Hi Marianne!
Welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel! I too plan my Walt Disney World Resort vacations months ahead of time, so you are very wise to begin planning for your January 2016 stay now. I love advance planners like myself!
If you are staying at a Disney Vacation Club Resort, you’ll be excited to know that Magic Bands are included with your stay! Be sure that your resort reservation number is linked in your
My Disney Experience account, and this will generate your Magic Bands for you. Several months before your trip, you’ll be able to customize your Magic Bands with your choice of select colors, and you can personalize your name on the back of the band. Your bands will be mailed directly to you at the address you provide during customization.
Park hours are generally released 5 to 6 months in advance, so for January I would begin checking the
Walt Disney World website for park hours in July or August. Sometimes when I am starting to plan my Advance Dining Reservations the actual park hours have not yet been released. While there is never a guarantee that the they will be correct, I have used the Touring Plans website, a subscription based service, to give me their anticipated park hours, then I compare and make any necessary changes when official hours are released. You can also research January 2015 hours and use that as a guide to anticipate the 2016 hours. Please do know that even official park hours are subject to change at any time.
I hope this is helpful as you are adding pixie dust to your plans. Please let us know what additional questions we might be able to help you with as you continue to plan your next exciting Walt Disney World Resort vacation!
Have a Disney Day!
- Kate