July 2018

bobgobblin15

I've got the disney fever!!
Joined
Oct 17, 2016
I have decided to surprise my daughters with a trip to disney next year from June 30 to July 7. Super super excited. I don't know how I am going to keep it from them for that long! Has anyone gone during the 4th? The last time I went was the beginning of this year only for a few days and I stayed at AOA. Next year it will just be me and my two girls. The hubby will be going on a fishing trip. I have booked a room at the FQ. Anyone going during that time? Have any advice that may help me lol? :D
 
I know exactly how you are feeling! We are surprising my ten year old with a Disney birthday trip July 15-21, 2018. I am attempting to keep my secret by alluding to a 2019 trip when it does come up , which is when we originally said we would go for the opening of Star Wars land.This allows me to every now and then ask a random," next trip is there any ride you just have to go on?" Type question without them reading too much into it. I guess we kind of randomly talk Disney quite often in our house.

We have been to Magic Kingdom on Fourth of July in the past and have experienced heavy crowds. That being said, my best advice to you is to have a good touring plan. Make sure you use a crowd calendar to pick out the recommended days for each park. I read somewhere that the Fourth of July fireworks are also done on the 3rd at Magic Kingdom, so maybe going to see them then might be good if you are looking for a lighter crowd (no guarantees)? I'm sure you may know but book dinning and any extra experiences that can book out at the 180 day mark and do all fastpasses at the 60 day mark. I hear Port Orleans is a well groomed resort, just awesome landscaping! We plan to stay there (but at Riverside) as well.

There is a wealth of information about how to make even the more crowded times at Disney a great trip, but planning is key! Don't forget misting fans, frog togg towels, and to stay hydrated and you should have the most magical time!
 
I am definitely counting down to the 180 day mark! I have actually never done any character dining or sit down restaurant at disney. So that will be a first for me and my girls! Im so excited!! :-) One of the main reasons I want to make the reservations (besides characters) is it is just going to be me and this way I don't have to try and find them something to eat and then trying to find a place to sit and eat it. And we can sit in air conditioning for a bit. Oh what do you do with your strollers if you have one while at the character meals? Which attractions would you suggest for fast passes? I am planning on us getting there at opening and trying to do all the little rides first.

My oldest thinks we are going back to the beach next year! That is what we normally do for summer vacations. So she is planning all this stuff for us to do at the beach! Love it!! Oh I randomly talk about disney in our as well! Drives my hubby crazy. lol He isn't as disney crazy as I am.

I can't wait to see FQ. I am from LA and unfortunately I don't have a need to go back home anymore. But I do miss it terribly so I am hoping that Disneys FQ gives me a sense of home.
 
Sit down meals are a favorite part of our vacation mainly for giving us the chance to be still and relax a bit, so I understand using them for air conditioning and to take the hassle out of finding food. Disney is super stroller friendly, when you can't take a stroller into an area here are always large designated stroller parking areas close by. Don't be alaramed if you come out and find that your stroller has moved from where you left it, Disney employs special cast members to help keep the strollers organized and out of the way, which sometimes means shuffling them about a bit.

I most definitely can give you some recommendations but I need a little info. first. What are the ages of your kiddos and also are they into certain characters? If you don't want to stand in line for characters, character meals are a great way to conquer two things at once by bringing a signature book and having your camera ready!
 


One will be 5 and my oldest will be 11. They really like all the characters. My oldest isn't in to roller coasters rides thank goodness so we don't have to worry about that.

That is good to know about the strollers! The last thing I need is to be down there by myself and thinking someone stole my stroller lol

I am so excited. I have started a tote in the bedroom to put stuff in that I want to take! My hubby thinks I am crazy since it is so far away. lol
 
It's actually super smart to have that tote of stuff started! I buy Disney tees and little trinkets to give them on the trip to make it feel like they are receiving souvineers each day. Last trip they ended up buying one thing each on the last day because each day they'd wake up to glow sticks and a new tshirt so they didn't even ask for more. I frequent the Disney shop at JcPenneys. I have found t-shirts there as recently as a few weeks ago for $3.99. H&M can have some cute Disney things every now and then for super cheap as well. Last year I found my boys storm trooper mini backpacks for $3.

Make sure to go to Walmart or Target to get a light up spinner to take for nighttime shows if you think the kiddos might want some of the fancy expensive wands that come out just in time for fireworks or nighttime shows. We found some with different characters for $3 each at Walmart and I was sure to put them in the park bag before we headed over when I knew we'd be staying for nighttime shows.

As far as fastpasses go, since you'll be starring clear of rollercoaster I will give you a list of smaller rides that tend to have longer lines (you will want to fastpasses these or ride them after ropedrop).

In the Magic Kingdom you will want fast passes for 3 of the following attractions; Peter Pans flight (almost always a long wait without FP), Enchanted Tales with Belle (not a ride per se, but an experience you won't want to miss), 7 Dwarves Minetrain (kind of like a mini-coaster), Buzz Lightyears Space Ranger Spin in Tomorowland and Pirates of the Caribbean or Haunted Mansion. If you want to see the only taking Mickey in all of Disney,then you could fastpass meeting Mickey at the Town Theater. Most other things can be ridden in the am or evening with minimal wait times hopefully.

In Epcot your best bet is attempting to FP Frozen Ever After (hard to snag sometimes), then the Seas with Nemo and Friends and maybe Turtle talk with crush or the character spot with Minnie , Mickey and Goofy? We loved eating at Akershus Royal Banquet for a late breakfast at around 11. This allowed us to meet many princesses and not have to stand in line and it was cheaper than eating at the castle. Since my kids are picky eaters breakfast worked out better because I was sure they wouldn't try the food offered for the other meals.

At Hollywood Studios get fast passes for Toy Story Midway Mania, Frozen the sing along and maybe Star Tours (even if they aren't Star Wars fans it's fun!), or maybe fantasmic if you are up for staying late and seeing a nighttime show, this is a good one. If your kids are Star Wars fans there's a free Jedi training program but you'd have to be at the park an hour before rope drop and go straight to sign up to get on the list of participants and it can be a mad dash of crazies! I hear that both as Sci-Fi dine inn and 50s prime time cafe have very cool theming for a sit down meal at HS.

At Animal Kingdom definetly fastpass Kilamanjaro safaris, Na'vi River Journey and maybe Kali River Rapids if you like an adventure and don't mind getting a little wet. One of the best tips I took for animal kingdom is that Yak and Yeti quick service window has fried rice as a snack credit that really could be a good lunch for most. It's super inexpensive and was pretty good! We only did AK half a day last time because Pandora wasn't open yet and we were exhausted by day 4.

That would be my next suggestion, either a break day or half day for R&R. The crowds and all the adventuring can take a toll on any of us and to make the time more enjoyable don't hesitate to go for midday breaks/naps or just have a resort day. FQ has a great pool and new splash area just for little ones and there is evennthe chance to ride carriages around the grounds(reservations highly recommended). Or sleep in and take a boat ride from the resort dock down to Disney Springs and check out the World of Disney store or take a free pic with special backdrops at the photo pass stop( you can buy the ones they take, but they will take pics with your camera as well, for free!).

Gosh I could go on and on.....I hope my suggestions are helpful. No matter what you choose, I know your trip will be magical!
 
Oh thank you so much for the suggestions! I didn't even know jcpenneys had a disney shop! I have started looking there and have already found some stuff. Would you fast pass the winnie the pooh ride or those smaller rides? Do you like Akershus over chef mickeys? I have never been to Hollywood studios so that will be a whole new experience for all of us. Does HS have disney junior characters?

I am glad to hear the FQ has a stash area. that was one of my concerns when I booked it. I am looking forward to the boat ride to disney springs. Have you ever eaten at the T-rex restaurant?
 


Oh thank you so much for the suggestions! I didn't even know jcpenneys had a disney shop! I have started looking there and have already found some stuff. Would you fast pass the winnie the pooh ride or those smaller rides? Do you like Akershus over chef mickeys? I have never been to Hollywood studios so that will be a whole new experience for all of us. Does HS have disney junior characters?

I am glad to hear the FQ has a stash area. that was one of my concerns when I booked it. I am looking forward to the boat ride to disney springs. Have you ever eaten at the T-rex restaurant?

I'm not sure about fast passes for Winnie the Pooh, my kiddos weren't interested so we decided to skip it last time. From what I understand though, the harder fastpasses to get are the ones I've listed, that being said, if you and your family are big Pooh fans, go for it!

I can't really say that we liked Akershus over Chef Mickeys. My kids overall liked Chef Mickeys the best out of all the places we ate. They still talk about it from time to time. Now, the food is regular buffet style food (not terrible, but not culinary magic by any means), but it's the atmosphere they liked the best! But if you and the kids are looking to meet princess I suggest Akershus to save standing in lines. I think we met around 5 different princesses at that meal.

About Disney Junior, yes, Hollywood studios is the place that has breakfast Disney junior Hollywood and Vine character meal, and the Disney junior live stage show. There are also jake, doc, and Sofia meet and greets! My kiddos were all about Star Wars that day so weren't keen on the Disney junior stuff (we met Jake, that's about it). If your kids are huge Disney Junior fans though this will be a great place for you to hang out!
 
What are your thoughts on The Garden Grill? This is going to be tough since none of us have done character dining before. But what ever we don't get to try it just gives us a reason to come back lol.

I think Hollywood studios will be a big hit too. Ahh so many decisions!!!
 
We are going from July 1st-July 10th, 2018. We are DVC member and will split our stay between AKV and BWV. Every other year we buy APs and stagger the trips between July and then June the following year so that I get two trips out one AP. So every other year we are there for the 4th of July. Without fail, the least crowded park on the 4th is Hollywood Studios so that is where we always go. We make a reservation For Sci Fi Cafe so we are still getting some awesome burgers on the 4th. Happy planning everyone!!!
 
We go July 21 - July 28, 2018. Staying at POR. HOW DO i FIGURE OUT MY 180 and 60 DAY mark for Dining and FP respectively?
 
There is disney dining calculator online you could use. Your 180 mark is Jan 22. And your 60 mark is May 22.
 
We are going July 21st - 28th and surprising the kids by staying at Animal Kingdom - Kidani Villages - Savannah view. Anyone have suggestions for this resort, on must dos?
Thank you! *0*
 
We will be there from 6/27-7/3 and then again from 7/18-8/9.
 
Has anyone booked fast passes yet? Our FP day is Sunday and was hoping to get a feel for how your experience has been, were you able to get the ones you wanted???? Would love to hear about your FP bookings!!
 
Has anyone booked fast passes yet? Our FP day is Sunday and was hoping to get a feel for how your experience has been, were you able to get the ones you wanted???? Would love to hear about your FP bookings!!

I booked FP on Monday and was able to easily get everything we wanted. We aren't going to AK so no info on that park, but we had plenty of choices for all of the new Toy Story rides in HS, including early AM. Booked those on day 4 and day 7 of our trip. Good luck!
 
Thanks for sharing!! I was nervous to hear how hard it might be. In the past it used to be advertised as crazy busy for summer. I have a feeling that is changing, our ADR’s were easy to make and I hope our FP booking experience is similar to yours!!
 

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