Previous this week, Walt Disney Global introduced how the parks and accommodations could be celebrating Independence Day. This integrated longer hours on July 3-4, in addition to a fireworks presentations/tags at EPCOT and Magic Kingdom. The corporate has long past again and quietly edited that announcement to unextend hours and take away the bonus fireworks tag. Right here’s a snappy rundown of what’s modified.
Let’s get started with the ahead of for Magic Kingdom: “At Magic Kingdom, you’ll dance the night time away with DJs blending tunes at a dance celebration in entrance of Cinderella Citadel and during the park all the way through prolonged park hours: July 3, 8 a.m.-midnight; July 4, 8 a.m.-1 a.m.”
And after: “At Magic Kingdom, you’ll dance the night time away with DJs blending tunes at a dance celebration in entrance of Cinderella Citadel and during the park.”
Consistent with the legit calendar on DisneyWorld.com, Magic Kingdom is scheduled to be open from 9 a.m. till 11 p.m. on July 3, with Prolonged Night Hours for eligible visitors from 11 p.m. till 1 a.m. The park might be open from 8 a.m. till 11 p.m. on July 4, 2024. Early Access begins half-hour previous to the legit opening instances on each dates.
In fact, as we’ve observed from the above stealth edit (and simply the overall nature of park calendar updates), that is topic to modify. In most cases, that implies extensions of park hours–no longer discounts. On this case, I wouldn’t be expecting additional adjustments. The ones hours are reasonably lengthy in gentle of present crowd ranges–Independence Day isn’t that busy of a vacation, traditionally.
Listed here are the adjustments for EPCOT–ahead of: “Sensational patriotic fireworks show, “The Heartbeat of Freedom,” will observe the brand new midnight EPCOT fireworks display Luminous “The Symphony of Us.” Performances will happen July 3 and four at 9 p.m.”
And after: “Sensational patriotic fireworks show, “The Heartbeat of Freedom,” will observe the brand new midnight EPCOT fireworks display Luminous “The Symphony of Us.” Performances will happen July 4 at 9 p.m.” (Word that the edit nonetheless retained the plural of performances. It’s in fact only a efficiency now, singular.)
No park hours adjustments at EPCOT, which was once all the time scheduled to be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. It’s been some time since we’ve observed any park hours extensions in any respect at EPCOT, so don’t be expecting any adjustments there. That’s nonetheless kinda wild to me, as EPCOT is a well-liked spot for locals on vacations like this, and also you’d suppose that the additional meals & beverage gross sales would greater than pay for every other hour of operations at night time. However there’s no competition and this has been Walt Disney Global’s option to EPCOT hours for some time now, so I suppose no longer.
The large unhappiness here’s the lack of “The Heartbeat of Freedom” on July 3, 2024. This was once lovely unparalleled (I assumed perhaps EPCOT did this all the way through “Restricted Time Magic” again in 2013, but it surely seems no longer. We did get a wonderful week of Independence Day fireworks at Magic Kingdom and Disneyland, even though!)
In speaking to pals and fellow photographers, we couldn’t get a hold of a time when EPCOT ever did this. If it had ever took place previously, it was once ahead of our time. (Facet observe: I in reality hope Walt Disney Global brings again one thing like “Restricted Time Magic” or “Yr of a Million Desires” or “Summer time Nightastic” for Summer time 2025. With not anything new at the horizon, the ones could be pretty stopgap occasions!)
Regardless, those bonus fireworks and park hours did appear somewhat too just right to be true. However alternatively, Walt Disney Global has began doing little issues to trap locals and Annual Passholders to talk over with the parks as pent-up call for exhausts itself, so I assumed perhaps this was once every other example of that. I suppose no longer.
So what did occur that resulted in the elimination of those bulletins? A few of you may well be prone to imagine that the corporate learn our publish that was once revealed a couple of hours later, Summer time (Nonetheless) Is NOT Top Crowds Season at Walt Disney Global, and all of sudden discovered that the parks aren’t in fact busy and those added hours or fireworks weren’t important. I’m kidding, after all, however the timing is fairly fun.
Now not most effective that, however we’ve got observed feedback as a part of the net discourse that Walt Disney Global made those “cuts” on account of a softer summer season. That form of factor is unquestionably imaginable and no longer unparalleled…however this isn’t how that might paintings. They wouldn’t make a statement on Tuesday that applies ~2 weeks someday, after which stroll it again 2 days later.
To no matter extent summer season is cushy, Walt Disney Global already is aware of it–and knew it previous this week. Their forecasting is fairly extra refined than that. They know what occupancy and attendance projections appear to be months out. Disney isn’t infallible with these things–from time to time their forecast misses the mark–but it surely’s no longer the type of factor that adjustments within the span of two days for two weeks someday.
If present forecasts display a slowdown (they usually almost definitely do, as mentioned in our contemporary crowds record), we’ll quickly see new hotel reductions for October via December, fewer park hours extensions in August and September, every other price ticket deal for Fall 2024, and in all probability every other wave of Loose Eating and even every other spherical of V.I.PASSHOLDER Days. That’s the usual reaction to a slowdown…no longer this.
As for why Walt Disney Global hit the “undo” button to unextend hours and delete the fireworks tag further appearing…it’s almost definitely a vintage Disney goof-up. No nefarious rationalization, ulterior motives, or amusing rationalization. More than likely only one hand no longer realizing what the opposite was once doing, or easy interior confusion.
To start with I assumed perhaps the park hours factor was once any individual blending up common hours and Prolonged Night Hours, however that doesn’t in reality make sense. Nor does a transcription error. So I don’t have any clue how that took place. With the “Heartbeat of Freedom” tag, my absolute best wager is that any individual noticed two presentations for Magic Kingdom and assumed the similar for EPCOT. How errors like this get via given all the eyes in this stuff is past me, however they do appear to occur.
In the end, simply sought after to convey this all for your consideration as a result of I’m guessing I simply up to date our Information to July 4, 2024 at Walt Disney Global, lots of you can’ve neglected the adjustments. In the end, when you learn it as soon as…why learn it once more? And because Disney itself introduced the additions however no longer the removals, you’re most likely to not glance again at their announcement once more, both.
So relatively than having you display as much as EPCOT anticipating earthshaking fireworks on July 3, no longer seeing them, and cursing me out for “screwing up the time table” in consequence, I’m providing you with this heads up. I didn’t get anything else unsuitable–Disney quietly modified it. After all, this must cement your technique/time table–talk over with Magic Kingdom on July 3, 2024 and EPCOT on Independence Day. Identical as all the time.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Upset that Disney got rid of the wonder prolonged hours and unparalleled “Heartbeat of Freedom” tag? Or did you all the time suspect it was once a goof-up? Have you ever ever visited Walt Disney Global for the Fourth of July? Would you ever do it? Have any further pointers for making probably the most out of the enjoy, or referring to which fireworks presentations to look? Do you settle or disagree with our recommendation? Any questions we will be able to allow you to solution? Listening to your comments–even while you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please percentage your ideas beneath within the feedback!
