For all of you worried that Happily Ever After won't be a good replacement for Wishes

[yulilin3]

Saw the show last night, it is breathtaking, all the colors, all the awesome special fireworks (Merida's bullseye, Moana's spiral and hook, boxes and balls for toy Story) the lighting and laser effects were unbelievable and Tink closing the show is a great touch. For those saying no classic characters, there are plenty, including cinderella (I think someone was complaining no Cinderella on Cinderella Castle) It is a must watch for me, but only from the front of the castle now, I think that the fireworks themselves are great but the story itself plays on the projection. This is a pic at the end of the show, they leave the castle like this for about 5 minutes

 

[stenmarks]

I was very emotionally attached to Wishes for sentiment. Saw it the first time on my honeymoon. Got to see it again for my then 5 year old's first trip. Made it a point to see it as many times as possible.

I have to say I was worried about the new show, because of the many negative "cost cutting" posts here.

WOW is all I can say. There was no cost cutting here. It was just so amazing and that was on my TV! I cried during this one, too. The lanterns did it to me

There's a lot of heart in this, but if you do not enjoy the films that have come out in the last 10 years you won't like it. We love those movies and watch them all the time.

Your history is like ours, we saw Wishes for the first time on our honeymoon. Wishes is also part of DD's first trip to Disney, my Mom's first trip to Disney, and every family vacation we have taken. It holds a special place in our hearts, but that doesn't diminish our love for HEA at all!

DD and I watched the live stream together and she asked, "Can we see this in person next time we are at Disney?" She also asked for the song in iTunes . She doesn't know about our trip coming up in July...I can't wait to surprise her!

 

[lauris87]

Will be at MK in a few weeks. Was not planning on watching any Youtube videos of Happily Ever After beforehand....but...i couldn't wait, caved, and watched the entire performance. I was blown away. I cried literally through the entire thing. I guess mainly I wanted to see if the new show would live up to my high expectations, as I was an avid Wishes lover and was crushed when they announced it's ending. I'm pretty sure Happily Ever After has exceeded my expectations. So glad I watched it on Youtube, because I'm about 100 times more pumped now to see it live. And, a sidenote, I am obsessed with the Song from Moana, and it looks like they nailed it. Seriously...cannot wait.

 

[DLM1980]

The videos don't do it justice. I watched the dis 4K again last night. This time I had my Mac use the accessibility feature and zoom in on the mouse pointer and left it near the the castle

Lots of action there but then I couldn't see the fireworks. But I was surprised how much detail the camera picked up. When zoomed out you don't see much so I imagine Main Street and train station viewing are not ideal places to watch. Makes you wonder if this show is why we had all that hub construction two years ago

 

[DisneyFan2013]

This was our first Disney trip. We didn't have the emotional ties to wishes. We saw wishes Tuesday. And the new show tonight (our last night). It far exceeded wishes to us. It was amazing. Seriously. Wait until you see it in person to judge too much. There is so much going on that you can't even get it all in.

And that's exactly what I don't like about Happily Ever After. There's too much going on. All the projections and colors are distracting to me. I much prefer the simplicity of Wishes. Wishes was my favorite thing about MK. Glad you all enjoy HEA though.

 

[Pkltm]

Ah sorry, ive been in mk for 3 days so out of loop.

For 50 you can get a campsite.

We contacted the company we are renting through, they contact Disney and member services, the answer they for was that the package is as if yet not in the system to book, many cms don't know what it is.

 

[Lightsoutx12]

Saw the Happily Ever After last night and I have to say Disney has outdone themselves. I am usually not one to go to shows in the park, I have of course seen the Galactic Spectacular and Fantasmic and love those. Wishes was something I would ocassionally see but not too often and I would only get tears in my eyes and chills towards the end. In this show however the chills and teary eyes would not stop, it was amazing to see them show some of my favorite characters from some of the movies that don't get much love. I won't spoil the characters shown but lets just say there are tons shown. I can without a doubt say that any time I am in MK I will be seeing Happily Ever After. Make sure you do not miss this show.

 

[Liljo22]

And that's exactly what I don't like about Happily Ever After. There's too much going on. All the projections and colors are distracting to me. I much prefer the simplicity of Wishes. Wishes was my favorite thing about MK. Glad you all enjoy HEA though.

Did you see it live or on video?

 

[Sarahraegraham]

Will be at MK in a few weeks. Was not planning on watching any Youtube videos of Happily Ever After beforehand....but...i couldn't wait, caved, and watched the entire performance. I was blown away. I cried literally through the entire thing. I guess mainly I wanted to see if the new show would live up to my high expectations, as I was an avid Wishes lover and was crushed when they announced it's ending. I'm pretty sure Happily Ever After has exceeded my expectations. So glad I watched it on Youtube, because I'm about 100 times more pumped now to see it live. And, a sidenote, I am obsessed with the Song from Moana, and it looks like they nailed it. Seriously...cannot wait.

I'm glad I watched it too, as I debated on waiting. Now I've watched it over a couple times and can remember more so that when we go I think I will enjoy it more than if I was there in person for my first time seeing it. There's a lot to see.

 

[Polybound]

I believe that they're going to eventually phase out fireworks all together, or at least reduce the show to a fireworks finally only. The music, projections and lasers are good enough to carry the show by their selves. I believe that they could eliminate the fireworks during the show, maybe add a little live entertainment and then have a massive fireworks finally. I agree from what I saw that the lasers, projections, music and fireworks all at one time are a little distracting.

 

[SoCalDisneyFan2708]

I believe that they're going to eventually phase out fireworks all together, or at least reduce the show to a fireworks finally only. The music, projections and lasers are good enough to carry the show by their selves. I believe that they could eliminate the fireworks during the show, maybe add a little live entertainment and then have a massive fireworks finally. I agree from what I saw that the lasers, projections, music and fireworks all at one time are a little distracting.

If you're one one of those people who think Disney is only concerned about profits then I can see why you may think that. If not then I respectfully disagree with your whole post. If you took out the fireworks than you'd have people saying "that's it?" Or "where are the fireworks in this fireworks show?". The fireworks might not be the primary focus at all times now but they certainly enhance every aspect of the show. I can see why you say it's distracting but why is that a bad thing? I think that's why the reviews have been so amazing for it. People are just in awe of everything that taking place in front of them.

Sorry if I came across as harsh but I just think it'd be the biggest mistake ever to take most of the fireworks out of the show.

 

[KimBean]

I believe that they're going to eventually phase out fireworks all together, or at least reduce the show to a fireworks finally only. The music, projections and lasers are good enough to carry the show by their selves. I believe that they could eliminate the fireworks during the show, maybe add a little live entertainment and then have a massive fireworks finally. I agree from what I saw that the lasers, projections, music and fireworks all at one time are a little distracting.

I was concerned that this was going to be the case as well. But since we've had confirmation that there is more pyro in this show then Wishes I don't see why this would be the case. If they were going to ween us off fireworks they would have started already.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

So I watched from outside the park Friday night (Poly) and inside the park last night (Plaza Garden Viewing Dessert Party area). I enjoyed both experiences quite a bit, the show is stunning in all respects. My DS was totally in awe and has already been humming the music.

I'm a child of the 80's. My DS is 6. There are things that appeal to both of us, I love the cross-generational appeal.

Some of my reaction may just be the "newness" of it all, but I found the in-park experience to be spectacular. No photo or video will do it justice in my opinion.

I hope this makes sense but in some ways HEA reminds me of some of the Hallowishes segments when there is "stuff" going on all over the place - on the castle, in the sky, low/high, etc - your eye is always moving around to different show elements (this is a good thing, in my opinion) and lots of crescendos.

Wishes was amazing in its simplicity, beauty, storytelling, and heartfelt message. This doesn't have the same story/message to it, but rather a visual 'spectacular' in every sense of the word combining lots of elements. (ETA: I don't mind the lack of story/message or find the choppiness bothersome at all - it's just a different type of show but still GREAT entertainment in my opinion.)

I really am so pleased with how this turned out. I went from Thursday night at the loss of Wishes to last night watching this new show. Judge as you will, but I loved it!

 

[Polybound]

If you're one one of those people who think Disney is only concerned about profits then I can see why you may think that. If not then I respectfully disagree with your whole post. If you took out the fireworks than you'd have people saying "that's it?" Or "where are the fireworks in this fireworks show?". The fireworks might not be the primary focus at all times now but they certainly enhance every aspect of the show. I can see why you say it's distracting but why is that a bad thing? I think that's why the reviews have been so amazing for it. People are just in awe of everything that taking place in front of them.

Sorry if I came across as harsh but I just think it'd be the biggest mistake ever to take most of the fireworks out of the show.

Don't get me wrong, it was an impressive show. I wish it had just a little bit more of the traditional music and the fireworks finally could have been a little bit stronger, but besides that, It was a great show. No complaints.

 

[Disney_Princess83]

I liked it, but it doesn't pull on my heart like Wishes did. The effects and pyro power are great, but to me it lacks that pure, classic Disney magic.

This statement rings true with us as well. Keeping in mind that we haven't seen the show in person, however the show simply doesn't have that same feel as Wishes. The entire show feels extremely disjointed. (Mufasa's voice with Go The Distance? ) The flow is terrible, there is no real story except just throwing in as many Disney movies they could (with almost no classics - Snow White, Cinderella, BatB, Peter Pan, Dumbo, The Little Mermaid are barely touched upon) It's far too heavy on the castle projections. Is it a fireworks show or photos on the castle? The projections means the show has to be seen on Main St which is always dangerously crowded. Without a night parade, it would mean sitting on Main St for an hour or two to secure a good spot. The finale was very non eventful. It finished and I was waiting for something more. I hated that many of the songs weren't the original versions and sung by random choir people. Some of the song choices are terrible for the show. Love is an Open Door is my favourite song from Frozen but it felt terrible misplaced during the show. It was nice to see Tarzan, Hunchback and Merida shown but overall, it was extremely disappointing. We will watch it once during our trip but I think we will be skipping this every other evening. We never missed the chance to watch Wishes but this has left me cold.

 

[Sweettears]

I believe that they're going to eventually phase out fireworks all together, or at least reduce the show to a fireworks finally only. The music, projections and lasers are good enough to carry the show by their selves. I believe that they could eliminate the fireworks during the show, maybe add a little live entertainment and then have a massive fireworks finally. I agree from what I saw that the lasers, projections, music and fireworks all at one time are a little distracting.

Based on what? Think that you are totally off base on this. I watched HEA last night and then the last night of Wishes. There had to be at least three times the pyro in HEA. Doesn't seem to be in keeping with a phasing out of fireworks.

 

[michelleiada]

Yikes...I am surprised that there is even a single person that doesn't think this show is amazing. I don't understand it. Wishes was wonderful, but this is truly a nighttime spectacular...a finale to your day at MK. It encompasses everything that is Disney. I'm not looking to criticize anyone at all...I'm not that kind of person. I just don't understand how any human being can not think that this show is nothing short of spectacular. Take Wishes and any emotional attachment that you have to it out of the equation. If you were a first time Disney visitor and you saw this...how could you not be in awe of it, inspired by and wowed by it? How could you not be moved by the story and the music? It is inspirational. Encouraging you to dig deep, follow your heart, reach for the sky, persevere despite obstacles, and go and find your happily ever after. What else could people be looking for?

 

[DisneyFan2013]

Did you see it live or on video?

On video

 

[DisneyStarWisher]

So I watched from outside the park Friday night (Poly) and inside the park last night (Plaza Garden Viewing Dessert Party area). I enjoyed both experiences quite a bit, the show is stunning in all respects. My DS was totally in awe and has already been humming the music.

I'm a child of the 80's. My DS is 6. There are things that appeal to both of us, I love the cross-generational appeal.

Some of my reaction may just be the "newness" of it all, but I found the in-park experience to be spectacular. No photo or video will do it justice in my opinion.

I hope this makes sense but in some ways HEA reminds me of some of the Hallowishes segments when there is "stuff" going on all over the place - on the castle, in the sky, low/high, etc - your eye is always moving around to different show elements (this is a good thing, in my opinion) and lots of crescendos.

Wishes was amazing in its simplicity, beauty, storytelling, and heartfelt message. This doesn't have the same story/message to it, but rather a visual 'spectacular' in every sense of the word combining lots of elements. (ETA: I don't mind the lack of story/message or find the choppiness bothersome at all - it's just a different type of show but still GREAT entertainment in my opinion.)

I really am so pleased with how this turned out. I went from Thursday night at the loss of Wishes to last night watching this new show. Judge as you will, but I loved it!

I have been debating whether I needed to change my park days around in order to HEA in the park. My original plan was to watch it from the Poly. After watching the video, I decided to make the changes and will be viewing it for the first time in the park. Did you find the in-park view better? I feel like it will be a totally different experience from a distance. But I do think I'll be ok viewing it outside the park once I see it up close first.

 

[Accident]

I have been debating whether I needed to change my park days around in order to HEA in the park. My original plan was to watch it from the Poly. After watching the video, I decided to make the changes and will be viewing it for the first time in the park. Did you find the in-park view better? I feel like it will be a totally different experience from a distance. But I do think I'll be ok viewing it outside the park once I see it up close first.

So I've seen it in the hub and behind the castle now. I loved wishes behind the castle, far more better than in the hub as the castle wasn't needed and I love the only place in the world I know you can walk up and be inside the fireworks show all around you. I liked this show in the hub better. It didn't disappoint for fireworks but the whole show isn't just fireworks so you are missing something not seeing the castle.

Now with that said, I think if I saw it in reverse I would have been very happy with just the fireworks the first time and then caught the full hub experience a few days later. Keep your schedule and enjoy some fireworks from poly and the full experience second. I think the other way is going to be less exciting for just the fireworks.