4th of July thoughts?

[Captain UP]

Hey everyone! As always, looking for some insight here from the best Disney people in the world...thanks in advance!

Thinking of planning a quick 4 day trip around July 4th this year.

Is this a horrible idea due to insane crowds or is it something worth experiencing?

For those who love the idea, why? What unique things might we expect at this time of year!

Thanks!

 

[NYCgrrl]

Hey everyone! As always, looking for some insight here from the best Disney people in the world...thanks in advance!

Thinking of planning a quick 4 day trip around July 4th this year.

Is this a horrible idea due to insane crowds or is it something worth experiencing?

For those who love the idea, why? What unique things might we expect at this time of year!

Thanks!

My last WDW trip was over the 4th and lasted 4 nights. Nowhere near as crowded as Christmas. I suspect the FL heat and backyard cooking keeps a lot of people away. Been there 4 or 5 times for Independence Day. We always leave NYC on the 4th to take advantage of the less crowded airports.

 

[focusondisney]

Hey everyone! As always, looking for some insight here from the best Disney people in the world...thanks in advance!

Thinking of planning a quick 4 day trip around July 4th this year.

Is this a horrible idea due to insane crowds or is it something worth experiencing?

For those who love the idea, why? What unique things might we expect at this time of year!

Thanks!

We did 4th of July for the first time last year. We’re APs & go a few times a year so weren’t trying to do a lot of rides. MK has special fireworks on July 3rd & 4th. We also did a split stay to cut down on transportation issues. We stayed in a theme park view room at Contemporary so watched the holiday fireworks from our balcony on July 3rd. Then moved to BWI on the 4th. Epcot was busy, but manageable during the day. We watched the fireworks from just outside the International Gateway. They were amazing & probably the best we’ve ever seen. Then a quick walk back to our room.
We also did a DAH at Epcot on the 5th. We were pleasantly surprised at how we managed. It was hot for sure, but not much worse than the early September time frame. I was also worried about our travel because of all the airline issues around holidays. But those went well also. I would do it again.

 

[Captain UP]

Thank you both! I'm okay with the heat, so it sounds like this might be worth it crowd-wise.

Aside from fireworks, is there anything else unique to the 4th anywhere?

 

[GADisneyDad14]

IMHO 7/4 is one of those WDW dates that gets a little over-hyped online when it comes to crowds. In reality summer crowds in general have been trending down for a number of years for a variety of factors. There's a reason summer rates (including 7/4) are among the lowest resort rack rates you'll find all year.

Don't get me wrong, MK (7/3 & 7/4) and Epcot (7/4) will be busy, but one thing Disney actually does well is handle the big inflow and outflow of people on these types of special days.

If you don't mind the heat and rolling with the punches with afternoon storms, it's a great holiday to experience at WDW, in my opinion.

 

[lilmc]

We are out of state, but in 2022 had AP so we went frequently instead of our normal every 3-5 years. The pressure was off to “get everything done” because we were going so often. Part of that year was planning trips at times we never would have otherwise based on crowd levels, namely all the holidays. While NYE was amazing and I was so glad we did it, 4th of July was fun, not as crazy, but fun. We were glad we did. It’s an experience for sure and now we can say we’ve done it.

 

[melly57x]

A close friend of mine went over the 4th of July this year and it was absolutely empty. She sent me pictures of her daughter in front of an empty castle. We were both shocked! Don't know if that's typical these days or if it was a fluke, but it looked amazing!

 

[Captain UP]

A close friend of mine went over the 4th of July this year and it was absolutely empty. She sent me pictures of her daughter in front of an empty castle. We were both shocked! Don't know if that's typical these days or if it was a fluke, but it looked amazing!

Wow! Well, I booked my trip, so I would be just fine with that experience!

 

[melly57x]

Wow! Well, I booked my trip, so I would be just fine with that experience!

Have a great time!

 

[Selket]

Thinking of planning a quick 4 day trip around July 4th this year.

Is this a horrible idea due to insane crowds or is it something worth experiencing?

I've been the past two years around the 4th of July. 2023 at the CR which is ideal for seeing those MK fireworks. That period was hotter than heck - unusually hot - and I don't mind the heat but it was brutal. 2024 at the CSR tower room - we watched the MK fireworks from the room on July 3rd (water facing view and we could see them from the window but it's a good distance away). On the 4th we went to Epcot just because we were curious about their show (which is sort of a burst of fireworks after the regular nightly show there). Overall the MK ones are more fun but both are great. Temps were more normal (still hot tho!).

It is one of my favorite times to go - probably because it seems less crowded but has a nice holiday spirit and I like the fireworks. I'm an AP and go often and one of my kids is a CM. I'm also not too aggressive with riding stuff - although we do a lot of rides - and my kids are grown.

 

[mrsap]

We used to go 2 weeks over the 4th of July period (the week before and week of.) The week before was always pretty quiet and then the closer you got to the 4th, the crowds picked up, but it was never unbearable! (Not like Christmas/NYE) We would stay at the resort for the 4th to enjoy the kids activities and watch the fireworks from the resort. It’s actually a fun time to be there! We always looked forward to it! Only reason we changed our dates was because of sports commitments. I’d definitely book!

 

[TheDailyMoo]

Do the 4th every year for a few years now. Love it as long as you don't mind the heat...which you've said you don't. Pro tip...do MK fireworks on the 3rd which is their special show and then do Epcot on the 4th since they only do their special show on the 4th only.

 

[fly girl]

We have been a couple of times over the 4th and have been pleasantly surprised about lack of crowds. In fact, we mentioned how packed all the parks were this past weekend versus July 4th.

Epcot fireworks on the 4th are awesome! Highly recommend.

 

[Shibafam2011]

We really enjoy WDW during the Fourth of July. We were there this past 4th for a week and mentioned so many times how the crowds “weren’t that bad”. We have been during Thanksgiving week and it was way more crowded.

It is very hot during July, maybe that keeps people away. But if you plan correctly the heat is manageable. I agree with the comments about the EPCOT fireworks for the 4th, the show is wonderful!

 

[Captain UP]

This is really great stuff, everyone!

I am officially booked- Turret room at Yacht Club!

I figure we will walk over to Epcot for the fireworks on the 4th.

 

[DeeBee3]

This past year was our 1st 4th of July. We loved it, but there was a heat advisory almost our entire trip. It was definitely hotter and more humid than usual. We did have to cut back on our outdoor time. We have been in August a few times. Definitely this was worse than that.

Just wanted to add that the characters over in Epcot at the American Pavilion have special costumes on July 4. I was so bummed because we just missed it They cut off the line when we got there and were no longer going to be in their costumes. Basically it was colonial style red, white and blue type outfits.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

This is really great stuff, everyone!

I am officially booked- Turret room at Yacht Club!

I figure we will walk over to Epcot for the fireworks on the 4th.

That's a nice room type. Enjoy.

 

[TheDailyMoo]

This is really great stuff, everyone!

I am officially booked- Turret room at Yacht Club!

I figure we will walk over to Epcot for the fireworks on the 4th.

Best place to stay for Epcot 4th. You'll see when you leave that the line for the skyliner will literally stretch to the entrance of YC/BC.

 

[Captain UP]

Best place to stay for Epcot 4th. You'll see when you leave that the line for the skyliner will literally stretch to the entrance of YC/BC.

Whoa! I can't lie- it will feel pretty good walking past that line straight to my bed!

 

[DeeBee3]

Whoa! I can't lie- it will feel pretty good walking past that line straight to my bed!

Let me tell you that line is INSANE and it was so great walking to the Boardwalk.