July 4th dining

[bwo]

Hi Folks,
My wife, aunt, and three kids, ages 8, 5, and 3 will be spending 8 days at Disney end of June. Our last night is July 4th and we are looking for suggestions regarding which park and dinner reservation might be good for us, with possibly staying to see fireworks---have rental car, 3 y.o. can sleep in stroller--I realize the fireworks don't start 'til 9:45. Thinking about either Epcot or Hollywood Studios. Anyone have any experience with the parks on July 4th. Thanks!

 

[NikkiLovesWDW!]

We were there over the 4th this past summer and spent the day in Epcot on the 4th. It was eerily empty in World Showcase that day, especially since we were expecting shoulder to shoulder crowds. We did have a lot of rain that week, so I suspect that kept away a lot of locals.

As for dining, I would say Epcot would be your best bet since there are so many sit-down restaurants around World Showcase. We had reservations for lunch at Chefs de France and the restaurant was half empty and they were accepting walk-ups, which I never thought I would see on the 4th! I wouldn't risk it, though! As long as you have a reservation, you'll be fine!

Fireworks were at 10 that night and we got an awesome spot....at 7! Literally, we sat for 3 hours but we had such a long day, it was kind of nice to just sit and relax, taking turns getting up to walk! We sat on a bench down by the water behind the counter service stand in UK. It was perfect!