Your expertise needed re fireworks

[johnfunkwriter]

I'd appreciate your advice...

What's the best way to see the fireworks without getting stuck in a long bus line at the end?

We'll be at the world the end of April. DD's (6&4) want to see the fireworks- doesn't matter which park- they'll be happy no matter...

1)Which fireworks would you recommend?

2) Where's the best place to watch them and be able to get back to our All-Star Resort with the least delay afterwards?

Thanks for reading this :)

J

[KineGirl]

my personal favorite firework show right now is Wishes. Though how to avoid the likely bus wait .. Sometimes the wait is bad ..sometimes it isnt :shrug: Its just one of those "things". AS has a lot of buses usually.

[Tick-Tock]

I recommend Wishes. Stand at Town Square near the RR station (it's a great view with the Main St. buildings all lit up anyway). As soon as the show is over, head out of the park. If you move quickly, you'll be ahead of the crowd and at the head of the bus line. WDW knows that many buses are needed at the end of the show and the buses will be there. When we did this, we were on the first bus back to our resort very quickly.

[darth daddy]

I recommend all of them!:mickey:

The last time we saw wishes, we decided to exit the park just before the show started and sat just outside the exit on a bench. We had an ok view and were the first ones in line for the bus.

[deanna-montana]

I would deffinatly recommend illuminations in epcot. They were my favorite. They are so huge you can see them basically anywhere. When we stayed in pop Century we could see them when we were in our pool at the hotel :mickey:

[jacknsally02]

our strategy is to go to MK and Epcot during extra magic hours when they stay open 3 hrs later, we see the frieworks and then go a little later but before the end of the extra magic hours, so you go after the regular park crowds and before the bulk of the resort guests who are staying the 3 hrs go.

[johnfunkwriter]

appreciate the suggestions :)

J

[myhappyplace]

Been there done that. It is horrible. One of the biggest problems is that the All Stars Share Buses. That adds to the maddness. I am with the EMH. That is your best bet. If you can handle being out that late. We always watch Wishes, then go to the candy shop, get a carmeled apple and sit on the bench and relax. Do some shopping maybe and then go. Doesn't mean it will be great, just a bit better.

However I only stayed at the All Stars once. And the bus situation is the only reason i will not go back. We choose POP. Just be prepared. Wish is the best in my opinion. Probably because it is at MK and with the whole Castle thing it is just amazing. But we always go to all of them, Wishes is just my fav.

[Jonas_Swe]

love all the fireworks/nighttime shows, but if you want a truly Magical end of your day, my best bet is Whishes! :cloud9:

And my tip: Instead of heading straight out the gates, like everyone else, take the time to stroll the oppisite way. Since most shops and carts are still open after the fireworks end, you can get something to drink or snack on while you stroll around the park in the evening. Let the kids play around the Hub. Or just sit down and enjoy the sights and sounds of the park as happy guests are starting to make their way out. :popcorn:

After a while you can slowly start to stroll out of the Magic Kingdom. Talk to CM's and thank them for a good day, or even do some last minute shopping on your way up Main Street, as long as the shops are still open you are more than welcome inside.

After exiting the park, have one in your party head up towards the bus stops and report if there are still long lines or not. If the lines are still long, hang around the open area between the gates and the ferry dock. The kids can play around there for a while too or perhaps they are already asleep in their strollers? :sleepin:

The view over the lake to Poly and GF is really nice! And if your feet are tired after a long day in the park, have a rest on one of the park benches and enjoy the view over the lake. :)

After a while the waits at the bus stop will be significally shorter, and you can all hop on to your bus to your resort. Remember - You will NOT be left behind! :cry:

Disney transportation runs for a very long time after the park closes, and as long as there are people waiting at the bus stop a new coach will come and pick you up! :bus:

Good luck! :mickey:

[LoriR]

Here's my tip: go to the Polynesian and watch the fireworks from the beach, then take the Epcot monorail to the ticket and transportation center or Downtown Disney and catch your bus from there, or even spring for a cab back to your resort. You can also watch them from the observation deck at the Contemporary and then hop on the resort monorail back to the transportation center.

Wishes is my favorite show, and it is amazing from any vantage point.

Our other strategy is to see the show in the MK, then stroll through the shops as we make our way slowly down the street to the exit. Most people leave in one huge crowd during the first 30 minutes after the show.

[MOJoe]

With young children, your best bet is Wishes. You have the choice to either lay back near the exits, (or even leave the park entirely), or stay up close to the castle.
Because it is so magical, i try to stay somewhere on the hub. And afterwards, instead of fighting the crowds to the bus, i usually treat my family to ice cream. We linger a little bit, then head for the turnstiles. It doesn't make sense to me to try and fight the crowds. Some of my fondest memories of MK are of those last few minutes we are there, with a view of the castle and a nearly deserted Main Street.

[wdwfansince75]

Here's my tip: go to the Polynesian and watch the fireworks from the beach, then take the Epcot monorail to the ticket and transportation center or Downtown Disney and catch your bus from there, or even spring for a cab back to your resort. You can also watch them from the observation deck at the Contemporary and then hop on the resort monorail back to the transportation center.



Sorry, this no longer works....The buses no longer run from TTC to the resorts....only from the bus stops at the MK front entrance.

Having said that, it is worth the extra effort to see all of Wishes at least once....This year we have an ADR for Cali Grill to allow us to see Wishes from there...Have also seen it from Poly, from the boat to Poly, from the parking lot in fromt of the late, lamented North Wing of the contemporary, and from various spots in the park....all views are fabulous!

A word of caution....the show is loud.....In fact, one year we were in the parking lot at Contemporary, and some of the shots were setting off the car alarms in the lot! Kids can get very scared....If possible, let them observe it once at a distance....maybe from TTC (after show, take EPCOT monorail and catch All Stars bus from there...easier than going back to MK to catch the bus)....Or drive to MK, time your departure so that you can be at your car in the MK lot about the time of the show...Watch it from there, then drive to resort.

Or if you think your kids can tough it out, watch the show from Fantasyland or Frontierland....crowd can be crushing in either, but view is spectacular, and music is stunning....recommend that the day you intend to do that, make sure the kids have a mid day or afternoon break...head back to the park in time to beat the parade....strolling up Main Street lined with with waiting parade viewers has its own feel.....watch the parade from the Tommorowland Terace....After the fireworks, do a ride or so in Fantasyland, and catch the train from Toontown back to the gate.....

Ahh, the flashbacks! Fond memories of trips past! The images never totally fade. Your kids will remember the Magic when they bring their own kids back....And if you are as lucky as I have been, you will be there too.

[johnfunkwriter]

Ahh, the flashbacks! Fond memories of trips past! The images never totally fade. Your kids will remember the Magic when they bring their own kids back....And if you are as lucky as I have been, you will be there too.

What a nice sentiment!

:)

J

[nstarv]

J,

You don't say in your original post how you got to WDW in the first place. If you flew and took the Magical Express, this trick may not work since the buses don't run from the TTC.

However, if you drove to WDW, whether in a rental from the airport or in your personal car, this tip works great:

When the fireworks are over and the masses head for the exits, you will no doubt see long lines at the bus stop, the Ferry Dock and to and up the ramp to the TTC Monorail platform.

One year, this happened to us. the lines to the all were horrendously long. In fact, the Monorail line looked like the wait for Space Mountain in prime time - full platform, packed ramp and a line almost to the turnstiles.

What you should notice is the Monorail ramp with the sign that prominently says To Resorts is virtually empty, as it was for us. I told my wife to follow me. We walked up the ramp and joined 12 other people on the platform as the empty monorail pulled into the station. We got on, sat down and got off in two stops (1st one is Contemporary) at the TTC. From there, we went to our car and back to the resort.

We were so ahead of the crowd that we sailed out of the parking lot. Most likely, we were back in our DVC villa before most people even got a ride to the TTC.

Hope this helps, enjoy your tirp!

[WVParkfan]

If you've never seen Wishes at the Magic Kingdom, then you must make that a priority. It is a wonderful fireworks show.

But Fantasmic at the studios is SO MUCH MORE than 10 minutes of fireworks. It is the most phenomenal show in all of Disney. You can't really call it "fireworks," because the actual fireworks are only about 3% of the amazing show.

Don't miss Illuminations, either.

[Sir Notlob]

If you don't mind spending a little cash. You can escape Epcot through the International Gateway, leg it over to the Beach Club and take a cab back to your hotel.

Alternately from the MK, grab the resort monorail or leg it to the CR and catch a cab from there.

We had DS5 in tow last time and a quick escape back to the hotel was critical.

Cheers!

[joonyer]

Depending on the dates you visit, there are times when Wishes is done before MK closes. On those dates, we head back into FrontierLand or FantasyLand, while most of the crowd is leaving. The closer you are to the fireworks the better; if you don't like the booms, just cover your ears. My favorite place to watch Wishes is right in front of Casey's, where we usually buy the big dogs and enjoy them on the sidewalk before the show. If MK is closing after Wishes, then we take our time (sometimes up to an hour) browsing through the shops on Main Street before heading to the bus stops. By then most of the long lines are gone. If you have little ones and are just ready to bolt out of the park, I would recommend sitting on the circle just in front of the train station (get there early for a spot right in the middle of the view directly down Main Street to the castle). Then as soon as Wishes is over, turn around and exit the park, and you'll be one of the first families at the bus stops. Happy viewing. :fworks: Wishes is my favorite fireworks show in the world (not just WDW). It's just pure magic.

[momof3+twins]

We always see Illuminations. We eat dinner at the Boardwalk ( this works with a car only). Then, we head to Epcot, seee the fireworks and when we leave we are at Boardwalk so we walk about the same distance from about half way around the lake to the front of Epcot where the buses and parking lot is. And we avoid the crowds. It adds to the night because we have a nice dinner at Boardwalk.