We had the opportunity to enjoy one of Walt Disney World’s newest unique views last night. We watched the Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular nighttime fireworks and projection show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios from a brand new angle – the 16th floor of the Gran Destino tower at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort.
Pardon some of the off-topic commentary during the filming. We were one or two drinks to the wind at this point of the night and it was lightly raining:
Sadly, for safety reasons, the volume and intensity of the fireworks launched the new fireworks launch site across World Drive has been reduced since the show first started. It’s still an impressive show when viewed from Center Stage at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but from a distance it pales in comparison to the Magic Kingdom fireworks.
In fact, Disney made a point to say that the lounge and restaurant atop the Gran Destino tower are not fireworks views. They don’t pump in the music and it really isn’t an optimum viewing experience. That said, if you’re interested in a really well-made Gin and Tonic, the resort’s signature drink, there are few better places to enjoy it than on the exterior deck of Dahlia Lounge around 9:30pm (or whatever time Hollywood Studios is launching their fireworks that night).
You can see the fireworks shows from three Disney parks (Hollywood Studios, Magic Kingdom, and Epcot) from the new Gran Destino tower depending on which side of the tower you’re on. We even saw fireworks from SeaWorld off in the distance last night. Again, not the optimum view, which is in the parks themselves, but a fun experience for variety’s sake.
It’s too late now, but Toy Story Land and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge feels like an okay trade-off for the lack of a major fireworks show at the studios park. Right?