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Walt Disney World fireworks: You don’t HAVE to watch ‘em

Posted by ThemeParkMom on September 13, 2010 | 7 Comments

Many people headed to Walt Disney World for the first time view the Magic Kingdom fireworks as THE main event of their trip. And they can be. Those fireworks are awesome.

I have watched Wishes, the current fireworks show, probably close to 100 times. And I have teared up every one of those times because it is MAGICAL, people. I can see the fireworks from the hill I live on a few miles behind the Magic Kingdom, and I have been known to stop in the street to watch them, too. So, add another hundred times or so. And I bought a CD of the Wishes soundtrack and listen to it in my car.

Wishes is my happy place.

BUT, Wishes, and the ensuing crush of people leaving the Magic Kingdom after the fireworks show, can also be a very unhappy place. I don’t remember ever leaving the Magic Kingdom after Wishes without seeing crying, miserable kids and frustrated, miserable parents.

I’ve had those crying kids. I’ve been that frustrated parent. But I live here, and I get do-overs. Some of you don’t – at least not very often. So, without further adieu, here are my take-it-from-a-mom-who-has-been-there thoughts on Wishes:

Please put yourself in your child’s shoes. PLEASE. Are you asking your kid to go, go, go for 14 hours to see everything, miss naps, and then wait for 45 minutes on a muggy evening to watch some fireworks that they might be scared of anyway?

Think about when the park empties out following the fireworks. You will likely be caught in a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd trying to get out of the Magic Kingdom. Have you thought about what that crowd feels like to a child in a stroller whose only view is of a bunch of stranger’s knees? I think it’s got to be pretty darn terrifying. And hot.

Then, when your whole family is tired and exhausted, you will likely be waiting through several parking trams, or bus stops or monorail stops before it’s your turn to leave the Magic Kingdom for the night.

Now, do you want this to be your child’s last memory of their day at the Magic Kingdom?

I am NOT telling you not to go to the Disney World fireworks. But I would submit that they are not the most important thing about your Disney trip. The most important thing about the trip is that your family has fun and creates great memories together.

We all make choices when we go to Walt Disney World – there’s simply never enough time in one vacation to do half the things that the resort has to offer. So I just don’t see anything wrong with choosing to leave out the fireworks if it is going to prevent making a negative memory on your Disney vacation.

Here are some Disney World fireworks tips that might help you prevent the post-Wishes family meltdown:

Don’t go to Wishes on a day when you arrived at the Magic Kingdom for rope drop. Either start your park time that day after lunch, or go back to your resort and take a substantial break in the afternoon before returning for the evening.

If the park is fairly crowded, you might consider watching the fireworks from the end of Main Street nearest the Magic Kingdom exits. It is not the best seat in the house, but again, it’s a matter of what’s right for your priorities. If you hustle out when the show ends, you will avoid most of the crowds trying to funnel into Main Street.

Or you might consider not even being inside the Magic Kingdom to watch the fireworks. You can see them from the Ticket and Transportation Center, the beaches at the Polynesian and Grand Floridian and restaurants at the monorail resorts, including Ohana and California Grill.

I know that some of you may disagree with my “everything’s optional” approach to the Disney fireworks, and that’s cool. Let me know what you think in the comments.

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