Strategy for Happily Ever After

[MrsAlexis]

Our 1st trip in forever is coming soon! I have been reading every tip and strategy I can find. I am concerned about the "madness" everyone talks about regarding HEA. We have never seen the show before, so I definitely want to see the castle projections. Any tips on where to sit, etc? I don't mind getting a spot early, but I sincerely hope I don't need to stake out my spot 3 hours in advance.

 

[Robo]

Our 1st trip in forever is coming soon! I have been reading every tip and strategy I can find. I am concerned about the "madness" everyone talks about regarding HEA. We have never seen the show before, so I definitely want to see the castle projections. Any tips on where to sit, etc? I don't mind getting a spot early, but I sincerely hope I don't need to stake out my spot 3 hours in advance.

Unless you are there on a spectacularly busy day (and that would be on and around certain holiday dates) It would not make sense to arrive more than 60 minutes in advance.

Below is a rough estimate of the Happily Ever After Fireworks viewing spots
on the south side of Cinderella Castle.
The projections presented on the castle facade can only be seen from this front side.

 

[melanielll]

I am going to recommend getting into one of the fenced off areas in the hub that doesn't have an event scheduled. People seem to respect personal space a bit more there and the crush of people leaving can be avoided. You can hang back in the fenced part until things breathe a bit.

 

[BRWombat]

Wish I'd known about the dessert party area before my last trip! My wife and I found spots in that area about 60 minutes early along with a bunch of others, then were cleared out by apologetic cast members about 30 minutes before the show, by which time all the other good spots were taken. There were NO signs warning anybody that the area was reserved. Not the most magical moment of our trip.

 

[Gr8t Fan]

We saw HEA for the first time last week and the people pushing in front of us were AWFUL. Several times my husband had to ask people to move after they pushed in front of us and then had to physically guide them away from us with his arm when they refused to move. It was a beautiful show, but we're going to try to catch it from as far back as we can next time because the of pushy people.

 

[disneyfaninaz]

Do they have handicapped viewing locations for HEA?

 

[GunnarCharles]

We were in the hub sort of on the left side by where there is a bridge going to Adventureland. The spot wasn't perfect but it still allowed us a good view to see the show and we got there roughly 40 minutes before the show.
I will warn you, we did stand right behind a taped line where there is a path people are supposed to be able to walk through. We learned that with about 5 minutes before show start people started filling that in so there was people that came in right in front of us when we weren't expecting it.
It wasn't so bad we couldn't see the show from our spot, but something I didn't anticipate since it had been several years since my last trip to WDW.
I did forget how obnoxious some people can be when it comes to firework viewing, but you just have to take a deep breath and not let it ruin the mood. My wife and I both loved Happily Ever After, hopefully you will too. Have a great trip!

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

Best spot is by the hub or no further back than mid main street. We have watched from further back and it's not great esp with little ones. If you want to you can camp out early -some people tucker out and just want to sit so they don't mind camping out for a spot 2 hours early. IMO I wouldn't waste my time. If you can do a dessert fireworks ticket those are great since you get reserved space by the Hub that's fenced off. It's a magic pass banded event so you eat your dessert buffet and then make your way over to the hub, escorted by a CM. It's nice and worth it to us. Our usual plan is to start heading towards main street about 1.5 hours before and then one of us will stand where we want to be about 30-45 min prior and we take turns walking around main street with the kids so they don't have to wait forever. Based on how crowded it is, is how far back we end up.

 

[Disneymom1126]

I am going to recommend getting into one of the fenced off areas in the hub that doesn't have an event scheduled. People seem to respect personal space a bit more there and the crush of people leaving can be avoided. You can hang back in the fenced part until things breathe a bit.

We've watched the Halloween Fireworks from inside the fenced area and it always seemed to me that people didn't realize you could go in there - was that your sense of why it was less crazy then being out in the street when you watched HEA from there? Planning for January 2018 and I know it's going to already be a busy time!

 

[kwdw]

Whatever you do - plan for the fact that there will be some last minute moving around of folks!

When I travel solo - I find my fireworks spot pretty late. So - if you think there is 3 feet of space between you and the people in front of you - to me - that's a great place to fill in! Also - some of the walking paths are allowed to be filled in at the last minute - so there will be a sudden crush of people in that area. And then - there's those folks that put their kids on their shoulders at the last minute - and now folks behind them are scrambling to move some so they can see. Folks can just move around in their own family unit - and height differences can send the folks behind them also shifting their positions. Also - depending upon folks cultural backgrounds - what some folks think is proper personal space may be smaller than what you think. Basically - it's a mad house. Take it or leave it.

While I like the show - I'm not happy that the new show is SO based on projections - I liked watching the fireworks from behind the castle in Fantasyland before and I personally don't think the Wishes storyline was as dependent on the projections as HEA is. But - that's me. The projections in HEA are fabulous - I just think that the new show limits the prime viewing spots in comparison to the prior show.

 

[Disnsyncey]

Whatever you do - plan for the fact that there will be some last minute moving around of folks!

When I travel solo - I find my fireworks spot pretty late. So - if you think there is 3 feet of space between you and the people in front of you - to me - that's a great place to fill in! Also - some of the walking paths are allowed to be filled in at the last minute - so there will be a sudden crush of people in that area. And then - there's those folks that put their kids on their shoulders at the last minute - and now folks behind them are scrambling to move some so they can see. Folks can just move around in their own family unit - and height differences can send the folks behind them also shifting their positions. Also - depending upon folks cultural backgrounds - what some folks think is proper personal space may be smaller than what you think. Basically - it's a mad house. Take it or leave it.

While I like the show - I'm not happy that the new show is SO based on projections - I liked watching the fireworks from behind the castle in Fantasyland before and I personally don't think the Wishes storyline was as dependent on the projections as HEA is. But - that's me. The projections in HEA are fabulous - I just think that the new show limits the prime viewing spots in comparison to the prior show.

It would be neat if they caught on and started doing projections on all sides.....we can only hope haha

 

[melanielll]

We've watched the Halloween Fireworks from inside the fenced area and it always seemed to me that people didn't realize you could go in there - was that your sense of why it was less crazy then being out in the street when you watched HEA from there? Planning for January 2018 and I know it's going to already be a busy time!

I think that is part of it. Plus the limited access points stops people from being able to approach from all directions at all times. And no one passes through there to exit. Which helps a lot.

 

[elaine amj]

I watched it 4 times from 3 different locations on my last trip:

#1: walked into the hub (on the right near the Tomorrowland bridge) a couple of mins before the show started. It was hot, it was crowded. Very good view though. We stood behind a man in a wheelchair and that helped. We were also on the part where the path sloped so that also helped.



#2: Watched from the Transportation & Ticket Centre. First time there so I was a bit confused as to where to stand. Turns out it is right where the ferry unloads. I walked in through the ferry exit gate and stood off to the side. Nice view, low key, fantastic music. But lights are not dimmed. And of course, no projections.



#3: Watched from the fence behind the fountain (in Robo's map - between "All Guests Open Viewing" and "The Hub"). We got a spot directly facing the fountain. It was wonderful - watched it from here 2x. Nobody standing in front of us (which I worried about in the fenced in grass viewing area) and plenty of cool breezes. The fountain was calming and added a lovely element. Very clear view of the Castle projections. Even better was a comfy seat on the ledge (great place for littles to stand during the show too). To the right and left of us the view is blocked by shrubs so people don't pack in tightly on either side.





Edit to add location #4.

#4: My brother and SIL went back for one final viewing. This time they went right up to the stage. He reported: "It gave more detail but lost the wider story coz of the angle. I enjoyed the experience immensely though thanks to the nearness - so it's still a great experience. The nearness means you can't see the big fireworks behind the castle".

My SIL'S comments: ""Well, since you have tried your most preferred spot at the Walt & Mickey statue,the spot we were at in front of the stage could be a nice new experience as you could see the projection on castle more clearly in details. The fireworks on both sides are bigger and brighter, may be overwhelming but in a nice way. Those fireworks from behind could still be seen though slightly hidden because of our closeness to castle. Nothing short of magical, I promise!"





My brother wonders if the Mickey statue would be better. That used to be my favourite spot but it is more tightly packed and there is no comfy ledge to sit on compared to Spot #3.

My daughter just commented that she prefers the Mickey statue spot in the Hub (we have watched Wishes from there multiple times). I think we'd like to try in front of the stage and that is not very crowded.

 

[MyGirlLovesTink]

So, you can enter the fenced off area in front of Crystal Palace and watch from there?

 

[elaine amj]

So, you can enter the fenced off area in front of Crystal Palace and watch from there?

Yep. The fenced off area on the right (facing the Castle) is reserved for dessert party guests but the one on the left is available for anyone. I would have chosen it - but I didn't like the idea of people standing in front of me (people lean against the fence).

 

[maryj11]

Cannot beat the Plaza Garden View dessert party for not having to fight with crowds and a spot.

 

[Blue32]

I watched it 4 times from 3 different locations on my last trip:

#1: walked into the hub (on the right near the Tomorrowland bridge) a couple of mins before the show started. It was hot, it was crowded. We stood behind a man in a wheelchair and that helped. We were also on the part where the path sloped so that also helped.

View attachment 265739

#2: Watched from the Transportation & Ticket Centre. First time there so I was a bit confused as to where to stand. Turns out it is right where the ferry unloads. I walked in through the ferry exit gate and stood off to the side. Nice view, low key, fantastic music. But lights are not dimmed. And of course, no projections.

View attachment 265740

#3: Watched from the fence behind the fountain (in Robo's map - between "All Guests Open Viewing" and "The Hub"). We got a spot directly facing the fountain. It was wonderful - watched it from here 2x. Nobody standing in front of us (which I worried about in the fenced in grass viewing area) and plenty of cool breezes. The fountain was calming and added a lovely element. Very clear view of the Castle projections. Even better was a comfy seat on the ledge (great place for littles to stand during the show too). To the right and left of us the view is blocked by shrubs so people don't pack in tightly on either side.

View attachment 265743

View attachment 265745

can you tell me how early you arrived to hold this spot?number 3 behind the fountain.....Thanks!

 

[elaine amj]

can you tell me how early you arrived to hold this spot?number 3 behind the fountain.....Thanks!

First time we arrived almost 2 hours early. My DH is quite happy to hold spots so we popped him down there and gave him food.

Second time we planned to be there 2 hours early as well. it was pretty rainy so we chanced it and DH went with me to get his food. Our spot was not quite as good when we got back there nearly 1 hour later. A couple of feet away...still very good but had a lamp post obstructing our photos.

 

[scrapquitler]

Ugh. I lost my post :-( Anyway... PLEASE don't complain that people are 'crowding in my space' because they are likely only following the cast members instructions. We arrived at the hub about 30 minutes prior to show time and there were tons of cast members directing people where to go. We went where we were directed and the CM were telling people to fill all available spots and move forward, move left, etc. so we did what we were told. Suddenly a group of three or 4 older ladies who were sitting on the ground were told by the cast members to get up and move over and they started screaming at the CM and at us that they had been sitting there for an hour saving seats for the rest of their group who was riding 7DMT and Peter Pan. Finally the CM told them that if their family didn't get there soon they'd probably never find them in the crowd. It was pretty crazy and kind of turned me off to watching from the hub ever again.

 

[EEEEE]

I saw HEA with my family of 4 last week. We walked over the Tomorrowland bridge into the Hub area less than 20 minutes before the show started and were easily able to settle into a spot on the right side of the Hub with a great view of the castle. It was jam packed shoulder to shoulder by 5 minutes before start time and I had to hold my 6 year old up throughout the show so she could see over the crowd, but from my experience you don't need to get there super early.