Celebrating July 4 with the most patriotic Mickey Mouse!
On our recent Disneyland vacation, we just happened to be in Disneyland to celebrate not just one, but rather two nation celebrations! As proud Canadians, we walked through Disneyland on July 1 for Canada Day, sharing our love and support for our home country bringing in a bit of Canadiana to Disneyland wherever we went. And for the most part, everyone we came in contact with had nothing but kind words for us Canadians!
But the Fourth of July in the USA is something else and being in Disneyland for such a patriotic day is a lot of fun! Walt Disney himself was a true patriotic American and is the epitome of the classic "American Dream". His rags to riches success story includes incredible personal risk and loss, unwavering faith in his passion and daring to dream in creating the impossible.
His ideals of the American Dream was inspired by the Abraham Lincoln and even as a child, his admiration for the President helped shape his worldview of how he saw his great country. You will see his inspiration for the attractions such as "Great Moments with Mr Lincoln" in Disneyland and The Great Hall of Presidents in EPCOT at Walt Disney World in Florida. He was adamant to offer significant discounts to military families to enjoy the parks in appreciation of their continued sacrifice, dedication and efforts to protect the country.
But the Fourth of July in the USA is something else and being in Disneyland for such a patriotic day is a lot of fun! Walt Disney himself was a true patriotic American and is the epitome of the classic "American Dream". His rags to riches success story includes incredible personal risk and loss, unwavering faith in his passion and daring to dream in creating the impossible.
His ideals of the American Dream was inspired by the Abraham Lincoln and even as a child, his admiration for the President helped shape his worldview of how he saw his great country. You will see his inspiration for the attractions such as "Great Moments with Mr Lincoln" in Disneyland and The Great Hall of Presidents in EPCOT at Walt Disney World in Florida. He was adamant to offer significant discounts to military families to enjoy the parks in appreciation of their continued sacrifice, dedication and efforts to protect the country.
When Walt Disney was young, his older brother Roy enlisted in the Army for World War I. As much as Walt wanted to enlist to help support his country, he was not old enough to join. He falsified documents to join a volunteer group with the American Ambulance Corps (with the Red Cross) to become an ambulance driver in France during the war. He continued to support the war efforts through Walt Disney Studios however he could and his legacy continues to honour the patriotism and inspiration of the American Dream.
The stars and stripes, the red white and blue colours adorn the parks to enliven the patriotism inherent in the day.
We started our day earlier to make sure we could take advantage of early morning crowds and experience as many rides and attractions as we could in the morning before the crowds started to convene. The park was busy as the day went on, but it was not unlike any other busy season in the parks (Christmas, Easter, Spring Break, etc...) We were able to go back and forth between the two parks and our hotel as we did take a break during the afternoon during the peak crowds and heat of the day.
As it got busier in the afternoon, there were people scoping out spots for the fireworks in the evening. The fireworks show, "Disney's Celebrate America! - A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky" is a nighttime spectacular show once a year on July 4. The fireworks show embodies a start spangled spirit with patriotic songs as the sky is lit with the red, white and blue colours of America.
As it got busier in the afternoon, there were people scoping out spots for the fireworks in the evening. The fireworks show, "Disney's Celebrate America! - A Fourth of July Concert in the Sky" is a nighttime spectacular show once a year on July 4. The fireworks show embodies a start spangled spirit with patriotic songs as the sky is lit with the red, white and blue colours of America.
Along with fun patriotic touches in the parks, there are numerous smaller events happening throughout the resort to celebrate the Fourth of July with unique foods and dining experiences, BBQs and merchandise. Over at Disney's Paradise Pier, they held a BBQ event on the third party pool patio with traditional American BBQ fare, entertainment and an exclusive view of the fireworks from the pool patio with the music piped in from the show.
All guests staying at a Disney Hotel is eligible to watch the fireworks from the pool patio at Paradise Pier so we took advantage of that benefit to experience the special Fourth of July fireworks show, without the mass crowds of Disneyland and trying to leave the parks afterwards!
All guests staying at a Disney Hotel is eligible to watch the fireworks from the pool patio at Paradise Pier so we took advantage of that benefit to experience the special Fourth of July fireworks show, without the mass crowds of Disneyland and trying to leave the parks afterwards!
And did I mention there were two earthquakes??
We just happened to be there when there were two earthquakes in Ridgecrest, California. The first one on July 4 hit M6.4 but we actually had no idea when it happened! We were standing in line to wait for our Mickey photo when the person behind us in line brought it up that we just experienced an earthquake! We had no idea what it was but there were many locals who knew right away what was happening.
Then the next day, another earthquake happened in the same area in Ridgecrest hitting M7.1 and we definitely felt that one! We were on the second floor in Ballast Point Brewing Company in Downtown Disney having dinner chatting about the earthquake of the day before and then we felt the second one! The lights were shaking and you can feel the ground beneath us swaying and rolling. It almost felt like we were on a ride in Disneyland! We were asked to move away from the windows if it continued. But after a couple of minutes, it stopped and everything was back to normal again.
We just happened to be there when there were two earthquakes in Ridgecrest, California. The first one on July 4 hit M6.4 but we actually had no idea when it happened! We were standing in line to wait for our Mickey photo when the person behind us in line brought it up that we just experienced an earthquake! We had no idea what it was but there were many locals who knew right away what was happening.
Then the next day, another earthquake happened in the same area in Ridgecrest hitting M7.1 and we definitely felt that one! We were on the second floor in Ballast Point Brewing Company in Downtown Disney having dinner chatting about the earthquake of the day before and then we felt the second one! The lights were shaking and you can feel the ground beneath us swaying and rolling. It almost felt like we were on a ride in Disneyland! We were asked to move away from the windows if it continued. But after a couple of minutes, it stopped and everything was back to normal again.
Celebrating the Fourth of July in the US is a great experience to celebrate their pride and love of their country. Not any more than we Canadians celebrate our great country on July 1 though! We just express ourselves differently but no less patriotic though! Being in Disneyland for the Fourth of July just adds to the experience of being in a place where the true spirit of the American Dream is evident and being in the presence of such pride is an honour that makes the experience so worthwhile.
"Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America… with hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.” Walt Disney
"Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America… with hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world.” Walt Disney
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