4th of July

[chrisd596]

1st time going over the 4th of July. Any suggestions from experienced 4th of July vacationers.

thanks

Chris

 

[lovinthemouse]

We too will be there over the 4th. This will be our second time going over the 4th and the only real advice I can give is avoid the Magic Kingdom. It is incredibly busy on that day. We usually do Epcot or MGM. I really love going this time of year. Have a great trip

 

[hrsmom]

We too will be there over the 4th. This will be our second time going over the 4th and the only real advice I can give is avoid the Magic Kingdom. It is incredibly busy on that day. We usually do Epcot or MGM. I really love going this time of year. Have a great trip

We're going to be there too! I have a resv. at the Crystal Palace on the 4th for my son's birthday - do you think I should try to change it to an Epcot restaurant?

Also, if we don't switch it do you think we'd be able to go to Epcot and then just go to MK for lunch (that's when our reservation is for)?

We've never gone during the summer before and I'm especially worried since it's the 4th.

 

[Pooh Pal]

My wife and I went over the 4th in '05 as a test to see if we would want to come back in the future with our kids. We won't be going back in July!!!

It was hot...really hot. We had lunch with an Imagineer at the Brown Derby and he said he plans his day and how he gets around by which air conditioned buildings he can go through.

I didn't think I'd care, because I'm such a Disney nut (that was our fourth out of five trips that year) but with the large crowds and the heat, we decided we'd stick to the non-summer months.

Hope you have fun. Just be sure to do stuff early and late in the day.

 

[IndianaMouseLover]

We are also going over the July 4th holiday. This will be our first trip as DVC'ers. We are excited no matter how busy it is. I am subscribing to see replies also.

 

[La2kw]

1st time going over the 4th of July. Any suggestions from experienced 4th of July vacationers.

thanks

Chris

MK has the best fireworks.

 

[Snookies]

We're going to be there too! I have a resv. at the Crystal Palace on the 4th for my son's birthday - do you think I should try to change it to an Epcot restaurant?...

...It was hot...really hot. We had lunch with an Imagineer at the Brown Derby and he said he plans his day and how he gets around by which air conditioned buildings he can go through...

...Just be sure to do stuff early and late in the day.

Pooh Pal, I agree. I'd also add that I would not change plans just to avoid crowds at MK. We've done summer and the 4th a number of times. My advice is to assume everything will be busy and plan accordingly. In other words, arrive early, take the mid-day break, and head-out again in the evening. The primary advantage is you'll be out and about when it is cooler and taking a break to cool-off at the pool or avoiding the afternoon thunderboomers.

At this time of year, it is always really hot and humid. I've always lived in places where it is really hot in the summer, so the heat is not a big deal to us. If you're not acclimated, however, my advice is to take it nice and easy (i.e., no commando touring in the summer). Finally, with respect to crowds in other parks on the 4th, we once went to Epcot for Illuminations on the 4th and the closest we could get to Showcase Lagoon was about half-way down the Odyssey Center Pathway.

 

[vbarry]

We are also taking our first trip as DVC members over the 4th of July.

I did ask a lot of questions on the theme park board. One thing I did hear is that MK usually does get to maximum capacity early-so if you are planning lunch-you may want to arrive in the morning just in case.

Also-I believe they do the same fireworks on the 3rd and the 4th.

We went last year in June and it was HOT. Since we are DVC memebers now-I think we can go at a much slower pace and even skip parks on some of the days. I know we will be going back again soon which makes it easier to relax.

I hope you all have a great trip!

 

[Cee]

We were there last July and it was hot. OOOOOooooh Lord, was it hot.

 

[Granny]

As vbarry pointed out, MK usually fills up by mid-morning due to capacity and people can't get in at that point.

Yes it's very hot. If you aren't used to high heat and humidity where you live, you won't believe how debilitating the heat can be. If you are somewhat used to it, as we are, then it's really manageable with some common sense.

 

[mla2177]

We were there last July 4th, and it was crowded!!!! The only tip I have is to not take an afternoon break if you can help it!!! The lines to get on the rides were very long!!! Some as much as an hour! It depends where you are staying too. We stayed at CBR and because we didn't have a rental and had to take the busses, our afternoon breaks ended up taking about 3-4 hours with our naps. I honestly felt like I didn't see much at all in the parks. I spent most of my time on busses or waiting for busses because they were always full!!!! If you are staying at a monorail resort, you probably won't have this problem.

 

[Princess Tink]

We have been to WDW 3 times over the Fourth of July (2000, 2002, and 2005). I agree with the other posters that said it’s HOT and BUSY. As long as you are aware of this going in, you should be good. My best tips for you are: Drink lots of water, take lots of afternoon breaks, and remember to use lots of sunscreen. We haven’t actually been in any other park than MGM ON the HOLIDAY, because we’ve been scared….. But, after having Fantasmic cancelled due to lightening, and seeing the other fireworks going on….we’re hitting Epcot this year! Right now the plan is to go to MGM the morning of the FOURTH, then go back for a swim…then we have dinner ressies at Le Cellier that night. Hopefully with the only intentions the night of July Fourth being dinner and fireworks at Epcot, we’ll be okay. We mostly choose this option due to the option to exit at the International Gateway Entrance/Exit; we’re staying at the BCV.

 

[La2kw]

As vbarry pointed out, MK usually fills up by mid-morning due to capacity and people can't get in at that point.

Yes it's very hot. If you aren't used to high heat and humidity where you live, you won't believe how debilitating the heat can be. If you are somewhat used to it, as we are, then it's really manageable with some common sense.

It often reopens in the afternoon. We have been to WDW a number of times on the 4th of July and have never had a problem re-entering in the evening.