Best beach to view Wishes

[IloveAKL]

Looking for opinions on the best beach to watch Wishes from. I have heard Polynesian but now I am also hearing Fort Wilderness. Or, any other place? I know about watching from the Contemporary restaurant, but I'm looking for something other than that.
Thanks in advance!!

 

[Samrain]

I recommend watching it from the Polynesian! It's amazing seeing it over the water and you can relax on the beach there for awhile - grab a snack, swing on the hammocks, etc... We usually try to avoid the pool area as that tends to be a bit louder/noiser. You may also be able to catch the Electric Water Pageant which is fun to see before Wishes. We've never watched from Fort Wilderness, although I suspect that you may find more obstructed views from trees at FW (I could be wrong though).

 

[zarvgirl]

Can you see the water parade from Poly? What time would you need to be on teh beach to see Wishes and/or water parade?
TIA

 

[Dipstick]

I recommend watching it from the Polynesian! It's amazing seeing it over the water and you can relax on the beach there for awhile - grab a snack, swing on the hammocks, etc... We usually try to avoid the pool area as that tends to be a bit louder/noiser. You may also be able to catch the Electric Water Pageant which is fun to see before Wishes. We've never watched from Fort Wilderness, although I suspect that you may find more obstructed views from trees at FW (I could be wrong though).

Would I be allowed to view the fireworks from the Polynesian beach even though I wouldn't be staying there?

 

[zarvgirl]

anyone know the answers?

 

[Traveliz]

Yes you can see the water parade from the Poly - it starts there at 9 or shortly thereafter.

Anyone can watch Wishes from the Polynesian regardless of where they are staying. I prefer to watch from the beach area in front of the Tahiti building rather than near the pool but pretty much anywhere in front of the Polynesian is good including Sunset Pointe.

I actually prefer watching Wishes from the Poly than in the park.

Liz

 

[Samrain]

I think it may change a bit, but on most nights the schedule for the Electrical Water Pageant Parade is:
Polynesian Resort -- 9 p.m.
Grand Floridian -- 9:15 p.m.
Wilderness Lodge -- 9:35 p.m.
Fort Wilderness -- 9:45 p.m.
Contemporary Resort -- 10:05 p.m.
Magic Kingdom -- 10:20 p.m. (only during extended MK park
hours)

If Wishes is scheduled for 9pm, they usually run the Electrical Water Pageant parade 10-20 minutes later.

All of the WDW resorts are open for guests to meander and scope out - you just can't use the pool facilities if you're not staying there. Any WDW guest can head down to the Poly beach to watch the fireworks - the only drawback about watching the fireworks from the beaches is that the music (as far as I can remember) isn't piped in, but it's still a great show!

We've never gone out of our way to get to the Poly beach early for the fireworks, but we don't mind plopping down on the beach and relaxing if we can't get a hammock. As you can imagine, the hammocks go fast so if you really want one, you may want to get there a bit earlier, but whenever we go, it's not "crowded" in the sense that Disney can get sometimes so sitting on the beach is just fine!

 

[Traveliz]

There are speakers along the walkway for the music if that is important to you - you can find them in shrubery.

Often you can hear the music from Disney depending on how the wind is blowing.

Liz

 

[zarvgirl]

It is our first WDW visit ever so it's great to have all the experienced info from fellow diser's!!!
We are going to spend our last evening at the Poly, eating, water parade, wishes. We have a fairly early start the next morning and I think this will be a good way to end the trip without fighting park crowds.
thanks so much.

 

[hpymomof3]

We are staying off site. We were thinking about watching Wishes on our last night but I was worried about the crowds. Have you ever left MK and then gone over to the Polynesian to watch the fireworks? I know this is a stupid question but how do we get there from MK? Also do you have to pay for parking at the resort? Is there a restaurant or any other things that we could do at the resort if we aren't staying there?

 

[Traveliz]

We are staying off site. We were thinking about watching Wishes on our last night but I was worried about the crowds. Have you ever left MK and then gone over to the Polynesian to watch the fireworks? I know this is a stupid question but how do we get there from MK? Also do you have to pay for parking at the resort? Is there a restaurant or any other things that we could do at the resort if we aren't staying there?

You can take the boat or monorail from MK to the Poly.

There is no charge for parking at the Poly but if your car is at the TTC its really just as easy to leave it there.

They have several sitdown restaurants, a quick one, a game room, a bar and several shops. The lobby is a fun place just to people watch.

Liz

 

[Samrain]

It's actually very easy to get from MK to the Poly - you can just hop right on the monorail and get off at Poly...if you end up at the Ticket & Transportation Center (via monorail or boat/ferry), you can easily walk (probably a 5-10 minute walk) to the Poly.

It actually may be in your best interest to leave MK before Wishes because the crowds trying to leave MK after Wishes are absolutely horrible - if we have time, we usually grab a snack and sit for an hour or so in the park before leaving and even then, the crowds are usually pretty heavy (on the buses, the monorail, and the boats leaving MK). If you're driving, drive to MK that day, drive to Poly and it's even better - you can just hop right in your car and not have to worry about the crowds after a long day/week. Parking is free is you self park - I think they have valet parking too for a fee - we usually just self-park!

If you're not driving, just walk back to the TTC from Poly to catch your bus or take the monorail if you don't want to walk. TTC will be crowded by then, but most of the crowds will still be in MK.

 

[dispatch21]

I'm going to O'hana's for a 7:30 reservation. Is there more than 1 beach? Also, how close is it to O'hana's?

 

[Samrain]

I'm going to O'hana's for a 7:30 reservation. Is there more than 1 beach? Also, how close is it to O'hana's?

We haven't ever eaten at O'Hana but I'm pretty certain it's in the main building where you check-in - the Grand Ceremonial House. The beach is very close to the GCH - here's a map (it looks further than it is!)

http://www.wdwinfo.com/resortmaps/polymap.htm

From the map, you can see that it's one long beach, but the part to the west near the pool and children's activity area tends to be the noisiest area - it's also closest to the GCH. We usually head over to Sunset Point or the beach right next to Tahiti where it's a bit quieter - it's still a quick walk from the GCH, but further away from the hustle and bustle.