Is July 4th Crazy? We have to change our dates

[Kim in PA]

We just found out we need to change our travel dates due to our twin daughters being asked to play in a string quartet at their teacher's wedding. This is their first official "gig" and they really want to play, so we must change our dates. We have always traveled to WDW in June and stayed away from July to avoid the crowds and the heat, but now we are stuck.

The good thing is we are driving, and DH and I are both teachers, so we can go anytime the first 2 weeks of July. What we want to know is, should we just change our dates by a few days (which would have us there over the 4th and would allow us to keep most of our ADRs) or should we wait another week to avoid being there over the 4th?

So for those of you that have spent July 4th at Disney would you do it again?

 

[Loritlc3]

We went in July for our first trip last year. It was hot but we drank a lot of water and had spray bottles. We arrived (driving) the day before and were planning on staying at the hotle and heading over to HS the next day. My brother heard an announcement that MK was open an hour past extra magic hours. I think it was until 2AM. We went in the evening and rode a ton of rides. We ended up swimming in the morning and going in the afternoon and staying for for late extra magic hours each night. I believe the parks were open later on fourth of July also. We didn't watch the fireworks but instead went on completely empty rides.

My friend and her family went in June and they had a lot of problems with the heat and didn't get nearly as much done as we did.

 

[devonsmommy]

We were there over July 4th one year, and it was HOT, HOT, HOT! And crowded!
Of course we still had fun because we were at the happiest place on Earth! But I don't think I'd go during that time again if I was given the choice.

 

[jmartinez1895]

Our very first trip was a July 4th weekend. IT WAS HOT !!!!!. Now that we go in April I can say that it was crowded, but being our first trip I didn't really know if it was normal or not. Be sure to plan a few breaks during the day, If you are staying on property take advantage of the magic hours. When you do this you can leave the park at the heat of the day, go to the resort and swim, nap or explore and then after it cools off some head back to the park. You should be fine as long as you stay cool. I don't think the crowds will bother you that much because you are used to the June crowd. I hope that you have a great trip and I hope that your children have fun playing in the wedding.

 

[*pixie*dust*]

4th of July week is similar to springbreak crowds--but twice as hot!! The MK will close due to capacity early on the 4th. So plan for a long, hot, crowded day. I would not go at that time again.

 

[mychicks]

DH is a teacher also so we travel during the summer. We've been on July 4th a few times and yes, it is hot and crowded. Last year they had the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom on July 3 and 4th so if you wanted to see them on the 3rd and go to a different park on the 4th, that is an option. We went to the Magic Kingdom on July 4 and it was very crowded during the day. We ended up going back to the room and the pool for the afternoon/evening. If you know what park you want to see the fireworks at/be at for the evening of the 4th, I would suggest getting there no later than lunchtime. The parks do get to capacity and close to new guests. Another factor is if you have any ADRs. Holiday pricing is in effect at many of the character meals and it is more expensive around the holiday. I'm not sure of the end date, but think it was around July 11 last year. If you can get that information from WDW, it might be worth it to go after the holiday pricing ends. It was a lot of fun on the 4th though. They give out US flag pins at the park entrances and they had flag designed fans they were giving out at MK last year too.