What will we miss by viewing Wishes outside the park?

[cgscott]

Just a few weeks until our first Disney trip and I'm wondering what the differences are between viewing Wishes inside MK and viewing it from another location I have seen mentioned, like the Polynesian Beach, for example?

It sounds like a total nightmare to leave the park after Wishes and I'd love to be back at the resort asap so that our 8yo, 6yo, and 1yo can go to bed and be ready for the next day.

Is it really worth it to see it inside the park?

Thanks!

 

[Robo]

Just a few weeks until our first Disney trip and I'm wondering what the differences are between viewing Wishes inside MK and viewing it from another location I have seen mentioned, like the Polynesian Beach, for example?

It sounds like a total nightmare to leave the park after Wishes and I'd love to be back at the resort asap so that our 8yo, 6yo, and 1yo can go to bed and be ready for the next day.

1- Is it really worth it to see it inside the park?

Thanks!

1- Yes. It is a completely engulfing experience.
AND, from INSIDE MK you can see "Celebrate the Magic"
the new "show" that is actually projected on the front of the Castle,
"Celebrate the Magic" begins about 15 minutes before the fireworks.

Below is a rough estimate of the Fireworks viewing spots
based on other posters' info on the boards and personal experience.

---------------------------------
That said, the Wishes experience (although different from an optimum position inside MK)
IS still a very good show!

The Beach at the Polynesian Resort offers a great view
of Wishes and other MK Fireworks shows.
They do "pipe in" the audio of the shows.
There are several ground-level speakers along the
sidewalk.

They also pipe the audio to the speakers at the Poly pool.
The audio level if better in some places (closer to the sidewalk, for instance) than others (far out on the beach, for instance.)

To find the "sweet spot" for viewing, stroll along the sidewalk until the Cinderella Castle comes into full view.

Here's a photo I took from the Poly Beach-
MK Fireworks (MVMCP Christmas Finale)

-----------------------------

More Viewing Spots-

You can see them from TTC (they pipe-in the audio from
the show) but you are not allowed to stand in the
Ferry loading area.

You can see them from the boat-dock and an outside
observation deck near Narcoossee's restaurant at the
Grand Floridian. Anyone can stand on Narcoossee's Deck.
The outside deck is not a part of the actual restaurant. (All serving is done inside.)
The deck is accessed from the sidewalk outside the restaurant.
Also, good viewing from the Patio overlooking the Marina.
The sound of the show is piped into these areas too.

At the Contemporary, there is viewing on an outdoor
observation area on the 4th floor.
The California Grill observation areas are reserved for patrons that day of the Grill or Bar.

(Fireworks shown above are simulated.)

At Wilderness Lodge, the "secret place" to watch the MK fireworks is from the northern area of the Cast Member (CM) Parking Lot.

At the Fort Wilderness Campgrounds Marina (angle shown on the map below,) some of the view (especially of the "Fantasyland" pyro) is blocked by the now unused Discovery Island in Bay Lake and by the high-rise buildings of the Contemporary Resort.
But, the view from the Ft. Wilderness' sand beach (farther north) is more open.
Still the tree-level can block the views of the lower-firing pyro.

Here are the angles of the views in the Bay Lake area.

Below are the angles of the views in the Seven Seas Lagoon area.

----------------------------------

As for viewing from INSIDE the dining area of restaurants
(you usually need ADRs for most, and they are usually busy during the shows)...
you can see (and hear) them at California Grill at Contemporary,
'Ohana at Poly, Narcoossee's at the Grand Floridian,
and (if you have access there) the Top of the World at Bay Lake Tower.
----------------------------------

 

[chartle]

Is it really worth it to see it inside the park?

Thanks!

If you have never seen the show before, yes it is really worth it to see Wishes in the park.

The show was completely designed to be seen in the park some where on Main Street.

You could hang out near the train station and make a quick exit but thats still a little far away for my taste.

 

[cgscott]

Wow, thank you so much for the very quick and thorough responses. VERY much appreciated!!!! This board has truly been invaluable for planning this trip!

 

[robinb]

Just a few weeks until our first Disney trip and I'm wondering what the differences are between viewing Wishes inside MK and viewing it from another location I have seen mentioned, like the Polynesian Beach, for example?

It sounds like a total nightmare to leave the park after Wishes and I'd love to be back at the resort asap so that our 8yo, 6yo, and 1yo can go to bed and be ready for the next day.

Is it really worth it to see it inside the park?

Thanks!

Yes.

I watch it just in front of Robo's "Prime Viewing Area".

 

[DizneyLizzy]

It really is a totally different experience to see if from inside the park. That being said, when I travel with kids that young, we skip it, especially since we always travel during a time of year when the parks close late and Wishes is shown at 10 PM.

We find that the kids get much more out of going to bed early (without the stress of leaving the parks post-fireworks), getting up early, and maximizing attractions during the early morning time than they would seeing Wishes. If you're traveling in say, the winter however, and you can see the show at 8 or 9 PM, the best thing to do is sit in one spot for about 15 minutes after the fireworks are over, and then leave the park so that you aren't exiting with the masses.

Good luck!

 

[kerriemiller]

Just a few weeks until our first Disney trip and I'm wondering what the differences are between viewing Wishes inside MK and viewing it from another location I have seen mentioned, like the Polynesian Beach, for example?

It sounds like a total nightmare to leave the park after Wishes and I'd love to be back at the resort asap so that our 8yo, 6yo, and 1yo can go to bed and be ready for the next day.

Is it really worth it to see it inside the park?

Thanks!

it is slow going trying to get out of the park but its really not that bad. Most everyone has the same goal of exiting and that means most everyone is moving in the same direction. The fireworks are amazing but if you've ever seen fireworks in a large city like Chicago or New York they are of that level. What you really don't want to miss is the pre show they project on the castle its so cool how they do it. We watched the pre show from the bridge to liberty square, CM were trying to get people to move forward so we started moving toward main street when the fireworks started. It was really cool

 

[vicb]

Great maps Robo!

I agree with Chartle.

My family usually watches on the bridge from Tomorowland, right under the flight of Tinkerbell. However, we usually are not trying to leave the park, we usually stay for late emh or stay the extra hour till park closing.

If I had a one year old I would probably not watch from there, if I was going to watch inside I would position myself closer to the front entrance.

I have watched from the Poly beach and from Cali Grill, good but completely different experiences.

You might think about splitting up, one adult stay with 1 year old at resort and the other three go into park to watch or all watch from Poly and decide that next trip when the kids are all older you will watch in the park. Hopefully this will not be your only trip to WDW.

 

[GAGirlInVA]

The crowd?

The poly beach is my absolutely FAVE place to view Wishes.

Needless to say we are disappointed with the construction.

Although, I will admit one of my top Disney moments was seeing the fireworks from Thunder Mountain Railroad. I felt like I was on a commercial!

 

[adc]

I liked.the projection show even more than a Wishes.

 

[StayAwake]

I was there January 17th through 26th, and watched Wishes from outside Gasparilla Grill at Grand Floridian as well as the Poly Beach.

The soundtrack was not piped in on the Gasparilla Grill patio.

The soundtrack was piped in at the Poly Beach, but it was so quiet as to be almost impossible to hear while sitting on one of the loungers on the beach.

Also, in both locations there was a noticeable time lag between the sight of the fireworks exploding and the sound of the fireworks exploding. This may be distracting or upsetting, depending on your family's reaction to fireworks.

If you haven't seen Wishes before, I would recommend watching from inside the park as you will get the full effect of the show.

 

[North of Mouse]

Just a few weeks until our first Disney trip and I'm wondering what the differences are between viewing Wishes inside MK and viewing it from another location I have seen mentioned, like the Polynesian Beach, for example?

It sounds like a total nightmare to leave the park after Wishes and I'd love to be back at the resort asap so that our 8yo, 6yo, and 1yo can go to bed and be ready for the next day.

Is it really worth it to see it inside the park?

Thanks!

Robo and Chartle say it all!

Over the years we have seen them in every place imaginable, but the only place that really does it for us is in front of the castle - crowds, or no!

 

[cgscott]

It really is a totally different experience to see if from inside the park. That being said, when I travel with kids that young, we skip it, especially since we always travel during a time of year when the parks close late and Wishes is shown at 10 PM. We find that the kids get much more out of going to bed early (without the stress of leaving the parks post-fireworks), getting up early, and maximizing attractions during the early morning time than they would seeing Wishes. If you're traveling in say, the winter however, and you can see the show at 8 or 9 PM, the best thing to do is sit in one spot for about 15 minutes after the fireworks are over, and then leave the park so that you aren't exiting with the masses. Good luck!

Yes, it's the kids that are my concern. If it was just adults, we wouldn't question seeing it in the park. I'm just worried that we will stay in the park and not get back to the resort (WL) until very late and that the kids will have a hard time the next day, especially if we do RD, which was my plan.

It's just hard to anticipate how they will react to everything since this is our first trip. Maybe we should consider splitting up, as someone mentioned, and getting the kids, especially the baby, back to the resort with one adult and letting the other adults (my parents are joining us on the trip) enjoy the show.

 

[twinz]

When you are leaving take the monorail going to the resorts, it makes a few stops but still ends up at the TTC. The line goes a little faster.

 

[Raidra]

My kids were 9, 7, 4, and 2 on our last trip. We planned it so that we didn't have to get up early after watching Wishes.. it made a huge difference. We saw the show from inside MK twice and from the boat dock at the GF once.

Personally, I think the kids enjoyed watching it from the boat dock best. My kids are short and we can't put them all on our shoulders. Even when we were in the 'prime' viewing spot on Main Street, the adults standing in front of my kids blocked pretty much all of the pre-show and some of the fireworks themselves. On the boat dock, we were off center and missed the pre-show, but it was pretty empty and the music piped in was a good volume.

We've left MK right after the fireworks (it's not too crazy leaving, but there will be lines for transport). Once they let us out backstage behind the Plaza, which was kind of cool. The last two times we watched from inside MK, we hung around for a while afterwards. That was fantastic and definitely how we'll handle it again.

Leaving from the GF, we took the boat around to get back to the buses, so even though we left right after the fireworks, it still took a little while. It was a nice ride, though.

My point being.. either way, staying to watch Wishes will be a late night. If you watch it from outside the park, you might have to spend some time just getting to the transportation you need to get back to your resort. Inside the park, either you leave right away and wait in long lines for transportation, or you wait in the park and then go out to short lines.

This trip, we're going to either do the dessert party or FP+ for Wishes in MK. It's just too much of a pain, having the kids complain that they can't see.

 

[ougrad86]

I prefer it from inside the park; then we stand back and let the crowds by. We don't rush, but drink in the sight of aun emptying park with all the beautiful lights. It is so pretty at night.

Tried seeing it from the Cali Grill one year. For some reason, they did not dim the lights or pipe in the music. But the fireworks were off-kilter. I like to see the front and center.

I would like to see them from Poly some time, but would still have to have another time in the park to see them there.

 

[7RUs]

I liked.the projection show even more than a Wishes.

There is something SO MAGICAL Disney about being on Main street watching this! The music, the people, the sounds, and then the show, and fireworks..... I went with my teenager and the High school band and facetimed my littles left at home so they could watch.

My 17yr old says he wants to go to MK for THAT show every night on our upcoming family trip. We have seen them all but MK is by far our favorite.