Fireworks from Outside of MK

[bferrara16]

Here's my dilemma - any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I'm taking my girlfriend for her first visit to WDW ever (I've been there many times)... our flight gets into OIA at 415pm & we're staying at Caribbean Beach - I made PS arrangements at Chef Mickey's for 8pm that night b/c I thought it would be really cool for the first thing she does at the parks is have dinner with the characters. However, in a perfect world we'd be able to catch the parade and fireworks at MK that night too (another cool thing to do for first night ever). The timing on all this could be a problem though, so here are my questions...
-How firm are PS arrangements? (Do they let you sit if you come early and they aren't packed? Has this happened for anyone?)
-How is the view from Chef Mickey's of the fireworks if we stayed there? (I've heard California Grill is great - but they don't let you up there if you aren't eating right?)
-Is there any other viewing from the Contemporary that is good? Roof access? Possibly the beach? (Does it get crowded?)
-Has anyone had a PS arrangement an hour before the parade at MK and made it to the parade on time and all? (Did you rush around or miss out on anything at the character dinner??)

My main thing is I don't want to rush around (too much) but I don't want to miss out on the fireworks the first night - I guess I can live w/o the parade - so any suggestions on where we could go to see the fireworks from a nice (maybe romantic) spot outside of MK??
I know that was a ton of questions, but I've been mulling this for quite some time and have a lot to consider (we've got a first timer here - need to make a magical impression). ANY help would be great! Thank you so much!

-Bri

PS- first post (can't you tell??)

 

[KaliSplash]

When are you going?

If MK is open late, it would be no problem to eat at Chef Mickey's at 8 pm, get to the fireworks at 10 and see the 11 o'clock version of the parade.

Eating at 8 and making the parade at 9 will be difficult unless you rush through dinner. I suppose it is possible to get in early if they are not crowded, but for a character meal, it seems the odds are not good.

I'd think about going out the front door of the contemporary toward the area with all the cool, oddly shaped trees. You should be able to see the fireworks from there, but you won't be able to hear the music and narration.

But if you are going soon, there's a good chance the parade will roll twice, so you can see the late edition.

Don't think you can see the fireworks at all from Chef Mickey's. Doubt you'll be able to get to the roof without reservations for California Grill.

 

[bferrara16]

Thanks for the info!

We're going on July 30th... the official calendar says that there is only a parade at 9pm... if there was an 11pm parade itd probably be listed right?

I hope there is an 11pm parade because that would work out perfectly.

 

[mellie882]

What about the water pageant? What time is that? It's not as great as Spectromagic, but you can hop on the monorail and go to the Polynesian. Enjoy sitting on the beach, watch the water pageant go by, and have a perfect view of the castle and Wishes.

 

[bferrara16]

Thanks - Sounds like a very good idea! I've never seen the water pageant myself, so I'll have to look into it.
Can you definitely see wishes from the beach at the Polynesian?

 

[njblackberry]

Don't get too excited about the Water Pageant. But we do watch it every time we go

You get a great view of Wishes from the Poly beach (or inside during dinner at Ohana where they broadcast the music).

There is zero view from Chef Mickey's; you are in the center of The Contemporary. But she will get to see monorails, and lots of them!

We stayed at The Contemporary right before New Year's. Had a great view of the fireworks from the patio and parking lot right outside our Garden Wing room. It was a fantastic view. No music, but great fireworks (over both the MK and Seven Seas Lagoon).

 

[lamarvenoy]

The outer rim lounge on the 4th floor has window seats and cold beverages :animwink:

 

[monorail_driver]

After Chef Mickey's, stay on the same floor, and go toward the "pin trading" area. go past the pin trading area onto the "stair" access. You will be able to see the fireworks from there, since the stairs act as a balcony. If you go to ground level, the lights are still on, so it may not be to your advantage. On the stairs there is only a small glow of light to help guide guests on the stairs. Plus, its a great view of the castle and Tomorrowland.

And there's plenty of room on the stairs, so don't think that you'll be cramped in a stairwell. On each level, there is a big area to stand, acting as a balcony. If the level your standing on has people on it, move up, as there's space on all the stairs going up.

I went on the stair entrance to the left, when we were staying at the Contemporary, and it was a pretty good view - you probably won't hear any music, though.

GOOD LUCK FINDIN' THE PERFECT SPOT!

 

[Nansafan]

We've watched the fireworks from the Poly beach many times and it is very nice. The only comment I have is that with Wishes, there are some things projected on the Castle that you may not be able to see very well from the beach at the Poly so it would be a good idea to watch the fireworks from the park one evening if you have the time to get that experience. Wishes is beautiful.

 

[parker kim]

We had PS for crystal places and was take right in when we showed up 1hour and 15 mins. early. The place was full but, it was also may not a very busy time.

 

[bferrara16]

wow... thanks for all the info guys.

i like that lounge idea - we are probably going to hit up Pleasure Island that night too, so we could get a head start

the water pageant would be new to me so that may be cool... plus the beach setting would be nice - we are going to end the trip at MK too, so we can see everything up close that night

hopefully if we get there early (like we plan to) they'll let us in, and we can get to the MK anyway!

Thanks for all the helpful tips!

 

[wdwmagic]

If its your first time viewing Wishes, I would suggest seeing it from within the park where you can view it properly. You need the soundtrack and correct viewing angle to fully get the impact of the show. By all means see it from outside the park later on, but if I were you, I would see my first Wishes as it was intended, from along Main Street USA. Have a great trip

 

[bferrara16]

If its your first time viewing Wishes, I would suggest seeing it from within the park where you can view it properly. You need the soundtrack and correct viewing angle to fully get the impact of the show. By all means see it from outside the park later on, but if I were you, I would see my first Wishes as it was intended, from along Main Street USA. Have a great trip

Thanks! That's what I was thinking... but based on the situation, it seems like its view from afar or don't view at all. I think it'll work out though - just plain fireworks (if you can call them that) will be romantic from the beach and better than nothing. Then she can get the full "Wishes" experience on our final night in the kingdom. Who knows it might seem all the more impressive that way. (Funny how this thread is tying into the "Most Romantic" thread)

Of course, if we can somehow get seated earlier than our 8:00 PS time, then inside MK is probably where we will be.

Either way - keep the suggestions coming!