Happily Ever After viewing

[chloelovesdisney]

Are you still able to watch from the garden area in front of Casey's?

 

[Robo]

Yes.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Thanks Robo!

 

[gharter]

Anywhere in the hub or back on mainstreet tends to have a good view of HEA.
Depends on the parties as to how open different areas are.

 

[WhitneyMB]

Related question--my family hasn't been since Happily Ever After took over for Wishes. My DH is not that into watching fireworks, and has suggested just watching them from the beach of Poly since we'll be there already. I know that HEA involves projections though--how much would we be missing out by not being in the park to watch? We would probably not have an ideal viewing location from in the park--as DH would never sit in a spot and wait an hour for them anyway--if that affects your opinion. Thanks!

 

[AJT607]

We've seen both Wishes and Happily Ever After from the Polynesian, and HEA is much less impressive from outside of the Magic Kingdom. I would prefer a "bad" location in Magic Kingdom over a "good" view at the Poly. We frequently book the dessert parties at Magic Kingdom, but I think you can also find OK viewing locations about 20-30 minutes before the show if you are willing to be flexible.

 

[WhitneyMB]

We've seen both Wishes and Happily Ever After from the Polynesian, and HEA is much less impressive from outside of the Magic Kingdom. I would prefer a "bad" location in Magic Kingdom over a "good" view at the Poly. We frequently book the dessert parties at Magic Kingdom, but I think you can also find OK viewing locations about 20-30 minutes before the show if you are willing to be flexible.

Thanks. That's exactly the type of experience and opinion that I was looking for. We have 6:25 Ohana reservations and HEA is at 9:15pm, so trying to figure out the best plan for the night (& then how early to arrive for dinner as I know there is often a wait).

 

[gharter]

Wishes was really good inside Mk or from the resorts as there was very little projection.
HEA still has a lot of fireworks which look good from the resorts. But a huge part of the show is the castle projections and you can't see any of those from the resorts.
So, you miss a huge part of the show not being on mainstreet to view.

 

[monkyby87]

Related question--my family hasn't been since Happily Ever After took over for Wishes. My DH is not that into watching fireworks, and has suggested just watching them from the beach of Poly since we'll be there already. I know that HEA involves projections though--how much would we be missing out by not being in the park to watch? We would probably not have an ideal viewing location from in the park--as DH would never sit in a spot and wait an hour for them anyway--if that affects your opinion. Thanks!

HEA is very much about the projections on the castle. The fireworks just add to it at times. Personally, if I wasn't going to be able to see the projections, I probably wouldn't hang around any area to watch the show, at least not ahead of time.
What I will say though, watching the show from behind the castle over near Seven Dwarves and Be Our Guest restaurant is a really great view of the fireworks. They essentially go off right above you and behind you. But since fireworks aren't really what DH is into, that isn't necessarily an ideal option for you.

 

[DisDreaming4116]

The hub grass in front of Casey's is the way to go. The vibe is often more laid back in there, with many people laying down and kids playing. If you can get a spot along the front of the fence within that area, that's the ideal location as you will have a buffer in front of you (plants).

 

[WaterLinds]

The hub grass in front of Casey's is the way to go. The vibe is often more laid back in there, with many people laying down and kids playing. If you can get a spot along the front of the fence within that area, that's the ideal location as you will have a buffer in front of you (plants).

I know it’s going to vary day to day, but how far ahead would you guess you need to get there to grab space on the grass? We did the dessert party last year, but this yer are leaning towards skipping HEA unless we’re somehow still full of energy one evening. If we’re going to wait, that grassy area would be perfect with antsy kids, but I wasn’t sure how far ahead you needed to be there.

 

[Hank Scorpio]

The lines on the sidewalk around the Hub will also guide you for where you should be standing. We went three weeks ago and didn't realize until our second viewing that those were there to show the pathways versus standing areas. We figure out a great spot near the bridge to tomorrowland that gave us an unobstructed view of the castle between two trees. Tinkerbell flew right over us... the kids loved it.

 

[Robo]

I know it’s going to vary day to day, but how far ahead would you guess you need to get there to grab space on the grass?

30 to 100+ min. depending on, well, EVERYTHING.

 

[mshanson3121]

30 to 100+ min. depending on, well, EVERYTHING.

During party season I would assume closer to the 100?