Talk to me about the Fourth of July

[DisneyGiant]

Want to hear it all - the Good - the Bad - the Ugly

What was your experience like?

We find ourselves having to go June 30 - July 8 - in order to get a trip in before our Annual Passes expire. We're expecting the Bad - and hope to see little Ugly. We have already decided to stay away from MK on July 4. :)

[DonaldDuck1117]

Good idea not goi g to MK on the 4th. I would recommend going on the 3rd though as they will do the same exact fireworks display that night as well but with not nearly the same amount of crow inside the park.

[missymouseworld]

We were there the week before and a few days after the 4th. We opted to do a resort day on the 4th and enjoyed the fireworks from the GF marina area. The pool had special games and celebrations going on. We also booked a special dinner that night at a resort to stay away from the parks.

Enjoy your trip!

[kakn7294]

We're going June 26 - July 5 and I plan to be at MK on the 4th. If I can survive NY Eve at MK, I can certainly survive July 4th!

[busterthebronco]

We've done it a few times and learned to avoid the MK on the 4th. It's crazy crowded and crazy hot! We stayed at our resort and participated in all the goofy pool parties and 4th activities, GREAT memories!

[DisneyGiant]

Thanks for the feedback everyone!!!!

[grumpypima]

It's hot. We do summers regularly and have done 4th of July often...and love it! We do water parks during the day and parks at night. We can adapt to the heat, crowds, cranky family members, etc. Our go-to back plans include resort nights with pool time movies, DTD movie night or bowling, or campground visit. My all-time favorite is going to AK an hour before closing; love the mood of the AK at closing!! It's beautiful.

[luvkatiebug]

We have done 4th of July week twice (2013 and 2015), but we actually arrived on the 4th. We went to Downtown Disney (Disney Springs) that first afternoon and shopped and ate and bowled at Splitsville. No problems there at all. I think it just takes careful planning to go around holiday time. My DH and I both teach high school and he coaches summer ball that doesn't get finished until the end of June so July is usually our only option. We get up early and ride tons of things in the morning (you'd be surprised at how many people sleep late.... on vacation... really? - ha ha), take midday breaks at the pool and go back at night. And now that my kids are at and approaching the teen years we have to take at least one morning / day off completely or I will have major rebellion on my hands. I learned that we can't do everything in one week - we have to pick and choose our favorites and just enjoy the time walking around and eating and such. My girls are 11 and 15 and one of their favorite things this past trip was just walking around the countries at Epcot to shop. It was a blast. Enjoy!

[#1donaldfan]

It's gonna be crowded anywhere you go, so if you want to see the fireworks on the 4th, go to the MK !! Now, NYE at MK ... I cannot ever do that again....C R A Z Y !!

[SteveL]

And don't forget traffic if your using a car or a Disney Bus. One year it took 90 minutes to get from MK to DTD. The bus eventually let people out at the golf course at Saratoga and people schlepped across the course to get to DTD.

[DisneyGiant]

It's gonna be crowded anywhere you go, so if you want to see the fireworks on the 4th, go to the MK !! Now, NYE at MK ... I cannot ever do that again....C R A Z Y !!

Was able to book Rose & Crown on July 4th - around 7:30 pm. We are hoping that they take their sweet time in serving us & we'll have a fireworks view from the restaurant. :)

[Eric87]

My DW and I have gone the past two 4th of July weeks. We have two kids 6 and 18 months (the little guy was 3 weeks old the first trip). We are Disney touring veterans and took it very easy. We spent most time in the parks utilizing FP+ and child swap. We rarely waited in lines and would constantly find air conditioned seating when we needed a break. We did MK on the 3rd and went to DHS on the fourth where it was still crowded but manageable. Both times we had a great time, and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. When it came to dinner reservations, the app would always say none available, but every time I walked up there was always seating available. Even at the Brown Derby. We took Disney transportation to MK and drove to the other parks and never ran into any traffic issues either. Have fun and just enjoy the parks celebrating the greatest country in the world!

[#1donaldfan]

Was able to book Rose & Crown on July 4th - around 7:30 pm. We are hoping that they take their sweet time in serving us & we'll have a fireworks view from the restaurant. :)

Great Plan !!! I'm sure they will rush through as normal with the service, but you can certainly keep it slow .... you're the customer !! I'm sure you will not get right in anyway....have fun !!

[j2k]

My DW and I have gone the past two 4th of July weeks. We have two kids 6 and 18 months (the little guy was 3 weeks old the first trip).

3 weeks old :eyes: :jaw:

Life with a newborn is exhausting and throw in vacationing and I give you all the kudos on that one. :thumbsup:

[eandrsmom]

My son's birthday is Fourth of July, so we've visited a few times for his birthday. It is hot and crowded, but we love it. One of our more memorable trips was watching the fireworks on July 3 at MK from The Plaza restaurant. We had reservations for about an hour prior to the fireworks beginning. We were seated at the front window and had a perfect view of the castle while sitting in the air conditioning out of the crowds. Don't drive anywhere if you can help it. Often times the parks close due to being at capacity. Last year, we stayed at the GF and watched the fireworks from the dock while having pizza. Afterwards, Epcot had EMH, so my kids used the monorails to go there. The fireworks at Epcot had finished, and they said that everyone seemed to be leaving the park. They rode everything that they wanted without any lines.

[mudpuppysmom]

Pack your patience! It's hot, it's crowded and you will see good but also a lot of ugly in my opinion. People push and shove to be right in front of the castle to get the best view of fireworks! I would never do MK on the 4th again. You can see the same fireworks from the POLY beach or just maybe do something else that day--relax maybe and stay at your resort!