July 4 at WDW

[JM_97]

Thinking about doing a long weekend at Disney for the 4th.

I have never been down there for the 4th but have heard it can get crazy. What should I expect? I am thinking getting there late on the 2nd and having dinner at the resort and just hanging out, doing DHS and MK on the 3rd, a water park and Epcot on the 4th, and AK on the 5th before heading home. Staying at Coronado (Gran Destino).

I have a FL resident discount, which helps with pricing. But wondering if that's a good overall plan or if there's anything I'm missing?

 

[DL1WDW2]

 

[Disney Dad ADL]

We went during July 4 week last year and it was fine. July 4 itself was somewhat busy but the rest of the days were good in terms of crowds (July 5 was one of the lightest days I could remember, it was a Saturday last year). This year they are doing the 250 year celebration though, so maybe it will be worse than last year. Soarin over America is going to be open by then so I assume that will be busier than usual. The fireworks are usually special July 4 fireworks at MK on 7/3 and 7/4, and at Epcot on 7/4 only, but not sure if that has been confirmed this year. Otherwise I don't recall anything else particularly special at the moment.

We had no problems seeing the MK fireworks on July 3, literally just walked up to the hub like 20 minutes before it started and there was plenty of room. But I'm guessing it might be worse this year.

 

[beccasmom]

We have experienced pretty busy Independence Days, but that was quite a few years back. I think it is somewhat “quieter” now, but you’ll still have plenty of company. I agree that the 250th celebration may have an effect too. We tended to attend the 7/3 fireworks shows and they were well-attended, but not crazily so.

 

[Wood Nymph]

Thinking about doing a long weekend at Disney for the 4th.

I have never been down there for the 4th but have heard it can get crazy. What should I expect? I am thinking getting there late on the 2nd and having dinner at the resort and just hanging out, doing DHS and MK on the 3rd, a water park and Epcot on the 4th, and AK on the 5th before heading home. Staying at Coronado (Gran Destino).

I have a FL resident discount, which helps with pricing. But wondering if that's a good overall plan or if there's anything I'm missing?

We have experienced WDW during the 4th of July and it was great. We saw the MK fireworks on July 3rd and the Epcot fireworks on July 4th. The resorts have fun activities, too, depending on what resort you are staying at. The biggest crowds we experienced were the ones watching the fireworks.

 

[DeeBee3]

We were there in 2024. The fireworks were crowded on all of the days you mentioned but I wouldn't say it was out of control. July 5 was DEAD at Epcot. Unfortunately, we were leaving that day so we popped in during the morning and wished we had more time.

That year there were heat advisories while we were there. It was brutal. We go most Augusts to WDW and that July was definitely worse. The pool was disgustingly hot and we had to just hang out in the room sometimes due to the weather. That kept a lot of people away too.

The 4th was amazing though! Would definitely go again. I think they already added times for fireworks due to the 250th. It's also being televised.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Tends to be a good time to Disney actually. However, with the 250th and world cup this year crowd predictions could be difficult, will people care about these things? will they care enough to travel to the us? will the americans travel more or to specific places for 250th stuff? Disney is hoping to get increased traffic off the 250th and is leaning into it with a special Soarin', military deals and merch. (Looks like Miami has a world cup match 7/3, at a 3.5hr easy train ride I don't think its outside the realm of possibility some of the international travelers use the chance to see WDW.)

 

[hardcorestitch]

Tends to be a good time to Disney actually. However, with the 250th and world cup this year crowd predictions could be difficult, will people care about these things? will they care enough to travel to the us? will the americans travel more or to specific places for 250th stuff? Disney is hoping to get increased traffic off the 250th and is leaning into it with a special Soarin', military deals and merch. (Looks like Miami has a world cup match 7/3, at a 3.5hr easy train ride I don't think its outside the realm of possibility some of the international travelers use the chance to see WDW.)

The international travelers are on a steady decline due to unrelated politics Many folks from outside the US may end up opt to visit the non-US parks in Chessy and Tokyo among other places.

I wouldn’t be too concerned about 7/4 crowds. They were manageable when I was there in 2024…

 

[JM_97]

Thank you for all the replies! Right now we'll probably stay at Coronado and go in with an open mind about the crowds. The only other thing I'm unsure about is if a water park might be worth it on the 4th, or if we should spend more time at Epcot that day and just use the Coronado pool(s).

For fireworks, definitely leaning towards seeing MK's on the 3rd and Epcot's on the 4th.

 

[hardcorestitch]

Thank you for all the replies! Right now we'll probably stay at Coronado and go in with an open mind about the crowds. The only other thing I'm unsure about is if a water park might be worth it on the 4th, or if we should spend more time at Epcot that day and just use the Coronado pool(s).

For fireworks, definitely leaning towards seeing MK's on the 3rd and Epcot's on the 4th.

Enjoy!

 

[Mle8308]

Thank you for all the replies! Right now we'll probably stay at Coronado and go in with an open mind about the crowds. The only other thing I'm unsure about is if a water park might be worth it on the 4th, or if we should spend more time at Epcot that day and just use the Coronado pool(s).

For fireworks, definitely leaning towards seeing MK's on the 3rd and Epcot's on the 4th.

I'd use the pools at Coronado, save your money. Waterparks are packed, due to the free admission on check in day. Both water parks should be open then helping with crowds, but I'd rather stay at the resort and relax by the pool and not swim in people soup. The feature pool at Coronado is pretty cool, too!

 

[MamaMermaid]

You couldn't pay me to go on 4th of July, ESPECIALLY this year with the 250.