Walt Disney World Resort in July 2009 - Crowd Warnings, Promotions, Ride Closures, and Special Events

4th of July / Independence Day travel period (June 27 - July 11th) - Because the 4th of July falls on a weekend, this holiday is going to impact two weeks. Many people receive a day off for this holiday, which means using one less vacation day. The final week of June is moderately heavy - July will be more crowded. This is still a good time to visit - just use a good touring plan, arrive when the parks open, and you'll be fine. TIP: Avoid Extra Magic Hours! We recommend that everyone avoid the Extra Magic Hours during the busy summer season. Disney has 33,000 hotel rooms and no one goes to Disney alone - that means too many people are pointed in the same direction at the same time. You'll have a much nicer time by going to a less busy park. This is doubly important if you are not staying at a Disney resort - you don't want to get to the theme park and find a bunch of Disney guests in line in front of you. TIP: Make dining reservations right away.

Independence Day - this is one of the busiest days of the year at Walt Disney World. Parks often close to capacity so you should arrive early and plan to stay all day. Make your dining reservation immediately. Warning: The Magic Kingdom will be crazy crowded on the 4th of July - visit a different park and you'll have a better day. Best choices? Go to Disney's Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom (and catch the fireworks in Downtown Disney).

Fantasmic! (Disney's Hollywood Studios) -This great show is no longer presented every night. It will be offered 3, 4, 5, 7, 9, 12, 14, 20, 21, 24, 265, 28, 30. There will be two performances on July 3rd; the second performance will be much less crowded than the first. This is a very popular show and we highly recommend it - arrive at least 60 minutes early, if you do not have a Fantasmic! Dinner package. Warning: When there are limited performances, you know Disney's Hollywood Studios is going to be busier on days featuring a Fantasmic! show. TIP: Any day with an Extra Magic Hour & Fantasmic! will be especially crowded. Fantasmic! Dinner Package reservations will be harder to get. Afternoons will be especially busy as those with Park Hopper tickets come over to see the show. A good touring plan will help you manage this. Warning: This show is excellent but it does feature villains for a good 8-10 minutes. The scene is fairly intense and can be frightening to small children.

SpectroMagic Parade (Magic Kingdom) - When this parade is offered twice in the same evening, the second parade will be much less crowded. There is no SpectroMagic parade on July 1st.

TIP: Avoid Character Breakfasts during July! - The theme parks will be at their least crowded and coolest when the parks open. It is far better to book a lunch or dinner reservation that gets you out of the direct sun and out of the crowds a little later in the day. If you're really looking forward to a character breakfast, try a resort character breakfast before going to the water parks or on your departure day. Another option is to book the latest possible reservation and treat it like brunch, rather than breakfast. For example, Animal Kingdom only has one character meal - Donald's Breakfast Safari; if this is a priority, try to get a 10:15AM seating, then tour Dinoland USA before breakfast.

A good touring plan is absolutely essential during this busy travel season. There will be lines that are well over an hour long but you don't have to stand in them to see and do all of the things that are important to you. We provide three choices for custom touring plans - our Custom Touring Plans, the 2009 Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World (book), or a subscription to Tour Guide Mike (online service) - at no charge to you when you book your trip through Build A Better Mouse Trip. For more information, see: http://www.buildabettermousetrip.com/freetouringplans.php

4th of July Fireworks. Magic Kingdom - 9:00PM fireworks, include a presentation of patriotic music timed to correspond with the pyrotechnic (fireworks) display. Disney's Hollywood Studios - 9:00PM Holiday Fireworks display. Epcot - 10:00PM Illuminations with special Fourth of July finale. Downtown Disney - 10:30PM Holiday Fireworks.

Epcot's "Sounds Like Summer" Concert Series ~ June 15 - August 9, 2009. These fun mini-concerts take place in Epcot's American Gardens Theatre. Shows are at 5:15, 6:30 & 7:45PM. Performances are subject to change but here's the current schedule:

June 15-21: Stayin' Alive - A Tribute to the Bee Gees
June 22-28: Satisfaction: Rolling Stones Tribute Band
June 29-July 8: Slippery When Wet - A Tribute to Bon Jovi
July 8 - July 19: Bjorn Again - A Tribute to ABBA
July 20 - July 26: The Sounds of the Supremes - A Tribute to the Supremes
July 27 - August 8: 2U - The World's 2nd Best U2 Show
August 3-9: Petty Theft - A Tribute to Tom Petty

ESPN RISE Sports Festival weekends at Disney's Wide World of Sports. July 18-25, More than 2,000 young athletes will be competing in softball, baseball, basketball, football, lacrosse, and track & field events at the Wide World of Sports Complex. The competition will be televised live on ESPNU and other ESPN Web outlets. Expect to see athletes, teams, and their families in the resorts.

Liberty Tree Tavern (Restaurant - Magic Kingdom) the restaurant will be open but - beginning January 5th - Liberty Tree Tavern will no longer offer character dining.

SpectroMagic Parade - (Magic Kingdom - parade) not offered on July 1st.

The Hall of Presidents (Animatronic Show - Magic Kingdom) will be closed through July 1, 2009.

Space Mountain (Magic Kingdom) will close April 19th and is not schedule to reopen until late 2009.

Tomorrowland Transit Authority (Magic Kingdom) is closed April 19th - August 19th.

Block Party Bash Parade - (Disney's Hollywood Studios - parade) not offered on July 5th.

Boatwrights (Restaurant - Port Orleans Riverside) is no longer serving breakfast. Breakfast is still available at the Riverside Mill Foodcourt.

Disney's Magical Express (Airport Shuttle Service) - New luggage procedure for late night arrivals. As of March 30th, luggage service will no longer be available for arrivals to Orlando International Airport after 10:00PM. Collect your luggage at baggage claim and take with you to the Disney's Magical Express check-in desk.

If you find this report helpful, please consider using us to book your vacation reservations or for custom theme park touring plans. We are authorized Walt Disney World Vacation Planners and book directly with Disney so you never pay more than if you booked the reservation yourself. Then we provide lots of help and advice designed to take the stress out of vacation planning.

1) Help with building a Best Days Itinerary - a daily schedule that puts you in the best park for each day of your trip

2) Help with dining reservations (subject to availability)

3) High quality touring plans that keep you ahead of the crowds and out of the long lines. We will provide either a subscription to Tour Guide Mike or the newest edition of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World to you when you book your trip through Build A Better Mouse Trip. In special situations, we may be able to provide custom touring plans. The choice is yours and this vacation planning help is provided at no extra cost.

At Build A Better Mouse Trip, we are convinced that everyone can benefit with good touring plans. During busy times, a good plan will absolutely keep you ahead of the crowds and out of the lines - our clients typically wait less than 20 minutes for rides, even thrill rides and headliners. During less crowded times, a good plan factors in shorter park hours and fewer performance times. But the most important benefit of a good plan is that everyone gets to ride and see the things that they are looking forward to because everyone's priorities are included in a plan that tours the parks efficiently and effectively.

You can purchase custom planning service from us but most of our clients get them for free. We accept Disney and other hotel commissions as payment for our planning services. If you've already booked your own reservation, it may be possible to have our name added as the agent of record. Your rate, confirmation, and benefits all stay exactly the same. In this situation, Disney just pays us the commission they would've kept for themselves. Then - free to you - we provide you with custom touring plans that let you enjoy more attractions with less lines.