We are south bound in just a few weeks, and the weekend we will be there is a 'grad night' weekend at MK. The park is listed as closing at 5pm. My question is, do they treat this like a hard ticketed event, or do they let you stay in the park if you are there prior to 5?
I'm pretty sure you will get the boot. I dont think you'd want to be there anyway. There are always a TON of school buses parked at the old airport/Contemporary DVC construction lot. I have a feeling they pack the park to as full capacity as they can get away with.
Yeah, I kind of figured we wouldn't want to be there either, but hey...hard to be there without being at the MK! From what we've been told, there will be special fireworks. No idea what the change is to the regular wishes show though....anyone?
I don't think that you'll be let in. The last thing I would want (or close to it) would be to be in the park with a TON of high school students.
You will most definately be cleared out. I've been on both sides of Grad Night - back in my old high school days my school went there for Grad Night, and we were one of the first group let in. The park was empty for those first 100 or so to rush through the gates. Some of the rides are closed, they usually pump pop music loudly throughout the park, they put up extra decor for the theme (part of the reason you have to get out by 5pm, so they can be ready for that night), and once all the schools file in, it gets pretty crowded! I've also been up there more recently on a Grad Night, and indeed they close the park at 5pm (though it officially isn't emptied out for another hour or so, as usual). Everything shuts down and the cleaning crew start ushering everyone out with the big garbage vaccuums and such. As for the special fireworks...a friend of mine was there for Grad Night last year (as an escort - she is a teacher) and she said the fireworks was done to modern music, and included a longer fireworks show...it wasn't tremendously different from the normal show, just longer, and the lights shined on the castle had 'Grad Night' and '2007' and such instead of just stars and moons and the like.
Sounds like it might be worth camping out at the TTC dock for 'one off' pictures of the fireworks if nothing else... Thanks for the info all!
Forget the TTC, head over to the Poly for Fireworks shots from the beach. I think that this is a better vantage point but I am a little biased.
Poly, just an FYI, the beach was a hit! Of course, the chilled bottle of Champagne and insulated WDW cups didn't have much to do with it....
