Crowds on and around the 4th of July?

[Mome Rath]

When do the 15s usually get there?

When we were there and staying at Pop they started showing up around the 8th or 9th of July.

 

[RememberWhoYouAre]

Does anyone think July 4th being a Saturday will reach maximum capacity?

I think it could. I was surprised it didn't have a phased closing last year, but apparently crowds were down all summer long at WDW.
Even if it doesn't reach a phased closing, it's going to extremely busy on the 4th.

 

[TotallyTink]

I went the weekend before last year (6/28-30) and the crowds were very, very light. So if you are going for a week, or even several days, the days before the weekend may not be so bad!

I am glad to hear your experience before the holiday! We will be at the World June 26 until July 1 this summer and I am hoping that we won't see a big surge of crowds since we will be close to the 4th.

 

[Beer Me]

I usually go in July but always avoided the 4th.

The rest of the month is crowded but no more so than other times and we have learned to manage well. And it’s true there are a lot of tour groups but that has never had any negative impact on my trip.

Just be prepared for heat, humidity and rain. Plan to take things slow. In my opinion rope drop is almost a must for summer touring.

 

[twirly123]

We are coming 24 June to 11 July. First summer trip, always travelled Easter / October holidays previously. What are the 15s? From UK and not familiar with term. Thank you!

 

[88jennifer88]

We already had a trip booked before they released FD. Our dates fell on FD, which was nice for us, but I'm a bit worried crowds will go up because of it. We have no choice other than to go during the summer, so we'll just keep our fingers crossed that it's not incredibly busy.

 

[Animal]

We are coming 24 June to 11 July. First summer trip, always travelled Easter / October holidays previously. What are the 15s? From UK and not familiar with term. Thank you!

15 year old upper class girls from South America travel to Disney World in large chaperoned groups in July.

 

[InBassAngler]

We were there for the entire week of July 4th in 2018. As many have mentioned, crowds are heavy and is more noticeable on the 3rd and 4th as MK has fireworks on the 3rd. It will be hot, but manageable. We stayed at BWV so it was nice to be close to 2 parks and helped minimize travel.

 

[Haz23]

I was in MK on 4th July last year (2019), it was very busy but manageable. The most uncomfortable part was getting a spot for the fireworks and waiting for 3+ hours, that's when it started to get crammed. I think if I were to do the 4th again, I'd go to Epcot.

 

[WEDWDW]

What are the 15s?

The 15s are Tour Groups of South American girls celebrating their 15th Birthday.

They are FAMOUS for their matching Backpacks and shirts and for their LARGE numbers!

Most are given the choice of a LARGE party at home or a trip to WDW(some will also go to NYC and Miami and Bahamas)and,in addition to WDW,most will also go to Universal,Sea World,Busch Gardens,etc.

Some will also have Private Parties(some with South American entertainers)as well as Quinceanera celebrations in World ShowPlace.

The largest numbers,BY FAR,are from Brazil and Argentina with smaller numbers from Uruguay,Paraguay,Chile,Venezuela,etc.

It is VERY interesting when Brazil and Argentina encounter each other-they DO NOT like each other-mainly because of Soccer.

Their rivalry is like Alabama v. Auburn or Ohio State v. Michigan on STEROIDS!

The "main" months for the migration of The 15s are July for their Winter Break and January/February for their Summer Break.

I am very familiar with The 15s as we go every July for my Birthday and,for the most part,they are really nice young ladies,but they can get "out of hand" at times!lol

They now use Private Buses alot and that has helped greatly as has the introduction of the Super Greeters in the Summer.

I present to you the LEGENDARY PHENOMENON KNOWN AS THE 15s!lol

 

[WEDWDW]

15 year old upper class girls from South America travel to Disney World in large chaperoned groups in July.

The 15s are NOT exclusively Upper Class by any means.

The families of many of the girls sacrifice and save for years in order to send them on this trip.

 

[cp1116]

The week of July 4 is our favorite time to go. We have been the past several years and will be going again this summer. The crowds are less than Thanksgiving with the exception of the fireworks viewing on the 3rd and 4th at magic kingdom. This is a picture of the France area of the world showcase during the height of the day. I took this pic last year because we could not believe there were so few people there.

 

[Childs1stTime2Disney]

I was in MK on 4th July last year (2019), it was very busy but manageable. The most uncomfortable part was getting a spot for the fireworks and waiting for 3+ hours, that's when it started to get crammed. I think if I were to do the 4th again, I'd go to Epcot.

Why do you say that? And I assume you would do the MK on July 3 instead ?

 

[meredetrois2]

Epcot is probably the best park to be in if you're in Disney on the 4th. Since it is more spread out the crowds are manageable imo. We found Magic Kingdom to be less crowded on the 5th.

 

[twirly123]

The 15s are Tour Groups of South American girls celebrating their 15th Birthday.

They are FAMOUS for their matching Backpacks and shirts and for their LARGE numbers!

Most are given the choice of a LARGE party at home or a trip to WDW(some will also go to NYC and Miami and Bahamas)and,in addition to WDW,most will also go to Universal,Sea World,Busch Gardens,etc.

Some will also have Private Parties(some with South American entertainers)as well as Quinceanera celebrations in World ShowPlace.

The largest numbers,BY FAR,are from Brazil and Argentina with smaller numbers from Uruguay,Paraguay,Chile,Venezuela,etc.

It is VERY interesting when Brazil and Argentina encounter each other-they DO NOT like each other-mainly because of Soccer.

Their rivalry is like Alabama v. Auburn or Ohio State v. Michigan on STEROIDS!

The "main" months for the migration of The 15s are July for their Winter Break and January/February for their Summer Break.

I am very familiar with The 15s as we go every July for my Birthday and,for the most part,they are really nice young ladies,but they can get "out of hand" at times!lol

They now use Private Buses alot and that has helped greatly as has the introduction of the Super Greeters in the Summer.

I present to you the LEGENDARY PHENOMENON KNOWN AS THE 15s!lol

All I can say is WOW!!

 

[ArielSRL]

July 4th, 2019 at MK was fine except for the Hub and Main St a couple of hours before the fireworks. We were honestly quite shocked when we walked in at 2:30. No lines at security or the entrance. Pirates stand by was 30 minutes. Modified and rolled FP with ease.

The crowds were massive just after the parade, but that wasn't surprising. We did the dessert party and thought it was ok. Obviously the spot is what we paid for that night. It was a bit scary crossing over from the party to the garden. MASSIVE crowds.

It was very manageable July 5th-9th. The problem we encountered was rain. Not the quick showers that roll through, but all day rain. We got washed out a couple of times. When there's lightning and rides close down it creates a problem every where else.

We were there as well, entered the park around 4ish, did the dessert party...totally agree with all of this.

As a matter of fact, we enjoyed the trip so much we are doing it again this year.

 

[ArielSRL]

I think it could. I was surprised it didn't have a phased closing last year, but apparently crowds were down all summer long at WDW.
Even if it doesn't reach a phased closing, it's going to extremely busy on the 4th.

I believe July 4th hasn't had a phase closure since 2014.

 

[TTA Rider Matt]

I’ve been there for the 4th a couple of times, most recently in 2013. My wife and I were there 6/30-7/4 that year. I remember 6/30-7/2 the parks were dead. We were really surprised. Longest we waited for anything was maybe 40 minutes. The 3rd started to get more crowded, and the 4th was absolutely out of control. We were at Epcot and in the World Showcase, you literally couldn’t walk. We were staying at BCV so we just wound up walking home at around 5:30. It was so bad the Three Caballeros was something like a 50 minute wait. I won’t vow to never go to WDW on the 4th again, but I will be going to AK that evening.

 

[PrincessBelle39]

We did July 4th in 2017 and 2019. We found 2017 much more doable than 2019. Crowds were much lighter. Both years we did MK on the 3rd and Epcot on the 4th. We were able to enter on both days mid afternoon. We struggled to get a spot to watch Illuminations in 2018 though.

 

[TheBigErn]

We were there 4th of July 2 years ago. Generally the crowds are heavy. We were in the MK on 7/3 and by late afternoon they has cast members directing traffic all over the park. It was difficult to get from one side of the park to the other. After the fireworks, we left via behind the shops on main street.