest or head over to Tom Sawyer's Island and let the kids run around like maniacs!

[llama]

No, you do not need a list. We've gone every January for 5 years, and it's absolutely the best time to go.

Every guidebook will tell you that November (other than Thanksgiving) is the slowest time, but that certainly wasn't our experience. To me, the parks were twice as crowded in November, as January. So relax, you'll definitely get to see and do everything at the MK in two days (probably do most things twice). But - a guidebook is a good idea, just for general information. The Unofficial is the best.

[chottsy]

okay.....some say one thing, some say another....LOTS of info. , thank you all so much! i will get the guide book, and also keep in mind a number of your suggestions. Dana, thanks for the rough outline of a beginners "game-plan". i've made notes!! now another question....where can i locate a list of every attraction in each land? also...since it has been like 20 yrs. since i was in the MK...(we did epcotin '97) i don't really know what the ride is just from the name of it.....anywhere to get a bit of a description about each ride/attraction?

so sorry to ask such a question, but believe it or not...i cannot find such a list. :)
~thanks
~char

[SDuncan]

The unofficial guides lists the rides and you can try allearsnet.com for a good list.