Best place to view castle from outside the park? - The DIS Discussion Forums

MinnieMom · 11-28-2012, 07:58 AM

Is this even possible? DH and I are making a quick stop at Disney during a mini-vacay this week. I'm only getting 1-day park hopper passes since that's all we'll have time for and my hope is to be able to do all of the following:

Go to MK for the opening ceremony and spend a few hours there
Head over to Epcot around lunch to catch a few shows and the Candlelight Processional at 5 PM
Go to Hollywood Studios right after CP just to see the Osborne lights
Somehow see the castle all lit up!

I think the first 3 are manageable as we aren't planning on any rides. We just want to see all the decorations since we've never been to WDW for Christmas before. MK closes at 7 PM the day we are going to be there for MVMCP, so I was hoping we could head to a resort to see the castle lit up and watch the fireworks, but I know we've watched before from the Polynesian and California Grill and they really weren't great views of the castle, just the fireworks.

Is it even possible to see the castle lit up outside of the park? Thanks so much for any input/suggestions!

rock_doctor · 11-28-2012, 08:14 AM

I am not aware of any place you can see the castle from outside of the park. They have a tree line and in some places a berm to shield the park from the outside world. Since you have a hopper why not just run back in quickly to get a quick look. You can get a very nice view of the castle just a short distance into the park. Once you pass under the train station you can see the castle. Now the fireworks are easy. You can see them from any place around the 7-seas lagoon. The Poly is a particularly nice place to relax and watch the fireworks.

Marthasor · 11-28-2012, 08:22 AM

I think Poly beach and GF on the boat dock are going to be your best bets. Or, if you don't mind moving, you can get a fairly up close view while riding the monorail. It will be a quick look, though!

You may not have planned for the extra expense, but you could buy tickets to MVMCP? That way you can see the castle up close, see the new Celebrate the Magic show and see the fireworks. Even see it snow on Main St.!

DisneyRegulars · 11-28-2012, 08:32 AM

Last trip before we got on the ferry from the ttc to magic kingdom there was a nice view of the castle. If you have to go back to get your car you can probably shuffle down to the ferry dock to see the castle. You can check it out on your way into the park in the morning. Also, hitting 3 parks in one day is totally doable, we do it all the time. Sounds like a nice day you have planned. Here is the view, it looks a lot bigger in person:

crazy4wdw · 11-28-2012, 09:19 AM

You can also take the monorail to the Contemporary Resort. There is an outside viewing deck on the north end of the Tower on the 4th floor. The doors to access this area are just beyond the Fantasia store and the Fantasia Market.

MinnieMom · 11-28-2012, 12:05 PM

WOW! I knew there was a reason I loved this forum so much :D You all are awesome. Thanks so much for all the tips.

I would love it if we could make it back to MK to see the castle all lit up after we go to HS, but I doubt that's gonna happen. I just checked into tix for MVMCP and whoa . . . I'm not sure I can justify the extra expense on top of already paying the $250 for the one day park hoppers! Will have to give that some more thought!

I forgot about the observation deck on the 4th floor of the Contemporary. We actually should get to Orlando around 6 PM the night before we plan to hit the parks, so maybe we'll go there soon after we arrive and see how much of the castle we can see. If we're not happy with that, then maybe we'll find it's best to just cough up the $$ and go to the party

rcraw45425 · 11-28-2012, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MinnieMom

WOW! I knew there was a reason I loved this forum so much :D You all are awesome. Thanks so much for all the tips.

I would love it if we could make it back to MK to see the castle all lit up after we go to HS, but I doubt that's gonna happen. I just checked into tix for MVMCP and whoa . . . I'm not sure I can justify the extra expense on top of already paying the $250 for the one day park hoppers! Will have to give that some more thought!

I forgot about the observation deck on the 4th floor of the Contemporary. We actually should get to Orlando around 6 PM the night before we plan to hit the parks, so maybe we'll go there soon after we arrive and see how much of the castle we can see. If we're not happy with that, then maybe we'll find it's best to just cough up the $$ and go to the party

This was taken from a balcony from our Tower Club room May 2010 (this was an upgrade). This was taken with a BlackBerry so excuse the quality but it will give you an idea of what you can see from the Contemporary

[IMG]

[/IMG]

MinnieMom · 11-28-2012, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rcraw45425

This was taken from a balcony from our Tower Club room May 2010 (this was an upgrade). This was taken with a BlackBerry so excuse the quality but it will give you an idea of what you can see from the Contemporary

[IMG]

[/IMG]

That's a great view! I would be more than happy with that if it means I don't have to spend another $150 just to do the MVMCP!! Thanks so much for posting the pic. I'm definitely going to plan on visiting the Contemporary now

crazy4wdw · 11-28-2012, 08:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MinnieMom

I forgot about the observation deck on the 4th floor of the Contemporary. We actually should get to Orlando around 6 PM the night before we plan to hit the parks, so maybe we'll go there soon after we arrive and see how much of the castle we can see. If we're not happy with that, then maybe we'll find it's best to just cough up the $$ and go to the party

There's a picture taken of the castle from the 4th floor deck on the Contemporary info thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2762185

Scroll down about 3/4 of the page. One nice feature of the 4th floor observation deck is that they pipe in the music from the fireworks show.

buzznina · 11-28-2012, 08:31 PM

Here is a picture taken from the 4th floor deck showing the benches to sit at.

11-28-2012, 07:58 AM	#1
MinnieMom Because everyone needs a little magic in their life! Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: PA Posts: 1,110	Best place to view castle from outside the park? Is this even possible? DH and I are making a quick stop at Disney during a mini-vacay this week. I'm only getting 1-day park hopper passes since that's all we'll have time for and my hope is to be able to do all of the following: Go to MK for the opening ceremony and spend a few hours there Head over to Epcot around lunch to catch a few shows and the Candlelight Processional at 5 PM Go to Hollywood Studios right after CP just to see the Osborne lights Somehow see the castle all lit up! I think the first 3 are manageable as we aren't planning on any rides. We just want to see all the decorations since we've never been to WDW for Christmas before. MK closes at 7 PM the day we are going to be there for MVMCP, so I was hoping we could head to a resort to see the castle lit up and watch the fireworks, but I know we've watched before from the Polynesian and California Grill and they really weren't great views of the castle, just the fireworks. Is it even possible to see the castle lit up outside of the park? Thanks so much for any input/suggestions! __________________ 1991, 2001, 2002, 2006 - off-site; 2003, 2004 - Disney Magic Cruise; 2005 - FW; 2007 - WH (loved it!) 9/16 - 9/21/2008 - 10-Year Anniversary stay at the Poly!! 4/2009 - First AKL CL stay & split CBR

11-28-2012, 08:32 AM	#4
DisneyRegulars DIS Veteran Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Buffalo/Niagara Region Posts: 632	Last trip before we got on the ferry from the ttc to magic kingdom there was a nice view of the castle. If you have to go back to get your car you can probably shuffle down to the ferry dock to see the castle. You can check it out on your way into the park in the morning. Also, hitting 3 parks in one day is totally doable, we do it all the time. Sounds like a nice day you have planned. Here is the view, it looks a lot bigger in person: __________________ Trip report from our first DVC trip: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2864556 Plus our Anniversary Vacation: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2954701 Trip report with a potty training toddler: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2987412 An unfinished trip report from traveling with MIL: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=3040750 Sept '03 (All Star Sports, DH's first trip) \|\| March '04 (Travelodge) \|\| March '05 (Star Island) \|\| XMAS '06 (All Star Vacation Home) \|\| March '07 (POP, Deluxe Dining Plan) \|\| March '09 (POP) \|\| June '09 Disney Land \|\| April '11 (All Star Vacation Home, DS's first trip-14m) \|\| January '12 (OKW, first DVC trip) \|\| July '12 (Boardwalk, Anniversary Trip) \|\| Sept '12 (AKV) \|\| Jan '13 (AKV) Last edited by DisneyRegulars; 11-28-2012 at 08:46 AM.

11-28-2012, 09:19 AM	#5
crazy4wdw DIS Veteran Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: South Carolina Posts: 3,778	You can also take the monorail to the Contemporary Resort. There is an outside viewing deck on the north end of the Tower on the 4th floor. The doors to access this area are just beyond the Fantasia store and the Fantasia Market. __________________

11-28-2012, 12:05 PM	#6
MinnieMom Because everyone needs a little magic in their life! Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: PA Posts: 1,110	WOW! I knew there was a reason I loved this forum so much :D You all are awesome. Thanks so much for all the tips. I would love it if we could make it back to MK to see the castle all lit up after we go to HS, but I doubt that's gonna happen. I just checked into tix for MVMCP and whoa . . . I'm not sure I can justify the extra expense on top of already paying the $250 for the one day park hoppers! Will have to give that some more thought! I forgot about the observation deck on the 4th floor of the Contemporary. We actually should get to Orlando around 6 PM the night before we plan to hit the parks, so maybe we'll go there soon after we arrive and see how much of the castle we can see. If we're not happy with that, then maybe we'll find it's best to just cough up the $$ and go to the party __________________ 1991, 2001, 2002, 2006 - off-site; 2003, 2004 - Disney Magic Cruise; 2005 - FW; 2007 - WH (loved it!) 9/16 - 9/21/2008 - 10-Year Anniversary stay at the Poly!! 4/2009 - First AKL CL stay & split CBR

11-28-2012, 08:31 PM	#10
buzznina DIS Veteran Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: The White Sugar Beaches of the Florida Panhandle, 7 hours away from the Magic Place. Posts: 1,370	Here is a picture taken from the 4th floor deck showing the benches to sit at. __________________ DW DH DD(7) DD(2):tink AKL-SV(2), POLY, GF, CR, POFQ(3), POR(6)(RGR(2)), CSR(10), CBR, FW CABINS, POP(3), ASMU(2), ASSP, ASMO

11-28-2012, 08:14 AM	#2
rock_doctor DIS Veteran Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 1,599	I am not aware of any place you can see the castle from outside of the park. They have a tree line and in some places a berm to shield the park from the outside world. Since you have a hopper why not just run back in quickly to get a quick look. You can get a very nice view of the castle just a short distance into the park. Once you pass under the train station you can see the castle. Now the fireworks are easy. You can see them from any place around the 7-seas lagoon. The Poly is a particularly nice place to relax and watch the fireworks.

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11-28-2012, 08:22 AM	#3
Marthasor DIS Veteran Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 1,816	I think Poly beach and GF on the boat dock are going to be your best bets. Or, if you don't mind moving, you can get a fairly up close view while riding the monorail. It will be a quick look, though! You may not have planned for the extra expense, but you could buy tickets to MVMCP? That way you can see the castle up close, see the new Celebrate the Magic show and see the fireworks. Even see it snow on Main St.!

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