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Attractions to Ride During Magic Kingdom Fireworks

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Disney World’s Wishes Nighttime Spectacular at Magic Kingdom is a show that I can watch over and over again. I’ve had a perfect view at the end of Main Street, U.S.A. just behind the Hub. I’ve had great views from other various spots along Main Street, U.S.A. and from the upper balcony of the Walt Disney Railroad Main Street U.S.A. Station. I’ve watched it from Fantasyland near Prince Charming Regal Carrousel and at assorted spots on the path leading to Beast’s Castle with the fireworks exploding in all directions.

I’ve watched the fireworks bursting above me near Under the Sea ~ Journey of the Little Mermaid and have seen them from the Tomorrowland bridge. I’ve also watched from parts of the park that afford only glimpses of the action but where the fireworks still give me that feeling of magic.

© Sarah Graffam
Wishes near Under the Sea – Journey of the Little Mermaid

 

To be sure, there are many spots with a view of Wishes in Magic Kingdom. But there is another memorable way to watch the show from inside the park that doesn’t involve finding one great spot. Rather, how about experiencing Wishes from a different perspective by riding an attraction with a view.

Before we get into the details about experiencing Wishes as you ride, there is one big caveat—it’s definitely better to see Wishes for the first time with a direct view, with Cinderella Castle in front of you. Specifically, watching somewhere from the end of Main Street, U.S.A. up to about the Walt and Mickey Partner’s Statue in the Hub provides a great view of the entire show, including the fireworks, storytelling by the characters, and the music. (Note that some of the best areas of the Hub are now reserved for FastPass+ viewing.) Also, you don’t want to miss out on Tinker Bell’s Flight from the top of the castle in the first few minutes. And Wishes is immediately preceded by the Celebrate the Magic show, which is projected onto the front of Cinderella Castle and features scenes and characters from Disney movies.

© Sarah Graffam
View of Wishes from atop Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Have you had the full Wishes experience in front of the castle and are ready to try something new? If so, there are several factors to keep in mind when planning to experience an attraction during Wishes.

Of these factors, timing is the most difficult. The first aspect of timing to consider is the timing of the Wishes fireworks. Wishes is a 12-minute show and the fireworks activity for the first few minutes is limited. There are just a few fireworks launched in the first 1.5 minutes, followed by a high around the 3.5-minute mark and then short lulls and longer highs before building toward the finale starting around minute 8.

Besides timing of the fireworks, impact of wait time and ride duration should be considered. For impact on wait time, you can use TouringPlans.com data to help you determine how much you should factor in waiting in line at the time of Wishes. For example, here are projected wait times for October 29, 2016, when Wishes is scheduled at 10 PM (clicking on the names of the individual attractions on this page will show a by-hour wait time forecast from park opening to closing). Of course, you can also check wait times on the Touring Plans Lines app and the estimated wait time at the ride itself on the day you plan to ride.

Although lines are generally shorter during Wishes, getting a FastPass+ could be extra insurance for timing your ride, especially for attractions that tend to still have relatively long wait times during Wishes.

The following table shows other factors to consider, including how well Wishes can be seen from each attraction queue (in case you don’t quite get the timing right or the show starts when you’re in line) and how much actual opportunity there is to see the fireworks during the ride. The attractions are listed in a very rough order of preference. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is likely the most popular of these to ride during Wishes, but the choice for many of the others will be based on considerations like whether you like spinning rides, height restrictions for your party, or just how much you like the attractions themselves.

Ride Duration* View from the Queue Before Wishes Viewing Opportunity During Ride Other Considerations
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad 3.5 minutes Minimal to no view; may spend most time on indoor ramp down to the train platform Fireworks visible during most of ride, especially impressive when on hills If you are off the ride during the finale, there’s a great view from the exit area; closed for refurbishment until November 19, 2016
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

2.5 minutes

 

Minimal to no view; outside part of queue has some tree cover; likely to spend most time in indoor portion of queue Fireworks visible in direction of both Cinderella Castle and Beast’s Castle during about 50% of ride that is outdoors
Astro Orbiter 1.5 minutes Mostly obstructed by ride structure Fireworks visible during entire ride; views of  Cinderella Castle, and Tinker Bell’s Flight Spinning

Dumbo the Flying Elephant

 

1.5 minutes

 

Obstructed; indoor part of queue likely walkthrough, but view from outdoor part of queue obstructed Clear view during entire ride Spinning
Splash Mountain

11 minutes

 

None Short but nice view, especially in first few minutes from outdoor upper area You could get wet
Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover

10 minutes

 

No wait, so not a factor Glimpses of fireworks, obstructed by structure, during outdoor portions of ride

The Barnstormer

 

1 minute

 

Visible from outdoor queue Extremely short-lived but clear view
Tomorrowland Speedway

4.5 minutes

 

Obstructed in covered part of queue Clear view during parts when facing fireworks Noisy cars
*In addition to ride duration, impact of wait time can be considered for each ride. As previously mentioned, TouringPlans.com provides specific wait time projections for each ride by hour.

 

Have you been lucky enough to get the timing right and watch Wishes as you ride a favorite attraction? If not, it may be time to plan to do so. Seeing Wishes this way can easily be a highlight of a Disney World trip.

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Sarah Graffam

Sarah gets that giddy feeling when walking down Main Street, U.S.A. (and sometimes in her own living room just thinking about her next trip to Disney World). She is a Disney Vacation Club member and has been a professional writer and editor since 1990. Other favorite places she has traveled include Hong Kong, the Czech Republic, England, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Alaska, Kenya, Tanzania, and Disneyland.

6 thoughts on “Attractions to Ride During Magic Kingdom Fireworks

  • One other strategy would be to get in line a bit early, then when you get to the front of the line, let others go ahead of you until you are in your time window for the part of the show you would like to see. I’ve never tried it for the fireworks, but it should work.

    Reply
  • I have to say that all of the views on the rides are going to be somewhat-to-very different, depending on where you’re viewing, from what we’re used to seeing on Main Street. On the backside it’s much easier to see that they’re being set off from different distances and angles, giving a different appearance. I don’t like viewing Wishes from back there, but my wife, who’s become increasingly annoyed with the crowds that gather in the Hub and Main Street, prefers the less-crowded aspect of viewing from behind the castle. YMMV.

    Having said that, I will say that we viewed them once on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and it was a very unique and overall enjoyable experience. I think it’s good to try it at least once.

    Reply
  • We try to time being on Dumbo during the fireworks. Ascending up towards them feels so magical.

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  • Last trip, we totally lucked out and saw the beginning of the fireworks on the mine train and then after the ride, rushed outside to catch the end. It was the first night of the trip and it was unexpected! We still refer to it as “that time in Disney world when everything was perfect!”

    Reply
  • We had a great experience riding Big Thunder Mountain during Wishes. We didn’t plan anything, we were just trying to enjoy rides without much waiting. It just worked out beautifully that the fireworks were going off while on the ride. Our kids still talk about it as their favorite memory of all of our trips.

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  • I really like dumbo for this. The twin dumbo spinners look fantasic in the dark, and there’s something that just feels perfect about spinning around as the fireworks start to go off. And the area back there isn’t half bad for viewing once you get off the ride. One of my favorite memories on a trip with friends was doing dumbo just as the fireworks started, then sitting on a ledge around the ride and watching the rest of the fireworks. We were the only ones around besides cast members, and it was just a lovely moment of feeling like we had the park all to ourselves.

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