Happily Ever After viewing & ECV, autism, other sensory needs, severe ADHD

[olive]

We will be at Disney exactly when the fireworks start back up. We are in Epcot on July 1st, and that seems more manageable as far as finding a spot somewhere around WS lagoon, but MK is another story. We will be there on July 2nd. I had posted about HEA viewing spots in the general boards looking for spot suggestions that prioritize avoiding crowds over projections. My assumption is that we just aren't going to be able to see the projections at all if we don't want to be around a LOT of people, and that is something we accepted. Our large multigenerational group (13) has children with severe ADHD, autism and other sensory needs plus an ECV and I may be relying on a cane, depending on how things go. For the children in particular, we want to make things comfortable. They are not capable of showing up 100 minutes in advance (or even necessarily 30 minutes in advance) and waiting for fireworks. I am sure the projections are amazing, but we are used to making the best of things. I did receive a comment that we really should see the show with the projections (none of us has ever seen Happily Ever After before). I'm sure that it is amazing but I just don't think we could make it work for us, unless there is something I am just not thinking of or an accommodation that exists. I know there are some ECV areas, but our group is too big and we would not be able to get there early enough anyway.

Realistically, for people who have families that are more like ours, is there anyplace in MK that offers some kind of compromise that might work? Clearly we aren't going to be in the middle of the hub in the glow of the projections and fireworks with Tinkerbell flying overhead. My plan had been to be off somewhere in Frontierland and the kids could see some fireworks, of course not as the show was designed, but, you know, without a million people around and the challenges that presents. Is there a middle ground? Some special spots folks have found that work out pretty well, do not require getting there early, perhaps allow you to see some amount of the projections and are not particularly crowded? We do not expect to see the perfect view of the show. We have let that go like Elsa! We're just happy for the fireworks.

Thanks for any suggestions!

 

[lanejudy]

Would you consider watching fireworks from somewhere outside the park? In the past, my family was happy viewing the MK fireworks from the Poly beach. I think since the bungalows were built that is harder to do, and especially around 4th of July they tend to restrict access to Poly guests. I'm not sure how good the view is from the various resorts other than Poly, but hopefully some other folks have suggestions.

 

[olive]

Would you consider watching fireworks from somewhere outside the park? In the past, my family was happy viewing the MK fireworks from the Poly beach. I think since the bungalows were built that is harder to do, and especially around 4th of July they tend to restrict access to Poly guests. I'm not sure how good the view is from the various resorts other than Poly, but hopefully some other folks have suggestions.

We are actually all staying at the Contemporary, so that might be an option. I think we are very open right now! We have stayed at Poly before and seen other MK fireworks shows form there, too. I thought trying to catch some of these fireworks from in the park might be fun - and then maybe some final rides while the masses are on their way out! It seems like the park is closing at 11 that night so maybe we will sleep in a bit and stay later. We'll see.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

We will be at Disney exactly when the fireworks start back up. We are in Epcot on July 1st, and that seems more manageable as far as finding a spot somewhere around WS lagoon, but MK is another story. We will be there on July 2nd. I had posted about HEA viewing spots in the general boards looking for spot suggestions that prioritize avoiding crowds over projections. My assumption is that we just aren't going to be able to see the projections at all if we don't want to be around a LOT of people, and that is something we accepted. Our large multigenerational group (13) has children with severe ADHD, autism and other sensory needs plus an ECV and I may be relying on a cane, depending on how things go. For the children in particular, we want to make things comfortable. They are not capable of showing up 100 minutes in advance (or even necessarily 30 minutes in advance) and waiting for fireworks. I am sure the projections are amazing, but we are used to making the best of things. I did receive a comment that we really should see the show with the projections (none of us has ever seen Happily Ever After before). I'm sure that it is amazing but I just don't think we could make it work for us, unless there is something I am just not thinking of or an accommodation that exists. I know there are some ECV areas, but our group is too big and we would not be able to get there early enough anyway.

Realistically, for people who have families that are more like ours, is there anyplace in MK that offers some kind of compromise that might work? Clearly we aren't going to be in the middle of the hub in the glow of the projections and fireworks with Tinkerbell flying overhead. My plan had been to be off somewhere in Frontierland and the kids could see some fireworks, of course not as the show was designed, but, you know, without a million people around and the challenges that presents. Is there a middle ground? Some special spots folks have found that work out pretty well, do not require getting there early, perhaps allow you to see some amount of the projections and are not particularly crowded? We do not expect to see the perfect view of the show. We have let that go like Elsa! We're just happy for the fireworks.

Thanks for any suggestions!

I would be more worried about leaving park after show with large group and special needs. even with a ride it is going to be crowded with your special group no matter when you leave as many others will have same plan. if not afraid of fireworks I would look at near Tomorrowland near the car ride to watch fireworks without projection show. for leaving park if you have enough adults/older teens to assign one to each child and ECV user and plan to meet up transportation site you plan to use back to your resort. I would not plan to be able to keep your group together getting out of either park

 

[olive]

I would be more worried about leaving park after show with large group and special needs. even with a ride it is going to be crowded with your special group no matter when you leave as many others will have same plan. if not afraid of fireworks I would look at near Tomorrowland near the car ride to watch fireworks without projection show. for leaving park if you have enough adults/older teens to assign one to each child and ECV user and plan to meet up transportation site you plan to use back to your resort. I would not plan to be able to keep your group together getting out of either park

I think we will plan to just very much take our time getting out of the park. I know it is madness after the fireworks. We have had that experience and want to avoid it as much as possible. Luckily we can just walk to the Contemporary, so we don't have to deal with transportation. But letting the crowds go out and hanging back is my general plan. There should enough quiet-ish spots sort of against the flow of traffic to stay out of the way of most of the masses. Maybe a longer ride like Haunted Mansion or People Mover would be a good pick.

 

[tobikaye]

On a trip not long after HEA started, we had already done a fireworks cruise so the night we happened to be at MK during HEA, we were over in Tomorrowland not far from Astro Orbiter and were able to catch a decent view of the projects and fireworks. It was not as good as seeing directly from Main Street, but it still allowed us to see some of the projections and fireworks a bit closer. We had 7 in our party with 2 special needs individuals that could not handle close crowds that trip. We waited a bit to start walking out of the park.

 

[Danadanes]

We have a son with autism and like you no amount of accommodation would make the hub crowds palatable. We watched HEA from the splash play area close to dumbo. There were maybe 5 other people there ( can’t see projections at all really). The fireworks and music were still amazing and it was so empty our kids were running around It was perfect for us.

 

[GinnyBear's_mom]

We have a son with autism and like you no amount of accommodation would make the hub crowds palatable. We watched HEA from the splash play area close to dumbo. There were maybe 5 other people there ( can’t see projections at all really). The fireworks and music were still amazing and it was so empty our kids were running around It was perfect for us.

Same here! When my daughter was younger she was very sensitive to noises, so we would watch the fireworks back by the splash area near Dumbo and she would wear her noise cancelling headphones. There's even some seating, a low wall in between the Barnstormer and the splash area. Grab a snack at Big Top Souvenirs (hopefully it will re-open soon, they have cake pops, cookies, caramel apples, etc) and have fun! Watch the youtube version of Happily Ever After to see the projections

 

[LoveToDisney]

We have enjoyed watching the fireworks from the Tomorrowland area over by Space Mountain and the restrooms. There are benches there, as well. It's never crowded. I agree about waiting at least 15-20 minutes for the masses to exit before even beginning to leave with an ECV. Then stay to the left as you exit so you can get on the path to the Contemporary. Enjoy your visit!!

 

[Bete]

We have watched from the Crystal Palace restaurant area. You are in front of the castle, off to the side and away from the really bad crowds. It's still somewhat crowded but it's a compromise and you really don't have to wait forever to secure a spot there but I would show up 15 minutes early at least. There's a restroom nearby, too. You have to leave a pathway for the guests to get through.

 

[olive]

Thank you all SO MUCH for these! I have a whole list of options going now.

 

[Tiggerish]

Another possibility is the area in front of Gaston's Tavern. Pre-covid there were even a few tables with benches in the large plaza but only small amount of people watching the display. The projections are somewhat blocked but the fireworks were very visible. On a couple of occasions there was even a photopass photographer who was able to get you pictures with the fireworks in the background.

 

[olive]

Another possibility is the area in front of Gaston's Tavern. Pre-covid there were even a few tables with benches in the large plaza but only small amount of people watching the display. The projections are somewhat blocked but the fireworks were very visible. On a couple of occasions there was even a photopass photographer who was able to get you pictures with the fireworks in the background.

That sounds amazing!! Is this a spot you need to show up very early for?

 

[DisneyOma]

Another possibility is the area in front of Gaston's Tavern. Pre-covid there were even a few tables with benches in the large plaza but only small amount of people watching the display. The projections are somewhat blocked but the fireworks were very visible. On a couple of occasions there was even a photopass photographer who was able to get you pictures with the fireworks in the background.

The projections wrap around the castle? I thought Gaston's Tavern was behind the castle?

 

[Tiggerish]

That sounds amazing!! Is this a spot you need to show up very early for?

I think we got there 35-40 minutes before and were able to sit at one of the tables until it started. Then we stood up and faced the castle.

The projections wrap around the castle? I thought Gaston's Tavern was behind the castle?

You can see the side of the castle where the projections are.