What to Wear to Disney World in January (2025)

If you’re wondering what to pack and wear to Disney in January, as well as what to expect as far as crowds, average temperatures, and events, keep reading.

Is it Cold at Disney World in January?

While it’s never truly cold (below freezing) at Disney World, January is the coldest month of the year in Central Florida. What this means for most people is that it’s one the best times to go to Disney World, especially if you want to wear pants and a sweater. It also rains less frequently in the wintertime than it does in summer and fall. And if you go at the right time, you can avoid crowds in the theme parks. We love to go near the end of January, often combining it with a Disney Cruise. The winter months are our family's favorite time for a Walt Disney World vacation.

In the article below, I’ll give you the specifics on temperature and rain at Walt Disney World during January, then I’ll give you packing tips to help you be prepared for your January Disney trip, based on the data and our experiences there. Finally, I’ll give you crowd details, events to watch for, and some other January information.

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Disney World Weather in January

January has the mildest weather in Orlando of any month, or if you’re from Florida, you may feel like it’s actually cold weather. The average highs for January are 71 degrees Fahrenheit (21.6 degrees Celsius for those not from US) and the average lows are 52 degrees Fahrenheit (11 degrees Celsius). 

The highs and lows (graph credit: Weatherspark)

For most people, a 71-degree high is what we’d call sweater weather. However, Central Florida is very humid, and you’ll be walking upwards of 10 miles a day, often in direct, subtropical sunlight. This will make your actual body temperature feel much hotter. The exception is if it’s overcast, your spending tons of time in the shade, or primarily sitting in a scooter or stroller. (Your kids might get colder than you).

How you like to go to the park will also affect how you experience the temperatures. The absolute coldest time of day is early morning, so if you’re rope dropping (going before park open), then you’ll experience the coldest weather of the day. Conversely, if you like to sleep in and go to the parks in the afternoon, you’ll have warmer temperatures in the middle of the day that will last well into the evening. Once the sun goes down, the lack of sunlight will make it feel cooler again.

My wife took this selfie at the After Hours Party at Magic Kingdom we went to in January. Everyone's got jackets on.

When we were there this January, it only got above 70 degrees once during our trip, but the sun was warmer than I thought it would feel, especially at the parks.

Speaking of daylight, one of the great things about going in the wintertime is that you get to see Pandora at night. Animal Kingdom closes early so that the animals can sleep, which means in the summer, it often closes before dark. Therefore, winter is the only chance to see the amazing theming and beauty of the world of Avatar. 

The bioluminescence of Pandora lit up at night. (I'm not a better writer than photographer) 

Now let’s talk rain. Rain is a frequent feature of any Florida vacation. St. Petersburg, Florida, just west of Disney, is the lightning capital of the nation. As I mentioned earlier, January has lightest rainfall of any month, but you should still be prepared. On average, there’s a 20 percent chance of rain at Walt Disney World Resort in January, so not enormous, but I’d definitely be prepared. Rain in January is often a constant drizzle instead of the summer thunderstorms, and it can make things feel much colder. Also, since it's not scattered thunderstorms, the weather forecast is typically more reliable than during other months.

Fun fact I’ve shared way too many times in these weather posts, if the temperature drops below 40 degrees, iguanas get too cold and start falling from trees. Don’t worry. They’re fine. Here’s a clip https://youtu.be/kCF_UIRPOMw?si=4RFd18ksj88atsZc.

What to Pack for Disney World in January

It's a good idea to pack layers of t-shirts, hoodies, or a light jacket, that way you can add or subtract clothes as your comfort dictates. I recommend packing a combination of long pants and shorts/skirts. Then you can decide, based on the day, what feels best. I always pack one hoodie and two pairs of long pants to save room in my luggage. If I don’t use the pants for the park, I might switch into them for late night activities or a nice dinner. It might be possible to bring a beanie, but I always get too hot in them.

It was cold enough for my girls to wear these jackets in the morning. I wasn't quite as cold.

One of the great things about cooler weather is that there’s so much Disney stuff I have that I can almost never wear, like hoodies, jackets, thick hats, and things I don’t want to get really sweaty in. This also means you can get away with thicker costumes for your kids. My girls love wearing their biggest princess dresses in January. Speaking of kids, if they’re in the stroller you may want to pack a blanket. Our kids sometimes get cold riding around.

It was cool enough in January for my daughter to wear this thick Cinderella dress, but warm enough for her to wear short sleeves.

As I mentioned earlier, all of your activity and direct sunlight will make it seem 5-10 degrees hotter. It has to be below 65 for me to be able to tolerate pants all day. Again, if you’re going to riding in a scooter, wheelchair, or stroller, then you might be colder. I love wearing the winter clothes, but I often end up in a short sleeve shirt by the end of the day.

What to Pack for Disney World Any Time of Year

First, you should always bring rain gear. There may only be a 20% chance of rain, but you don’t want to be caught without it. We’ve had to buy ponchos at the park and paid $20 a person for a cheap quality plastic cover. At least it was Disney branded. You can buy much cheaper online. You may also consider bringing ponchos for water rides because nothing will make you feel colder than walking around wet when it’s in the 50s. We also often bring a shower curtain and clips to cover the stroller. Several times that we’ve been to Disney, we’ve gone into a ride while it’s sunny and come back out with a wet stroller. So many soggy goldfish.

Next, bring all of your Disney gear! Hats, shirts, bounding outfits, and three-fingered gloves! Our family thinks Disney is more fun when we dress up our fandom. Here’s an Amazon souvenir list I put together if you need stuff. It’s an affiliate link, so I may earn and buy more Mickey ears.

I have more layers on that Figment. Here's some of my Disney gear.

You also need to bring your toiletries, swimsuits (more on that later), hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, and chargers. Suncare is important even if it’s cold outside. You’ll be outside a lot, and the Florida sun is more intense than you’re probably used to. Here’s a packing guide if you need it, and Amazon list for the things you need.

You also need to stay hydrated. Even if you’re not soaking in sweat, you’ll be walking in the aforementioned sunlight. You don’t want to make yourself miserable at Disney. Therefore, I recommend having lots of bottled water (Florida tap water tastes terrible) or at least a water bottle that filters the water. You can order that and snacks once you get to your resort or bring it with you if you’re driving. We go through lots of water (and hydration packs) every trip.

Finally, I strongly suggest bringing comfortable shoes like running or walking shoes to Disney World. Getting blisters on the first day will make your trip much worse. Some people swear by Hey Dudes or flip flops, but I recommend a lot more support. Here’s an article I put together on the best shoes.

What Not to Bring to Disney World

There are also things you should never bring to Disney World, like weapons, hard-sided coolers, wagons, and loose ice. Also, don’t bring costumes for anyone over sixteen. Disney doesn’t want adults impersonating characters, messing up the magic, or confusing children.

Next, remember that Disney World is a family place. Don’t wear clothes with lewd sayings, even if it makes you giggle, and don’t wear risqué outfits. Also, everyone has a different opinion in modesty, but Disney has been known to turn away guests that push the limits on this, especially if there’s a potential wardrobe malfunction.

Here’s a full list https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/park-rules/

Crowds and Events at Disney World in January

The first week of January is one of the busiest weeks of the year. Between New Year’s Day and school holidays the parks and hotels will be packed, resulting in long lines. To make matters worse, January 8-12 will be the RunDisney marathon event, which will bring in crowds before and during the events. However, if you missed the holiday season decorations, they might still be lingering.

The rest of the month is typically low crowds. We found relatively low crowds and short wait times during MLK weekend this year. And if you can sneak down there the last week, it should be smooth sailing.

One of the best special events in January and February is the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts, with amazing artistic displays, local artists, shadow boxes where you can join famous paintings, and creative food items. We’ve been to this festival every year for the last few years, and it might be our favorite. It typically starts halfway through January.

My wife as Frida at the EPCOT Festival of the Arts in January. She would like for you to know that she doesn't actually have a unibrow.

For a more comprehensive guide to crowds and events, check out https://www.disneytouristblog.com/january-disney-world/  

Can You Swim at Disney World in January?

You can always swim at Disney World because they keep the pools heated to 80 degrees. Also, each moderate and deluxe resort has a hot tub. Many of the offsite resorts, like the Hilton Palace we stayed at last December, also have heated pools. It’s up to you if the outside weather is too cold to be running around wet after you get out of the pool and back to your hotel room. We absolutely had to get in Stormalong Bay when we stayed at Beach Club last January.

It was only warm enough for us to swim one day on our last January trip. Here's my daughter playing in the sand at Beach Club. In the distance you can see a guy sunbathing in a flannel shirt.

Disney also keeps the water parks open and heated as well. Since the pandemic, they’ve been alternating which water park (Typhoon Lagoon or Blizzard Beach) stays open. Our family loves both of them. Again, you’ll have to decide if it’s too cold to walk around between slides. Disney will shut down the water park for cold weather if the weather drops below a certain temperature (maybe mid-50s).

So, unless you’re sure you don’t want to, bring your bathing suit. Our kids don’t care how cold it is, so we always end up in the pool unless we’re too busy.

Conclusion and Further Reading

If this prepared you for your Disney vacation in January, or you have January experience, let me know in the comments below. To sum it up again, bring layers, short sleeves and long sleeve shirts, a hoodie or jacket, expect cool nights and mornings, and prepare for rainy days. A January trip is a great time, possibly the best time, to go to Disney if you hate the heat. This is one time where the Florida weather is fun (as opposed to the miserable summer months).

And I want to reiterate, bring comfortable tennis shoes for the Disney parks.

For more packing ideas, check out this article on packing for Disney, as well as my guides to the best portable chargers.

And for more Walt Disney world tips, click the search tab.