Is WOC worth it?

[seagodess]

I never knew what WOC was until recently. I had read that it was great and a must see. I figured it had to be something amazing if people waited a hour plus to see it. I have seen Fantasmic, and absolutely loved that. So I thought WOC must be something just as great or better. However I friend who has AP for DL said all it is is a wall of water with pictures from disney movies on it. I also read similar stuff on here from other people who have said basically the same things. Is that really all it is? Just pictures from movies on a water made movie screen? If so, then why is it such a big hit? Why are people willing to wait for hours for that?

Update: I am watching a 30 minute recording someone posted on youtube. I am 20 minutes into it. So far it is very beautiful and amazing looking. However it doesn't live up the the greatness I expected based on reviews. I'm sure its much better live, but as I said I am not easily impressed by water shows. There are some really nice parts, I'm just not sure it would be worth it for us. I will show it to DH and see what he thinks. We may just skip it or part of it and take advantage of the fact that everyone else is there so lines for rides may be shorter.

Thank you everyone for your opinion. If I had thought of the youtube thing earlier, I would have just looked at that first

 

[DLR29]

So worth it. I feel so bad for the person who saw the show as just a wall of water with disney pictures on it. It's SO much more than that...it's an experience. It creates atmospheres from the Disney movies using water, color, lights, fire, and other special effects. Love the music, love the creativity, love the show. HIGHLY recommend it!

 

[PinkBudgie]

I'v seen it twice and loved it. Most people enjoy it, but some don't care for it. To those who say it is a wall of water with pictures, I say they are missing all the cool things that the water is doing. I stood there wondering how they could get water to do those things. I'm sad for the people that missed that and only focused on just the pictures. Anyway, it certianly is worth it to try once and decide for yourself.

 

[PinkBudgie]

Wow, DLR 29 and posted at the same time and both said almost the same thing! Funny!

 

[DLR29]

Wow, DLR 29 and posted at the same time and both said almost the same thing! Funny!

HA! Great minds think alike.

 

[ktlm]

I did not expect to be impressed. My thought was- I've seen the water show at the Bellagio in Vegas- I like it, but WOC is practially the same thing just with some pictures on it so why would I want to wait an hour or more and why do I need to see it. I was so wrong. We went last summer just so we could say we saw it. I had low expectations. I am not one of those people who gets tears in their eyes when they see the fireworks, parades, castle lit up for Christmas at WDW etc, this one is the first one that just about got me. I was blown away. Yes, it is dancing water, and projections onto that water, but the way they do it is amazing with the music and the transitions and the characters larger than life on the water. The videos of it don't even come close to doing it justice. It is one of those things you just have to see live. It is a pain with the fast passes and the fact it is all standing so it can be hard to get a spot where you can see, but at least for me it is definitely worth it. I can see if you get a bad spot where you can't see much of the show leaving unimpressed and wondering what the hype was about though. I can't wait to see it again!

 

[furb & dez]

I went all out, did the package deal and got the "best" seats, but in the end, everyone in our party was like, "that's it?"

Totally not ever worth it again for me, even when free.

 

[Butterfly123]

I think it is a great show if you take the time to get a good viewing spot. But I can see being frustrated if you have a less than stellar viewing spot, can't see because people in front of you put their kids on their shoulders, etc., and I think this affects the way some people view the show.

My advice is if you go early, get a good railing or bridge spot, you will more than likely enjoy the show.

 

[seagodess]

I think it is a great show if you take the time to get a good viewing spot. But I can see being frustrated if you have a less than stellar viewing spot, can't see because people in front of you put their kids on their shoulders, etc., and I think this affects the way some people view the show.

My advice is if you go early, get a good railing or bridge spot, you will more than likely enjoy the show.

I think my issue is I'm not impressed easily by things like water shows and fireworks. Dont get me wrong, I have seen some really nice stuff done with them (DL fireworks, belagio fountain stuff, etc.), but its never been so amazing that I would have wanted to wait hours to see. We'll probably be more interested in doing the rides and other stuff. Maybe we'll check it out for a little bit, but I dont think DH or myself will care to wait that long or stay for the whole thing.
Thanks for all the info. Hmm. I wonder if I can find something on Youtube where it gives a preview or something.

 

[coaches24]

Ive seen it once and really liked it. The show itself is very good (I too am not usually impressed much by water shows). What I dont like about WOC is the way they do the seating (or standing ). For me it takes away from the enjoyment having to worry about getting there early enough to get a good spot and then standing there for an hour before the show starts just so you can see it with out someone standing right in front of you. And thats after walking in the parks all day so your tired and can get crabby easily. And I dont enjoy sitting on the ground at all so sitting down is just as bad as standing up for me. If they had some kind of seating there I would be a WOC fanatic. But as it is right now. If DD(3) cant hang to see the show this year then I wont bother with it. I like it and want to see it again but am only willing to go through all of the above if DD(3) is awake. I think she will be amazed by it and that makes all of the above worth it.

 

[coaches24]

I went all out, did the package deal and got the "best" seats, but in the end, everyone in our party was like, "that's it?"

Totally not ever worth it again for me, even when free.

Yea I looked at the dinner package for that and the desert package for F! and there is no way I would do those just to get a better viewing point. And I really like both shows.

The F! desert package esspecially looks like a rip off to me.

 

[Eclectic Goddess]

I went along with a friend because she hadn't gotten a good spot the first time she went to see it, but didn't expect much. As much as I love Disneyland, I'm just not much into the movies and all that.

Then it made me cry.

Curse you, Disney!

Really, it is greatly improved by a good spot, I think. You get a much different experience when you're up close, when you can see and hear everything, than when you're craning to see it around someone's head or seeing everything from the side.

 

[starshine514]

We waited for hours to see it last May. We got a great view and it was nice; however, it wasn't good enough for us to want to do that again. In fact, we've been in the area several times since and had to opportunity to sit and watch and would for a few minutes, then we'd move along. We don't regret seeing it, but once was enough for us, I think.

In contrast, we've viewed the fireworks and Fantasmic multiple times and enjoy them every time.

 

[SilentFeline]

I think whether or not you enjoy the show is largely dependent upon the spot you pick and the people around you. DBF and I saw WOC for the first time in January and neither one of us enjoyed it. We secured a railing spot on some steps in the blue section that a CM assured us was a good viewing point. We had no one in front of us, but the people around us were crammed in so closely to us that I was forced to stand in an awkward position on the steps for almost 2 hours. This resulted in partially torn ligaments in my left knee, which put a huge damper on the remaining 4 days we were at DLR. Also, our view was obstructed by a large pole, which the CM failed to mention. So if you want to see the show, it is essential that you invest some time to enhance the experience. Arrive 60-90 minutes early and scope out the viewing area beforehand (as recommended by HydroGuy in this comprehensive thread: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2542717). If you're not willing to do either one of these things, then I would say the show probably won't be worth it. Just my two cents.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm one of the "How do they DO that?" people, and it was impressive because of that. Do they pick music first, then choreograph it? Do they have moves they want to do, then find the music that fits? HOW do they do it? And whose idea was it to have Jack Sparrow up on the Screamin' sun?


I'm not a big parade person...turns out I'm barely a fireworks person...but I liked WOC when I saw it from the front. (I had seen it from the back, sitting by myself in the dark near Mickey's Wheel of Death, before)


My only problem with it was how COLD it made me! As SOON as those water sprayers went on, even though I wasn't getting sprayed by them, the temperature dropped drastically and I was shivering like crazy by the time the show was done. Walked 10 feet away and the temperature was higher.

 

[pixiewings71]

Yes, absolutely 100% worth it.

 

[Zbugz]

In my opinion, WOC is a giant montage of modern Disney movies presented in an interesting, unique manner. If you have seen a good number of these it will be far more interesting than it was for me (who prefers pre-1980s Disney films). The special effects are really neat. Although we had a good view and enjoyed it, we weren't as impressed as others seem to be. That being said I think it is worth seeing at least once.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

It didn't impress me a bit. The only way I ever plan on watching WOC again is if we happen to be staying at Paradise Pier in a room that overlooks the park and we are in our room when WOC is showing, then I would look out and watch.

We waited a long time to watch WOC in Nov. 2010, and I just wasn't impressed. I couldn't believe how many people were waiting to see this show!

 

[KellifromCanada]

My daughter and I went for the first time this past November. We did the best we could in terms of getting there early to find our designated FP area. In fact we were so early, there were hardly any other guests yet. We stood for a long looong looooooonnnnggggg time and it was chilly. Of course, lots of other people did arrive and our prime spot was taken up with latecomers jostling for position. In the end, we saw the backs of many heads, but even worse, so many blinding cell phone screens as people tried to capture the show on their mobiles. My daughter was frozen, I was frozen. The angle of the images wasn't quite right so we couldn't always tell what we were looking at...it was...for me, not as special as I hoped. Fast forward to our most recent trip, we stayed at the PP and could see the show from our room with the audio on tv. My dh really got a kick out of watching it every night from our room. Again, the images aren't clear at all, of course, (I *think* that might be Ariel") but it is cool to see the different colours and the water dance and the pyrotechnics. I guess I'm more of a parade/fireworks person. Although the Bellagio's "Time to Say Goodbye" Bocelli number makes me emotional.

Kelli

 

[LisainCalifornia]

For me, it was worth seeing once, but after that I am just wishing it was over! I have seen it 3 times, but the last two times were sort of unending and so incredibly boring. And I am someone who will NEVER tire of fireworks at DL.

The worst time it was pouring rain on us--and I don't mean a warm, tolerable rain--it was late at night and freezing cold and raining sideways. I was praying, wishing, dying for that stupid show to be OVER. It just isn't that good.

But again, worth seeing once....