As expected, Disney released the January 2012 operating schedule update today at this link: http://media.disneywebcontent.com/StaticFiles/DTA-Domestic/pdf/ParkHours/WDW_Operating_Calendar_jan.pdf. Click refresh on your browser if the date in the lower left hand corner of each page isn’t 12/15/11 or sooner.
This confirms that Main Street Electrical Parade will indeed be “dark” from January 20th through at least the end of January (and should continue through February 10th). It also confirms Fantasmic will not be scheduled from January 9th through the end of the month (and expected to continue through February 12th, with the next show being scheduled on February 13th).
Otherwise, the updates are about what we could expect. The first week in January through Marathon Weekend is expected to be much busier than the rest of the month, thanks to extended winter break vacations throughout the United States and the Marathon itself. We’ll see crowds die down quite a bit in the second week and then increase a bit going into Marthin Luther King Jr. Weekend. After that, the last two weeks in January moving into February are an excellent time to visit, with relatively low crowds and less expensive Disney resort pricing.
I’ll be back with a full list of changes and will update the January 2012 Crowd Calendar accordingly.
Here’s a list of the changes:
Sunday January 1: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 12am from 9am – 11pm. Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 10pm, in addition to 8pm Parade. Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 10pm from 9am – 7pm. A second Fantasmic added at 8pm, in addition to 6:30pm Fantasmic. Animal Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 8pm from 9am – 7pm.
Monday January 2: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 12am from 9am – 11pm. Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 10pm, in addition to 8pm Parade. Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 7pm. A second Fantasmic added at 8pm, in addition to 6:30pm Fantasmic. Animal Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 8pm from 9am – 7pm.
Tuesday January 3: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 12am from 9am – 11pm. Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 10pm, in addition to 8pm Parade. Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 8pm from 9am – 7pm. A second Fantasmic added at 8pm, in addition to 6:30pm Fantasmic. Animal Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 8pm from 9am – 7pm.
Wednesday January 4: Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 8pm from 9am – 7pm. A second Fantasmic added at 8pm, in addition to 6:30pm Fantasmic. Animal Kingdom hours extended to 8am – 8pm from 9am – 7pm.
Thursday January 5: Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 8pm from 9am – 7pm. A second Fantasmic added at 8pm, in addition to 6:30pm Fantasmic. Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 8pm from 9am – 7pm.
Friday January 6: Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 8pm from 9am – 7pm. A second Fantasmic added at 8pm, in addition to 6:30pm Fantasmic.
Saturday January 7: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 11pm from 9am – 10pm. Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 7pm. A second Fantasmic added at 8pm, in addition to 6:30pm Fantasmic.
Sunday January 8: Hollywood Studios hours extended to 9am – 8pm from 9am – 7pm. A second Fantasmic added at 8pm, in addition to 6:30pm Fantasmic.
Monday January 9: No changes.
Tuesday January 10: No changes.
Wednesday January 11: No changes.
Thursday January 12: No changes.
Friday January 13: No changes.
Saturday January 14: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 1am from 9am – 11pm. Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 9pm, in addition to 7pm Parade. Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 8pm from 9am – 7pm.
Sunday January 15: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 12am from 9am – 11pm. Second Main Street Electrical Parade added at 9pm, in addition to 7pm Parade. Animal Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 8pm from 9am – 7pm.
Monday January 16: No changes.
Tuesday January 17: No changes.
Wednesday January 18: No changes.
Thursday January 19: No changes.
Friday January 20: No changes.
Saturday January 21: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 12am from 9am – 11pm.
Sunday January 22: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 9pm from 9am – 8pm.
Monday January 23: No changes.
Tuesday January 24: No changes.
Wednesday January 25: No changes.
Thursday January 26: No changes.
Friday January 27: No changes.
Saturday January 28: Magic Kingdom hours extended to 9am – 12am from 9am – 11pm.
Sunday January 29: No changes.
Monday January 30: No changes.
Tuesday January 31: No changes.
These changes should be posted to DisneyWorld.com in the coming week (or two). They are as official as anything you’ll see on Disney World.com. It just takes “the official website” longer to make the updates.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh a second fantasmic show on the last day right at closing time(??) of the park. Sounds like that’s when I should see it, as there’s no sense in wasting good park hours waiting in a show
My wife and I plan to go to the second show as well… but I wonder, will the other several hundred thousand people in disney world have the same idea? I would really hate to miss Fantasmic because I waited till the last show of the last day before refurbishment.
Could be however I would keep it in the back of your mind as you’re at the park that day, keep a mental count of how crowded it really is, and let that decide for you.
Josh has it as the most recommended park to be in, and the crowd levels 5 out of 10 (for all of WDW I presume), so might be ok. My vote is that most people don’t have any clue that this will be the last day of the show for a while.
Will any of these changes result in different recommendations of which parks to visit in your crowd calendar? Thanks.
I don’t think it will change the recommendations much. I’ll be getting a new batch of numbers tomorrow that I’ll look over and make an update then.