Is there a better way for kids to see firework shows?

OP, I've been searching for an answer to this question, too. At this point, I'm just interested in the logic behind Disney's no-sitting policy.

Aside from cramming more people in, they also do it as a safety measure. They don't want people getting stepped on or possibly someone falling while their trying to maneuver through sitting people to meet up with whoever their with.

Disney should just have seats built below the ground. When it's near showtime the ground flips over and seats are now lined in rows lol
 
People also think that those who don’t have their entire party camp out the entire time are rude too. Most kids are not going to tolerate camping out for a spot for 3 hours. The deck just seems really stacked against kids which doesn’t seem so magical to me.
I do think that is rude. If some groups are willing to camp out, that isn’t automatically stacking the deck against people who aren’t. Are morning EMHs stacking the deck against late-risers in terms of wait times? No. Some are choosing to do something and some aren’t.
 
Now that my DD is an adult, I flat out refuse to view fireworks in the parks anymore. We view them from our resort or from the Cali Grill.

I don’t care what projections are up. I just want to see fireworks. I’m done exiting the parks at night in a huge crowd. Nope. Not going to do it anymore. DD and her friend can do as they please. So can DH for that matter.
 
I do think that is rude. If some groups are willing to camp out, that isn’t automatically stacking the deck against people who aren’t. Are morning EMHs stacking the deck against late-risers in terms of wait times? No. Some are choosing to do something and some aren’t.

Same here.

I understand kids and some people don't want to wait extended periods, but if you don't want to then you shouldn't take up room for people that are willing. I didn't want to wait an hour for a spot when I was 10yrs old, and I don't want to wait an hour for a spot now at 27 lol. Same with standby lines. If it's a 2 hour wait then everyone needs to be waiting, not off riding other rides then come jump in the line. I understand emergences though or bathroom breaks.

One time during HEA we were standing there near the front waiting..couple people came in and stood behind me. About 15 min before the show started the rest of their party came when it was wall to wall people and then tapped me to ask if I could move so they could all see. Like nah I'm good lol. I don't go stand in a spot for 45 min to just move for other people who only want to wait 5 min

Last month the CM's were giving flack to 2 or 3 people before Fantasmic that wanted to save an entire row for their party. The CM's told them that if their party wasn't there in 5 min then they'd have to sit elsewhere.
 


Last weekend we watched from the area in front of Casey's. Got there about 20 min before HEA started, if that. No problem finding lots of spots to watch from. We had short DD and 10yo DGD with us. They saw great.
I realize this area may not be open much longer, unfortunately. It's always been a favorite place to watch for us

Just FYI, two reports came in this week since that trial program started Tuesday. The poster said one night the roped off area was about 1/4 of the garden, the second night was smaller than that. Looks like they’ll be using a portion of the garden and it’ll flex depending on guest count. Makes sense to me given the numbers I suspect they have doing the trial program. We need more real-time reports of course, but for now I’m still counting the Casey’s garden area as my secret go to spot. :-)
 
Just FYI, two reports came in this week since that trial program started Tuesday. The poster said one night the roped off area was about 1/4 of the garden, the second night was smaller than that. Looks like they’ll be using a portion of the garden and it’ll flex depending on guest count. Makes sense to me given the numbers I suspect they have doing the trial program. We need more real-time reports of course, but for now I’m still counting the Casey’s garden area as my secret go to spot. :-)
Nice. I was wondering since I can't imagine they'll sell that many of those FP packages.

I also wondered if they'd use the reserved area that was just in front of the Casey's area. I wasn't really sure what it was for. They had it roped off but practically no one in there. The CM that was keeping the path clear came over to the grass area and started asking for who was having a birthday and when someone said it was theirs she took them to that area. She did it 2, 3 times. She didn't see DGD raise her hand, which broke her heart and made her cry, but really the vid was not better so we calmed her down. She mostly cried from being tired not from not being picked. But I did think that would be a good area for the CL FP folks
 


We saw HEA for about the 10th time this week, and I insisted on getting a good spot up close to see the projections. We were not far behind the wheel-chair area, and there were a couple strollers in front of us. :thumbsup2 The kids had a great angle to see the castle projections, but honestly too close to see half the fireworks. My son kept asking when the fireworks were going to start?? We realized that all the times WE have watched the show, he never knew that there were projections on the castle?!? He thought this was a completely different show. I felt so bad for him! :crowded:

I miss Wishes for many reasons, not the least of which is that they have replaced it with a show that is impossible for most guests to see. Wishes was fun from different angles, HEA not so much.

I really wish they would bring back the Fireworks FP. It was a great option for those who value good viewing.
 
Nice. I was wondering since I can't imagine they'll sell that many of those FP packages.

I also wondered if they'd use the reserved area that was just in front of the Casey's area. I wasn't really sure what it was for. They had it roped off but practically no one in there. The CM that was keeping the path clear came over to the grass area and started asking for who was having a birthday and when someone said it was theirs she took them to that area. She did it 2, 3 times. She didn't see DGD raise her hand, which broke her heart and made her cry, but really the vid was not better so we calmed her down. She mostly cried from being tired not from not being picked. But I did think that would be a good area for the CL FP folks

Yeah, I’ve seen that same roped off area in use in front of the East/Dessert Party garden before. I ‘think’ it’s for VIP tours and/or other VIP types, but not totally sure about that. I’ve seen it with people, and I’ve seen it totally empty! So go figure. :upsidedow
 
Is there are good spot to just view the fireworks if you don't care about seeing projections?

In the fall we watched from behind the castle one night. Walked up 3 minutes before show time. Great show audio. Fireworks are very loud there and literally “all around” you. Your head will be on a swivel.

Definitely recommend if not interested in the projections. Of course, the show is ‘different’ without the projections, but for us it still has a high entertainment value without them.
 
Aside from cramming more people in, they also do it as a safety measure. They don't want people getting stepped on or possibly someone falling while their trying to maneuver through sitting people to meet up with whoever their with.
Haha totally get the safety aspect, but to me, 'cramming people in' seems less safe than just letting people sit if they choose!

People also think that those who don’t have their entire party camp out the entire time are rude too. Most kids are not going to tolerate camping out for a spot for 3 hours.
I don't know, in my opinion, the most considerate way to stakeout a spot hours in advance is starry_solo's method - a certain proportion of the group remain on site.

It’s too big an area to have a kids section like at Crush.
I've not been to Crush, but a kid section is an interesting. What about several small sections for kids, roped off for an hour each night, with signs stating it's a kids-only area for watching OUAT and HEA and there will NO special supervision. Small sections mean adults can stay watchful. I would definitely prefer to watch WITH DC, but it would be nice to have the option.
 
Is there are good spot to just view the fireworks if you don't care about seeing projections?

You can see fireworks from lots of places inside and outside the park; however, this is not designed to be just a fireworks show. Many of the fireworks accent what is happening on the castle, and it isn't very impressive as a standalone fireworks show. That being said, you can see the fireworks from most of Frontierland. We have watched bits from Tomorrowland near the Speedway as well as Storybook Circus. Behind 7dMT is fun because you are between the two launch sites. You can also see some from the monorail resorts around the lake, the Transportation Ticket center and the beach at Fort Wilderness! Basically, look for old posts about watching Wishes. Anyplace you could see that show, you will be able to see the HEA fireworks sans projections.
 
IF were in the park during the show we ride rides. Nothing like a 15 min wait for 7DMT or SM! But our prefered place to watch is from the balcony of the Contemporary. We tune the TV to the audio and sit back and relax. If your not staying there you can book a brunch, lunch or dinner at california grill and come back for the fireworks and watch form the outside viewing area.
 
You can see fireworks from lots of places inside and outside the park; however, this is not designed to be just a fireworks show. Many of the fireworks accent what is happening on the castle, and it isn't very impressive as a standalone fireworks show. That being said, you can see the fireworks from most of Frontierland. We have watched bits from Tomorrowland near the Speedway as well as Storybook Circus. Behind 7dMT is fun because you are between the two launch sites. You can also see some from the monorail resorts around the lake, the Transportation Ticket center and the beach at Fort Wilderness! Basically, look for old posts about watching Wishes. Anyplace you could see that show, you will be able to see the HEA fireworks sans projections.

Thanks. I saw it on youtube just now and it looks much cooler than I thought. I asked my husband to do desserts but he said no. ha!

I have a 5 and 2 yo so I'm not sure if they are patient enough to scout out a good spot to stand. I think they would be just as impressed to see some fireworks from a stroller.
 
In the fall we watched from behind the castle one night. Walked up 3 minutes before show time. Great show audio. Fireworks are very loud there and literally “all around” you. Your head will be on a swivel.

Definitely recommend if not interested in the projections. Of course, the show is ‘different’ without the projections, but for us it still has a high entertainment value without them.
That was our go to spot to watch Wishes. We never watched it from the front of the castle, or didn't for the last few years. Caught it by accident once and found it so amazing we never went back to the front again. We've yet to watch HEA back there. Maybe DH and I will give it a shot next month.
 
We watched HEA twice within the past two weeks, from the exact same spot which we staked out over an hour in advance (and which should have been the perfect view of the projections) and the only advice I can give you is that it really doesn't matter where you go or when you get there. The first time, our view was compromised by a man standing 10 feet in front of us holding up his phone over his head to record the entire show. The second time, it was the shoulder kids. They were everywhere. And yes, I understand why people do it, but I still find it extremely inconsiderate. My kids are 12, 10 and 7. My son is about 4'8" tall, and he made the best of it. My husband and I had to hold up the girls to see. They are both about 65 lbs, and we will hold them either on our hip, or our back, so that their heads are on about the same level as ours. It is very uncomfortable, but we endure it for them, and for the people behind us. Most of the shoulder kids are much younger and smaller - their parents could easily hold them in other ways so that they weren't blocking the view of everyone else. The man right in front of me had a kid on his shoulders that didn't even want to watch the show. The kid kept wanting to get down, so Dad kept shifting around, making it even harder for us to see. It was very disappointing.
 
As to the sit/stand question, everyone in the grass area in front of Casey's was sitting last weekend. Most remained sitting throughout the entire show. A few stood in one little area. No CM gave instructions one way or another.
 
I absolutely love HEA, and have been thinking/strategizing for my next trip. My kids were 5 and 9 when we last went, so, we held them up so they could see. My 5 year old was light/tiny, so that wasn't a problem. Holding up my 9 year old was a challenge. We passed him back and forth between my husband, myself, and my father in law. There was no chance that I was going to let my 9 year old miss out on seeing everything, so we endured the pain. But, next time, I'm going to come prepared. I was thinking of bringing in a small collapsible step-stool for each kid? I need to start looking on amazon for something. We will be bringing an unbrella stroller for my 7 year old for the next trip, and we could store them in in the bottom I thought. Not sure if there's any rules against this or not, but was planning on looking into it.
 

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