Nighttime Entertainment

One of the most unique parts of the Disney World experience is the variety of entertainment offered after the sun goes down. After a long day in the sun, feet sore, there's nothing more relaxing than taking a seat for a fantastic show.

My favorite, hands down, is the Magic Kingdom! A fireworks show is one thing, but add in some Disney music and a light show on the castle and you have something really spectacular! We love to watch the show from the hub, where you can see the firewoks as they were meant...framing the castle, and if you're not there, you can't really see the castle projections properly. But, we also LOVE if we can get on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad just as the fireworks start. So cool...they are practically right over your head as you ride! And then when you exit, you get a really nice view standing in the viewing spot for BTMRR.

Magic Kingdom has the best nighttime parades too!! The first time I saw Spectromagic was in 2005 and I was in awe. The music is what did it for me. As soon as it starts, I get teary....every single time. Love love love it!! We like a front row seat and make sure we get one early. The parade has a different feel when everything is right in front of you...larger than life!! The hub seems to be our favorite spot to watch...we get a nice curb spot! But for almost a year now, they have been showing the Main Street Electrical Parade. It was brought back for a limited engagement and was supposed to end at the end of summer last year along with the other special things they did just for summer. (Bummed I never got to see the special effects in Tower of Terror!) So I was kinda of excited they still had it for our trip in December 2010. It was a neat parade, but it didn't wow me as much as Spectromagic. The Main Street Electrical Parade is still running, with no rumors for when it will end. I am hoping it ends before our next trip. It will be my dad's first, and possibly only trip, and I'd really much prefer that he saw Spectromagic. But actually, the older characters presented in the Main Street Electrical Parade might appeal to his youth more.

I finally saw Illuminations in Epcot's World Showcase Lagoon during our trip in 2009 and I wondered what took me so long! Just wow! The combination of fireworks and music and the images on the Earth float were just stunning. And then each country is illuminated in white lights around an otherwise dark lake, breathtaking! :)

My least favorite nighttime show is Fantasmic at Hollywood Studios, but I seem to be in a severe minority here. There are parts of it that I love, like the imagines projected onto the water (so beautiful!) and the fire scenes (so cool!). The lighted water jets are neat and the boats with the princesses are pretty; I like those. But the Pocahontas storyline is a bit dated and boring. I just think the whole show could use an overhaul.

So what's your favorite park entertainment after the sun goes down??