July 4th 2009

[MOM22princess]

Hi
We will be visiting AKV Kidani in July We have never been to WDW for the 4th of July celebration and wanted to know what is available.
Are there special dinners / fireworks? Where is the best place to be? Do we need reservations?

Any help would be appreciated.


Thanks

 

[5forDiz]

Hi
We will be visiting AKV Kidani in July We have never been to WDW for the 4th of July celebration and wanted to know what is available.
Are there special dinners / fireworks? Where is the best place to be? Do we need reservations?

Any help would be appreciated.

We were there 2008 and decided not to do any parks since our son had a friend arriving late that day and we had to pick him up at airport so we decided to head over to BW in the evening around 8 pm for dinner at ESPN Club. There were lots of activities taking place: Boardwalk entertainers, dj on the village green and we were able to see very well fireworks of both DHS & Epcot and even MK in the distance when were were standing in front of Boardwalk Bakery.

If you plan to go to BW just get there early because parking lot was completely filled and cars were being turned away shortly after 8 pm. Also it would be smart to plan to linger at BW for AT LEAST an hour or more after fireworks because traffic was at a near complete standstill exiting BW and on Buena Vista Drive for over an hour - the bakery/ice cream shop was still open and bikes & surreys were still available for rental among other things.

 

[ChelleinNC]

Here's a link to the events of last year. Keep in mind this is last years info and with the current economic crisis, there may not be as many fireworks this year.

 

[Deb & Bill]

I don't think they do any fireworks at AK because they may frighten the animals.

 

[White_Sox_Fan]

We were there over the 4th this year. On the 3rd we took the bus from SSR to the MK and then the monorail over to Poly. We watched the fireworks from the beach at Poly. They had a special fireworks show on the 3rd & 4th. On the 4th we went to AK. No special shows or fireworks but no ridiculous crowds either. We were there at opening and, with a good touring plan, saw everything we wanted without waiting in line for more than 20 minutes for anything. Most waits were under 10 minutes. The evening of the 4th there were fireworks at DTD that we watched from SSR. The only bad thing was the wind was blowing all the debris right on top of us.

 

[snowbunny]

We were are AKV last year over the 4th. There is nothing special for the 4th at the lodge, but we had made reservations for dinner at 'Ohana that night so that we would be able to see the MK fireworks from there.

The fireworks were spectacular, we could see them from our table, and my kids were able to walk over to the windows to stand and watch. With the piped-in music it was one of the best fireworks shows we have seen. I am not a fan of the food at 'Ohana but it was still worth it.

However - if you plan on doing anything in the vicinity of the MK on the 4th, allow a lot of extra time. We drove up to the Poly from AKV and the traffic was unbelievable. Stop and go for over a mile. They were only letting cars into the resort if the occupants had confirmed ADRs. The Poly itself was jammed. We were a half our late for our ressie (stress ) but still got a table. I was relieved to get back to the quiet of AKV.

 

[marvali]

Hi
We will be visiting AKV Kidani in July We have never been to WDW for the 4th of July celebration and wanted to know what is available.
Are there special dinners / fireworks? Where is the best place to be? Do we need reservations?

Any help would be appreciated.


Thanks

I guess we'll see you there. We have ressie's at Kidani from 6/28 - 7/6. This will also be our first trip to WDW for July 4th celebration.

 

[evaready51]

We were at the SSR last year over the 4th. We went to watch the fireworks at the Poly from the beach. Be there early, if you are going. The chairs were gone by 7:00PM.

The fireworks were spectacular but getting back to the SSR was a nightmare. Because of all of the traffic it took 1.5 hours

 

[White_Sox_Fan]

We were at the SSR last year over the 4th. We went to watch the fireworks at the Poly from the beach. Be there early, if you are going. The chairs were gone by 7:00PM.

The fireworks were spectacular but getting back to the SSR was a nightmare. Because of all of the traffic it took 1.5 hours

This is where Disney transportation came thru for us. As I stated we bussed to the MK and took the monorail to Poly. We got there about 15 minutes before the fireworks and found a little patch of grass to sit on. After the fireworks we walked over to the poly bus stop and within 5 minutes a bus to DTD picked us up. We walked around DTD for a little while before walking back to our room in SSR.

 

[MOM22princess]

Thanks for all your input you gave us alot to think about. We will be at Kidani from 6/28 - 7/5 I cant wait.
Still need to figure out what to do for the 4th. We might just hang at one of the Parks all day.
Disney transportation seems the best for that day.

 

[adminjedi]

We were there last year as well.
The fireworks on the 3rd are the same as on the 4th. We actually had our portrait session at Grand Floridian and a dinner ressie at Narcoosees (great food!) on the 3rd for a great view of the MK fireworks and those from the island. FYI, It was loud being so close. Because MK would be crazy busy on the 4th we avoided the park all day. CA Grill on the 3rd would be great too. (Beware of ressies there on the 4th. We had confirmation # scheduled by concierge svc at AKL and when we showed up they denied our ressie existed due to a "private party" that night. What a disappointment and fiasco!) They do have fireworks at HS too.

 

[tomandrobin]

As mentioned above, there are special fireworks July 3 and 4th at Magic Kingdom. These are a must see. On July 4th there are fireworks at DHS, only the second time of the that DHS has fireworks. Not as over the top as MK, but are nice. Expect heavy, heavy crowds....July 4th week is the second busiest week of the year.

 

[Music Mom]

From experience I can say be prepared for the entire country of Brazil to be there and for the weather to be sooo hot. Take your personal fans everywhere you go

 

[figment795]

From experience I can say be prepared for the entire country of Brazil to be there and for the weather to be sooo hot. Take your personal fans everywhere you go

LOL good one. DH and I love to go for the 4th of July. Our wedding anniversary is July 3rd we go to the MK and see the fireworks on that night. Then go to Epcot on the 4th of July and stay away from MK that day. Works out well for us.

 

[princessvacg]

Hi
We will be visiting AKV Kidani in July We have never been to WDW for the 4th of July celebration and wanted to know what is available.
Are there special dinners / fireworks? Where is the best place to be? Do we need reservations?

Any help would be appreciated.


Thanks

Anywhere but in the parks!! We will be at Jamba on the 4th and moving to Kidani of the next day. we go to Typhoon Lagoon on the 4th and then usually go to DTD for the fireworks. It is not so bad there.

 

[danielle782001]

The evening of the 4th there were fireworks at DTD that we watched from SSR. The only bad thing was the wind was blowing all the debris right on top of us.

What did you think of the DTD display? Could you hear music from SSR?

We will be staying at SSR from July 1-5...Then we are moving over to the AKL until July 12...We are really looking forward to the trip.

 

[danielle782001]

Anywhere but in the parks!! We will be at Jamba on the 4th and moving to Kidani of the next day. we go to Typhoon Lagoon on the 4th and then usually go to DTD for the fireworks. It is not so bad there.

I see you did DTD as well...What did you think?

I keep reading that people say MK is so crowded on the 4th so they go on the 3rd...But then doesn't that make MK super crowded on the 3rd as well? I have reading many conflicting reports My concern is that we are not planning on an entire day at MK on the 3rd...Will they be full if we wait until 4:00 or so? I have read they have not closed but I am nervous.

 

[anna08]

This past July 4th we had a blast at the Boardwalk where they had a DJ outdoors (on that nice grassy square next to the water) playing lots of fun dance music. There were hula hoops galore and it was very festive. This was a nice alternative to being in a crowded park. We could see fireworks in a few directions too, got dinner and ice cream. Just walking around the lake is fun as there is so much going on.

 

[princessvacg]

I see you did DTD as well...What did you think?

I keep reading that people say MK is so crowded on the 4th so they go on the 3rd...But then doesn't that make MK super crowded on the 3rd as well? I have reading many conflicting reports My concern is that we are not planning on an entire day at MK on the 3rd...Will they be full if we wait until 4:00 or so? I have read they have not closed but I am nervous.

We have been to disney every year on the fourth for the last 10 years and the 4th is a miserable day to be in the parks. We went to MK about 5 years ago and after the immense heat, the unbelievable crowds my husband and I vowed NEVER again. The fireworks at DTD were actually really great. Not as elaborate as MK of course, but definitly worth the my sanity!! The fireworks on the 3rd are the same as the 4th just not the same crowds. Actually, they usually close MK around 11am on the 4th as that is around the time it reaches capacity if that gives you any indication of what the day is like. They definitely do close the park. My brother and his family tried to get in a couple of years ago and they could not. Not sure if they have changed anything recently, but I do not think so.

 

[White_Sox_Fan]

What did you think of the DTD display? Could you hear music from SSR?

We will be staying at SSR from July 1-5...Then we are moving over to the AKL until July 12...We are really looking forward to the trip.

I honestly don't remember, I think we could. The thing that I remembered most was the rain of debris that was showered down on us. We stayed at Congress Park and watched from the waterfront there. The fireworks were launched directly across from us. I would determine which direction the wind is coming from before viewing from there again. Of course the wind was light and I didn't think about it until after a large barrage at the beginning of the show. I noticed the smoke was drifting our way, which impeded the viewing a little. At that time I began to wonder where all the debris was going to fall, a minute later I found out. It was the first time I ever watched fireworks wearing sunglasses as it was the only form of eye protection I had. I never realized how large the chunks of cardboard from the fireworks would be.

As far as comments regarding the crowds in the parks. I would consider going to AK on the 4th. They have no fireworks and most people don't do hoppers so the crowds are lighter. Get there when it opens and you'll have no problem with lines. We were there from opening to around 3 or 4 in the afternoon and the longest we stood in line was 20 minutes (of course we don't do Kali River so I don't know how long the wait was there)