Saying Farewell and Looking Forward ~ By Erika
Today is the last day that Wishes will grace the evening sky at Magic Kingdom. Friends across all platforms of social media, and every major Disney centric group on the internet have mourned the retirement of perhaps one of the most wonderful reasons to stay at Magic Kingdom even when you are dead tired. Disney has promised a proper replacement for Wishes, and the masses eagerly await the debut of “Happily Ever After”, which is touted to be just as good, if not better than the fireworks spectacular that we’ve all come to know and love.
This past Monday, I got to spend the evening at Magic Kingdom with my good friends paying respects to the show’s untimely and unfortunate retirement from the comfort of the hub grass area. If you got the opportunity to follow along with me via Snapchat, I hope you enjoyed the show and Disney shenanigans. If you didn’t get to virtually hang out, I downloaded my entire snap story and will be submitting it to TMSM for archive purposes. So you will still get to watch the show whenever you are feeling nostalgic.
That Monday as I sat on the hub grass discussing the Wishes retirement with a Cast Member it was brought to my attention that Wishes may retire in more ways than one. Despite what you may think, Wishes, or at least parts of it, exist in two other forms; HalloWishes and Holiday Wishes. These annual but limited engagement firework shows are large parts of the Halloween and Christmas ticketed events known as Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party (MNSSHP) and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party (MVMCP).
When my Cast Member friend suggested this theory, I couldn’t help but let my jaw hit the floor. With the new show Happily Ever After, I could not fathom the loss of Wishes, but now, that feeling triplicated with the idea of a possible change to the shows bearing Wishes in its title. Fair disclaimer, this is just a theory and nothing has been confirmed by Disney nor shared with Cast Members in anticipation of any changes.
What do you guys think? Will Disney pull HalloWishes and Holiday Wishes from the ticketed events, and replace the show with a Halloween or Christmas version of the new Happily Ever After? Weigh in!
Erika is excited to be on the TMSM team and where Disney Parks are concerned, you won’t catch her dead on It’s a Small World. If she asks to ride that, this is a clear indication that she is in danger and you must send help. You will, however, catch her performing Random Acts of Disney (R.A.D’s), park hopping with her amazing group of impressively talented and kind friends (usually in some themed attire), hanging out by The Haunted Mansion, and ugly crying during fireworks… then begging for a Mickey Premium Bar to eat her feelings…this is a judgment-free bio.
Otherwise, Erika works for the State of Florida and is actively involved in her community. Erika believes in empowering others and spreading kindness to people from all walks of life. Erika also makes custom designed Disney inspired ears, etched glass, gifts, and accessories. You can check out, like or follow her work on FB, which also links to my shop’s Instagram: www.facebook.com/imagineering.emporium. She looks forward to getting to know everyone and sharing the magic of Disney!
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