Hi Dale! Welcome to planDisney.
Your January visit to the Walt Disney World Resort will be here before you know it! There is no other place I'd rather kick off a new year than at Disney, and you are setting yourself up for a year full of magic.
It's always a good idea to plan for closures and refurbishments, especially to avoid disappointment or set expectations for younger Mouseketeers. The best way to view refurbishments is to use the interactive
Park Hours calendar. Use the "Day View" tab and then scroll down to view "Closed for Refurbishment" for each theme park. For example, in Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park,
Expedition Everest - Legend of the Forbidden Mountain will be closed during your January visit; the webpage for the attraction notes that the closure will last from January 4 through mid-April.
Please know that while Walt Disney World Resort makes every effort to notify Guests of anticipated closures and refurbishments, there are sometimes unanticipated closures. You can use the
My Disney Experience mobile app's map feature to see if an attraction is operating; filter the map for "Attractions" and look for a star on the map. Tap the star for more information; it will show "Temporarily Closed" if the attraction is currently down. A Cast Member showed me this super helpful feature on my last visit!
Dale, please know that some experiences are paused or closed as part of the phased reopening of the Walt Disney World Resort. You can learn more on the
Returning to a World of Magic webpage; the
Parks and Tickets: Know Before You Go page has a full list of attractions and their operating status (aside from unforeseen closures).
Have you heard about
Disney Genie Service? This new tool will help you plan your Disney days by learning about your must-dos and favorites and customizing an itinerary for you. For an additional fee, you can add Disney Genie+ to some or all of your ticketed days, giving you access to Lightning Lanes for faster access to your selected attractions (one at a time throughout your day). You can even further customize by purchasing Individual Lightning Lane access for up to two attractions per day.
This Disney Parks Blog story gives you the basics about how it all works.
I hope this helps as you plan your best days ever at Walt Disney World! Your friends here at planDisney are always happy to help, so please come back and see us if you have any further questions as you count down the days.
Wishing you much magic,
Robyn