Disneyland Forever Crowds

[grelca]

In December I went to DLR with my parents when they came to visit, and we hung out by the Rivers of America to see the fireworks, and they didn't do the water screens for the projection show, so when my mom comes to visit again in a couple of months I definitely want to make sure we're somewhere where the projections are going to be on.

I know she wants to see it at Main Street/the castle, but I'm worried about that because she gets really bad anxiety attacks in heavy crowds, and last month my friend and I left DL for CA between Paint the Night and the fireworks, and it seemed like it was just an endless corral of people packed in to Main Street. So that makes me nervous to try to get my mom in that mass of people, at least if we're not on or very close to the outside of it.

Is there any way to make sure we can get an outside spot for the fireworks on Main Street?? If not, does anyone have a suggestion for where we should go?

 

[ADLFAN]

One time when we were on our way out of DL for the night planning to skip the fireworks because, honestly, we had been caught in a mass exit from the hub once before on that trip, and it was rough. We'd lost part of our group when they didn't get back towards Main Street quick enough and were diverted to the backstage exit walkway and it was a slow moving mess. So the other night we thought we'd scoot down Main Street on the open sidewalks and make our way out before we got caught up in the madness. Instead I decided we should duck under the ropes and watch the show from about halfway down Main Street, I think we were in front of Market House. There was space right by the curb, and having the rope behind us to keep the walkway moving helped it feel less claustrophobic for me. Plus, we had a great view of the projections on Main Street, a nice snowfall during the Frozen segment, and it was easier to flee afterwards because we were closer to the exit! We also thought the projections looked great on the Main Street buildings and they were a little harder to see clearly on the castle. The fireworks looked great from both locations! Have fun!

 

[SMD]

I would shoot for a bench on the Frontierland side of the hub. They don't let people stand behind the benches, only in front of them. If she feels crowded, you can stand between here and the people standing in the hub. Then when everyone's exiting you can sit on the bench and wait. It's not the best view of the fireworks because the trees will block some of the low ones. Also, you won't see the lowest projections on the castle, but you get a pretty good idea of everything. It's a good view of Tink and Nemo when they're on the center path of their flights. You would probably have to start staking this spot out before PTN. There is virtually no view of PTN, so not a lot of people bother, and they don't let people wait in the street until just before she show, so it's not too crowded until just before the show.

The other option would be the far end of Main St. You can still see projections on the buildings, but most people push forward, so it's not as densely packed. I usually watch from around the Penny Arcade and always feel like I have a foot of space on all sides. The only issues I've had is kids on shoulders and people holding up iPad right in front of me. But neither block the view of the projections on Main St.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

I'm afraid that you cannot get away from the crowds after the fireworks. May I suggest after the fireworks going into one of the stores while the majority of people make that mass exodus out of the park? You might head to the Candy Palace or one of the other shops on the other side of the street.

 

[SMD]

I'm afraid that you cannot get away from the crowds after the fireworks. May I suggest after the fireworks going into one of the stores while the majority of people make that mass exodus out of the park? You might head to the Candy Palace or one of the other shops on the other side of the street.

Or sit at a table inside Market House. That seems to be fairly low traffic.

 

[sherilaine]

We have gone into stores after to avoid crowds. It is funny how it can be jammed packed and then you do some shopping and come out and its all calmed down. Sometimes just finding a place to kill 15 minutes can make all the difference.