Walt Disney World is so huge, with so many things to do, that it’s possible to enjoy its amenities without ever setting foot in a theme park, and you can sometimes even do so for free. Disney just implemented a change that nullifies one of our favorite tips for enjoying the fireworks outside of the parks.
Disney has now limited access to an area that some guests have used to enjoy Magic Kingdom‘s nightly fireworks. We have details on what changed and alternate solutions for those looking to watch the show from outside the park. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including our pick for an overlooked Disney World restaurant and new details for Disney World’s future Monsters, Inc. land.
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Disney Blocks Fireworks Viewing Spots at Contemporary
Magic Kingdom’s nighttime spectaculars are so grand that they can be seen and enjoyed from afar. Several hotels surrounding the waterways outside of Magic Kingdom charge premium prices for guest rooms and dinner tables with fireworks views. These include Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
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There are also public spaces on these resorts’ properties where guests can watch fireworks, even if they aren’t staying overnight at those hotels. Disney even plays the fireworks show’s soundtrack over loudspeakers, so you hear the same thing guests inside Magic Kingdom are hearing.
One of the more popular public viewing areas is the fourth-floor deck at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. This is the same floor as some of the resort’s biggest draws, the monorail station and Chef Mickey’s table service restaurant. Disney designates the fourth-floor deck as a fireworks viewing area and even provides some seating.
The fourth floor of Disney’s Contemporary Resort is the hotel’s only main floor with a public deck like this. The other floors have tiny, outdoor balcony spaces, but they aren’t designed for guest enjoyment and only exist to service the emergency exterior stairwell. Even though these upper floors’ public “balconies” weren’t meant for casual guests, they were still physically accessible to guests.
You might see where this is heading. Some guests retreat from the often crowded fourth-floor deck of Disney’s Contemporary Resort and use the stairwell to access a higher, more secluded vantage point to watch the fireworks. Ambitious guests could even walk all the way to the 15th floor to enjoy the view from the observation deck outside of the California Grill rooftop restaurant.
It’s not accessible by elevator without a dining reservation, but nothing was stopping anyone from making the hike up 11 flights of stairs. Now, though, there are limitations to access.
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A locked gate is now in place at the stairwell access points on the fourth-floor deck of Disney’s Contemporary Resort. This means that guests who aren’t staying overnight at the resort can no longer access the upper-floor stairwell spaces.
In the event of an emergency, guests walking downstairs via the exterior stairwell from the upper floors can open the newly installed fourth-floor gates from the other side. The gates are just locked for guests attempting to go upstairs.
WDWNT reported the gate installation.
I was one of the many guests who were more than happy to make the climb up the stairs to enjoy an elevated view of Magic Kingdom fireworks, especially on vacation days not spent in a theme park, when my friends and I were trying to be frugal.
There have been times when we could only afford one theme park day and staying overnight at an off-site motel, but we always allotted two full days for trips because there were so many free things to do around Disney World property. One of our go-to activities was parking for free at Disney Springs, taking a bus to Disney’s Contemporary Resort, heading out to the fourth-floor deck, and trekking up the stairs until we came to a floor with no other guests to watch Wishes, which was at the time Magic Kingdom’s signature show.
There are still, however, a few great ways to see the fireworks without paying for Magic Kingdom admission.
Alternative Fireworks Viewing Locations Outside of Magic Kingdom
The fourth-floor deck at Disney’s Contemporary Resort is still open and available for fireworks viewing, though it will now inevitably be more crowded without other upper spaces for guests to venture.
For those who still crave that rooftop view of Magic Kingdom fireworks, California Grill, pictured above, is an option, albeit for a high price. See where we rank it among other top Disney World restaurants.
One of our favorite Magic Kingdom fireworks viewing spots outside the park is relatively new. The ground-level Wailulu Bar & Grill and its surrounding beach at Island Tower at Disney’s Polynesian Villas & Bungalows is an excellent choice for a late dinner and watching the show. The beach area is open even if guests aren’t dining at the restaurant.
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