Walt Disney World Resort in July 2012 - Crowd Warnings, Promotions, Ride Closures, and Special Events

4th of July / Independence Day travel period - All of July is considered "peak season" but because many people receive a day off for this holiday, they use one less vacation day when traveling this week and that means a busy time at Disney World. 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: Make dining reservations right away.

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.

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 which will have fireworks at 9:30PM or Animal Kingdom (and catch the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the beach at Disney's Polynesian Resort).

Fantasmic! (Disney's Hollywood Studios) - Great news! This wonderful show is once again being presented every night in July and August. On nights with two Fantasmic performances (typically at 9:00PM & 10:30PM), the second performance will always 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. 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.

Main Street Electric Parade (Magic Kingdom) -This parade is every night in July. Disney may decide to have the parade on certain nights and, if they do, the second parade is always less crowded than the first one.

TIP: Avoid Character Breakfasts during July! - The theme parks will be at their least crowded and coolest when the parks first open for the day. 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, If you want to a reservation at Donald's Breakfast Safari (Animal Kingdom); try to get a 10:15AM seating, then ride Expedition Everest as soon as the park opens and 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 - the most recent edition of the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World (book), a subscription to TouringPlans.com, 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 - 9:50PM Holiday Fireworks display. Epcot - 9:00PM Illuminations with special Fourth of July finale. TIP: The Magic Kingdom's "Celebrate America" fireworks are also offered on July 3rd at 9PM and this is a much, much better day to visit the Magic Kingdom. Avoid both the Magic Kingdom & Epcot on July 4th.

Epcot's "Sounds Like Summer" Concert Series ~ June 10 - July 28, 2012. These fun mini-concerts take place in Epcot's American Gardens Theatre. Most evenings, the shows are at 5:45, 7:00, & 8:15PM. July 4th shows are at 5:15, 6:30, 7:45, & 9PM.

--- 2012 Bands Have Not Yet Been Announced ---

Here's one great thing about summer crowds - Disney tries to keep ride closures and refurbishments to an absolute minimum so that there are lots of attractions for people to enjoy.

Magic Kingdom: Pooh's Playful Spot, Ariel's Grotto, and Scuttle's Landing have closed to make room for the Fantasyland expansion. You can see the Little Mermaid characters intermittently at the Adventureland Verandah Porch (check your theme park times guide) but please note that Ariel appears in her human form here and does not have fins.

Magic Kingdom: Mickey's Toontown Square has closed for the Fantasyland Expansion. The Walt Disney Railroad will continue to run but the Toontown station will be closed during construction. The Disney Princess, Mickey Mouse, and Minnie Mouse Meet-and-Greets are now offered at the new Town Square Theater. FASTPASS tickets available. TinkerBell & Friends are currently meeting guests at Tinker Bell's Magical Nook in Adventureland.

Epcot - Test Track will be closed April 2012 - Fall 2012.

Epcot: Honey, I Shrunk The Audience 3-D movie has been replaced by Captain EO, featuring Michael Jackson.

Disney's Grand Floridain Resort - Narcoossee's (restaurant) closed July 8 - 21, 2012.

Disney's Grand Floridain Resort - Citricos (restaurant) closed July 23 - August 3, 2012.

Disney's Beach Club Resort - Cape May Cafe Closed July 9 - August 3, 2012.

Disney's Osprey Ridge Golf Course closed July 16 - 17, 2012.

Disney's Lake Buena Vista Golf Course closed July 18 - 19, 2012

Disney's Magical Express (Airport Shuttle Service) - New luggage procedure for late night arrivals. 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.

Disney has released a new Discount Promotion for Summer 2012. You can save on the room portion of your Disney World vacation for most arrivals from June 15 - August 14, 2012.

Some Sample Savings:

-- Save 5% at Disney's All-Star Movies, Pop Century and Port Orleans French Quarter Resorts.
-- Save 15% at Disney's All-Star Sports and All-Star Music Resorts.
-- Save 20% at Disney's Grand Floridian, Contemporary, Coronado Springs, Caribbean Beach, Port Orleans Riverside Resorts and Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground.
-- Save 25% at Disney's Yacht & Beach Club, BoardWalk, Animal Kingdom Lodge (standard views only, Saratoga Springs, and Old Key West Resorts.
-- Other rates may be available for other Disney World Resort Hotels.

Travel Window: Book April 2 - June 14, 2012, for stays most nights June 15 - Aug. 14, 2012

Existing Reservations: This promotion can be applied to existing reservations but you'll need to contact Disney or your travel agent and request the offer - it will not be automatically applied to your existing reservation.

Contact us today to book your Disney World Summer Vacation!

Build A Better Mouse Trip - A Disney-focused Travel Agency
Toll free: 877-815-6515

Build A Better Mouse Trip gives you a better Disney vacation by taking the stress out of trip planning & providing theme park touring plans. We book directly with Disney so you never pay more than if you booked the reservation yourself and we provide lots of help and advice designed to take the stress out of vacation planning at no extra cost to you.

1) Help with selecting the right resort or hotel for your budget. We don't just book Disney resorts - we're happy to make reservations at other accomodations too.

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

3) Help with dining reservations (subject to availability)

4.) 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. At no extra cost to you, we will provide 1) a TouringPlans.com subscription, 2) Tour Guide Mike Subscription - or - 3) the newest edition of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World when you book through www.buildabettermousetrip.com.

Contact us today to start planning your Disney Vacation:
Build A Better Mouse Trip Travel
Toll free: 877-815-6515