Fantasmic, Parade of Dreams, & Fireworks

[mystic_path]

I am going to DL at the beginning of October and will be there in the park for a week. So I will be doing the "Parade of dreams, Fantasmic, and the Fireworks" on different days so I can get decent seating.

But I was wondering for each event, to get good seats how long should I be waiting for the show.

Ex: If I want a great spot infront of the castle for the fireworks, or down by the water for Fantasmic, how long should I wait for each show to start? 2 Hours, or more?

 

[HydroGuy]

I am going to DL at the beginning of October and will be there in the park for a week. So I will be doing the "Parade of dreams, Fantasmic, and the Fireworks" on different days so I can get decent seating.

But I was wondering for each event, to get good seats how long should I be waiting for the show.

Ex: If I want a great spot infront of the castle for the fireworks, or down by the water for Fantasmic, how long should I wait for each show to start? 2 Hours, or more?

It will be hard to do these on different days because Fantasmic and Remember are primarily on weekends. If you pay close attention to the show times it is doable. Also, I would plan to see Remember the very first night you can (see "HydroGuy's Fireworks Rule" www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1199851).

I have seen Remember twice from the hub, but I would not try to see it from right in front of the castle. From there it is harder to see the fireworks behind the castle. I think the rear portion of the hub is better, as long as you have a clear, unobstructed view of the castle. If the hub were a clock and the castle was at 12:00, I saw Remember at the 7:30 spot towards the Adventureland entrance but in the street - and I thought the view was great. The second time I saw Remember, I was closer to the castle and did not enjoy the show as much.

If I was going at that time, and I was going for the rear of the hub, I would arrive 1 hour early. If you really want to be in front of the castle, I would plan to arrive 2 hours early. As explained in my Fireworks Rule, I would hate to wait 2 hours for a show and have it get cancelled. The last month it seems to be about 50-50 whether Remember is actually performed. Last night they were cancelled half way thru the show.

If your group can tolerate a late night, I would see Fantasmic at 10:30 - and I would get there 30 minutes early. You should still be able to get a spot near the water at this time.

If I had to go to a 9PM Fantasmic, I would arrive at least 1 hour early, and probably 90 minutes.

During the time period you are there I would definitely see the Parade of Dreams during the week when the crowds will be even lower. I would plan to get a spot 30 minutes before the Parade starts.

 

[mystic_path]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!

I wish there were a bowing icon!!!! Kudos to you dude!

 

[HydroGuy]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!

I wish there were a bowing icon!!!! Kudos to you dude!

As an example of seeing Fireworks as early as possible in your trip, see this recent thread: www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1207737

 

[Grim_Grinning_Girl]

Hi, the fireworks show that's going on right now is an absolute MUST see! I guarantee you it's unlike any fireworks show you've ever seen. Anyone know for sure if it will still be around in October? All the cast members I asked were really odd about giving me an exact date but they made it sound like the one that's going on right now for the 50th would be gone by the end of Sept.

Anyway if it's still there you'll want to arrive about an hour to an hour an half before. If you're party is small like 2-4 people an hour is probably safe. Most of the area in front of the castle is standing room only, but before everyone's sitting on the ground stretched out so there's really a lot more space than there appears to be - just squirm your way into the crowd and you'll see lots of openings.

Show can best be seen from mid castle to right side of castle, don't get stuck on the left side cuz there's too many trees that will block your view of the fireworks (they all seem to be coming more from the left side). As long as you have a decent view of the lower castle and the matterhorn, you're in that center plaza area where the Walt Disney statue is, and aren't stuck behind a tree you should be able to enjoy it - part of the fun is also the audio and the surprises inbetween. If you've already seen Fantasmic consider camping out for the fireworks show instead.

AND be sure to see the Alladin musical at California adventure :. For Alladin I don't really suggest sitting in the upper level seats, I did both upper an lower and lower was more enjoyable. You'll also want to sit behind the large aisle way that divides the front seating section from the back, there's a neat-o procession that travels thru and it may be be uncomfortable to turn around to see it. I'm not mentioning the Snow White show for a reason .

 

[HydroGuy]

Show can best be seen from mid castle to right side of castle, don't get stuck on the left side cuz there's too many trees that will block your view of the fireworks (they all seem to be coming more from the left side).

As mentioned above, I have seen it from the left side twice and there were no trees blocking my view. But there could have been if we were not careful.

Here are some other tips...

Before we saw Remember for the first time, I explored the hub mid-day for about five minutes when there were relatively few people there. I checked different locations and the view of the castle and the trees that might block. This was a great help in getting a spot as I knew exactly where I wanted to be.

About an hour before the show the CMs will put up rope walkways. The ones that run around the perimeter of the hub will have traffic during the entire show. I would not choose a location where the ropeway was in front of me and people are walking in front the whole way and being distracting. There are ropeways thru the middle of the hub that are not used for walking - these are emergencey access walkways and people will not be walking thru these during the show. I was behind one of these on my second Remember experience and it was fine.

If you are not sure about the ropeways, ask a CM. But not any CM. I always ask the CM if they work on fireworks traffic, and if they say yes then I ask them my question. Those CMs will be out an hour or so beforehand. They can tell you where the ropeways will be and whether they will be used for general traffic.

 

[POOH&PIGLET]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!!!

I wish there were a bowing icon!!!! Kudos to you dude!

.

 

[chellebelle]

sorry for the silly quetion, but what is and where is the hub??

 

[mystic_path]

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HEY THANKS FOR THE ICON!!!! EXCELLENT! LOL!

 

[mystic_path]

sorry for the silly quetion, but what is and where is the hub??

The hub is where the statue of Mickey and Walt Disney are infront of the castle.

 

[HydroGuy]

The hub is where the statue of Mickey and Walt Disney are infront of the castle

Well, yes, but the hub also encompasses all of the circular street in front of the castle from which the entrances to all of the separate "lands" are located.