Disneyland for 4th of July - worth it?

[Smugpugmug]

Hi guys!

I'm a lurker of the DL board since I haven't had the chance to return to Disneyland but I am considering heading back to Disneyland for 4th of July weekend in 2025. I would go this year but I already have plans to head to Quebec City. This would be the only time I would be able to squeeze in a trip due to other vacation plans that would eat up my PTO. Is this time of year October/Halloween level busy or would I be able to have a nice time, especially given that by 2025 I have not been to Disneyland in 6 years? I see that there is a ticket deal going on right now where I can get adult tickets at the kids price and they include Genie+ but the deal ends April 7th so I am trying to decide.

I live in the Baltimore area so I would have to fly from MD to Los Angeles. I was thinking that I would fly in Thursday July 3rd, go to Disneyland 4-6, work remotely on the 7th and then fly back on the 8th. Is this too much? I would be going solo and I am a rope drop warrior at heart, so I wouldn't mind a more "stressful trip". I have a friend who would be willing to rent me DVC points for a villa at the Disneyland Hotel so I would have early entry. In terms of strategy, I would prioritize rides/experiences that I cannot do in WDW. I'm also not a Star Wars fan so I would 100% pretend like Galaxy's Edge does not exist.

What do the experts think? If you were in my shoes, would you book this trip?

Thanks! : )

 

[OlliePop27]

Hi guys!

I'm a lurker of the DL board since I haven't had the chance to return to Disneyland but I am considering heading back to Disneyland for 4th of July weekend in 2025. I would go this year but I already have plans to head to Quebec City. This would be the only time I would be able to squeeze in a trip due to other vacation plans that would eat up my PTO. Is this time of year October/Halloween level busy or would I be able to have a nice time, especially given that by 2025 I have not been to Disneyland in 6 years? I see that there is a ticket deal going on right now where I can get adult tickets at the kids price and they include Genie+ but the deal ends April 7th so I am trying to decide.

I live in the Baltimore area so I would have to fly from MD to Los Angeles. I was thinking that I would fly in Thursday July 3rd, go to Disneyland 4-6, work remotely on the 7th and then fly back on the 8th. Is this too much? I would be going solo and I am a rope drop warrior at heart, so I wouldn't mind a more "stressful trip". I have a friend who would be willing to rent me DVC points for a villa at the Disneyland Hotel so I would have early entry. In terms of strategy, I would prioritize rides/experiences that I cannot do in WDW. I'm also not a Star Wars fan so I would 100% pretend like Galaxy's Edge does not exist.

What do the experts think? If you were in my shoes, would you book this trip?

Thanks! : )

July 4th is actually less crowded than you might expect, and summer in general is less crowded than many other parts of the year. In general at DLR, holidays are LESS crowded due to max Magic Key block outs and high single day ticket prices. This is largely driven by the demographic that visits the parks - locals. In addition, during the summer you'll get long park hours, nightly fireworks/nighttime entertainment, and minimum ride refurbs. This helps better soak up and disperse the crowds that are there.

This DOES NOT mean it won't be crowded on July 4th. It will be. It will, however, not be overwhelmingly crowded like you might expect and it will almost certainly be less crowded than other parts of the year. I would not be afraid of going on July 4th if that works with your schedule.

 

[Aspencreek]

I agree, we went just after the 4th a couple years ago and it was FAR less crowded than our last October trip. If it was me I'd go ahead and plan on going and book what you can. And with it being a year plus out you can watch the crowd levels this July 4th (wait times in the Disney App, live stream youtubers, etc) and then judge for yourself how the parks seemed and decide to go through with the trip or not.

 

[JerrodDragon89]

I'll say this....its not as busy as it was pre covid but Disney can flip a switch

If they want more people they will get more people int he parks which is why the MK is on sale still. So while it should be busy but not insane its up to Disney if they let in more Magic keys this year could be really crowded

 

[Smugpugmug]

Yeah, I did see that the lower tier Magic Keys are blocked out for the 4th of July this year but that doesn't necessarily mean it's less busy.

I guess my main question is if I would be able to enjoy Disneyland during this time frame when I have to take a 5 1/2 hour flight AND deal with LAX to get there.

 

[JerrodDragon89]

Yeah, I did see that the lower tier Magic Keys are blocked out for the 4th of July this year but that doesn't necessarily mean it's less busy.

I guess my main question is if I would be able to enjoy Disneyland during this time frame when I have to take a 5 1/2 hour flight AND deal with LAX to get there.

From your OP post, sounds like you will be at the parks for a few days.

So should be nice

Summer are busy but not like they used to be....but like I said before Disney controls the crowds if they want to randomly make a summer deal where kids are 50 bucks again or let in more Magic keys it could change everything

 

[Smugpugmug]

From your OP post, sounds like you will be at the parks for a few days.

So should be nice

Summer are busy but not like they used to be....but like I said before Disney controls the crowds if they want to randomly make a summer deal where kids are 50 bucks again or let in more Magic keys it could change everything

I was planning to be in the parks that friday-sunday and would take mid day breaks when it gets crazy, a strategy I've seen people on this board say that they've done during high crowd times.

I remember a while back people were talking about how July is a low crowd time but didn't think that applied to a holiday weekend.

Thanks to everyone that commented so far! Lots to think about.

 

[pineapplepalms]

We often go for the week of July 4th. The week in general has been very doable and not as packed as busier times of year (like October). The actual evening of July 4th can be extremely crowded in DL though. We were there last year and it was hard to even move around. If you plan to watch the fireworks in DL that night, I would probably plan on where you’re going to watch from and get there earlier, since traffic flow was pretty nuts as it got closer to the show compared to a usual fireworks night. We might just hang out in DCA that night this year to avoid dealing with the crowds.

 

[KPeterso]

I am a local and we have gone the last 2 years on the 4th. Both times, we went to DCA arriving for rope drop and had really pleasant mornings. Like no crowds and short lines until around 11 or so. I am sure it gets worse as the day goes on (especially during fireworks at DL later), but we are always long gone by then. We usually leave around mid afternoon after a really nice day in the parks. I have also been on the 3rd and 5th before and it was some of the quieter days we have experienced. It is nothing like the madness of October.

 

[OlliePop27]

I am a local and we have gone the last 2 years on the 4th. Both times, we went to DCA arriving for rope drop and had really pleasant mornings. Like no crowds and short lines until around 11 or so. I am sure it gets worse as the day goes on (especially during fireworks at DL later), but we are always long gone by then. We usually leave around mid afternoon after a really nice day in the parks. I have also been on the 3rd and 5th before and it was some of the quieter days we have experienced. It is nothing like the madness of October.

It is a good point about nighttime on the 4th potentially being very crowded. People want to see fireworks on the 4th, and DL often shows the special Celebrate America show for 1-night only. It remains to be seen what they do this year, but they sometimes opt to do the regular fireworks with a July 4th "tag" at the end. I know there are projections with this fireworks show, but not as impressive as most of the other ones. Might be a good option to watch from small world or rivers of america. WOC also does a July 4th "tag" for the one night.

 

[pineapplepalms]

It is a good point about nighttime on the 4th potentially being very crowded. People want to see fireworks on the 4th, and DL often shows the special Celebrate America show for 1-night only. It remains to be seen what they do this year, but they sometimes opt to do the regular fireworks with a July 4th "tag" at the end. I know there are projections with this fireworks show, but not as impressive as most of the others one's. Might be a good option to watch from small world or rivers of america. WOC also does a July 4th "tag" for the one night.

Last year was really crowded. We ate a bit late and were trying to find somewhere to watch from. They wouldn’t let us go to Main Street, Small World, or Galaxy’s Edge due to them being full already and we found our way over to Rivers of America which was the only area we could get to. It was so full our family couldn’t even find one spot to all stand together, and our view was mostly blocked by trees anyway. I am not interested in repeating that experience… the rest of the day was fine, especially the first half of our day at DCA. After the fireworks it cleared out, and we later walked onto MMRR before park closing.

 

[OlliePop27]

Last year was really crowded. We ate a bit late and were trying to find somewhere to watch from. They wouldn’t let us go to Main Street, Small World, or Galaxy’s Edge due to them being full already and we found our way over to Rivers of America which was the only area we could get to. It was so full our family couldn’t even find one spot to all stand together, and our view was mostly blocked by trees anyway. I am not interested in repeating that experience… the rest of the day was fine, especially the first half of our day at DCA. After the fireworks it cleared out, and we later walked onto MMRR before park closing.

Thanks for sharing your experience. It's also noteworthy that last July 4th there was no Fantasmic! because of the dragon closure. It will presumably be worse at ROA this year with the show being back.

Sounds like a good night to watch WOC.

 

[flyingfigment]

Hi guys!

I'm a lurker of the DL board since I haven't had the chance to return to Disneyland but I am considering heading back to Disneyland for 4th of July weekend in 2025. I would go this year but I already have plans to head to Quebec City. This would be the only time I would be able to squeeze in a trip due to other vacation plans that would eat up my PTO. Is this time of year October/Halloween level busy or would I be able to have a nice time, especially given that by 2025 I have not been to Disneyland in 6 years? I see that there is a ticket deal going on right now where I can get adult tickets at the kids price and they include Genie+ but the deal ends April 7th so I am trying to decide.

I live in the Baltimore area so I would have to fly from MD to Los Angeles. I was thinking that I would fly in Thursday July 3rd, go to Disneyland 4-6, work remotely on the 7th and then fly back on the 8th. Is this too much? I would be going solo and I am a rope drop warrior at heart, so I wouldn't mind a more "stressful trip". I have a friend who would be willing to rent me DVC points for a villa at the Disneyland Hotel so I would have early entry. In terms of strategy, I would prioritize rides/experiences that I cannot do in WDW. I'm also not a Star Wars fan so I would 100% pretend like Galaxy's Edge does not exist.

What do the experts think? If you were in my shoes, would you book this trip?

Thanks! : )

I have done disney on 4th of july back in 2013 and it was SLAMMED. However, on more recent trips to the parks, we have overlapped on US holidays and it has not been as bad as you might expect.

I was just there on Easter and the parks were quite empty. Due to the fact that most locals with AP have those days blocked out, you should be fine on the 4th of July.

Tip: Rope Drop first thing in the morning, and utilize the shorter lines after the fireworks! Usually what my family does when the parks are crowded. So, book it!

 

[Smugpugmug]

I appreciate all of the insight! I decided to take the plunge and purchased my tickets from Undercovertourist. I am so excited to be returning to Disneyland!

 

[OlliePop27]

I appreciate all of the insight! I decided to take the plunge and purchased my tickets from Undercovertourist. I am so excited to be returning to Disneyland!

Very exciting. You will have a great time!

 

[jenndonovan]

Here to find 4th of July tips!
Going this year and booked fantasmic dining package. My hope is we can stand after fantasmic and have a nice place to watch the fireworks that start right after.

 

[LKing]

Last year was really crowded. We ate a bit late and were trying to find somewhere to watch from. They wouldn’t let us go to Main Street, Small World, or Galaxy’s Edge due to them being full already and we found our way over to Rivers of America which was the only area we could get to. It was so full our family couldn’t even find one spot to all stand together, and our view was mostly blocked by trees anyway. I am not interested in repeating that experience… the rest of the day was fine, especially the first half of our day at DCA. After the fireworks it cleared out, and we later walked onto MMRR before park closing.

Thanks for sharing your experience. It's also noteworthy that last July 4th there was no Fantasmic! because of the dragon closure. It will presumably be worse at ROA this year with the show being back.

It could also be because many of the fireworks shows up and down the coast were cancelled at the last minute due to new regulations last year. (https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/losa.../r4-2023-0180/r4-2023-0180_public_notice.pdf_)

There are still some hiccups with the new permitting process this year. https://ktla.com/news/local-news/fi...-san-pedro-canceled-ahead-of-independence-day

 

[kj2mom]

I'm glad to see you decided to give it a go. We were there the week of the 4th last year and besides the fireworks on the night of the 4th we didn't find it very crowded at all. It was our first time so we have no point of comparison but we had a lovely time the entire week. The only time we felt a bit like sardines was for the fireworks on the 4th but we planned accordingly and made great friends with the CMs nearby. The weather was absolutely perfect as well! We really enjoyed ourselves!

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Here to find 4th of July tips!
Going this year and booked fantasmic dining package. My hope is we can stand after fantasmic and have a nice place to watch the fireworks that start right after.

You can do this. Have fun!

 

[Chami]

I was planning to be in the parks that friday-sunday and would take mid day breaks when it gets crazy, a strategy I've seen people on this board say that they've done during high crowd times.

I remember a while back people were talking about how July is a low crowd time but didn't think that applied to a holiday weekend.

Thanks to everyone that commented so far! Lots to think about.

I went last year from July 6th-9th. It really wasn't crowded at all.