Is it possible to view the Main Street Electrical Parade at 9:00 and then find a place to view Celebrate the Magic and the Wishes fireworks shows starting at 9:45? Where are the best spots to view the MSEP at 9:00 and then get to a spot to view CtM and Wishes? CtM and Wishes would be from the same viewing spot, correct? Recommendations for the best spots to see CtM and Wishes without using a FastPass?
I’m working on an article about this issue right now – in short, for Celebrate the Magic, to get the full-on effect, you need to be somewhere from the hub up through Main Street. If you try to watch it from the sides of the castle, you won’t see much of anything. Last week when I was out on research, people were lined up in pretty sizable crowds for that before 7 PM (with CtM at 8:45, Wishes at 9, and MSEP at 10:15). If you are okay to see “only” Wishes and MSEP, the best places for low crowds are in Frontierland or parts of Liberty Square.
Depending on when you go, if there are two showings of CtM, you have a few good options.
For tonight, for example, CtM is at 9:45 and 10:35. Wishes is at 10:00. MSEP is at 9:00 and 11 PM.
So what I’d suggest is camping out in Frontierland or Liberty Square for the MSEP and stay there for Wishes, then proceed over to the hub for CtM.
Option B: Catch Wishes in Storybook Circus or New Fantasyland (the show is 12 minutes long), then power walk over to the hub to catch CtM (remember, you will have to walk around the castle as it will be closed off for walking through), and crowds should have thinned out on Main Street to catch the second showing of the MSEP. If not, duck into Liberty Square or Frontierland and you should have the place fairly empty.
But if you are in a must-do situation with MSEP at 9:00, CtM at 9:45, and Wishes at 10, I’d catch the MSEP in Liberty Square, then duck into the hub as soon as it passes by for CtM. If the crowds are thin enough that you feel comfortable staying for Wishes in there, then do so–if not, head back to Frontierland or Liberty Square for a little more elbow room.
I’m sure it depends on crowds/time of year but we were just at MK at the end of Feb. We got a spot right in front of the castle about 15 mins before the parade started - and there was plenty of room around us. We watched the MSEP and Celebrate the Magic right in front of the castle and then started to head back down Main Street after CtM. (My kids didn’t mind being a few feet away from the speakers during CtM but are terrified of fireworks - go figure!)
Anyways, it was a crowded walk upstream (and pushing a double stroller!) but we made it to Town Square in time to watch all of Wishes - and then scoot out of the park without having to fight crowds!