Walt Disney World - January & February 2010 crowd levels, special events and ride closures during your upcoming trip

January 1 - 6: The parks will still be at peak levels with families and visitors on Christmas Break. You definitely need a good touring plan to minimize your time spent in lines. See: http://www.buildabettermousetrip.com/freetouringplans.htm

Most of January is pretty slow and quiet. Lower crowds mean shorter park hours so plan accordingly. This month also tends to have a lot of resort pool refurbishments so be sure to ask before making your reservations.

January 7th- 10th: 2. Disney Marathon Weekend. Disney is adding more marathons this year because they always fill up quickly. That means the parks and the resort will have thousands of runners and family members on property. Avoid the Magic Kingdom over the weekend - visit on a week day instead.

3. Fantasmic! (Disney's Hollywood Studios) - This great show is no longer be presented every night - in fact, it is being offered less and less often. It will only be offered on January 1, 2, 3, 7, 10, 14, 16, 17, 21, 22, 24, & 28 & February 4, 7, 11, 14, 16, 18, 21, 25, & 28. This is a very popular show and we do recommend it. Because of the limited performances, you know Disney's Hollywood Studios is going to be busier the days the show is offered. Because of the limited number of performances, Fantasmic! Dinner Package reservations are very hard to get. Afternoons will be especially busy as those with Park Hopper tickets come over to see the show. We recommend lining up about 80 minutes prior to the show, if you do not have a Fantasmic dinner package. You'll have to decide whether a 25 minute show is worth such a long wait. TIP: We recommend that one person goes to get dinner from a counter-service restaurant while the others hold the place in line; eating dinner while you wait will make good use of the time. Warning: This show is excellent but it does feature villains for a good 8-10 minutes. The scene is fairly intense and can be frightening to small children.

SpectroMagic Parade (Magic Kingdom) - This wonderful nighttime parade is not offered every night and the Magic Kingdom will be more crowded on days featuring a SpectroMagic Parade. The SpectroMagic Parade will be presented on January 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 9, 11, 13, 16, 17, 18, 20, 23, 25, 27, 30 and February 1, 3, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 24, and 27 If Disney offers a second evening parade, the later parade will be less crowded than the earlier. Some good news: the SpectroMagic parade is offered more frequently than Fantasmic! so it doesn't have quite the same affect on the Magic Kingdom crowds that Fantasmic! has on the crowd levels over at Disney's Hollywood Studios. However, the crowd levels definitely spike if Disney ever offers Magic Kingdom Extra Magic Hours on the same day as the SpectroMagic parade; this happens on January 17 and February 11, 14, 18.

Presidents Day Weekend & Mardi Gras - This is a 3-Day weekend and Mardi Gras fall on the same week in 2010. Each of these always increases the crowds a bit at Walt Disney World but the combination of the two will definitely cause a crowds to climb to the moderately high level. Disney doesn't have specific Mardi gras events but it does draw a good number of Louisiana residents fleeing their own state as the crowds come in to party. Universal Orlando also has some Mardi Gras related activities that bring some people into the Orlando area.

January 1 - 4: Osborne Family Spectacle of Lights at Disney-MGM Studios. Millions of lights decorate the Streets of America backlot area.

Mickey's Jingle Jungle Parade (Animal Kingdom) - Offered through January 3rd.

Photos with "Santa Goofy" at Santa's Chalet in Downtown Disney Marketplace. Offered through January 3rd. 3:00 - 10:00PM.

January 7-10, 2010: Walt Disney World Marathon

Super Bowl Sunday is February 7th. Give your sport's fan permission to stay in the room and watch the big game. Expect the ESPN Club restaurant (at Disney's Boardwalk Resor) to be VERY full.

Crystal Palace (Character dining restaurant - Magic Kingdom) will be closed January 3 - February 13th, 2010. During the refurbishment, the Liberty Tree Tavern (Restaurant - Magic Kingdom) will offer character breakfasts, lunches, and dinners from January 3 - 15th.

The Liberty Tree Tavern will return to its normal schedule on February 15th - which mean that lunch & dinner will be offered but those meals will not be character meals.

Splash Mountain (Ride - Magic Kingdom) will be closed January 3 - February 13, 2010.

Liberty Belle Riverboat is closed to guests until January 4th, 2010 due to the Tiana' Showboat Jubilee.

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular (Disney's Hollywood Studios) - will be closed through January 10th - 15th.

Typhoon Lagoon Water Park will be closed for its annual refurbishment November 1, 2009 - January 9, 2010.

Blizzard Beach Water Park will be closed for its annual refurbishment January 10, 2010 - March 20th, 2010.

Uzima Pool & Spa - Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge - will be closed from January 4th - January 29th. Guests may use the pool at the Animal Kingdom Lodge Kidani Village area.

Luna Pool- Disney's Boardwalk Inn - will be closed from January 18th - early February.

Disney recently released a "free nights" promotion that includes select dates in December and the savings can be significant. Guests staying at a Disney Value resort for 5 nights can receive two additional nights free. Guests booking a qualifying Magic Your Way package at a Disney moderate or deluxe resort for four nights can receive up to three nights stay. Your ticket length is also increased but you still have to pay for the dining plan for those nights, if you are using a Disney Dining Plan Use the online form at http://www.buildabettermousetrip.com/Ordering.php to contact us to book your reservation. .

Dining Plan: The Quick Service Dining Plan, the regular Dining Plan, or the Deluxe Dining Plan can be added at the regular price to these package. If you stay for seven nights, you'll pay for seven nights of the dining plan - the "free stay, free ticket" discount does not include any type of free dining promotion.

This is a great deal, especially when coupled with all the extra planning services we provide at no extra cost when you book your trip through us or transfer your existing reservation to us.