Hello all,

I would dearly like some help from all of you about planning a future Orlando vacation.

My family and I just got back from Orlando. We go every year, and for the past three years, we have gone the first week of December. From reading books on Orlando, we found this was not a real busy time of the year and thought it would be neat to partake in the Christmas decorations such as the Spectacle of Lights at MGM.

However, this year, I found MGM and the Magic Kingdom to be way more crowded than I would like. Waits got up to 35 minutes for some rides. Based on past experience, I found this unusual. We really haven't had those kinds of waits in the past especially on rides like the Haunted Mansion and Big Thunder Mountain.

My wife has a friend who works for WDW and has worked for Universal in the past. He told us when he hooked up with us this year that January in the best time of year to visit because the parks are "dead" even at Disney.

I wanted to ask those of you who have been to Orlando in January and/or February a few questions:

1. Are the parks really as uncrowded as my wife's friend says they are in January and Febraury?

2. We had read in several Orlando books that the parks do "ride maintenance" after the first of the year. Have any of you encountered rides being out of service in January and/or February? This is my biggest issue. I would hate to go to Orlando once a year to find my favorite rides out of service for "maintenance".

3. What are the temperatures usually like in January and February?

Any help would be appreciated. We plan to book our next trip fairly early, so I wanted to get some feedback on this now.

Thanks very much for any help!

Well, as for crowds, yes, that would be an ideal time. So would early March (remember to avoid Spring Break crowds in March / April) and during the week in May / early June. Of course, in May and June you're running into people doing "Disney Weddings" and honeymoons and so forth.

Unfortunately, ride maintenance can be an issue. However, the parks like to try to get much of the maintenance done in September / October / November so that the parks are at their best for the holiday season, and consequently there isn't much left to do after the holidays. Your best bet there would be to contact the park itself and express your concerns.

Temperatures in January / February will be quite pleasant. That's in the dry season (as best as it can), so rain ought to be minimal, though there is the occasional storm system no matter when you travel, of course. For Orlando it ought to be in the 70s / 80s depending on what part of the month you go -- early January may be in the 60s, but with the humidity that Florida carries throughout the year it actually feels a bit warmer if you're used to colder weather.

Have fun, and I hope the trip goes well!

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Walk Beyond...

The parks are empty this time of year with no exceptions like you may have had with your last visit. You won't wait more than 5 mintues for most every attraction. It pretty much stays like that until the Spring Breaks take effect.

Yes, it is true rides go for maitenence around that time. I know Dueling Dragons will be down through January and possibly some of February in order to repaint the whole thing. Water rides also go down around then since they do not get many riders in the cold weather. Dudley, Popeye, Congo River Rapids, and Journey to Atlantis I've seen down at one year or another, but I haven't heard anything besides the Dueling rehab for rides being rehabbed at that time.

The weather has a range. Sometimes it can get down to the 40s, although that's rare, and sometimes it goes to the upper 70s. Usually I'd expect an average in the 60s with generally clear skies. It's perfect weather considering the blazing hot summer weather along with the afternoon storms.

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"BECAUSE someone like you cared a whole afwul lot, this park is alive where before it was not." -The Street of the Lifted Lorax, IOA

Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate it.

RM: Are you saying that besides the water rides, you've never seen anything else down for rehab at this time other than DD? How about Jurassic Park since it's a water ride? Ever seen it down? My biggest concerns would be Spider-Man and MIB.

I don't remember the last time JPRA, Spidey, or MIB being closed for rehab. I would think UO, especially USF, would try and keep as many attractions as they can open with Hitchcock, Hanna B, and Kong being closed at that time along with DD under rehab. Other non-water rides I've seen down have been Storm, P Flyers (currently under rehab), Poseidon, Earthquake, & ET that I can remember. I think DD is the only thing scheduled to be down this year anyway.

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"BECAUSE someone like you cared a whole afwul lot, this park is alive where before it was not." -The Street of the Lifted Lorax, IOA

The first week of march was not crowded when I went. I don't think any big rides were down for maintenece. The weather was really great(high 70s and not very humid)

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TV/Event Guide Editor

Going back for a moment to your original intention...

I visited Orlando the from Dec. 22, 2000 through December 30, 2000. My intinerary was Disney World on the 22nd (empty!), Sea World & Disney-Mgm on the 23rd (empty!), Islands of Adventure on the 24th (VERY empty!) and Busch Gardens on the 25 (empty!). Everything was walk ons. On the 24th There could have been more than a thousand people in IOA after 5PM. On the 26th we headed to EPCOT and suddenly it was overflowing, cramped and packed. You might want to adjust your December visitation times....

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Nothing like a big woodie first thing in the morning and before going to bed at night.