How Bad is the week of July 4th?

lovewdwfun

Mouseketeer
Joined
Jan 29, 2011
I got this crazy little idea (you know the feeling of heading out to Disney for a week for the 4th. I seemed to recall posts about how it was not as bad as expected last year, but now I can’t find any of those posts or blogs. Tell me - how rough is it? Is this an awful idea or an awful, wonderful idea?

We usually go the last week of August and have also gone in May, September, and December. We have an annual pass that won’t expire until August, but would involve a 20 hour drive from Michigan. I assumed there will also be bad traffic on the weekends.

Note we would book in the next couple days to do FP+ at 60 days. My son also will have a DAS.
 
It's one of the busiest weeks of the year -- expect it to be as crowded as you fear it will be. It's quite literally wall-to-wall people, but I think as long as you go in with the right expectations you should be OK. And with a DAS and FP you should be able to do everything you want.
 
Granted my “bad” and your “bad” may be two different things and a touring decision here or there can make a big impact on how things “feel”, but we did 7/4 week last year (first time) and I thought it was great. WAY better (and much cheaper) than some other times I went last year, Columbus Day weekend, NYE, first week of April, for example.

On the whole, I felt that week had lower crowds than any other trip in recent memory, except maybe early Sept.

Granted, 7/3 and 7/4 in/around the MK were sort of their own animal so you need to adjust expectations on those days. 7/4 is a big Epcot day too.

This year, TSL opening 6/30 could change things a bit.

Similar to you, we planned that trip last year on a whim a 2-3 months in advance. Was glad we did, had a great time.
 


Granted my “bad” and your “bad” may be two different things and a touring decision here or there can make a big impact on how things “feel”, but we did 7/4 week last year (first time) and I thought it was great. WAY better (and much cheaper) than some other times I went last year, Columbus Day weekend, NYE, first week of April, for example.

On the whole, I felt that week had lower crowds than any other trip in recent memory, except maybe early Sept.

Granted, 7/3 and 7/4 in/around the MK were sort of their own animal so you need to adjust expectations on those days. 7/4 is a big Epcot day too.

Very much agree with this. We've done 4th of July week many times, including the last 3 years straight. It's really not a big deal at all. As stated above, MK on the 3rd and 4th are packed, but outside of that, it's very manageable. Even Epcot, which we did last year, isn't bad at all on the 4th. That's because the WS is incredibly large, so there's much more room for fireworks viewing than in MK. We literally found our spot for 9pm fireworks at 8:50pm...on the 4th of July. No, we didn't have a "prime" spot up against the fence, but it was still a very good spot. In fact, it was perfect because we were on a bridge heading back toward Futureworld. When fireworks were over, we easily beat the mad rush out.

I would strongly encourage you to go if you can. It's a great week!!
 
It's one of the busiest weeks of the year -- expect it to be as crowded as you fear it will be. It's quite literally wall-to-wall people, but I think as long as you go in with the right expectations you should be OK. And with a DAS and FP you should be able to do everything you want.

We went last year and left on the 4th. I really didn't think it was any worse than the rest of the summer. We were in MK for the fireworks on the 3rd, and that was pretty crazy. But so is HAE every night. We went to NFL and watched from Gaston's and had plenty of space to ourselves. But lines the whole trip were manageable.
 
We have been several times for the week of July 4. Each time we have been quite surprised by how manageable the crowds have been. We were there last July 4th week and it was far less crowded than both our trips in October and January. Even on July 4th we have found that the parks are not super crowded during the day but MK and Epcot both get progressively more crowded as it gets later. They are both a zoo for the fireworks. We have always gone to the park during the day and then left by early evening when it started to get noticeably more crowded. We have always watched the fireworks from outside the park for the 4th.

In general I think the "bulk" of any crowds during that time are primarily locals who go to the parks in the evening specifically for the fireworks. Honestly we have always been shocked by how moderate the crowds are during the day.
 


We did July 4th last year and it wasn't bad in my opinion. We did fireworks July 3 and while crowded very doable. I would do July 4th week over spring break week a thousand times over :lol: We did spring break a few weeks ago and we all said never ever again.
 
It used to be one of the busiest weeks of the year, but that's no longer the case. For the last few years, the 4th of July crowds have been pretty reasonable. It's less crowded than late September and October are now.
 
We went for the week of the 4th in 2014. Crowd-wise, I didn't think it was bad. The heat and humidity were killer. It would have been better if we had started early in the day and took a mid-day break but we were traveling with my parents who didn't get moving until mid-morning.
 
I will echo what others have been saying. Do not let the fact that it's July 4th stop you. We were there the week of the 4th last year, and it was a perfectly pleasant, manageable experience. We did MK on the 3rd and watched the fireworks while riding Dumbo three times in a row since no one else was back there. We did Epcot on the 4th, and, as Klayfish noted, the size of Epcot really allows even a big crowd to thin out. As a teacher of U.S. history, I'm sure I'm biased, but there was something really cool to me about going to the America pavilion and seeing the American Adventure on July 4th. Seeing everyone decked out in red, white and blue is such a heartwarming experience. We watched the fireworks from Futureworld and got out of there. The rest of the week was great, and, frankly, we have had hotter weeks in late May/early June than we had that week.
 
Echoing here too, have gone a couple of 4th of July years and been pleasantly surprised. We went in expecting the worst for crowds and were soo happy with what we actually encountered. Sure, it was crowded but to me it is all about setting expectations low, having a smart plan and just going with the flow from there.

Our specific plan was RD moving fairly quickly from attraction to attraction then a long, leisurely ADR lunch in a nice air conditioned restaurant followed directly by our 3 FP (for some reason the heat doesn't seem soo bad when you know you don't have to wait in long lines for your favorite rides) then we just played the evening however we felt like it (sometimes, like on the 4th, it meant staking our claim for fireworks while enjoying a nice snack).

All in all a wonderful time each time! Go, have fun just prepare for the heat and the crowds so that nothing surprises you!
 
It's so bad that we'd never ever go that week - just like we'd never go any holidays. We're here now - waited until the 2nd week after Easter and the crowds have not been bad at all - with the exception of this past weekend, which is probably normal with locals coming in for F&G.
 
It's one of the busiest weeks of the year -- expect it to be as crowded as you fear it will be. It's quite literally wall-to-wall people, but I think as long as you go in with the right expectations you should be OK. And with a DAS and FP you should be able to do everything you want.

In the past two years this simply isn't true. July 4th used to be one of the busiest weeks of the year. The last two years it has been very manageable (as have summers overall). Whether that pattern will hold true this year is anyones guess.
 
It's so bad that we'd never ever go that week - just like we'd never go any holidays. We're here now - waited until the 2nd week after Easter and the crowds have not been bad at all - with the exception of this past weekend, which is probably normal with locals coming in for F&G.
Are you saying the 'so bad' from personal experience? Just wondering what year(s) you were there?
 
Agree with other posters and would just add that like any holiday, getting there early, having a plan and making the most of FPs can really help mitigate whatever the crowd may be.
 
We’ll be at Epcot on the 2nd, MK on the 3rd and HS/AK on the 4th. TP has MK as a 7 on the third, and AK a 4 on the 4th.

We’ll see.

I used the CL service, so we’ve got 6 FPs ; hopefully that will help. Still waiting for the desert parties to open up for the 3rd. I’ve told everyone just to settle in and enjoy the atmosphere, even if the crowds are worse than one might hope.

If you do end up going, look for me. I’ll be the middle aged guy with kids in shorts and a Disney shirt.
 
I would totally go around 4th of July. Crowds during that time are no longer the issue they once were.
 
We'll be there July 3-14 and aren't expecting huge crowds. We won't enter a park until July 5. We will watch MK fireworks from our room at the Contemporary.
 
We were there over July 4th in 2016. I was expecting the worst but crowds were far better than I anticipated. Now we did avoid the parks on July 4th, choosing to watch the fireworks from our resort (the Polynesian) instead, so I can’t really speak to the holiday itself. We had a fabulous time!!! Such a great time that we’re returning the same week this year!
 

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