July 4, 2014 vacation!!

[bennifer]

Yay!!! I'm 99% positive this is when we'll be going too! The plan for the 4th is either AK or a water park then Hoop Dee Do and watch the fireworks from the beach. Unless I win the lottery and can stay at a Deluxe with a theme park view, of course! Then I'll watch them from my balcony! But on the other hand, HS has fireworks, too. I'm so happy I have a while to figure this out!

 

[skuttle]

We just returned from our trip June 29-July 7th. We normally go to WDW in the winter, but our oldes DS started asking about going in the summer for water parks. Because of his baseball schedule, we had to wait until July. His birthday is July 2nd so we decided to go for the week of the 4th.

We didn't find the crowds or the heat that bad (surprisingly!). We had a decent amount of rain, and more than just the typical afternoon summer shower, so that helped with the temps. The only day we really felt the heat was getting to us was our last full day, and it didn't rain much that day.

The crowds we didn't find bad at all. I don't know if we were just expecting it to be so terrible that we didn't find it that bad. On DS's birthday, July 2nd, we had early ADR at Tusker House for breakfast. After breakfast, DS rode EE 4 times in a row and only two of those were with fast passes! On our first full day at MK, June 30th, we got to MK at rope drop and were able to stay until almost 6 or 7pm because the heat wasn't bad. We were able to ride everything we wanted to without more than a 20 minute wait.

We did both water parks and had lots of fun. DH and DS waited an hour for the big, straight water slide at Blizzard Beach on July 3rd. On July 5th we went to Typhoon Lagoon and didn't wait more than 15 minutes for any of the bigger rides. Of course, we tackled those right when we go there, which was around 10:30am.

For the 4th, we spent the morning swimming at our resort (AKL-Kidani). Around 4pm, we headed over to AK and walked on everything! When AK closed at 7pm, we took the bus to Epcot. We grabbed a quick dinner at the Electric Umbrella. We avoided going to World Showcase to avoid the crowds. We grabbed a spot on the grass near the rose garden to watch the fireworks not more than 30 minutes before they were going to start. We never felt crowded. We waited probably close to an hour before we started walking to our bus to let the crowds die down. If my kids were older (younger two are 2.5 and 11 months), we would have tried MK for the 4th, but we didn't want to have to get there early and stay all day. We were lucky, though, that the "limited magic" during our trip was that the MK was showing it's 4th of July fireworks all week, so we didn't have to try to see them on the 3rd or 4th. We actually saw them on our last night, the 6th!

We did go to MK on July 5th and it was open until 1am. There was another night where it was open until 3am with EMH, but we didn't take advantage of that one.

We didn't do or see it all. We've been to WDW several times and know we will be going back in the next 18 months, so we didn't stress about what we couldn't do or see. We spent a lot of time at the water parks and resort pool, which meant less park time (even though we were there 7 full days!). At the beginning of our trip we did rope drop, but then towards the end we slept in, which we all needed. The only thing DS says he wishes we could have done was Soarin and Test Track. We switched our Epcot early morning day to Typhoon Lagoon. Then we were going to do Epcot early morning on our last day, but the night before we were at MK until 1am so we slept in. Due to the rain, we had to be flexible with our plans.

We really had an enjoyable trip. DH and I both said we are no longer afraid of the summer at WDW.

 

[momofboyz3]

We just returned from our trip June 29-July 7th. We normally go to WDW in the winter, but our oldes DS started asking about going in the summer for water parks. Because of his baseball schedule, we had to wait until July. His birthday is July 2nd so we decided to go for the week of the 4th.

We didn't find the crowds or the heat that bad (surprisingly!). We had a decent amount of rain, and more than just the typical afternoon summer shower, so that helped with the temps. The only day we really felt the heat was getting to us was our last full day, and it didn't rain much that day.

The crowds we didn't find bad at all. I don't know if we were just expecting it to be so terrible that we didn't find it that bad. On DS's birthday, July 2nd, we had early ADR at Tusker House for breakfast. After breakfast, DS rode EE 4 times in a row and only two of those were with fast passes! On our first full day at MK, June 30th, we got to MK at rope drop and were able to stay until almost 6 or 7pm because the heat wasn't bad. We were able to ride everything we wanted to without more than a 20 minute wait.

We did both water parks and had lots of fun. DH and DS waited an hour for the big, straight water slide at Blizzard Beach on July 3rd. On July 5th we went to Typhoon Lagoon and didn't wait more than 15 minutes for any of the bigger rides. Of course, we tackled those right when we go there, which was around 10:30am.

For the 4th, we spent the morning swimming at our resort (AKL-Kidani). Around 4pm, we headed over to AK and walked on everything! When AK closed at 7pm, we took the bus to Epcot. We grabbed a quick dinner at the Electric Umbrella. We avoided going to World Showcase to avoid the crowds. We grabbed a spot on the grass near the rose garden to watch the fireworks not more than 30 minutes before they were going to start. We never felt crowded. We waited probably close to an hour before we started walking to our bus to let the crowds die down. If my kids were older (younger two are 2.5 and 11 months), we would have tried MK for the 4th, but we didn't want to have to get there early and stay all day. We were lucky, though, that the "limited magic" during our trip was that the MK was showing it's 4th of July fireworks all week, so we didn't have to try to see them on the 3rd or 4th. We actually saw them on our last night, the 6th!

We did go to MK on July 5th and it was open until 1am. There was another night where it was open until 3am with EMH, but we didn't take advantage of that one.

We didn't do or see it all. We've been to WDW several times and know we will be going back in the next 18 months, so we didn't stress about what we couldn't do or see. We spent a lot of time at the water parks and resort pool, which meant less park time (even though we were there 7 full days!). At the beginning of our trip we did rope drop, but then towards the end we slept in, which we all needed. The only thing DS says he wishes we could have done was Soarin and Test Track. We switched our Epcot early morning day to Typhoon Lagoon. Then we were going to do Epcot early morning on our last day, but the night before we were at MK until 1am so we slept in. Due to the rain, we had to be flexible with our plans.

We really had an enjoyable trip. DH and I both said we are no longer afraid of the summer at WDW.

Hi There- first off ThankYou for taking the time to write out that little account of your week. It sounds like it went off very well. I'm putting the pieces together for wht I would do on our 4th of July week & your reply.... As many of the others who responded really is helping. My boys love the water park so I know that's a winner. Thanks again for your help

 

[momofboyz3]

Yay!!! I'm 99% positive this is when we'll be going too! The plan for the 4th is either AK or a water park then Hoop Dee Do and watch the fireworks from the beach. Unless I win the lottery and can stay at a Deluxe with a theme park view, of course! Then I'll watch them from my balcony! But on the other hand, HS has fireworks, too. I'm so happy I have a while to figure this out!

Me too! I am 98% sure this will be our week as well. The 4th falls on a Friday so I need to figure out the exact dates. Would love, love, love to stay at a deluxe but I don't even play the lottery! I am so not sure what to do on the 4th, aside from staying away from MK. Hmmmm so much to think about, but we have what 11 months or so!!!!! Yayayaya!

 

[ConnieB]

Hee hee....my suggestion....get in line now....you might stand a chance of riding something.

No seriously.....go with the attitude your post shows.....the good! If you go with the mindset that you know it's going to be very crowded, hot, humid and so on, but don't let it deter you than you'll have a much better time then if you go expecting to be able to ride on every ride and eat without reservations. The proper mindset will definitely help! The worst day at Disney is still better than the best day at work!

Now...all that said...we were there last August......crowds were low but the heat and humidity were brutal.......since I have a choice....not doing that again until the next Star Wars Convention.....that's about all that will bring me to Florida in August!

 

[rms123]

Me too! I am 98% sure this will be our week as well. The 4th falls on a Friday so I need to figure out the exact dates. Would love, love, love to stay at a deluxe but I don't even play the lottery! I am so not sure what to do on the 4th, aside from staying away from MK. Hmmmm so much to think about, but we have what 11 months or so!!!!! Yayayaya!

We went to MK the morning of the 4th and it really wasn't that bad. We rode PP, Ariel, Winnie the Pooh and several others with no waits and we even got there 2 hours after opening (not planned to be that late).

 

[orangefan15]

Add another person who went this year for the 4th (June 28 - July 8) and didn't find it unmanageable. The crowds were nowhere near as bad as I expected after some of what I had read on the boards. A few observations and pieces of advice:

1) I found the crowds to be lighter up until about the 3rd and then it got busier with each day. If you are going the actual week of the 4th next year (not starting on the 4th), I would plan accordingly and try to hit your must dos and things that tend to handle crowds worse earlier in the week instead of later. Since the 4th is a Friday next year, I would expect to see a similar pattern again.
2) Like a pp, I saw the MK fireworks on the 3rd and found that they weren't nearly as crowded as I expected (and much less than they were on the 5th and 7th, but that's another story). Would highly recommend this approach vs. trying to do them on the 4th.
3) Consider seeing the MK fireworks from the Poly beach, I found the view out there preferable to the one being in MK as I was much better able to see the whole show. I did this the night of the 6th, so it wasn't the full 360 show, but still amazing.
4) If you end up doing a park on the 4th, I'd recommend AK or HS. I did AK during the day and the crowds were pretty low. I then jumped to HS around 6 pm, did some rides and dinner there, then settled in for fireworks. Be prepared to stake out a spot and wait a while for fireworks (people were already lining up as I was entering the park), but they did have Mulch, Sweat and Shears playing so the time passed well. Whatever you do, make sure you have a spot before the 9pm Fantasmic show lets out (I still can't figure out where those 10k people went when they exited the show )
5) If you see a long wait for a ride, skip it and go back later. As an example, on the 5th at MK PotC was at 60 minutes the first time I went by, a few hours later it was 5 minutes.
6) Make use of EMH (both AM and PM). I actually did do the EMH at MK that ended at 3 am (July 3rd, well by 3 am it was July 4th ) and the park was pretty empty from 1-3. Got some great pictures coming down Main St at 3:30. Rope drops were also good, low crowds and I was able to get a lot done in the first few hours.
7) I didn't see many tour groups early in the week (maybe I was lucky), but saw a ton of them later in the week. Try to zig when they zag, no other good way to avoid them that I'm aware of.
8) It will be very hot and humid. Make sure you hydrate accordingly.
9) With the high heat levels, I did see BB closed to capacity a few times that week (can't speak for TL as I didn't go by there). If you are planning a water park, I'd advise either very early or very late in the day arrival.

I had a great time and would go back on the 4th again without hesitation.

 

[momofboyz3]

Hee hee....my suggestion....get in line now....you might stand a chance of riding something.

No seriously.....go with the attitude your post shows.....the good! If you go with the mindset that you know it's going to be very crowded, hot, humid and so on, but don't let it deter you than you'll have a much better time then if you go expecting to be able to ride on every ride and eat without reservations. The proper mindset will definitely help! The worst day at Disney is still better than the best day at work!

Now...all that said...we were there last August......crowds were low but the heat and humidity were brutal.......since I have a choice....not doing that again until the next Star Wars Convention.....that's about all that will bring me to Florida in August!

ThankYou for you post!!! I'm going to mentally prepare for the worst in my mind, but take everyone's advice. I will definately stay positive. I think the rain is the only thing that might put a "damper" on things, but we will go with the advice I've read on other threads.

 

[momofboyz3]

We went to MK the morning of the 4th and it really wasn't that bad. We rode PP, Ariel, Winnie the Pooh and several others with no waits and we even got there 2 hours after opening (not planned to be that late).

Well now you have me thinking of going to MK mornin of the 4th lol. Lol~ honestly I think going earlier in the day any day helps out w/crowds. Thanks for the reply

 

[momofboyz3]

Add another person who went this year for the 4th (June 28 - July 8) and didn't find it unmanageable. The crowds were nowhere near as bad as I expected after some of what I had read on the boards. A few observations and pieces of advice:

1) I found the crowds to be lighter up until about the 3rd and then it got busier with each day. If you are going the actual week of the 4th next year (not starting on the 4th), I would plan accordingly and try to hit your must dos and things that tend to handle crowds worse earlier in the week instead of later. Since the 4th is a Friday next year, I would expect to see a similar pattern again.
2) Like a pp, I saw the MK fireworks on the 3rd and found that they weren't nearly as crowded as I expected (and much less than they were on the 5th and 7th, but that's another story). Would highly recommend this approach vs. trying to do them on the 4th.
3) Consider seeing the MK fireworks from the Poly beach, I found the view out there preferable to the one being in MK as I was much better able to see the whole show. I did this the night of the 6th, so it wasn't the full 360 show, but still amazing.
4) If you end up doing a park on the 4th, I'd recommend AK or HS. I did AK during the day and the crowds were pretty low. I then jumped to HS around 6 pm, did some rides and dinner there, then settled in for fireworks. Be prepared to stake out a spot and wait a while for fireworks (people were already lining up as I was entering the park), but they did have Mulch, Sweat and Shears playing so the time passed well. Whatever you do, make sure you have a spot before the 9pm Fantasmic show lets out (I still can't figure out where those 10k people went when they exited the show )
5) If you see a long wait for a ride, skip it and go back later. As an example, on the 5th at MK PotC was at 60 minutes the first time I went by, a few hours later it was 5 minutes.
6) Make use of EMH (both AM and PM). I actually did do the EMH at MK that ended at 3 am (July 3rd, well by 3 am it was July 4th ) and the park was pretty empty from 1-3. Got some great pictures coming down Main St at 3:30. Rope drops were also good, low crowds and I was able to get a lot done in the first few hours.
7) I didn't see many tour groups early in the week (maybe I was lucky), but saw a ton of them later in the week. Try to zig when they zag, no other good way to avoid them that I'm aware of.
8) It will be very hot and humid. Make sure you hydrate accordingly.
9) With the high heat levels, I did see BB closed to capacity a few times that week (can't speak for TL as I didn't go by there). If you are planning a water park, I'd advise either very early or very late in the day arrival.

I had a great time and would go back on the 4th again without hesitation.

First, ThankYou for such a detailed reply!!!! I already read it this morning about 5 times. I have done EMH AM but not PM so that might be worth trying as you suggested. Last time we went we are at Ohanas and watched Wishes from there, maybe this time we will eat earlier and watch it from the beach (I do get nervous that since we r not staying there we might get kicked out). I wasn't sure if I should start my vacation earlier or later arriving around the 3rd... But I am thinking w/your review maybe I should head down around the 1st....
Well again thanks for the great advice!!!!

 

[bennifer]

First, ThankYou for such a detailed reply!!!! I already read it this morning about 5 times. I have done EMH AM but not PM so that might be worth trying as you suggested. Last time we went we are at Ohanas and watched Wishes from there, maybe this time we will eat earlier and watch it from the beach (I do get nervous that since we r not staying there we might get kicked out). I wasn't sure if I should start my vacation earlier or later arriving around the 3rd... But I am thinking w/your review maybe I should head down around the 1st....
Well again thanks for the great advice!!!!

With the ages of your boys, I would think the evening EMHs will become easier for you all. As older DS became a teenager (and too big for me to physically get out out bed ) we stopped even looking for the early EMHs. It's not rope drop, but the crowds do die down usually! One year we walked on Splash Mountain 8 times in a row (his all time fave) because of late EMHs!

 

[momofboyz3]

With the ages of your boys, I would think the evening EMHs will become easier for you all. As older DS became a teenager (and too big for me to physically get out out bed ) we stopped even looking for the early EMHs. It's not rope drop, but the crowds do die down usually! One year we walked on Splash Mountain 8 times in a row (his all time fave) because of late EMHs!

Have you decided on the actual dates yet!???

 

[bennifer]

Have you decided on the actual dates yet!???

I'm pretty sure it'll be June 29th thru July 5th...maybe 6th if we can swing it!

 

[momofboyz3]

I'm pretty sure it'll be June 29th thru July 5th...maybe 6th if we can swing it!

exciting!!!!!!

 

[bennifer]

exciting!!!!!!

My husband thinks I'm truly crazy planning next years trip when we haven't taken this yrs trip in Sept! I just can't wait, and July requires a lot of planning!

 

[momofboyz3]

My husband thinks I'm truly crazy planning next years trip when we haven't taken this yrs trip in Sept! I just can't wait, and July requires a lot of planning!

It's a huge amount of planning!!!!! Wow I did not know ur going in September now THATS exciting! It keeps our mind occupied with good things

 

[bennifer]

It's a huge amount of planning!!!!! Wow I did not know ur going in September now THATS exciting! It keeps our mind occupied with good things

Thank you! That's why I love the DIS, everyone understands me. Yep, I'll be celebrating the first anniversary of my 39th birthday in Sept, and if I have to be this old AND have a son leaving me for college, I'm spending it at my favorite place in the world!

 

[momofboyz3]

Thank you! That's why I love the DIS, everyone understands me. Yep, I'll be celebrating the first anniversary of my 39th birthday in Sept, and if I have to be this old AND have a son leaving me for college, I'm spending it at my favorite place in the world!

Lol!!!!!!! I just celebrated mine in June now you have me beat w/your son going into college, congratulations!!!!! My boys are in their early teens and that was enough to get me grey

 

[stargazertechie]

Me too! I am 98% sure this will be our week as well. The 4th falls on a Friday so I need to figure out the exact dates. Would love, love, love to stay at a deluxe but I don't even play the lottery! I am so not sure what to do on the 4th, aside from staying away from MK. Hmmmm so much to think about, but we have what 11 months or so!!!!! Yayayaya!

How many people are in your travel party? If you're travelling with 4 or fewer and your boys don't mind a blow up mattress, a studio at one of the DVC resorts might be in the budget. 7 days/6 nights in a value studio at AKV would come in around $1300. Not totally outrageous. OKW has the most floor space in the studios, and would be closer to the $1500 mark

As for the good things about July 4 week


1) Long park hours
2) You know it will be warm enough to swim
3) The cultural experience of BTGs
4) The AC feels SO good
5) The fireworks

 

[momofboyz3]

How many people are in your travel party? If you're travelling with 4 or fewer, a studio at one of the DVC resorts might be in the budget. 7 days/6 nights in a value studio at AKV would come in around $1300. Not totally outrageous.

As for the good things about July 4 week

1) Long park hours
2) You know it will be warm enough to swim
3) The cultural experience of BTGs
4) The AC feels SO good
5) The fireworks
http://s26.photobucket.com/user/uVisionStudios/media/4thofJulyfromthePolynesian_zps2b66f729.jpg.html
http://s26.photobucket.com/user/uVisionStudios/media/Epcot3_zpscadde1fc.jpg.html

We have only been to WDW once (in May) stayed at POR - surprise RR upgrade we got the whole package w/DDP. There r 4 of us ds14,ds14 & ds10. The DVC sounds scary lol (just because I'm unfamiliar with it). I have a year so maybe I should do some investigating!!!! Thank you much for the feedback