Staking my claim... Fireworks Viewing

[HatboxHaint]

what about the strategy of placing yourself behind a garden/planter fence? is that still viable with HEA?

 

[HatboxHaint]

The only show for which we "stake out" a spot is HEA. We get there early enough to watch them lay down the masking tape defining the walkways. IF you toe-the-line, no one can/will stand in front of you. The distance between you and the crowd across the walkway is enough to give a good view.

where is that spot located?

 

[CMNJ]

The only show for which we "stake out" a spot is HEA. We get there early enough to watch them lay down the masking tape defining the walkways. IF you toe-the-line, no one can/will stand in front of you. The distance between you and the crowd across the walkway is enough to give a good view.

Lol we used to always do that with the MAin Street Electrical Parade. Stand on a taped corner to prevent having people try to push in front of us at the last minute (or during the parade). Once a huge group of people tried to physically push their way in (when the parade attendant said they had to be inside of the tape lines) but I held my ground. They pretended to not understand English or the parade attendant (telling them they had to move). Disney wound up sending a higher up cast member over to clear them from the walkway who was not as kind and gentle as the parade attendant. They understood fine and moved back behind us.

 

[YawningDodo]

I did the HEA dessert party, and all in all I don't think it saves you time--you just spend the time noshing desserts at a mildly awkward little buffet instead of standing out in the plaza. I could just as easily have shown up at the same time to stake out a spot as I did to go to the dessert party, and saved the money.

I still don't regret it, though, because time isn't the big benefit. Space is the big benefit. I've watched the fireworks and other shows from the middle of the crowd before and it's fine; I'm tall and I can always see well enough, but the dessert party was the first time I ever got to watch the fireworks at MK from in front of the castle without strangers touching me on all sides.

 

[slpeters]

We tried HEA with a half hour left to show time. The view was so disappointing we ended up leaving shortly after the show started. I'm 6'4" and couldn't see squat. We went to the dessert party later in the trip and LOVED it. I wouldn't even consider doing HEA again without the party.

 

[LizGirl]

We used to just walk up and plan to see Wishes from wherever. This strategy is less than satisfying with HEA because of the really cool projections. I would recommend that you show up at least 20 mins early one night and claim a spot behind a railing or tape line as others have suggested. Then you can see the show once and decide if you want to schedule the stake out time in the future.

The Star Wars show was probably the first one that we actually staked out a little over a year ago. Being right in the center really made the effects so much better that we felt it was worth it. We didn't wait more than 20 minutes here either. My kids are elementary aged so we positioned ourselves behind a couple that were both in electric scooters. This gave the kids a better chance of seeing the show.

We were at Epcot for NYE this year and only claimed a spot 15 minutes before midnight so we are definitely not big on waiting it out. I do think HEA deserves it at least once.

 

[bryanb]

I can see why it's more important to find your spot at Hollywood Studios a little early for any fireworks show they produce there. The viewing area is more limited and there are many obstructions in place.

For HEA, I've never staked out early. For me, it's not important to be up close to the castle. Although the projections are impressive from up close, they tend to dominate the show if you're in the hub. For me, the best viewing spot is somewhere farther back on Main Street, and it's usually quite easy to get a good spot there. Great view of the castle and you get a wider, more balanced look at the fireworks. Just one of many opinions.

(Honestly, though, I even enjoy HEA from the TTC all the way back across Seven Seas Lagoon... a nice change of pace. The fireworks look enormous when viewed from that distance (the illusion enhanced by the castle being so small), and I think the show works well as a fireworks-only spectacular. And there you definitely aren't sitting elbow-to-elbow with the crowds.)

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

We took a spot on the bridge to Tomorrowland last Wednesday about 3 minutes before showtime. A good view of the castle and Tink flew directly overhead.

Glad we didn’t spend time staking our a spot.

 

[KelNChrisKYDis]

We watched HEA twice on our May trip. Neither time did we arrive more than 30 minutes before the show. Both times we were just right of center, about 30-50' back from the castle. The only obstruction to our view at all was a lamppost was in the way for the lower right corner, but not a big deal. Once everyone is made to stand up, there's plenty of room. We even had a stroller with us, and very kind people around us making sure my 8 year old could see. Maybe we just always get lucky, but our experiences have never warranted the need to pay for the dessert party viewing. I'm sure it's fun and enjoyable for those that see the value, but it's not for us.

Sorry for the double image, I don't know how to get rid of the other one. This was our view.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

We usually tend to arrive about 15-20minutes before, and are willing to stand behind others. Mostly it has worked for us, except sometimes- like if we try to park hop - the transportation doesn't arrive in time.

That said, if you are going over 4th of July or Christmas or something, then they DO turn people away.

Also, we saw one of the early showings of the new Hogwarts' castle lights....and MANY folks were turned away from the area. In that case, we knew we HAD to arrive early. I expect HS will ALSO be crazy for several months after the new rides open.

What baffles me though, is the folks who are just plain crazy rude. This one family, did just about every possible annoying thing they could have done. Wife arrived first, and proceeded to BLIND everyone, by using her camera flashlight to signal her location to her husband. He was quite ways off, and she was YELLING the whole time.

Of course they just about shoved others out of the way to make a spot for themselves. Then hubby not only puts a rather LARGE child on his shoulders, he also dances around with said kid on his shoulders.

But wait there's more....the THREE kids ALL turn on their light sabers and proceed to have a LOUD saber fight during the show. Of course mom and dad think this is a hoot! Even after they hit strangers and step on their feet. None of them really even watched the SHOW. They just obstructed it for everyone else.

I'm pretty sure this family intentionally set out to be as obnoxious as possible. Maybe to see how much attention they could draw?

It is a strange way to be amused.

 

[whiporee]

For parades, I think it's pretty easy. Just go to Frontierland and stand near the gate where the parades come out. I've never had to stalk out a space there, even on crowded days. I think with the demise of the MSEP, middle-of-the-day parade viewing has never been a giant priority for most people, and you can usually find a spot if you get away from the Hub.

For HEA, if you want to get the full effect of the show, you need a spot near a direct line with the castle. You can get decent lines on the riverboat side, but the best way to see it is to be directly in front of the castle. I think the best way to do that is the Garden party, because even the terrace is off to the side. And if you want a decent amount of space around you -- and you want to "ensure" you'll be able to see everything, that's your best way to go. If you're in the Hub, expect to be pushed and smushed -- you might not be, but the fights I've see at these things are some of the nastiest I've been around, and I'm a Southeastern Conference football fan.

All that said, i don't love the projections, and i don't think you're missing much by missing them. If you just want to be caught up the the fireworks, Fantasyland is a great place to be. The explosions feel like they are on top of you, and it's a neat experience. You miss the show, but you'll have plenty of space around you.

 

[mamamelody2]

We took a spot on the bridge to Tomorrowland last Wednesday about 3 minutes before showtime. A good view of the castle and Tink flew directly overhead.

Glad we didn’t spend time staking our a spot.

That's where we saw Wishes on our first family trip back in 2010. I was wondering if that was still a decent spot!

 

[jennilouwho]

I staked out 60 min early last week and had a great spot. Then when the show started one person in front of me put the kid on his shoulders and the other person held up their iPad the whole time. Wasn’t worth the stake out.....

 

[Lovetherodent]

There in March. Thought to myself, well, it's fireworks, everybody is looking up anyway, and so did not seek out a good spot. I did not realize how projection-heavy the show was and probably missed a lot. However, I still wouldn't stand on the street for an hour to get a spot. The night we were there, OUAT came after HEA. The park still pretty much cleared out after HEA, so for that second show, we just marched up to the castle and sat with everyone else. Now, that was nice.

 

[revdon64]

If you book the dessert party, grab a couple of quick snacks and go stake out your spot in the viewing area. My experience with this is that most people get into the viewing area early so they can stake a spot, sit down, and not have to stand up during the show. So if you think you can come into the viewing area closer to showtime and people are going to stand up for the show... think again. I ended up off to the side watching the show through some trees because I didn't get there early and people yelled at me to sit down when there was nowhere on the ground to sit. I expected that people would stand up at showtime but I was wrong.

 

[monorailrabbit]

These are shows for which a completely unobstructed view is just not feasible. I saw another thread on here where people who staked out spots early complained about how the CM shouldnt allow people to stand up at the hub to let more people in or lift up a kid to see, but in all fairness to disney that is what is depicted in all the fireworks scenes of WDW tv promos (the parent holding up kids, not the scowling guests behind them). It is basically a mosh pit—there are no guarantees of a clear view, it will be crowded, and you do not “own” a spot or a view because you got there first.

We avoid the crowds and settle for seeing less than the full show from another part in of the park, behind a tree, or even from outside the parks.

To the op’s question, to be honest, I don’t think you will find a good view if you show up late. But then, I don’t think you will get a good view if you show up early either...

I staked out 60 min early last week and had a great spot. Then when the show started one person in front of me put the kid on his shoulders and the other person held up their iPad the whole time. Wasn’t worth the stake out.....

This. We saw HEA for the first time this last October and I decided to take the time to stake out a good spot in front of the castle since I wasn't sure if we would ever watch it again. I made friends with a super nice guy on one side and younger couple on the other, so passing the hour wait with them was enjoyable. Right as the show is about to start, 5 teenagers squeezed in in front of us, and all 5 held up their ipads. So our hour of waiting on our perfect, dead center spot is for naught. I gave up even trying to get pictures, and I am short enough that most of my fireworks viewing was through their ipad screens.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

I like to take photos, so I like to grab a spot. If I don't find a spot at least 45 minutes beforehand, then I'm left walking around.

What stinks is many areas look like an open spot to watch the fireworks... only for a CM to come outta nowhere and say "keep moving please!"

HEA is a different beast - I'd recommend being closer to the castle for the full experience... but it certainly wouldn't be the worst thing to be crammed on Main Street.

 

[mamamelody2]

I staked out 60 min early last week and had a great spot. Then when the show started one person in front of me put the kid on his shoulders and the other person held up their iPad the whole time. Wasn’t worth the stake out.....

UGH, that sucks!
Last year in November DH and I wanted to see HEA for the first time but weren't willing to wait a long time. We got a spot on Main Street maybe 10 minutes early. There was a guy next to us who had been waiting an hour. When the fireworks started, a shoulder kid appeared right in front of him/us. He was disgusted. SO GLAD we didn't wait an hour!

 

[vinotinto]

UGH, that sucks!
Last year in November DH and I wanted to see HEA for the first time but weren't willing to wait a long time. We got a spot on Main Street maybe 10 minutes early. There was a guy next to us who had been waiting an hour. When the fireworks started, a shoulder kid appeared right in front of him/us. He was disgusted. SO GLAD we didn't wait an hour!

I'm 4'11, so we did the HEA dessert party because we had never seen it. Otherwise, we find a spot around 20 minutes ahead of time. I'm vertically challenged 4'11, so I look to stand behind families with kids old enough that "kid-on-shoulders" won't appear. Heck, even a tall person won't be able to view through that!

 

[MJ6987]

I can understand staking out a spot for the parade, because there is limited curbside space, but with the firework show you can literally just walk into the road just before it starts because there's plenty of room. Unless maybe it's a crazy busy day.