Fireworks and F! same night....

[mommyof2boys1girl]

I know this question has been asked (read it a while ago before I had done enough research to know what I was reading.... ), but here goes again...

Since we are going during off season, our only chance to watch F! and the fireworks will be on weekends, and we are taking one weekend day (probably saturday) as our 'non park relaxation day', we may get only one shot, maybe two (since dk's are early to bed, early to rise - most of them have never even seen 10pm!!) at seeing all the nighttime stuff (friday nite and sunday nite), how much can we cram in to one evening?

Is it possible to do F! (9:00 according to the new DL schedule - thanks dangermouse!) then see the fireworks (9:25) as well? That would leave us the other night to see DEP if the kids can hack it, if not, we'll see it next time. But I really want to see F!, and my dk's are fascinated by fireworks, so we'd like to do that too.

If it is possible to do both, will we have to move from our spot for F!, or will we have a good enough view (gonna try to nab the 'secret' spot in front of Rivers of America where the pillar is raised shortly before the show, exposing a great spot to see F! - also pirated from another DIS member!! How I love you guys!!!)


Thanks experts!
Carm

 

[Tink208]

We watched the 9:25 fireworks show right after watching the 9:00 Fantasmic! show when we were there in November. We stayed right where we had watched the Fantasmic! show (behind the magic pillar ), and then were able to sit down on the ground to watch the fireworks above us. It may not have been the optimum vantage point for the fireworks, but we sure got a great show, nonetheless. It was actually a very touching moment for me because my 5 1/2 year old son was falling asleep and he just snuggled in my arms as we watched the fireworks.

 

[nunzia]

OK..so the magic pillar is where???

 

[ScooterL]

I think you'll have better luck seeing the 9:25 fireworks and the 10:30 Fantasmic! - that way you can get a good spot for the fireworks and see them from somewhere on Main Street, then make your way over to Rivers of America. We did it last summer - we waited ~10-15 minutes after the fireworks and then went over and stood behind the "magic pillar", and had a great spot for Fantasmic!

If you do decide to see the early F! then the fireworks, then you'll want to stay in the spot you got for F! - do NOT try to move to Main Street - you won't find a spot and you'll not only miss some of the fireworks (which start right as F! is ending), but you might end up just walking around and around. We made that mistake once - won't do it again.

 

[mommyof2boys1girl]

Ok, so it is doable then, either with F! first or last....thanks!

"magic pillar" - lovin that!!!

Nunzia - someone will be better able to explain it than me (since I've never been there and I am not exactly sure myself! ), but apparently there are 3 large pillars along Rivers of America. Two are raised up quite a while before F!, and the last one in the middle gets raised 10 mins or so before the show, which opens up some nice spots!

 

[farmfresh]

It certainly is, but we have always gone for the earlier show, then fireworks, largely because of the kids and tiredness. Even if you are having a non park day beforehand, you will probably have park day the next day. Also - bear in mind that you still need to leave time to get out of the park.

You can watch both from the same spot - you will be an angle for the fireworks, but it hardly matters. In any case, you can't leave the Fantasmic show area until the fireworks have been completed, because they keep the lighting off.

 

[jennilouwho]

If your kids can stay up, I suggest the fireworks from Main Street first, and then working your way over to Fantasmic. Last time we went was the week of July 4th 2005 and we still were able to get a great view of Fantasmic in the crazy crowds!

 

[Quest4fun]

The easiest way of course is to catch the early showing of Fantasmic then just staying put for fireworks. They pump the music all over so you can watch it from most spots. The downside to doing it this way is that you miss the extra experience that the people in front of the castle get. Still as long as you have a clear view of the Matterhorn you still get a good show.

It's usually pretty easy to catch fireworks first then Fantasmic but you may not get a good spot as the crowd takes awhile to let out. You can stake out a spot near the Frontierland entrance but a few large trees obstruct some of the fireworks.

There are 3 good places to experience the fireworks IMHO.

The best place is of course in front of the castle. You get the full show.
You can enjoy a slightly different experience in front of It's a Small World. They project short videos of the rides on the attraction and you can still turn around and watch the cannon blasts for the Pirates portion of the show.
The last place to watch it is a little less well know. If you time it just right, and there is no crowd, Big Thunder offers a very exciting ride. Same high speed train ride but this time you get explosions going all around thanks to ones that fire from the roof of the Mexican restaurant. The large booms are also quite fun.

Fantasmic is best from the middle a little ways from the edge of the water if it's a cooler night as the mist can make things a little chilly. They do a pretty good job of making sure everybody around the half moon gets to see what's happening.

That being said, the best spot for both is front and center. If you're a skilled AP holder that's been a million times you can usually pull off both but it's a whole lot easier to do them on different nights since you can get on the E ticket rides during either show a lot faster.

 

[DangerMouse]

You can enjoy a slightly different experience in front of It's a Small World. They project short videos of the rides on the attraction and you can still turn around and watch the cannon blasts for the Pirates portion of the show.

While IASW is undergoing it's 10-month long refurb, the projections during Fireworks have been suspended.

 

[Quest4fun]

While IASW is undergoing it's 10-month long refurb, the projections during Fireworks have been suspended.

Oh how the mighty have fallen! I forgot all about the "toughening up" of IASW. Not going for four months have destroyed me. Whatever shall I do.

**bows head in shame**

I ask for forgiveness from the Disney Gods. As punishment for my forgetting I will sit on a bench, put on the IASW music and stare at a photo of one section of the ride to mimick me being on it while it's stuck.