Illuminations FP Advantages

[bwbuddy5]

Is the location substantially better than other viewing areas? I know most of you wouldn't "waste" a Tier 1 on it, but my family may want to opt for that. Have any of you done it - what did you like about it - would you do it again?

 

[CAS239]

It's not worth it unless you just have nothing else you want to FP.

It's right at the front of the lagoon, it's a small area..but Illuminations is a 360 degree show so there's a ton of great viewpoints from around the world showcase. You can easily grab a spot in the WS 10-15 min before the show

The one big thing about the FP area is that if the wind is blowing toward you you'll want to move.. Essentially wasting the FP.

 

[Klayfish]

Yes, we did it. Once.

What did we like about it? Honestly, not much.

Would we do it again? Nope, never have, don't plan to.

Comparatively speaking, it's a small space and they cram a lot of people into it...and many of them show up 30-45 minutes early. Given how big the WS is and the nearly endless good spots to see Illuminations, we actually found it worse than just walking up 10 minutes ahead and finding a space on our own.

 

[wisblue]

Two of my adult daughters are pretty short, and they like being able to get close to the railing right in front of where the globe will be. So, we like to get FPs for Illuminations if we can.

I have had good luck getting FPs for Illuminations in the hour before the show. Last week, we arrived at WDW on the day before Easter. Because we were staying at the Boardwalk Villas, and arrived around 4 PM, we spent the rest of the day at Epcot. We had our 3 FPs, the last being for Soarin for 7-8 PM. After we exited Soarin about 7:45, I logged into MDE and was able to get FPs for Illuminations for a party of 3 by refreshing for about 2 minutes. This isn’t the first time I have been able to do something like that.

While FPs for Illuminations are far from necessary, and I wouldn’t get them instead of another Tier 1 FP, I think they are good to have if you can get them as your last FP of the day.

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

I did it once and was done. It was one of the worst uses of fastpass (and one of the worst views of Illuminations) I have ever experienced. We did it so we didn't have to show up 45 minutes prior to the show and sit, but if you don't do that in the fastpass area, you won't get a good view either.

I'd say spend the money and do the Frozen dessert party. Best view of Illuminations, delicious food and drink, no crowds, and no wasted fastpass.

 

[disneygolfer1985]

I’ve done it once but you are on the north side of the lagoon so if the wind is from the south then you will be getting smoke in your direction. There are plenty of other great vantage points.

 

[soniam]

I wouldn't waste an initial FP+ on it. For Spring Break, I got it as a 5th, maybe 6th, FP+. It's a decent viewing area. It wasn't very crowded when we went. We got there about 30 minutes before hand, and they had just started letting people in. Even with that, and the line being decently long, we were only behind 1 row of people.

 

[rteetz]

I’ve done it twice as an extra FP. I definitely wouldn’t do it as part of my initial 3.

 

[Robo]

What it may offer in possible "advantages" can easily be countered with possible "disadvantages."

All told, guests have better than even odds of grabbing as good (or better) vantage points by
choosing another spot themselves.

 

[jlh512]

We have done it before, but we did it last minute. We used all our fastpasses for the day and didn't want to fastpass anything else so we grabbed the Illuminations one. It was an okay viewing point, but I wouldn't waste a tier one on this. If possible do what we did and hopefully grab one at the end of the day.

 

[Hope Soda]

I guess I'm in the minority, but I really like the spot. We sit on the ground in front of the doors to the shop on the right side of the viewing area. It's really nice to be able to sit at the ned of a long Epcot day, which usually involves a whole lot of walking. Most people stand at the fence, which is far enough ahead of us that they're not in the way of our view. The finale seems better from the FP area than other spots.

That said, we never book a nighttime show FP+ unless we're only in the park in the evening, or if it's late in the day and we've done everything else we'd want a FP for.

 

[Mamapapa]

We did it once - and loved it. It was crowded that night, we used our three FP and at 7pm found 4th FP for Illuminations for 5 of us so we grabbed it. Plenty of space, no pushing, great view. We would absolutely do it again. But in the same way - as a 4th FP. I would never waste one of my first 3 on it.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

I Most people stand at the fence, which is far enough ahead of us that they're not in the way of our view.
.

That's really helpful info. Thanks. I wouldn't have thought of checking out the view from the back. We probably won't sit but if the kiddos are able to see, that would be good (and it's closer to FW so less walking in our plan).

 

[ktate82]

We used it last year on July 4th and found it to be worth it for that day. I don't know if I would use it as my Tier 1 on a regular day, but we wanted to make sure we got a good firework spot. We also lined up early for the FP spot (we were second in line), and lined up about 5 p.m. I know a lot of people said we wasted a good part of the day, but we were there all day and got everything done that we wanted to get done. The kids took that time to take a break in the shade and read, and we got quick service for dinner. It was worth it and we would do it again.

 

[Robo]

We used it last year on July 4th and found it to be worth it for that day. I don't know if I would use it as my Tier 1 on a regular day, but we wanted to make sure we got a good firework spot. We also lined up early for the FP spot (we were second in line), and lined up about 5 p.m. I know a lot of people said we wasted a good part of the day, but we were there all day and got everything done that we wanted to get done. The kids took that time to take a break in the shade and read, and we got quick service for dinner. It was worth it and we would do it again.

But, if you had staked out a spot at 5PM anywhere else in World Showcase, you would have had great viewing without needing the FP, anyway.
I think that's the entire point.
All things being equal, this FP does not offer an "advantage."

 

[Hummingbird]

Is the location substantially better than other viewing areas? I know most of you wouldn't "waste" a Tier 1 on it, but my family may want to opt for that. Have any of you done it - what did you like about it - would you do it again?

I don't nes. think it's substantially better viewing areas, but it does have it's advantage. It really boils down to your needs. I'm only 4'11 and my adult daughter who I normally see Illuminations with is 4'9. For us, the FP is a good choice. If we don't get FP then we end up having to stake out a spot a good hour or more beforehand.

 

[bwbuddy5]

We're a party of 9, so that factors in as well. Are there any pictorials that show either your view, or an overhead shot of the actual FP area?

 

[Robo]

We're a party of 9, so that factors in as well. Are there any pictorials that show either your view, or an overhead shot of the actual FP area?

I used to include the FP viewing area on my Epcot World Showcase maps, but the location can be kind of changeable
and I got tired of readers getting the wrong info for their night.

I can tell you that on the map below, the location should be near (or between) the #13 gift shops (or some other place. )

But, truth be told, that is just one of the very, very many great viewing locations found fully around the WS Lagoon.
Each location -each and every one- has its own set of advantages and disadvantages.
(This includes the FP viewing area.)

Best advice: Make sure that the wind is not blowing toward whichever location you choose.

 

[jeffg4]

I personally would not waste a FP+ on Illuminations. Try and score it as a last-minute FP+ if you can, but otherwise don't worry about it.