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THE FOURTH OF JULY 2013 AT WALT DISNEY WORLD

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

On Wednesday, July 3, 2013, the Magic Kingdom has a special fireworks show “Celebrate America” at 9p.

On Thursday, July 4, 2013

• 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 10.15p

Other Fourth Fireworks

• The Magic Kingdom will be offering the same show–instead of Wishes–at 10p July 1, 2 and July 5-7

Those following this site’s summer itinerary for Walt Disney World will be in Downtown Disney for Cirque du Soleil July 3rd, and at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on July 4.

Sensible people might swap all this around, and see the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom on the 3rd, and do what the itinerary has written for the 3rd 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!

For more on July 2013 at Walt Disney World, see this.

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OVERVIEW: SEPTEMBER 2013 AT DISNEY WORLD

This page reviews September 2013 Walt Disney World crowds, prices, deals and discounts, weather, and operating hours; adds a few other notes; and ends with week by week summaries.

[Read more →]

DISNEY WORLD NEXT WEEK: FEBRUARY 23, 2013 TO MARCH 3, 2013

The material below details operating hours, Extra Magic Hours, parades, and fireworks.

The same stuff is in the table, but organized by park, not by topic.

(For more on February 2013, see this.)

[Read more →]

DISNEY WORLD’S SPECIAL HALLOWEEN PARTY

While Halloween itself is October 31st of course, Walt Disney World provides a special Halloween celebration at the Magic Kingdom many evenings in September, October, and even November 2013.

This celebration is called “Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party,” or “MNSSHP” for short.

At the party, many of the Magic Kingdom’s rides are open, and trick or treating, special events, and different parades and fireworks are offered.

The official Disney World page for this event can be found here. Click the image for the 2013 map and offerings. And you can find a review of the 2013 MNSSHP party here.

MORE ON MICKEY’S NOT-SO-SCARY HALLOWEEN PARTY in 2013

[Read more →]

DISNEY’S CORONADO SPRINGS RESORT

Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is distinctive among Disney World’s moderate resorts for its level of amenities–higher than at any other moderate–and some of the characteristics of its rooms.

Both of these distinctions come from its dual role as both a family hotel and a convention hotel, which yields both positive and negative effects.

• Extra amenities available only at Coronado Springs among the moderates are those typically offered to business travelers, including a substantial room-service menu, a fitness center, and a grill at the main pool.  For access to these, you pay $3-$6 more a night for a standard room than you’d pay at one of the other traditional moderates most nights of the year.
• The rooms differ a bit from other moderates in that their fixtures and fittings have been optimized for double-occupancy convention stays, so things are just a little different than in the other moderate rooms. (More on this later.) Moreover there overall decor is starkly masculine, and not as fun as, for example, the Disney-themed rooms at Caribbean Beach.

Even so, a multi-night stay at Coronado Springs in late January 2013 confirms that Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort remains the second best of the moderate resorts for first time family visitors.

However, the recent refurbs to Port Orleans Riverside and Port Orleans French Quarter bring them much closer in these rankings to the top two options, and either might be a better choice for many families.

(For what the moderates provide, and how they compare to the other Disney World resort classes, click here) [Read more →]

(For the first page of this review of Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter Resort, see this.)

PHOTO TOUR OF A STANDARD ROOM AT DISNEY’S PORT ORLEANS FRENCH QUARTER

Standard rooms at Disney’s Port Orleans French Quarter Resort are about as “standard” as you’ll find at the Disney World’s traditional moderate resorts.*

You’ll find in these French Quarter rooms two queens–standard now at all the moderates except the Pirate rooms at Caribbean Beach; typical furnishings; two sinks–standard at the moderates except for Coronado Springs; and sleeping spaces for four–standard except for the Alligator Bayou section of Port Orleans Riverside and many of the newly-refurbed rooms at Caribbean Beach.

As you enter, you’ll find two queens on one side, in a purple and gold theme

Here’s a shot of these beds from the bath side of the room.

The grace and formality of the decor of the beds is typical of what you’ll find throughout the room, in, for example, the wallpaper border.

The wall on this side that the separates the bedroom space from the bath has New Orleans-inspired art.

The other side of the room has a table and two chairs, dresser/TV/mini-fridge, and a small ottoman.

I thought the dresser was particularly nice, especially with the inlaid wood treatment.

Here’s a close-up of the inlay effect.

The three drawers are typical of the moderates, and a little scant for most families–though there’s a large hanging area with a shelf above in the bath. You’ll find the mini-fridge in the dresser, too.

Next along this side is a small bench seat, with coat hooks above. You can see too here a bit of the curtain that you can draw to close off the sink area from the rest of the room.

Inside the first part of the bath area, you’ll find two sinks…

…and the hanging area, along with an iron, ironing board, and safe.

The rest of the bath, with the tub and toilet, is separated by a wall and door.

This shows the subtle figuring of the bath curtain.

AMENITIES AT PORT ORLEANS FRENCH QUARTER RESORT

This review continues here.

*That is, all but The Cabins at Fort Wilderness.

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