Tips for Enjoying Fireworks with Kids
With the return of Disney’s Nighttime Spectaculars just ahead, long Disney days just got a lot longer! Especially when traveling with young children, it can be a challenge to enjoy late nights. However, with some advance preparation and planning, it is possible to have a Magical Disney night even with your babies and toddlers! Here are our top tips for enjoying fireworks with kids!
Most Important Tip: Take a Mid-Day Break
When you want to make the most of your Disney vacation, we always recommend that you “Rope Drop” – or that you are in the parks and ready to ride at (or even before!) opening. Especially for kids who are often early risers anyway, getting up and getting to the parks means that you will be able to ride quite a few attractions before most vacationers are even awake. If you’re aiming to enjoy fireworks with kids later in the day, we still recommend this strategy.
However, right as the park begins to get busy and the afternoon sun really starts beating down (usually around 1pm), we recommend heading back to your resort! Depending on the age of your kids, you might take a dip in the pool but the best thing is really to settle the whole family down for a nice long nap. We even dress our kids in the clothes they’ll be wearing in the evening before nap so as soon as they wake up we’re ready to head back to the parks! The later they sleep, the better – sometimes we’ll let our little ones sleep til 5 or 6 so they’re well rested and pleasant for the night ahead.
Location, Location, Location
There are many great places at each park to watch Disney’s Nighttime Spectaculars. Each spot has pros and cons.
If you want to watch Happily Ever After from the hub right in front of the Magic Kingdom, you will need to snag a seat and stay put for hours before the show begins. It might not be realistic to expect your kids to sit that long. Consider other alternatives like watching the show closer to the park exit.
Another one of our favorite strategies is to make a dinner reservation at a restaurant with a fireworks view – this works especially well at EPCOT.
Be the First or the Last to Leave
Another thing to consider is how long it will take you to exit the park based on your location. With so many people leaving at once, there is often a very long wait for buses, monorails and boats. There are two ways to solve this problem – the first is to position yourself close to the park exit and be ready to move as soon as the show ends. The second is to wait it out. Although attractions close when the park does, shops will remain open and it’s better to spend your time strolling an emptying park vs standing in a crowded line of tired tourists. As a bonus, you might get amazing night time photos in a nearly empty park!
Snacks To The Rescue
No matter what, there will be some amount of time when your kids will just be waiting. That’s when we pull out every parents not so secret weapon – SNACKS! Luckily, Disney has no shortage of amazing snacks for kids!
The simplest (and our personal favorite) is of course popcorn! Especially if you purchase a refillable bucket early in your trip, you will get your money’s worth! If you have multiple children, we recommend buying a few paper buckets that are easy to carry in your bag and pop open so that each kid has their own box. For other snacks, take advantage of Disney’s Mobile ordering – once you have your family settled, you can all order on the app and send one person to pick it up!
Consider Baby Wearing vs a Stroller
Depending on the age of your baby, nighttime is a great opportunity to ditch the stroller and wear your baby instead. Strollers are often difficult to navigate in a crowd and younger children may be overwhelmed with the mass of legs swarming around them. A quality carrier is also great for cuddling a little one who just can’t quite make it and only wants to fall asleep.
On the other hand, if you are staying in a resort within walking distance to a park, they might fall asleep in the stroller on the way back!
Enjoying Fireworks with Kids
Sometimes the best thing thing you can do as a parent at Disney is to be patient and flexible. That might be the biggest tip we can give you! It won’t always be picture perfect, but we guarantee that you will make Magical Memories that will last forever!
Find articles like this helpful? Then why not consider working with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner? As an agent with MickeyTravels, I’m here to help you with everything you need to make your Disney Vacation Magical- including finding the perfect vacation package, discounts, rate monitoring, and more! Best of all my services are absolutely FREE. Get in touch via email at AbbyRY@MickeyTravels.com or follow along on Facebook.
