4th of July Week

[Stan1701]

Hi. My family (me, my wife, 12-year-old son and 8-year-old daughter) will be in Orlando during the 4th of July week. We'd appreciate any tips on which parks are the best to visit during that time, what days may be best, etc.

For instance, my first thought was that fireworks at Disney World on the 4th would be really cool. My second thought is that a lot of other people will be thinking that and that the parks will be extremely crowded. What about going the day after? Will the people who went all out on the 4th use the 5th to recover? There are fireworks every night, right?

If you can't tell, it's been a long time since we've been to Disney World.

Also, we'll be staying at Vistana, a non-Disney resort that's still close to Disney. If we go early in the day, then head back to Vistana to cool off for a few hours at mid-day, then go back around 4:00, will we be able to get back in or will the parks be filled by then?

Any advice for getting the most out Disney that week without getting too exhausted will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Stan

 

[FINFAN]

Hi Stan, and WELCOME to the DIS! This place will be invaluable to you! I was in the same boat as you last year, not sure since it had been 5 years between visits and hearing of MAJOR crowds! Anyway, we visited Animal Kingdom during the day of the 4th, they closed at 6p.m. and then we returned to ASMU for a quick bite and headed off to MK about 8:30p.m. We walked right into MK and grabbed a spot on the bridge going over to Tomorrowland. th fireworks are so unbelievable....they are on both the front and back of the park and you are right in the middle. The castle changes colors and Tinkerbell....I want to go back! Th e best thing is, is there is a parade after the fireworks are done, and the park stays open while most people have headed out...you can still do the rides for a while! We left MK AT ABOUT 12:30 A.M.(KIDS ARE NIGHTOWLS) and just kept riding Buzz Lightyear over and over... Epcot also has a highly recommended show...you will enjoy what ever choice you make...you will be in Disney!

 

[pat fan]

We were there two years ago on the 4th but staying on-site.When we went to MK in the afternoon the park was closed because it was at capacity,so if you were not staying on-site you could not enter.If MK is where you want to be for the fireworks(and they ARE awesome!)then I suggest you get there early and don't leave.

The crowds were something else,too.We had been there the previous year the week AFTER the 4th and crowds were easily managed with a little planning.The 4th was CRAZY amounts of people !!!That said,if you can wait them out(a lot leave right after the fireworks)you can have a great time late into the night.

 

[Stan1701]

Thanks for the helpful information. I know we'll have a great time.

Could either of you help me make sure that I understand how our Hopper passes work. We can go to one of the parks in the morning, take a break, then go to a different park on the same day, right? Will we have an admission ticket to show or something that says we've already paid to get in? Sorry for such a simple question, but, like I said, it's been awhile since we've been there. Thanks.

Stan

 

[FINFAN]

No apology necessary Stan....that's why this board is so great...all are here to help! Yes, you understand the Hopper ticket correctly. You may enter any of the 4 parks as many times as you like in one day, which uses up one valid date of the pass. Say you have the 5 day hopper, Day 1 MK---EPCOT....Day 2 MGM---MK---AK.....You will have now used up 2 of your 5 days valid on your pass. The hoppers are the best! And any unused days NEVER expire...if you have 1 or 2 left over and don't return for another few years, you will have 2 days access into the parks again! Your Hopper tickets look like a credit card, but not as hard of a plastic, and will have a cartoon of one of the characters on it(at least ours did) we purchased ours at the Disney Store and the kids chose which character they wanted to be...I think there were 5 choices at the time..anyway..you will feed your card into a machine at the turnstyle and it will send it right back out to you. A good tip is to photo cpoy your tickets either at home B4 YOU GO OR AT THE HOTEL SO THAT YOU HAVE THE CODE #...IF THEY ARE LOST OR STOLEN THEY CAN BE TRACKED AND REPLACED. This would be invaluable and really only takes a second to do. Have a wonderful trip...and remember to drink LOTS of water!