Watching Wishes from Fantasyland

[1Grumpy9]

Does it have a different effect as being on Main Street? I have watched Wishes from Main Street many times, but I just don't want to have to wait for an hour to get a good spot to watch them.

I was also thinking about watching them from the train station, but with the RR being on refurb when I am there, will the train station be open to watch from?

 

[butiflfeet]

We've watched Wishes from right in front of Gaston's Tavern and we thought it was a great location! There were only a handful of groups waiting around back there for the show to start and it was spectacular to see the fireworks going off all around you. The one downside is you will not see the castle projections. We've seen Wishes so many times now that it was nice to see a different perspective.

I'm not sure about your train station question though. It's usually a fairly popular spot to watch Wishes from but with the train refurb we just have to wait and see if the train station will be open or not I think.

 

[minnie mum]

The train station does provide an elevated spot to watch, but you have to be there hours in advance to secure a spot. Don't forget that it is also a great spot for the parade, so you'll see people camped out there long in advance. Frankly I've got better ways of spending my park time.

You can obviously see Wishes from Fantasyland, although I've seen certain areas roped off to prevent guests entering while the show is going on. But Wishes fireworks were designed with the castle as its centerpiece. Seeing the fireworks out of context with the castle is certainly different. Its fine if you've already seen the full show from Main Street or the hub before.

 

[ucfknight]

I've watched them from over by the Barnstormer. You are much, much closer to where they launch the large fireworks so they are significantly larger, louder, and more impressive. It is also empty around there, so you don't feel like you are a sardine squeezed in with 15,000 of your closest friends.

The downsides are:
1. You have to keep turning your head to see the small fireworks shot from around the castle and then back to watch the large shells
2. There is more ambient light than what you'll find on Main Street.
3. Not a good view (or any view really) of Tinkerbell or the castle projection show

 

[Hatbox]

On our last trip in June, we watched from the Dumbo ride area, which had pluses and minuses:

On the plus side, there was no line for Dumbo, so we got right on just as the fireworks started. Being on that iconic ride while fireworks are going off is just the epitome of magic. It was my favorite moment of our trip.
We then watched the rest of the show from the courtyard area between Dumbo and Barnstormer. It was easy to get seats on the low garden wall and we had a great view.

The minuses: you don't see the front of the castle, which we didn't mind much. There's more light around you, which lessens the experience slightly. And, I could be wrong/they may have fixed this, but the soundtrack didn't seem to be piped in specifically to our area. I actually don't remember if we were able to hear it at all. If we could, it was very soft.

If it's your only chance to catch the show, I say it's better to vie for a more traditional viewing spot. But if, like it was for us, the 2nd or 3rd time you're watching on that trip, that pocket of Fantasyland is very nice.

 

[lugnut33]

We've seen wishes from a lot of different angles. If you go to the area around those weird castle walls that are behind the Carousel there is a low wall around them where you can sit down. Sit on the side facing the Beast's Castle. It's a great seat. You don't get to see much of the castle fireworks, but you get the music and no ambient light.

 

[cakebaker]

We watched from the train station for the first time our last trip.

If you want right up against the rails ( and we did) you do have to get there a couple of hours before the fireworks- at least during the busy times. We had people walk up much later and they could still see, although if you're going to do the train station I think up at the rail is the only way to go. There are chairs and tables you can move and it's nice to have a comfortable spot to sit.

We planned on doing this so we went and got our spot, settled in and my daughter went to get an early dinner. We ate, relaxed and had a great time just people watching. Time really passed quickly.

The view is from a distance, they don't turn the lights out completely, but it's a really unique view. I'm glad we did it, but now that I've seen them there , we'll try another place next time.

The parade was awesome from that spot! It was almost like the dragon was right on top of you. I don't know if they're doing something to empty the gas lines or what, but he breathed fire over and over again going around the curve. Loved the parade almost more than the fireworks from that spot!

 

[AlixaLock]

Does it have a different effect as being on Main Street? I have watched Wishes from Main Street many times, but I just don't want to have to wait for an hour to get a good spot to watch them.

I was also thinking about watching them from the train station, but with the RR being on refurb when I am there, will the train station be open to watch from?

One of our favorite things to do is time it so that we are just stepping off Peter Pan or Small World right as the fireworks are starting! We then walk right up to the roped off area and look up! LOL! The area is never crowded and you feel completely surrounded by fireworks. It is awesome, but a totally different view. I would say that this shouldn't be your only view of Wishes, but it is a fun experience and better then waiting an hour for a "better" spot!

 

[SarahKate]

We have watched from behind the castle a few times and it was awesome. You do miss out on any action in front of the castle, such as the projections. However, it is a TOTALLY different feel in the back. From the front of the castle, the fireworks are mainly in front of you. From the back of the castle, the fireworks can literally be 360 degrees around you because some of them were shot off from wayyyy behind and you're right in the middle. That is an awesome feeling! And we have gotten some really cool pictures of the castle lit up by fireworks.

 

[DisneyGirl421]

I absolutely love watching Wishes from Fantasyland. My favorite spot is on the bridge by Be Our Guest. You can still see the castle, and still see Tinkerbell fly, but it's also really a great view to watch the fireworks over Beast's Castle.

 

[mrsR123]

I was wowed by the view from the corner of 7DMT just kitty-corner from the new castle wall arches. We did a little bit of back and forth tennis-match stuff to see the white streamer shells that go off from the castle, but the big ones were so huge and seemed so close just above us. Amazing!

 

[1Grumpy9]

Thanks everyone for the advise. We are going to the Halloween party the first day we arrive and headed back to MK on the first full day. For Hallowishes we will definitely be in front of the castle in the HUB, but I was thinking for a different perspective for Wishes on the other day. I have also seen them from right by the bridge to Liberty Square. They were good there, but I am just trying to figure a place that we don't lose an hour or an hour and a half to wait for them to start.