What a difference a day makes! Yesterday, I woke up to see a lackluster tie between Wishes (17) and Illuminations (17). As much as I loved the fact that my favorite WDW attraction of all – Epcot’s explosive symphony of light and music – was a contender for “the title”, I knew that we had to extend the voting by a day. After all, less than fifty of you had been afforded the chance to vote.
Well, you responded in epic fashion, and we’ve crowned a “king”. With a resounding victory, the Magic Kingdom’s medley of classic Disney songs and magnificent fireworks – Wishes – is the All in WDW Readers’ Favorite Nighttime Spectacular!
Before I leave you, let me toss out a couple of my thoughts. First, Illuminations is, by far, our favorite of WDW’s fireworks extravaganzas. Mrs. All in WDW and I love to sit in the Italy pavilion, while enjoying a glass of Tutto Gusto’s wine, and ‘drinking in’ the majesty of Epcot’s “Reflections of Earth”. Not something you can do very often with a family of ‘little ones’, I know, but, as “empty nesters”, it’s one of the highlights of each and every one of our visits to “The World”.
Of course, we have fond memories of Wishes and Fantasmic as well. For example, I remember our first experience seeing Fantasmic, many years ago, when our son was young. Like a lot of parents, we bought him a whirling gizmo of glowing, colorful lights and waited for the show to start. Once it began, we thoroughly enjoyed the outstanding spectacle of Disney characters, fireworks, and water that caps each evening at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Our favorite place to watch Wishes might surprise you. We’ve been lucky enough to enjoy that show several times with a view from one of our favorite restaurants – the Contemporary Resort’s California Grill! Ah, the Cali Grill. Our family has a lot of fond memories of that fabulous restaurant. We can’t wait for its impending re-opening!
In the end, all three of WDW’s nighttime spectaculars can lay claim to being the best, favorite, or most-loved, but it is Wishes that wins the day. After all, for a lot of people, WDW does make their “wishes” come true! All hail “the champ”!
