Disney for the 4th of July

[momto2girlsLA]

We will be in Florida at the end of June and are considering extending the trip and doing Disney for the 4th of July weekends - pros and cons from those who have done it? (besides the heat). My girls will be 7 and 9 at the time and we have done Magic Kingdom and the Disney Cruise 3 years ago so this will not be their first trip but we would plan to do other parks this time, still do Magic Kingdom but not for the whole time like did last year (3 days at the park and 4 days cruise in October).

 

[MidgeD79]

We like to go to a water park on the 4th and then to the luau at the Polynesian. They take a break during the show so everyone can walk to the beach and watch the fireworks from the Magic Kingdom.

 

[disny_luvr]

I'll be following this thread because we just booked our trip for next summer and we'll be there over July 4th. This is a low-key trip for us as we'll be there for 10 days but only have 6-day park hoppers. I'm planning on it being really crowded. On the actual 4th of July we are planning on not doing any parks; we'll probably just hang at the hotel pool. We are booked at the Poly so we'll be watching the fireworks from the beach in the evening.

 

[dmaz]

We were there a few years ago and loved it. My husband hates crowds. We spent the day at epcot going slowly and enjoying many of the shows. It was very crowded but worth every minute. This year we are trying NYE which I have heard will be worse. There was nothing like being in the American experience on the 4th.

 

[smiths02]

In 2003, it was just DH and I. We arrived on the 4th. We watched fireworks at MK (quite a crowd) and then went back to the hotel. We didn't attempt rides. I don't like crowds and this was a little much for me,but it was okay to just watch the fireworks.

In 2011, we went to AK on the 4th (I think it was even am EMH). We did a jungle trek and the safari, then had a brunch at Tusker House. They had areas for the kids to get wet. We went back to the hotel around lunch time, and then went to dinner at Cape May. There were activities at the Boardwalk that was free for anyone there (a DJ). I think it would have been fun, but we were tired so we went back to CBR and watched the high fireworks from Epcot and DHS from the beach.

In 2011, our trip was July 1-6. We were able to ride everything we wanted. Granted, the parks are more crowded now than 2011 and FP+ is different, but we took advantage of rope drop (it is cooler then as well) and FP and just had fun.

 

[luvmy2sams]

We were at Disney this year (July 2-5) before our cruise. We're used to the Christmas/New Year weeks crowds, and it didn't seem that bad to us. We did all 4 parks, saw the preview fireworks at MK on the 3rd and the fireworks at Epcot on the 4th. The heat is crazy, but that's what resort pools are for in the afternoons. We had FP+ and booked additional FPs after using our first 3. The lines to add Fastpasses were the worst ones we experienced. Being at the American Experience on the 4th was worth the entire trip!

 

[Lupeix]

It depends what your tolerance for crowds, heat and the possibility of getting soaked is.

We did it last year, and I will never do it again.
MK closed to capacity on the 4th, and apparently this is not unusual for that date. I am going to guess that is ~75-100,000 people?

DH has now a new level of crowded he calls "MK crowded on the 4th", never seen so many people in one place at the same time. I knew it was going to be crowded, but I never imagined what "MK crowded on the 4th" looked like. Did I mention it was hot as hell?

We thought we will do a short day, arrive in the afternoon, take it easy by not planning on doing many rides because the lines were going to be crazy (they were) and see the fireworks. At 7 pm the park was so crowded it was hard to walk. Main street was elbow to elbow all the way through. It started to pour rain (again common in Orlando in the summer), it was so crowded it took us forever to make it inside a store, even with ponchos we got soaked. After that, DH HAD TO GET OUT, we never saw the fireworks. DH declared he hated WDW.

I am trying to redeem myself with a trip at the end of April next year in which I promised there will be less people than on the 4th of July. Glad he has agreed to go after that because I loove WDW.
My advise will be : DON'T DO IT

 

[SLP958]

We are from Alabama and used to heat. However, FL heat in July nearly put us under.

Never again. I would rather stay home and flush my money down the toilet.

 

[maxiesmom]

I've made one trip over the 4th of July, and would love to do another!

As long as you go, knowing what you are going to be getting into, it is fine. We did MK on the 3rd, when they still show the special fireworks, but the park is a smidge less crazy. We did Epcot on the 4th, as it is so large you really don't feel the crowd as much.

That was the one trip I actually used an actual touring plan, and it worked out great! When the lines got longer than we wanted to wait in, we rode around in the train for a while. I also think the fact that we made both lunch and dinner ADRs in the park was a huge help. Nothing like some self-enforced break time in air conditioning to help revive you.

The fireworks were nothing short of spectacular. 360 degrees! You don't know which way to look, and they were so bright it was like daylight!

Definitely go!!!

 

[glassslippergirl]

They do fireworks at MK on the third and fourth. So we went to MK on the third and Epcot on the Fourth. Both sets of fireworks were spectacular (it's a totally different holiday show in MK but a special holiday add-on to Illuminations at Epcot).
The Voices of Liberty concert at Epcot on the Fourth is a must-see also.

Plan for crowds (not as bad as Christmas or NYE) and for rain. Get to your park early and stay for the long haul. Make an ADR for a late lunch/ early dinner to take a leisurely rest in the AC. Despite constant downpours through both nights' fireworks, this trip was one of our favorites.