FP wishes viewing is a joke

[Robo]

You ALSO want to be able to see the spectacular show that is actually projected on the front of the Castle,"Celebrate the Magic," which begins about 15 minutes before the fireworks.

Below is a rough estimate of the Fireworks viewing spots
based on other posters' info on the boards and personal experience.

This is a new version of this map that features a representation of the new hub and its FP+ Wishes viewing areas.
At this point, I'm not sure how the new "outer sidewalks" will be allowed or blocked
for fireworks viewers.
Not all of the sidewalks I've depicted have actually been built, yet.

As the actual Hub construction goes along, I'll revamp the shaded areas.

And, to keep these two images close together for comparison, here's the Hub map again.

 

[ACJT]

Perhaps my charactization of this FP as a "joke" was harsh. It just seemed kinda telling that they don't have their numbers right when the CM is advising FP holders to go elsewhere.

 

[cakebaker]

I agree with the OP, I always advise against using a FP+ selection for a firework viewing, it is simply not worth it and can be better used for an actual attraction that has a queue. Even though there are certain spots that are slightly better than others for firework viewing, at the end of the day, as long as you are inside the park and at least within viewing distance of ANY part of the castle then you can clearly see the show without needing to be packed into a "special" area that has very little advantage..

The problem is, unless you know what's important to a particular person, that may be bad advice. We want to see the pre-show. That can only be seen from the better viewing areas so anywhere in the park just won't do.

As far as wasting a fp+, it's not always a waste. We schedule fp+ for the evening anyway. If we were having to miss riding something in exchange for this fp+ that would be different, but we aren't. It's almost impossible to give a blanket statement and have it actually be true for everyone.

We have a fp+ scheduled for our June trip. We think that no matter what the crowd conditions inside the area are, it has to be better than the pushing and shoving and having people jump in front of you at the last second that goes on around the best spots to view. Hopefully we're right. It may or may not work to our advantage, but I won't consider it a waste of a fp+ because we're not giving anything up to do it.

 

[jthornton94]

The same can be said for the dessert party. There are those who think it's a waste and a bad view. For us, we find it great. It does not seem crowded at all and I enjoy the view from that location. The desserts are not gourmet, but my kids love them, which is why we go to Disney.

 

[cakebaker]

The same can be said for the dessert party. There are those who think it's a waste and a bad view. For us, we find it great. It does not seem crowded at all and I enjoy the view from that location. The desserts are not gourmet, but my kids love them, which is why we go to Disney.

We're trying that this trip too! I've heard great things and not so great things. Our priority is less craziness and crowds. If the desserts are edible, great!

 

[Maleficent Dragon]

Does anyone know if the you can still stand in front of the restrooms at the Tomorrowland Terrace?

When we were there last year (November), CMs were there making people move along. As a matter of fact, at the last few Christmas parties we attended, (2011 - 2014) we saw CMs making people move from walkways so that other guests could get through. I am not saying that always happens, but that was our experience.

 

[kaetra]

We did Wishes FP Thursday night, 4/23. It was OK. We arrived to the viewing area at about 9:10 for the 10pm show. Most people crammed toward the front of the viewing area. Some of us hung back and stood along the back fence. CMs did not ask us to stand, but if you stayed sitting you couldn't see the bottom half of the castle. (They should have added some slope to the area so that people in the back would be slightly higher up than people in the front.)

We had enough room to lay down on the astro turf while we waited for the show to start, which was really nice. We were also able to see the top half of MSEP floats. It wasn't a great view of the parade, but it was a view.

If I had multiple days at MK in my trip I would maybe do the Wishes FP again for one of them. I'd arrive quite a bit earlier and try to find a better position though.

 

[mousehockey37]

Perhaps my charactization of this FP as a "joke" was harsh. It just seemed kinda telling that they don't have their numbers right when the CM is advising FP holders to go elsewhere.

I've often wondered about the FP for the fireworks anyway. If you think about it, Disney is, in a way, pulling a fast one on you and limiting what you can do in a day. Now there's a lot that goes into that last statement, so stick with me. The biggest thing is: in having the fireworks viewing as one of your 3 FP's for the day, you can't get a 4th FP until the first 3 are used.... Well, most times, the fireworks are the "thanks for coming, now get out" curtain call on the day. So... as to the pulling a fast one part, Disney knows all of those people who do that with using the fireworks FP as 1 of their passes, they know that those people will be in standby lines for most of the day (if they aren't wandering, shopping, hopping, etc)... They just know that they're not getting more FP rides out of you because well, you haven't used up your first 3 on the day...

I haven't had a bad place for fireworks yet. EPCOT we get there early enough to stake out our spot and we don't move. Same can be said for Wishes. Depending on who comes in around us, we may adjust, but for the most part, we have it planned out that we don't need the FP for fireworks.

 

[goofyernmost]

I think your point of view is by in large bang on. However we've found that with an autistic child, having a decent spot waiting for us where our son could sit down and not feel cramped for space was somewhat priceless. It made wishes an enjoyable time for our son.

There are always justifiable exceptions. I was speaking in generally terms with no special needs.

 

[Planogirl]

We always watch fireworks from Fantasyland. It's on both sides of you but that's actually kind of cool. Plus we avoid the big crowds and can hop into Peter Pan or even further down the Haunted Mansion before the big crowd untangles itself.

 

[CookieandOatmeal]

Is there any chance I could get the fireworks FP as my 4th one after I'm done with my first three?

 

[pumpkin_tx1]

Is there any chance I could get the fireworks FP as my 4th one after I'm done with my first three?

I am wondering the same thing. Also, is there a better/ less crowded side? East or west? We're both FP+ areas packed when the OP went or did they only check out one side?

 

[Chitownpeeps91]

We tried to see it from that bridge over the very busy time and the CM's were so rude. The place was packed & my DD was in tears. We could not get fast passes and the park could not handle the crowd to see the fireworks. I suggested they should have two shows on the very busy nights.

Biggest disappointment of our trip.

 

[MataHari22]

When we were there last year (November), CMs were there making people move along. As a matter of fact, at the last few Christmas parties we attended, (2011 - 2014) we saw CMs making people move from walkways so that other guests could get through. I am not saying that always happens, but that was our experience.

That was my experience last year. We watched the parade from Fronteirland, which worked out well. We then walked down through Adventureland, I guess, and came out by Crystal Palace and Casey's. It was so packed that cast members kept telling us to keep walking and we couldn't find a spot to stay. We kept getting moved and ended up all the on the right. Not sure if it was behind Tomorrowland Terrace or Cosmic Rays, but we ended up being blocked by trees and buildings and not being able to see. I was glad that the next night we were at MNSSHP, we sat on Main Street for quite a while, not really being able to see the parade, but we had good spots for Hallowishes.

If we go this November, I'm not sure if I should try a Wishes FP+. I think I have the parade thing down ok now, but I have to say trying to get a good view the fireworks has always been the thing that's the hardest to do for me. I really do not like crowds and have had panic attacks in years past. My 2013 trip I didn't get to see a parade or Wishes. Was too much for me. I was totally unprepared for those crowds.

 

[vladimir]

Now I'm a little confused. We have Wishes FP+ in mid June. I basically did it because my daughters absolutely love Celebrate the Magic (we saw it for the first time last year). On MDE is says the fastpass+ time is 9:40-9:55. I didn't know you could get in the FP+ areas earlier. What time do you suggest we show up?

 

[CAS239]

Now I'm a little confused. We have Wishes FP+ in mid June. I basically did it because my daughters absolutely love Celebrate the Magic (we saw it for the first time last year). On MDE is says the fastpass+ time is 9:40-9:55. I didn't know you could get in the FP+ areas earlier. What time do you suggest we show up?

You can enter about an hour ahead of the scheduled time. We show up about 15-30 min before celebrate the magic starts

 

[CAS239]

We tried to see it from that bridge over the very busy time and the CM's were so rude. The place was packed & my DD was in tears. We could not get fast passes and the park could not handle the crowd to see the fireworks. I suggested they should have two shows on the very busy nights.

Biggest disappointment of our trip.

You were likely trying to stop where they keep it open for a walkway. The bridges along the edges can fill up quick. Then they leave the rest open to make it easier for others to keep moving. With the fireworks being able to be seen from many spots, there's tons of good spots to watch.

They know how to handle the crowds very well. They have designated paths that stay open and manage it well for being the most visited park in the world.

And doing two fireworks shows a night would be a little crazy. Everyone that wants to see the fireworks can when their displayed the first time and adding a second show would take a lot more money and prep time

 

[capegirl]

We had a very positive Wishes FP experience. We were lucky enough that we were not packed in like sardines, which IMO, would totally defeat the use of using a FP for Wishes. That said I hope that Disney will not ruin a good thing by overcrowding the FP areas. We saw Wishes twice when we were there in April, both with, and without FP, and it was a breath of fresh air not having people breathing down our necks, and trying to defend our tiny piece of personal space. It will be interesting to see how Disney will respond once the summer crowds arrive.

 

[JanaDee]

Is there any chance I could get the fireworks FP as my 4th one after I'm done with my first three?

Highly unlikely.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

We were considering the Wishes FP+ for Christmas, but if it's packed in May, it's gonna be ridiculous during Christmas.

IMO, I'd rather use the FP+ for a ride than parades or fireworks. You can always line up early or get lucky with a great spot for Wishes or the parade. You can also view them from almost anywhere. You can't however, magically wait less time for Space Mountain (unless you cut, I guess.)