Hi, Allison! Welcome to planDisney!
Fireworks are one of my favorite parts of any Walt Disney World Resort vacation! I was beyond excited when the
Happily Ever After fireworks spectacular returned to Magic Kingdom Park last spring. Happily Ever After is absolutely breathtaking! The message behind this show is so beautiful, and I am moved to happy tears every time I watch it.
Since I'm not sure exactly which night you and your family will be visiting Magic Kingdom Park for fireworks, I'm happy to give you some advice for a couple of different scenarios. I see that you're visiting in October. On fall nights when Magic Kingdom Park closes early for
Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, Happily Ever After is not performed. Instead, there will be a special Halloween-themed fireworks show during the party called
Disney's Not-So-Spooky Spectacular. If you happen to be attending Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and your dinner reservation at
Cinderella's Royal Table is on that night, you should have no problem catching the fireworks show. The fireworks happen a bit later on party nights, and that coupled with the lower crowds at this special event should allow you to grab a good viewing spot after dinner.
If your dinner reservation happens to be on a regular Magic Kingdom evening, things might be a bit trickier. It looks like 8:00 p.m. is the showtime for Happily Ever After on nights that it is being performed in October. Cinderella's Royal Table is a really special character dining experience that your family won't want to rush through. I'm afraid that with a 7:10 p.m. reservation, you may not be finished with dinner in time for Happily Ever After. Even if you leave the restaurant by 8:00 p.m., the pathways to the front of the castle will already be blocked off for the show.
My best advice to you is to try to modify the time of your dining reservation. If an earlier dinner time is available, your family could relax and enjoy their dinner and still have time to find a good viewing spot for Happily Ever After. If you cannot modify your dining reservation, depending on the rest of your vacation itinerary, perhaps you could catch Happily Ever After on a different night. If your theme park tickets include the
Park Hopper option, you could hop to Magic Kingdom Park on another evening. If you do not have Park Hopper tickets, you could even watch the fireworks from the grounds of one of the nearby resort hotels. While you wouldn't be able to see the projections on the castle, the
monorail resorts offer viewing areas where the Happily Ever After soundtrack is piped in. If none of these options work, you could always watch the fireworks from behind Cinderella Castle after your dinner. You would miss out on the lighting aspects of the show, but the area behind the castle is rarely crowded and the view of the fireworks themselves is great.
Allison, I hope everything works out and that you and your family will be able to experience the beauty of a Magic Kingdom Park fireworks spectacular. Please stop by planDisney again if you have any additional questions. Have a magical day!
Samantha