Where to spend 4th of July

[kssquared]

Hi,

I was wondering for some thoughts on where to spend 4th of July ? This is our first trip as a family and the first time in the US for Independence Day. Do we do a theme park, Celebration, Lake Eola, or somewhere else ?

 

[WEDWDW]

WELCOME to the DIS!!!!

Personally,I would recommend Epcot.

There are great Patriotic concerts at the Theatre in American Adventure with some of the Characters in "Colonial attire".

The 4th of July "tag" to IllumiNations is AMAZING(think World War 3)!

Epcot is so big that you don't feel as crowded as you would in Magic Kingdom that day.

 

[andyman8]

You've got several options. My best recommendation would be to spend the day (through early evening) at Disney's Animal Kingdom and then enjoy a nice dinner at either California Grill or Narcoossee's (depending on which one is available for that night) and watch the fireworks. They usually start at 9:30, so I'd make a reservation for a bit after 8pm. That way, you can get low crowds during the day, a delicious dinner, and see the fireworks without worrying about getting a spot, the park closing due to capacity, or dealing with other "tired" guests.

Another option would be a full day DHS, which also does fireworks and will be slightly less crowded than the other two. If you mind crowds or long lines in any way whatsoever, I'd avoid MK.

 

[fla4fun]

You've got several options. My best recommendation would be to spend the day (through early evening) at Disney's Animal Kingdom and then enjoy a nice dinner at either California Grill or Narcoossee's (depending on which one is available for that night) and watch the fireworks. They usually start at 9:30, so I'd make a reservation for a bit after 8pm. That way, you can get low crowds during the day, a delicious dinner, and see the fireworks without worrying about getting a spot, the park closing due to capacity, or dealing with other "tired" guests.

Another option would be a full day DHS, which also does fireworks and will be slightly less crowded than the other two. If you mind crowds or long lines in any way whatsoever, I'd avoid MK.

Another "bonus" to a dinner at CG is that you can see lots of community fireworks going off as well. In 2012 we booked a theme park view room at CR over July 4th, and it was amazing the number of fireworks we could see going off in the towns surrounding Disney. We were on the 9th floor, so the view from CG would be even better.

I will say that we have stayed four nights over July 4th the past two years, and we didn't go in the parks either trip, even though we have APs. Just too many people in the parks. However, it did make for some great resort hopping and dining during the day, since most people were out of the hotels. If I had to go to a park on July 4th, Epcot would probably be my choice, but it would still be packed.

 

[foohpah]

Another "bonus" to a dinner at CG is that you can see lots of community fireworks going off as well. In 2012 we booked a theme park view room at CR over July 4th, and it was amazing the number of fireworks we could see going off in the towns surrounding Disney. We were on the 9th floor, so the view from CG would be even better.

I will say that we have stayed four nights over July 4th the past two years, and we didn't go in the parks either trip, even though we have APs. Just too many people in the parks. However, it did make for some great resort hopping and dining during the day, since most people were out of the hotels. If I had to go to a park on July 4th, Epcot would probably be my choice, but it would still be packed.

We will be staying at the Boardwalk on 7/3 - 7/4. They are the last two days of our vacation but we are going to avoid the parks. We are going to hang out and relax at the pool, do some resort hopping, etc.. We have dinner reservations at Narcoossee's to watch the MK fireworks on the 3rd and we hear we will be able to see some of the higher fireworks from Epcot/HS from near the bridge over in the Epcot resorts area on the 4th. There is entertainment and fun to be had in that area that evening without dealing with such massive crowds in the actual parks.