4th of July... Crazy?

[glk2009]

How busy is the 4th of July at DL?

We were there during Thanksgiving week which seemed pretty busy but manageable.

How does it compare?

Thanks!!!!

 

[dina444444]

This past summer the 4th felt like what a weekday in the off season used to be, not crowded. I am not expecting this coming summer to be as light on crowds. The only craziness I saw that night was the esplanade was wall to wall with people to watch the fireworks, so non park visitors that were just there for the fireworks.

 

[baozi]

I was there last year during that week. It was 100+ degrees during the later part of the week, the parks were empty...
On 7/4 itself the park was not that empty, but not crowded either.

 

[karly101]

My experience was from a few years ago - it was busy early on we swapped to DCA which was great on 4th July busy but not overly crowded, we swapped back for fireworks which was a crazy experience but we all had a great time not sure I would have enjoyed that crowd level for most of the day (you couldn't pick where to walk just go with the crowd).

 

[glk2009]

Thanks! Sounds like I shouldn't be deterred by the crowds and keep my fingers crossed that it's not a heat wave while we are there!

 

[poptart90]

Two years in a row for the 4th for us. Already booked again for this year. Hands down the best time we have found to go all year. If you get up and out to the park early, you can do between 10-12 rides (and that's us with a toddler) in less than two hours. Sit down have breakfast/lunch. Back to hotel to swim when the park picks up around 1-3pm...HOT, so swimming is the perfect break. Then back to park for the evening and more riding. We took family with us this last summer. When two double jogger strollers can stroll down Main Street side by side with extra adults on either side, you know it's not crowded. They've booked with us again for this year!

(Not saying the park is empty...but if you found Thanksgiving "manageable"? You will LOVE the 4th!)

 

[Ava]

Two years in a row for the 4th for us. Already booked again for this year. Hands down the best time we have found to go all year. If you get up and out to the park early, you can do between 10-12 rides (and that's us with a toddler) in less than two hours. Sit down have breakfast/lunch. Back to hotel to swim when the park picks up around 1-3pm...HOT, so swimming is the perfect break. Then back to park for the evening and more riding. We took family with us this last summer. When two double jogger strollers can stroll down Main Street side by side with extra adults on either side, you know it's not crowded. They've booked with us again for this year!

Glad to hear these positive experiences, because we will be at DLR July 4-6! We're flying in on Tues the 3rd, so the 4th will be our first day at the parks. We're doing Wed, Thurs, Fri at DLR then driving down to San Diego on Sat the 7th.

Is there anything special we should do at the parks on the 4th, except the fireworks? We're staying offsite & won't have access to EMH at DCA that day, so we'll be starting our morning at DL. What is the typical park opening time in July?

 

[dina444444]

Glad to hear these positive experiences, because we will be at DLR July 4-6! We're flying in on Tues the 3rd, so the 4th will be our first day at the parks. We're doing Wed, Thurs, Fri at DLR then driving down to San Diego on Sat the 7th.

Is there anything special we should do at the parks on the 4th, except the fireworks? We're staying offsite & won't have access to EMH at DCA that day, so we'll be starting our morning at DL. What is the typical park opening time in July?

Park should open at 8am.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

What is the typical park opening time in July?

8 AM

 

[BayouQueen]

This past summer the 4th felt like what a weekday in the off season used to be, not crowded. I am not expecting this coming summer to be as light on crowds. The only craziness I saw that night was the esplanade was wall to wall with people to watch the fireworks, so non park visitors that were just there for the fireworks.

We got caught up in that esplanade crush as well. We were walking back to our hotel after fireworks, and the path through Downtown Disney was a little scary to me. You could hardly move, and I got separated from my family. Next time, we'll wait in the park for awhile to let things move along a bit.

But other than that, yeah, it wasn't too bad. I mean, some FPs ran out in the afternoon, as they always do, but I never felt overwhelmed in the parks. We did make sure to have meal reservations set, things like that, just to be on the safe side.

 

[poptart90]

Glad to hear these positive experiences, because we will be at DLR July 4-6! We're flying in on Tues the 3rd, so the 4th will be our first day at the parks. We're doing Wed, Thurs, Fri at DLR then driving down to San Diego on Sat the 7th.

Is there anything special we should do at the parks on the 4th, except the fireworks? We're staying offsite & won't have access to EMH at DCA that day, so we'll be starting our morning at DL. What is the typical park opening time in July?

Nothing special that I've noticed. But I second BayouQueen above. The esplanade will be nuts at night with people who don't have tickets (or annual passes that are blocked out) there to watch the fireworks. So my advice would be to take a good long rest in the afternoon and gear up for the evening. Maybe grab dinner reservations in DL and plan to stay as long as possible after the fireworks to allow the foot traffic to clear?

 

[Ava]

Park should open at 8am.

8 AM

Thank you both! We’re used to 9am openings at WDW, but we are coming from the East Coast so we’ll probably be awake early on our first day anyway.

Nothing special that I've noticed. But I second BayouQueen above. The esplanade will be nuts at night with people who don't have tickets (or annual passes that are blocked out) there to watch the fireworks. So my advice would be to take a good long rest in the afternoon and gear up for the evening. Maybe grab dinner reservations in DL and plan to stay as long as possible after the fireworks to allow the foot traffic to clear?

Yes, I plan to take advantage of the hotel being within walking distance to take a break in the afternoons. I assume fireworks will be around 9 or 9:30?

 

[dina444444]

Thank you both! We’re used to 9am openings at WDW, but we are coming from the East Coast so we’ll probably be awake early on our first day anyway.


Yes, I plan to take advantage of the hotel being within walking distance to take a break in the afternoons. I assume fireworks will be around 9 or 9:30?

They will be at 9:30.