subject: Disney World Parade and Fireworks Viewing Tips [print this page] Disney World Parade and Fireworks Viewing Tips
On most evenings, one can find a parade happening at any of the Disney World parks, such as the Magic Kingdom. Additionally, on most nights they also have a fireworks display. Because of the popularity of these two displays a certain amount of planning can help you best enjoy them.
For the parade, you can find the route that the parade will take plotted on the maps that you can obtain at the park. For Magic Kingdom in particular, the parade starts on Main Street near the entrance of the park. It then heads toward Cinderella's Castle and continues on from there.
Because they are so popular, they draw huge crowds. This means that for a decent view of either the parade or the fireworks, you should plan on getting into position at least 30 minutes ahead of the scheduled start time. Note: start times change from day to day, so it is imperative that you check the schedule at the park for that day. The parade will be roped off. You are not allowed on Main Street during the parade, so you want to position yourself as close to the street but off to the side where you can best see it.
For the fireworks there are two main considerations. One is the fact that Tinkerbell will fly from Cinderella's Castle over to the right side. Essentially there is a young gymnast which is suspended from their wire high above the ground. When standing on Main Street facing the Castle, Tinkerbell will fly towards your right side (toward Tomorrow Land). You will want to position yourself in a way where you can see her. You will be able to see the wire during the daytime easily enough, so take note of it and you can know where to position yourself during the fireworks. The second consideration is not to sit too close to the castle. If you are sitting in the loop directly in front of the castle, many of the fireworks will actually be behind the castle and out of view.
If you are seeing the fireworks from the park one thing to note is that the crowds will all be headed for the exit when the show is over. The farther you are away from the exit the longer it will take you to get out of the park. If you are there with young children, this can be extremely painful part of the process. Best viewing for the fireworks is along Main Street, close to the park entrance. Not only does this allow you to see all of the fireworks above Cinderella's Castle (instead of behind it), but it allows you to exit the park relatively quickly.
One final option for viewing the fireworks, in particular, is to make reservations for a late dinner at a restaurant which has a good view of the fireworks. When booking your Disney dining plan, look for restaurants that state that they have a view of the fireworks. This allows you to enjoy your meal, enjoy a better view of the fireworks than you can get from inside the park itself, and not have to deal with the crush of people trying to exit the park.
George is a regular contributor to a variety of syndicated blogs. His topics cover a wide range, from parenting tips to child safety strategies. One of his most recent entries is about safely using bed guard rails with children. It can be found at Baby Bed Rails.
