The crowds were overwhelming (although not quite as bad as on New Year’s Eve) and we spent a good part of the day waiting in line. Luckily we had a dinner reservation at the Plaza Restaurant, so we were able to get out of the heat…and because our waiter gave us the best tip ever – “Instead of watching the fireworks from Main Street with the tens of thousands of other people, head over to the Polynesian Beach and watch them from there.” This man was brilliant!!
The music was piped in on the beach just as if you were at the Castle, they shot off the fireworks
from multiple locations in the park, and it ended with the Patriotic Electric Water Pageant. Twice the show, a quarter of the crowds,and it honestly felt like the whole display was done just for us. Plus, we were already a monorail stop ahead of everyone else – so we just made our way over to the transportation center, got on the tram to our car, and beat the traffic out to our hotel! Double bonus!We went ahead with our original plan to go to Hollywood Studios on the Fourth. We spent a very hot and humid day standing in more lines, and by about 7 pm we were all pretty much done. Being the fireworks freak that I am, I really wanted to stick it out to see the show, but even I had to concede that waiting around with the crowds for another 3 hours wasn’t worth it. So we decided to push our luck and make our way over to Disney’s Polynesian Resort again to see if we could make the show there. 
The Disney Fairies must have sprinkled a lot of pixie dust on us, because we were able to make it from the Hollywood Studios to the Disney Transportation Center, find a place to park, get a tram, and then walk to the Polynesian in time for the show! It was a little more crowded this time, but we still got a good spot on the beach, and had time to relax before the show. And once again…it was breathtaking. The Water Pageant, the music, the castle, the fireworks, and the way that we actually were able to relax and enjoy the moment when just a few hours earlier we were on the verge of major meltdown…that was probably the most amazing part of all. I am sorry that I missed the show over the Sorcerer’s Hat, but as great as that might have been, I don’t think it could top Magic Kingdom’s concert in the sky.
Is the Polynesian a good place to watch fireworks any night or only for the 4th of July?
Thanks for your question! Actually, the Polynesian is a great place to view the fireworks any night, not just on the 4th of July.
And something I forgot to mention in the article – you can grab a drink at the Barefoot Pool Bar, a tropical full service bar is located right next to the pool and just steps away from the white sandy beach, or head over to Captain Cook’s Snack Co. where you can grab anything from a sandwich to coffee to a dole whip…and have a little picnic on the beach.