leaving at closing time

[Cakesy]

On our April vacation, we will be spending one day at Epcot and one day at MK. We MUST see Illuminations, as its my favorite thing ever. But we're on the fence about staying for Wishes (I've never seen it, so I don't know whether its worth it or not). Partly, that's gonna be an early day for us, and we have a 2 yr old. And partly, I'm just concerned about leaving MK after Wishes and it being a total nightmare.
thoughts?

 

[t_catt11]

Leaving immediately after Wishes is tough, because everyoe else leaves at that time. Expect to wait for multiple busses before one comes that you can fit in. If you stay, it may be best for you to take it easy, browse the shops, etc on your way out.

Wishes is not my favorite of the night shows (that would be Illuminations), but all three shows are outstanding in their own way. If you haven't ever seen Wishes, I would strongly reccomend that you do it at least once. Nobody on earth does fireworks like Disney, and watching them above the castle, synchronized to music and narration, is simply an iconic Disney World activity. My own DS was 2 on out last trip and was scared of fireworks at the time, but still enjoyed the show.

 

[pat fan]

I think Wishes is tied for my favorite show, you really should see it. I would suggest watching from the hub area and then popping around the back of the castle for a stroll or shopping, grab a bite to eat or whatever. You can head out with the masses but it is a little crazy. For sure take extra precautions with the 2 yr. old. Carry him or have him in a stroller. You can't believe how easy it is for a held hand to break contact and then be lost in the crowd!

 

[growinupdisney]

When my dd3 was 2yo she managed wishes fine. She took a nap in her stroller and had no problem staying awake for it. Wishes is beautiful and very magical if you have never seen it you need to. As far as it ending this is not the time to go with the crowds. Seat at a beanch for a little while and let the crowds leave....go into some of the stores of coarse some of these will be busy too, so I say sit down for about 15 min wait for the crowds to exit then leisurely walk into some of the stores if you want then head out. This will be much much easier doing it this way. TRUST ME!

 

[mommystieg]

You should really try to see Wishes. If you are concerned about the post-Wishes mass exodus; position yourself closer to the shops on the Casey's Corner side of the street. The stores are all connected and it is a little quicker and easier to exit that way. I would ditch the stroller if possible, maneuvering it through the crowd is quite a challenge.

 

[Nadjalu]

Oh, Wishes is by far my favorite over Illuminations.

I highly recommend seeing it at least once from the kingdom.

Leaving can get crazy, but if you wait just 1/2 an hour after it is much easier.

A trick we like is to walk thru the shops instead of down Main St. It is easier to manuver and is very quick.

 

[imthatgirl]

Wishes is so much better then illumiNations. Out of the two Wishes, for me, wins every time.

As far as leaving after it. I would never rush out with the crowd. We usually hang back, get some crowd pictures and walk out behind the crowd.

 

[Agri]

If you can, I'd do the dessert party if you haven't seen Wishes before. You've got a great view and you can linger over your plates and drinks while everyone else leaves the park. Then you can leave the park at your own pace.

We always either leave before the fireworks or well after them - there's no sense in battling everyone to get out of the park when you'll just have to wait in line to get where you are going. They won't rush *you* out of the park, so its a great time to slow down and get pictures while everyone else IS rushing.

I always see people recommend going through the shops, but from my experience the shops are crowded with all the people who decided when they came into the park to save their shopping there until they were leaving. Of course, I find the shops difficult to maneuver through during most times of the day due to how they've got so much merchandise jammed in there.

(We prefer Illuminations over the regular Wishes presentation, but it is definitely worth seeing at least once.)

 

[brockash]

Yes, leaving after closing is busy, but for us, there's no way we'd miss Wishes. I'm sure you'll have a stroller for your 2 year old, so that shouldn't be a problem. If they're sleeping, they can lay in the stroller, up til the point you either load the bus or get on the tram for the car, or if you're staying at one of the monorail resorts, they can stay in the stroller until you get to your room. Either way, we've done it many times with babies, toddlers, older kids, with no problem at all.

 

[lustergirl]

Are there still two showings? Usually the second one is less crowded. I would sit and wait for the crowds to slow down before I even attempted to leave- too many people.

 

[chiamarie]

I love wishes. But I love big fireworks. I really have never understood what the big deal is about Illumitations when compared to Wishes. So, I strongly suggest trying to see Wishes.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned (and someone, I'm sure will jump on me, but whatever) is there's always the option of watching from the Poly Beach. It's my favorite place to enjoy Wishes. There's no worry of having to deal with the mass exudous of people. We always get a drink at the bar, and then find a place to sit on the chairs on the beach, they play the music for you. Alot of the time, we also end up eating dinner at Kona. (So we are also paying guests at the Poly when we do this....) You could also do this at the Contemporary or GF (but I'm not entirely sure where to watch tme from GF).

 

[DebbieB]

Are there still two showings? Usually the second one is less crowded. I would sit and wait for the crowds to slow down before I even attempted to leave- too many people.

There can be 2 evening parade runs but not Wishes.

 

[Golf4food]

We also enjoy Wishes much more than Illuminations (best music, worst show combination of any Disney show). As others have said, it is definitely something you want to see from in the MK on Main Street, no matter how good it is from the Poly beach, where you lose the impact and hugeness, almost like watching fireworks on TV - it just isn't the same.

 

[AJKMOM]

In October, we waited after Wishes for 1 1/2 hours to get a bus to AKV. I love Wishes, but the next time, I'll probably drive to the MK or watch from the train station.

 

[shalom]

it is definitely something you want to see from in the MK on Main Street, no matter how good it is from the Poly beach, where you lose the impact and hugeness, almost like watching fireworks on TV - it just isn't the same.

It isn't, but that can be an advantage if you have a little one who finds fireworks scary.

 

[sharadoc]

I love wishes. But I love big fireworks. I really have never understood what the big deal is about Illumitations when compared to Wishes. So, I strongly suggest trying to see Wishes.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned (and someone, I'm sure will jump on me, but whatever) is there's always the option of watching from the Poly Beach. It's my favorite place to enjoy Wishes. There's no worry of having to deal with the mass exudous of people. We always get a drink at the bar, and then find a place to sit on the chairs on the beach, they play the music for you. Alot of the time, we also end up eating dinner at Kona. (So we are also paying guests at the Poly when we do this....) You could also do this at the Contemporary or GF (but I'm not entirely sure where to watch tme from GF).

No one will jump on you - it's perfectly fine and has been discussed a LOT on these boards. The only time that it has been an issue to watch Wishes from the beach for paying vs. non-paying guests is New Year's Eve or 4th of July. Those fireworks are so huge that everyone wants to see them so the Poly has to restrict access.

We like watching from the Fort Wilderness beach, but I have heard that the Poly is the best place to watch from outside the parks.

 

[My2Angels]

Wishes is the best! I could not imagine NOT staying for it! Makes me cry everytime!

 

[CinderEmma]

Wishes is so beautiful - it's really a great way to end a day with an extra burst of Disney magic. We were worried about the crowds after staying for Wishes, so we walked right into Philharmagic (with no wait) and enjoyed the show while everyone was leaving. It worked well!

 

[DaveinFallsChurch]

We love Wishes and think it's very much worth the crowds!

We always hang back during the mass exodus. One of our favorite spots to hang back is by the Plaza Ice Cream Parlor. We sit, eat some ice cream, watch the crowds, stare at the castle and about 30-45 minutes later head out. Crowds are pretty much thinned out by then and is very manageable. Last time, our DD4 and DD15 months both stayed awake all the way through Wishes. The fell asleep in their strollers on the way out.

 

[hintofspy]

Yeah, the posters above have got it. I tried timing the walk from Frontierland to express monorail by Wishes tonight, and I made it to the monorail just before the finale started, and even then, the exodus had already begun. It's almost unavoidable, unless you are on the back side of Cinderella's Castle, or just stay in one place for a while until crowds thin out. Even though I am more partial to Illuminations, Wishes is worth seeing at least once. And I would definitely find a place close enough/early enough to see "The Magic, the Memories, and You", since I find that to be even better than the fireworks!