1/24/12 Update: Magic Kingdom close extended to 11pm on Saturday the 26th.
1/17/12 Update: Hollywood Studios close extended to 8pm on January 28th with a second Fantasmic added at 8:30pm.
12/20/12 Update: Crowd Calendar image and daily analysis updated with the changes listed here.
11/5/12 Update: Animal Kingdom hours updated as listed here.
11/5/12 Update: Extra Magic Hours swapped on January 1st and 2nd. Crowd Calendar updated with slight recommendation modifications.
10/1/12 Update – Disney added Fantasmic on January 22nd, slightly altering the recommendations.
This is the Free January 2013 Disney World Crowd Calendar that shows the Recommended Parks to Visit, Overall Crowd Level Estimation, Cost, Historic High/Low Temperature, Historic Chance of Precipitation, Extra Magic Hours Schedule, Fantasmic Show Times, Holidays, and Special Events.
Make sure you first read my month-by-month overview of visiting Disney World, located here. The overview will give you an idea of what to expect in terms of cost, crowds, weather, and special events on a broader scale. Once you figure out when you would like to visit, you can move on to this more detailed look.
Here’s a quick explanation of how to read the calendar and what the numbers mean. It may seem like it’s a little long, but you’ll only need to read the explanation once.
- The first line in each box is the date.
- The second line shows the cost to book a room at a Disney-owned resort. $ = Value Season, $$ = Regular Season, $$$ = Summer Season, $$$$ = Peak Season, and $$$$$ = Holiday Season. Occasionally there will be a + or – after the $$$ to show that the cost is slightly higher or lower than usual, but not by enough to raise it another $ notch.
- The third line is the average high and low temperature and the chance of precipitation. All data is based on the last 15 years. I wouldn’t read too much into the precipitation percentages for each day because just one or two additional days of rain in the last 15 years can raise the percentage substantially. I included it so you can look at the precipitation trends throughout the month(s) and take it into consideration when deciding when to book your vacation. For a broader overview of the month, read the month-by-month overview I linked to above.
- The fourth line is an estimation of the overall crowd level. A “5″ refers to average crowds. Numbers above 5 refer to a larger than average overall crowd level and numbers below 5 refer to lower than average overall crowds. A day with an overall crowd level of “1″ means that the crowds are expected to be the absolute lowest of the year and a “10″ means crowds are expected to be at their largest of the year. In other words, the overall crowd level estimation will give you an idea of how many people are in the entire Disney World complex, including the four major theme parks, water parks, Downtown Disney, golf courses, resorts, etc. Individual theme parks can have smaller or larger crowds than the overall estimation, which is where the theme park recommendations come in.
- The fifth line shows the theme parks I recommend visiting in green and the theme parks I recommend avoiding in red. There is also a | sign that splits up the recommended and not recommended Parks for the color blind or those printing in black and white (the Parks to the left of the | sign are recommended). I use the usual abbreviations for the Parks; AK is the Animal Kingdom, EP is Epcot, HS is Hollywood Studios, and MK is the Magic Kingdom. In addition to the colors, the Park on the far left is the most recommended Park to visit that day. The Park second to the left is the second most recommended and so on. For example, if the line reads AK EP | HS MK then the Animal Kingdom is the most recommended and Epcot is the second most recommended. On the other side of the | sign, Hollywood Studios is not recommended and the Magic Kingdom is expressly not recommended even more. If possible, I would strongly recommend you visit the Park that is most recommended each day. Please read below the calendar for an overview of how I’ve selected the recommended Parks and also a day-by-day explanation.
- The sixth line lists which Parks have Extra Magic Hours and at what time they start. Morning Extra Magic Hour lasts one hour and usually starts at 8am. Evening Extra Magic Hours last three hours from the start time. For example, if you see AK:8am EP:9pm, that means the Animal Kingdom has a morning Extra Magic Hour from 8am-9am and Epcot has evening Extra Magic Hours from 9pm-12am.
- The seventh line lists the Fantasmic show times at the Hollywood Studios.
- The eighth line lists the start time of Main Street Electrical Parade (MSEP:) and Wishes Fireworks at Magic Kingdom(W:). For example, if you see, MSEP: 9pm & 11pm W: 10pm, it would mean that Main Street Electrical Parade begins at 9pm and 11pm and Wishes begins at 10pm.
The Calendar is also available in an easy to view and print PDF file, Here.
Click the image to enlarge it.
Tuesday January 1
New Year’s Day
Animal Kingdom: 8am – 8pm (Not Recommended)
Morning Extra Magic Hour: 7am – 8am
Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade: 3:45pm
Epcot: 9am – 9pm (Recommended)
Illuminations: 9pm
Hollywood Studios: 9am – 10pm (Not Recommended)
Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade: 3pm
Fantasmic: 6:30pm and 8pm and 10pm
Magic Kingdom: 8am – 1am (Most Recommended)
Celebrate a Dream Come True Parade: 3pm, Main Street Electrical Parade: 8pm and 10pm, Wishes Fireworks: 9pm
We’re coming off an extremely busy day yesterday for New Year’s Eve. You can do very well in the morning at any of the Parks, but Epcot and Magic Kingdom are our best choices. You can have a ton of success at Animal Kingdom if you arrive in time to take advantage of the full Extra Magic Hour, but you can expect the afternoon and evening to be much more crowded than recommended days, particularly with those waking up late and looking to head out somewhere that they deem a “half day Park.”
Epcot is recommended now that the morning Extra Magic Hour has moved to Wednesday. With the high overall crowd level extended throughout the week, Soarin’ and Test Track are still going to be extremely popular attractions. You’re going to want to take care of them both immediately after Epcot opens or rely on FASTPASSes that are probably going to need to be collected before lunch. They simply don’t have the capacities to keep up with demand. The morning, from 9am – 11am, will be a great time to tour, but it’s more important than usual to be on your way up to World Showcase beginning as close to 11am as possible to stay ahead of the crowds into the afternoon. Epcot will be busy in the evening, but there isn’t a whole lot we can do about that on New Year’s Day.
Hollywood Studios is not expressly recommended. Although we have morning Extra Magic Hour at Animal Kingdom to help attract Disney resort guests, there’s no special evening entertainment or evening Extra Magic Hours to draw the sizable off-site contingent. On top of that, Extra Magic Hours won’t be scheduled at the Studios until this weekend. While it’s true we had evening Extra Magic Hours last night, that won’t be a huge draw with the festivities at Epcot and popularity of Magic Kingdom’s nighttime celebration. I’m looking toward Friday as the best day this week to visit. However, with nothing specific drawing on-site or off-site visitors to the Studios, it won’t be far and away busier than other days this week. If you arrive prior to Park opening and head straight to Toy Story Mania, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and Star Tours, you’ll be in good shape for the rest of the day. At the very least, you’ll want to collect FASTPASSes for Toy Story Mania by 10:30am and even then, return times are often into the late afternoon due to its popularity and severely limited capacity. Other than these four headliners, it’s really just a matter of arriving in time to see the Studios’ shows that run on a set schedule and having enough time to see and ride the high capacity attractions like Great Movie Ride and Backlot Tour. You may also have popular characters to prioritize. For Fantasmic, I always recommend the Fantasmic Dining Package if you’re interested in the first show of the night. It makes the most sense on the Disney Dining Plan because it costs the same one table service credit at Mama Melrose or Hollywood & Vine and two table service credits at Hollywood Brown Derby that it would cost otherwise. Plus, you receive an appetizer, which you normally wouldn’t get on the Dining Plan. Even with the Package, you’ll want to arrive at least 30 minutes before the show begins or you run the risk of Disney opening the reserved section to the general public. Without the Package, try to stay up for the 8pm or 10pm shows. The 10pm show will be far less crowded and will only require an arrival 10 or 15 minutes before the start of the show to secure good seats. All in all, arriving prior to Park opening and taking care of the headliners is more important than picking the “right day.” Try to schedule the Studios when you know you’ll be up and ready to go early.
A ton of people are going to be out late at Magic Kingdom yesterday for New Year’s Eve. With the massive crowds, few are going to try to brave it again today, especially in the morning. Take advantage and head straight for Fantasyland (Enchanted Tales with Belle, Journey of the Little Mermaid, Ariel’s Grotto, Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh) or the headlining Mountain rides (Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain). You may also want to fit other time-sensitive attractions like Tomorrowland Indy Speedway or Astro Orbiter in there as well, along with Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, and other quick attractions that will have decent afternoon waits. Collect FASTPASSes throughout the morning and early afternoon and you’ll be in good shape when the crowds get heavier after 12pm. If you’ll be attending this evening’s nighttime spectaculars, you’ll most likely want to take a sizable break from 1pm to 6pm or so when crowds peak. Wait times will be long at most attractions during this time period and it’s a great opportunity to return to your resort to relax. Return in the evening for Wishes and the Main Street Electrical Parade. The 10pm Parade will be much less crowded than the 8pm Parade, so see that one if at all possible. Scope out a spot along the Parade route in Liberty Square or Frontierland because those areas offer just as good of a view as Main Street and require a much shorter wait. The late night hours are also a viable time to tour. If you can’t arrive early, try to stay through 1am, leaving Tomorrowland for after 11pm and Fantasyland for after 12am. Arriving early, touring efficiently, collecting FASTPASSes, and taking a sizable afternoon break is the key. Most families will leave soon after Wishes, freeing up the Park for those that can stay up through close.
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