Greetings, Gretchen.
Welcome to planDisney! First, I want to take the opportunity to thank your husband for his service and your entire family for the sacrifices you’ve made. I hope your trip to
The Most Magical Place on Earth is filled with all the pixie dust your hearts can hold. I commend your husband for braving his PTSD to experience
Harmonious with your children. What an awesome dad he is! Harmonious can be viewed from essentially anywhere around World Showcase Lagoon, so there’s really not a bad seat in the house. As you can imagine, this new nighttime spectacular draws rather large crowds to
EPCOT every night. While World Showcase can become quite congested in the process, it’s not impossible to find a more secluded location.
In general, if you stand further back from the water’s edge near the buildings in each country’s pavilion, you will find the crowds thin out significantly. The fireworks, as well as most of the floating screens, will still be fully visible from these vantage points. I’ve noticed the closer you get to the bridge that connects World Showcase to World Celebration, the more congested the viewing areas become. Thus, you should actively avoid Mexico, Norway, China, and Canada. Your best bet is to head towards the opposite side of World Showcase Lagoon and find a spot in Japan or Italy. Here are a few specific areas I can think of that may be less congested than most. The numbers in the parentheses correspond to their location on
the current EPCOT Guide Map. Perhaps you can scout them out earlier in the day as you walk around World Showcase to see which option would work best for him.
- The steps surrounding the bell tower (near 46 and 47) in the Italy Pavilion are set back enough to be away from the crowds but still offer a great view from the top of the steps.
- Directly to the right of the Yorkshire County Fish Shop (number 63), there is an area with tables and chairs. You can view most of the show while sitting at the tables here, but there is also a staircase that leads down to a secluded viewing area on the water’s edge.
- There is an open walkway area near World Traveler (number 64) and International Gateway between the United Kingdom and France that tends to be fairly empty until the end of the show. You may not have a clear view of the floating screens, but you will be able to see the fireworks fully.
- There is an area in front of a set of large red gate doors (near 66) between Canada and the United Kingdom that’s set back from the water’s edge and somewhat secluded.
- The area directly in front of First Aid is rather secluded and near a restroom. He could easily step into the restroom or buildings there if the fireworks become overwhelming.
Gretchen, I hope this information helps your husband have a pleasurable Harmonious viewing experience. If you have further questions, please don’t hesitate to stop by
planDisney again. I hope your magical vacation is filled with laughter, love, and lots of joy.
Do as dreamers do,
Alyssa