Next trip will be our first time doing this and I have a few questions. It will be DW, DD4, DS2 and me. The kids will be taking an afternoon nap so they have energy for the show. If DS2 doesn’t seem up for it, then DW will stay back at the resort with him. We have noise cancelling headphones for the kids in case the fireworks are too loud for them.
The party starts at 7:30 pm, but HAE doesn’t start until 9:00 pm. That is a long time for the kids to wait (even with desserts). If we get to the party at 8:00 pm, will that still work? Or is that a bad plan?
What time is best to relocate from the dessert area to the viewing area?
Can we bring treats with us to the viewing area?
What is the best place to sit/stand in the garden with the two little ones?
Those are all good questions and I am interested in the responses as we are also doing the HEA before party next month with little ones. I never even considered headphones. Is that common? I haven’t seen the firework show in years so I can’t remember how loud they are.
I don’t know if it is common, but when I took DD4 to the July 4th fireworks in 2018 she said they were too loud and she had her hands on here ears the whole time. Then, when we were at Disney last fall, we watched HAE from the terrace at the Contemporary and left early because she thought the fireworks were too loud. This year we are coming prepared From my perspective, the fireworks are pretty loud so I can see how some kids would be bothered by the noise.
What are the crowd projections like? When the DW and I did it, we rolled in at 815pm, had desert, then rolled over to the viewing area. But MK was a 3 that day, it was lightly attended.
We did the before fireworks party last summer. We didn’t to the party until after 8 because we had dinner and then a stop at first aid. there was plenty of time for dessert and we were allowed to take plates to the viewing area. I think HEA was at 9:15 and we probably got to the viewing area 30-45 minutes before. We sat at the back rail and it was a perfect view. I had brought glow necklaces that we shared with kids around us and they were a huge hit. My DS who was then 4.5 wore noise cancelling headphones because he is sensitive to loud noises
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If you think your 2 yo might not be up for it and they are sensitive to noise you might want to skip. That’s a lot of $ to pay to have 2 people bail and/or potentially leave early.
Yeah … I get it. My 4 y/o really wants to see the “castle fireworks show” this year. My wife and I have discussed the cost (and risk of DS2 not being able to stay up for it) and decided it’s something we want to do.
We did the fireworks party last summer, mid-August (I think the party was at 7:30 and fireworks at 9)? When we went for the check in, the line was REALLY long, so we did the people mover and came back closer to 8.
We probably spent 30 min in the party and then went to the garden. There was plenty of space - we sat on the ground and the kids played around.
We headed to the back rail, left, which is the most centered view and you can see over the heads of people in front of you because it’s a hill, but my kids were 10 and 7, so I would defer to someone with shorter people.
And we have ear protectors that we use for concerts and things all the time for my kids (they are meant for gun ranges, but work great for concerts too!) They also hate firework noises!
From my perspective, the fireworks are pretty loud so I can see how some kids would be bothered by the noise.