Category — n. Approaching Dates at Disney World

OVERVIEW: JULY 2014 AT DISNEY WORLD

This page reviews July 2014 Walt Disney World crowds, prices, deals and discounts, weather, and operating hours; adds a few other notes; and ends with week by week summaries.

Because pretty much every US school kid is on break in July, July overall is the most crowded month at Walt Disney World.

Prices begin the month OK at the deluxes and moderates, and high at the values. Moderate and value prices stay at this level all month, but at the deluxes prices drop to low levels on July 13.

Weather is miserable all month long.

There are no good weeks in July, but the later the visit the better–especially if you are staying in a deluxe.

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THE 4th OF JULY 2014 AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

Disney World celebrates the 4th of July at several parks–and on July 3rd as well!

On Thursday, July 3, 2014, the Magic Kingdom has a special fireworks show “Celebrate America” at 9p.

On Friday, July 4, 2014

• The Magic Kingdom has the same show at the same time–“Celebrate America” at 9p
• Epcot’s Illuminations has a special holiday ending added, and is shifted from its normal 9p time to 10p, and
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios will have a special 4th of July fireworks presentation at 10.20p

Those following this site’s FastPass+ High Crowd Itinerary for Walt Disney World will be at Disney’s Animal Kingdom July 3rd, and at the Magic Kingdom on July 4, and have both evenings off.

Sensible people might swap these two dates, being at the Magic Kingdom and seeing the fireworks on the 3rd, and going to the Animal Kingdom and skipping the fireworks on the 4th…

FOURTH OF JULY CROWDS AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

July is the most consistently crowded month at Disney World, and in the month, the week that includes the 4th of July is the most crowded week.

July is the most crowded month because every US schoolkid on a typical (that is, not year-round) calendar has the entire month off.  This is not true of either June or August.

Within July, many parents gravitate towards the week of the 4th for their vacations, because since the 4th is a holiday, they need to take one fewer vacation day to get a week off.

And people want to see fireworks on the 4th…so the Disney World parks offering fireworks on the 4th of July will be packed!

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Rikki Niblett posted yesterday on the TouringPlans.com blog more winter 2014 Disney World winter ride closures.

One of the most common questions I get around here is why my Week Rankings view so negatively a lot of January and February weeks that are low-crowd and low-price.

The reason is that my week rankings are for first time visitors who may never return.  These weeks are in the peak of the ride-closure season—so why should a family who has never been, and may never return, go during a time that predictably they may miss some of the best of Disney World?

But families that don’t care about ride closures should take a close look at January and early February.  Click the links for more on those months at Disney World—or play with the Week Picker!

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OVERVIEW: JUNE 2014 AT DISNEY WORLD

This page reviews June 2014 Walt Disney World crowds, prices, deals and discounts, weather, and operating hours; adds a few other notes; and ends with week by week summaries.

If you must go to Disney World in the summer, the beginning of June is your best choice for a first visit.  Crowds while not good, are lower then than most of the rest of the summer, prices are OK–except at the value resorts–and the full weight of summer weather is not yet in place.

(The end of August is the next best choice.  Prices and crowds are much better, but you are not only in peak summer then, but also the peak of the hurricane season.)

Crowds build over June, peaking the week that includes the 4th of July (a Friday in 2014, so the most crowded June week is that beginning June 28).

Moreover, Star Wars Weekends look to continue through June 8 at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, leading to massive crowds there on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through the 8th.

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MVMCP: A REVIEW

Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (“MVMCP”) is a special event that takes place during the Christmas season at Walt Disney World.

It requires its own ticket, which is entirely separate from regular Disney World tickets, and is only shown on certain nights from early November through mid-December.

(For more on MVMCP tickets and show nights, see this.)

Even though it is expensive (tickets for a family of four will cost over $200) it’s been part of this site’s Basic December Itinerary since the site opened, for a couple of reasons:

Going to it lets people sleep in an extra morning. 

Disney limits the amount of tickets it sells to each show of MVMCP.  As a result, waits for the rides are low.  Going to it and getting some popular rides in saves a morning in the Basic Itinerary for sleeping in that would otherwise have to be used getting up and going to the Magic Kingdom

Going to it guarantees seeing an evening parade and fireworks. 

At the time of year the Basic Itinerary covers, the evening parade and fireworks at the Magic Kingdom may happen just a couple of times a week on non-MVMCP nights.  Sending people to MVMCP guarantees your family will have the opportunity to see an evening parade and fireworks.

I recommend people go to Walt Disney World in the early part of the Christmas season…so how can I not send them to this show?

It’s silly and fun!

In November 2013 I had a chance to see it again, for the fifth time  The rest of this entry is the review of that visit. [Read more →]

Earlier this week Disney World updated its operating calendar for November, and Thanksgiving Week in particular saw massive changes.

MAGIC KINGDOM OPERATING HOURS THANKSGIVING WEEK

Every day from Saturday November 24 through Saturday November 30, the Magic Kingdom is now open from 8a til 1a.

Before the change, hours were listed that week as 9a-10p.  No one expected that the 10p closes would stay–they were clearly going to be extended.  But 1a closes every day Thanksgiving week is a surprise, as are the 8a openings.

While 8a opens are common other busy weeks, this is the first time since I’ve been tracking that Disney World has had a week of 8a opens during Thanksgiving. (To compare last year’s Thanksgiving Week hours, see this.)

So those intending to beat crowds by showing up before open at the Magic Kingdom now need to get up an hour earlier. And those with 8.10a breakfast in the Magic Kingdom, scheduled with the thought that they’d be finishing just as the park was opening, will need to seriously reconsider these bookings.

The best time to tour is the first hour or two after the park opens.  And since the surprising operating hour extensions are a hint that Disney is expecting really heavy crowds Thanksgiving week…well that touring time is golden, and not wise to spend eating!

OTHER OPERATING HOUR CHANGES

Beyond the Magic Kingdom, Epcot saw no changes; Disney’s Hollywood Studios now has 10p closes, as I would have expected, and the Animal Kingdom is now open 8a-8p all week–as it was last year.

The schedule may change again, even the day before–Extra Magic Hours may be added, etc.  So keep up with the operating hours!