4th july

[married2mm]

hi from the cold uk

From those with previous experience of being in or around the parks on that day/weekend;

How was it?
What did you do?
Traffic?

Dare we venture to a disney park-either early or later on in the day?
Visit a resort and have yummy food?
Watch a blockbuster at the movies?

 

[glassslippergirl]

hi from the cold uk ?

Greetings from sunny South Florida!

From those with previous experience of being in or around the parks on that day/weekend; How was it? What did you do?

We went for the third and fourth a couple of years ago. The Fourth of July fireworks are worth braving the crowds and heat-- really a spectacle. They are shown in MK on the third and fourth, so I'd recommend going to MK on the third and Epcot on the fourth. It will be crowded but tolerable.

Of course, this assumes you are interested in the holiday entertainment. If not, I'd prioritize AK on the Fourth because it won't have an evening fireworks show, so crowds should be less.

If you go to any park, make an ADR for someplace where you can sit for 1.5-2 hours in the heat of the day-- we liked CP for this. It's a good respite with AC, comfy seats, and free refills.

Traffic?

Not sure what you mean by this. Are you staying off property and driving? Roads and parking lots will be crowded but manageable. Are you taking Disney transportation? Prepare for long waits for resort busses. You'll do best by traveling early.

hi from the cold uk Dare we venture to a disney park-either early or later on in the day?

My vote is to start early and end late. Crowds are lower, and it is cooler earlier in the day. On the third, you should be able to leave MK in the afternoon to rest and renter for the evening entertainment. You'll be able to do the same at non-MK parks on the Fourth.

hi from the cold uk Visit a resort and have yummy food? Watch a blockbuster at the movies?

I'm not a fan if going to a movie in my WDW days. I can do that at home. But that's a personal preference. If you're not interested in any Fourth fireworks, you may do your resort hopping on the Fourth, if that's something you'd really like to do. Maybe do a dinner show like HDDR. If you'd really like to be in a park (if it wasn't a holiday, would you go to a park?), then I'd go to one. Check one of the websites for the recommended parks of the day.

 

[married2mm]

Thanks very much for your detailed response.

We don't have any great desire to watch the fireworks-unless perhaps from a distance.

My dh is concerned we may get stuck in a traffic jam-
We had some major traffic problems at home around Christmas.
we've never had traffic issues whilst on vacation-however "friends" have told him it will be manic

We will have a hire car-we don't rely on disney buses;
only occasionally use for am emh.

We thoroughly enjoy going to the movies in Orlando-
the chance to see a movie before its release in the UK is one of dh's favourite vacation pastimes.

 

[Newsies]

Thanks very much for your detailed response.

We don't have any great desire to watch the fireworks-unless perhaps from a distance.

My dh is concerned we may get stuck in a traffic jam-
We had some major traffic problems at home around Christmas.
we've never had traffic issues whilst on vacation-however "friends" have told him it will be manic

We will have a hire car-we don't rely on disney buses;
only occasionally use for am emh.

We thoroughly enjoy going to the movies in Orlando-
the chance to see a movie before its release in the UK is one of dh's favourite vacation pastimes.

It sounds like if you don't really want to see the fireworks, like going to the movies, and you're worried about traffic, your best bet is to visit your favorite park early in the day and spend the evening at Downtown Disney. You can catch a movie and have dinner, plus I'm sure DTD will be less crowded than any of the parks. Have an amazing trip!

 

[married2mm]

It sounds like if you don't really want to see the fireworks, like going to the movies, and you're worried about traffic, your best bet is to visit your favorite park early in the day and spend the evening at Downtown Disney. You can catch a movie and have dinner, plus I'm sure DTD will be less crowded than any of the parks. Have an amazing trip!

Thanks very much.

We're super excited.

 

[DVCcurious]

Went to WDW July 3-7 2010. Now, 2010 had lower crowds than 2015 will and it still had FP- so our experience will be different than yours this year. It was so awesome I definitely want to go again and we will at some point.

It was hot and very busy. But the crowds were "manageable" as in I don't remember being mad about the crowds, I just remember having a ton of fun. I remember Splash, Space, and Thunder were all pushing 90 minute waits at mid-day. I also remember that Haunted Mansion had an extended queue that took you down by the river.

The fireworks were amazing. The best show I've ever seen, I've only seen 4th of July in Seattle and New York, but WDW was definitely better than those shows.

The park was open 8-1AM. We got there at like 7AM and were parked way up front in the Minnie lot. We were so close we walked instead of taking a tram. In fact when we got there the boat wasn't running so we could only take the monorail from the TTC. The crowds seemed to show up after 10:00. Our first rides were Pirates of the Caribbean, Splash, and Thunder and we did those with no waits. Waits picked up about 10:00 so we had two hours with low crowds. Between 10-10 the waits were pretty long as I mentioned earlier. But after the fireworks and electrical parade between 10-1100ish the crowds disappeared. We watched the second electrical parade from frontier land at 1100 or so and there was empty boat after empty boat going down the hill at Splash. We left at 11 because we had got there at 7AM and we were wiped out. But you could've got a ton done from 11PM-1AM close.

 

[dmband]

I have done it multi times and it really varies I find based on day of the week
If it's a "weekend", fri- mon it is farrrrrrr worse crowd wise