Seen them live? How does Happily Ever After stack up to Wishes?

[DisneyFive]

For those of you who have now actually experienced both Happily Ever After and Wishes, what are your thoughts/feelings about the new show?

• Does the music and dialogue move you?
• Is it a suitable replacement?
• Is it far better, far worse, somewhere in between?
• Too much going on? Not enough?

Curious minds want to know. Personally, I'm really looking forward to seeing the new show as a family. However, Wishes will always hold that special place since it was the castle show during our first visit.

Dan

P.S. I'm not interested in stuff to watch online about the show, but rather hearing from those that have actually experienced both. Thanks!

 

[JETSDAD]

We prefer HEA but found that it was more important to watch with a good view of the castle as the projections were a big part of it. We first watched it from TOWL and enjoyed the fireworks/music but then watched from in the park and that was far better.

 

[Surr]

I think it is a fairly big improvement, and I really liked Wishes. I didnt find the music and dialogue as moving as wishes, but the show is better. I believe it is a suitable replacement, not to much going on.

 

[yulilin3]

• Does the music and dialogue move you?

• Is it a suitable replacement?

• Is it far better, far worse, somewhere in between?

• Too much going on? Not enough?

Yes loved both the music and dialogue
Yes it is a suitable replacement
IMHO better than Wishes
If you focus on the castle projections with the fireworks working as a background it's fine, if you try to focus on both aspects it might be too much

 

[AngiTN]

I think it is a fairly big improvement, and I really liked Wishes. I didnt find the music and dialogue as moving as wishes, but the show is better. I believe it is a suitable replacement, not to much going on.

Yes to all of this. And I went in to it not expecting to like it at all. I was happy to be wrong.
It's missing the best part of Wishes, the song Wishes but the show is better. By a lot. Fireworks better, by a lot. So overall it's better, by a lot. So I can forgive them eliminating my song.
As for too much going on, there may be something to this. There is a lot going on. Too much? We didn't think it was too much. But it's a lot. The good part about there being so much going on, those not right at the castle still have a pretty spectacular show to see. It changes but still great. Sort of like how watching Wishes from behind the castle was still an awesome show to see. It changed what you saw totally but it was still an incredible experience back there.

 

[famy27]

I agree with all of the above posters. We really liked the new show, but it's one where we'd definitely want to be in the park and not watching from Poly or CG. We were lucky enough to get a great spot to the front right of the castle about 15 minutes before the show. If we hadn't been able to see the castle so well, it would have lost something.

My younger DD is almost 5, and she absolutely loved HEA. She liked Wishes, but she really loved the new show and was so happy that Tinkerbell is still flying.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I preferred having 2 separate shows - one for castle projections and another for fireworks. Yes, I know that there is still a castle projection show, but that's not my point. The castle projections are too much a part of HEA to ignore them, which means that you really miss out on the fireworks. So I would enjoy it far more if they did the projection show first, then the fireworks.

I like the music for both. Both are touching.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Forgive the hyperbole, but I thought HEA was amazing. It has a very big "wow" entertainment factor for me. In some ways it reminds me of the MNSSHP fireworks, but on a grander scale. Just a lot going on visually all over the place. Strike me down for saying this, but it makes Wishes seem relatively basic.

Although, I have watched from both the park and Poly. I liked both quite a bit. The park experience is obviously much different, but the Poly experience was really good show too, IMHO.

 

[wdwjeffc37]

We're just back and saw HEA. We thought that the fireworks were a big improvement over Wishes, but with the projections on the castle it was too much at once. I like to watch the fireworks, but if I did I missed a lot of what was going on on the castle. We enjoyed the music, however I have a real soft spot for the music of Wishes. We also found that the castle projections start very low on the castle so if you do not have a good view of the bottom of the castle it is hard to figure out what is happening. All things considered, HEA is a suitable replacement for Wishes. Cheers!!!!

 

[mckennarose]

For those of you who have now actually experienced both Happily Ever After and Wishes, what are your thoughts/feelings about the new show?

• Does the music and dialogue move you?
• Is it a suitable replacement?
• Is it far better, far worse, somewhere in between?
• Too much going on? Not enough?

Curious minds want to know. Personally, I'm really looking forward to seeing the new show as a family. However, Wishes will always hold that special place since it was the castle show during our first visit.

Dan

P.S. I'm not interested in stuff to watch online about the show, but rather hearing from those that have actually experienced both. Thanks!

Yes, the entire show moved me and my whole family. We saw it on May 16th and 17th. It's far more than a suitable replacement, IMO, and far superior to Wishes. It's a definite improvement to the night time entertainment in WDW and we can't wait to see it again.

How you felt about Wishes, I felt about Spectromagic after my first visit. This is part of a post I made a few weeks ago:

.....
For me, I felt the same vibe that I had seeing spectromagic for the first time back in 1994. Back then it was impressive to see how Disney went above and beyond with entertaining their guests. I feel like HEA (and also ROL) do that. Like a step forward and far above entertainment at other theme parks.
The villain section was a big "wow" for me and the whole show was stunning. I really loved it. And I'm one who is still crying over spectromagic! I never had that vibe with msep or wishes. I thought they were cute, but didnt watch either every time we're here.
.......

 

[JasonMouse]

It's good, now making EPCOT's show officially dated. The only issue is that the whole area is PACKED even off season. It's new, so that's probably why. This is why I like EPCOT's show. I can wonder around a bit, enjoy the preshow music, grab a beer, and not have to stand in place for 45 mins until the show starts. HEA is not a great view from the exit either. I was also waiting for a bus for 45 mins and had to stand all the way back to Pop. I'd rather spend that time doing something else.

 

[monorailmom]

We saw HEA from Top of the World at BLT (MK the night we were there was crazy crowded)

Obviously, we didn't have a great view of the projections. We could see many of them, though! The fireworks are incredible. I actually really love the music. Tarzan and Hercules are two of my absolute faves, so I really appreciate that they were featured!!!

I think most folks have to remember that we all had years to build up memories during Wishes. I love that song, too, but know that I love it because I remember hearing it and watching the show when my kids were little. I think we'll all feel the same way about HEA after we've had some time to be there with the ones we love in our favorite place, eating popcorn and having a great time.

 

[LindyN]

I've seen HEA a couple of times and they are amazing; Wishes was old and tired and needed to go. However I have spent so much time looking at the projections on the castle that I haven't seen any of the fireworks. Another trip is coming up soon and this time I hope to actually catch the fireworks!

 

[freediverdude]

I didn't like HEA nearly as well, but I guess I'm not the demographic for it. I'm not big into Moana and Tangled and stuff like that, and would have liked some of the classic Disney. Oh well one less thing I have to schedule while I'm there.

 

[HydroGuy]

For those of you who have now actually experienced both Happily Ever After and Wishes, what are your thoughts/feelings about the new show?

• Does the music and dialogue move you?

Yes, definitely.

• Is it a suitable replacement?

Yes, definitely.

• Is it far better, far worse, somewhere in between?

Far better. As I wrote in my trip observations last week, IMO Disneyland fireworks shows have been far superior to Wishes since 2005. WDW vets did not know what they were missing. Now they do. Aside from nostalgia, HEA should not leave anyone wishing for Wishes (pun intended).

• Too much going on? Not enough?

It is definitely busier than Wishes but I would not say there is too much at all. The pace seemed fine to me!

 

[CAS239]

HEA is a very good show. Wishes was a classic, and this new show lives right up with it

 

[Disnerd6838]

Wishes had much more of an emotional affect on us. At the conclusion of each showing you couldn't help but get caught in the moment and even tear up (especially if it's your last day in the parks!). With HEA, I did not get that same feeling, even watching on our last day.
You could hear the crowd murmuring at the conclusion of HEA, saying how they miss wishes, and I'm very much in the same boat. "If it ain't broke don't fix it"

 

[BLTAaron]

Saw it a few times last week. You amazingly will miss out if watching on walkway between castle and cosmic rays even because all pertinent projections and music is focused on the hub. There is a lot going on but that will keep it fresh for a few views. Trees change colors, projections fire into fireworks, hub turret projections, etc. Loved tarzan music (phil collins) because that was always a gavorite song of mine written for his daughter. HEA song not as emotional as wishes. The projections are amazing, had forgotten characters, etc. but a little concerned with lack of disney classic characters.....dont even recall mickey.

 

[AllieBoo]

Saw HEA for the first time this week and honestly I prefer Wishes. Maybe it will take a while to grow on me, but I just felt like there was too much going on. Wishes always left me a little choked up, and this one did not.

 

[Heather1101]

I liked Wishes, but I'm not an overly emotional person, so that didn't play a part in my like for Wishes. DH and I actually prefer HEA. I watched it from the hub (luckily it rained and was delayed and the park cleared out quite a bit, so it allowed us to get a front row viewing spot right before the show started) and it was amazing. We also watched it once from the beach at the Poly, once from Fantasyland, and twice from Grand Floridian boat dock. While you don't get the castle overlays and laser effects, it was still just as nice, for us, to see the fireworks from other locati