katejc
Disneyland Lover
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2009
- Messages
- 338
First, thank you to all of you who posted about fireworks and Paint the Night parade. With the tips, we were able to watch both twice (would have watched 3, but fireworks had technical difficulties and stopped just after starting--and darn! We were perfectly positioned on Main St!).
Tuesday night we did F! with BB dining package and had the best spot I've ever seen this show from (and that's including the former dessert seating). It was awesome and totally worth it. No waiting. Showed up about 10-15 mins before the show and sat behind a few people, but with no obstructed view. Plenty of room to stretch out your legs and be comfortable (as much as is possible on the ground).
Watched fireworks from there and agree that it's good, but Main St is definitely the place to see it, especially if you only have one chance. We could see a little of Tink and Nemo from where we were and the projections on the water were fine, but take third after Main St and IASW.
So the next night (Wed) we were careful to work our way over to Main St by about 9, then just wander up and down the shops until PtN was over and the street filled. Had a great spot, but then technical difficulties stopped the show shortly after it began. The projections are amazing from here though! We went up to FL and rode a few rides after that.
Thursday night, we were on Main St in time for fireworks, but went up to ride something and then couldn't get back, just as a poster said earlier on the PtN/fireworks thread--it is one-way traffic to Tomorrowland. You can come back the other side (by Buzz) by the crush of people caused me a panic attack and we pulled the cord and headed back up to IASW. Projections were great here, we could see the Matterhorn, but didn't really have a view of Tink and Nemo. It was fine and I was happy to be able to breathe! Maybe next time we'll see the Main St version. The fireworks are really pretty fantastic wherever you are and we all loved all the Disney songs throughout.
PtN is truly spectacular! Don't miss it, but do try for the 11 parade. Much easier to sit and see, especially up by IASW, where it ends its second run. Tuesday after F! and fireworks, we wandered over after collecting an Indy fp and riding something (Star tours?). Showed up around 10:45 and sat right down on the sidewalk in front of souvenir stand, across and a little up from the entrance to Storybook boats. Had front row, unobstructed view. People came later and stood behind us. Didn't feel crushed or too crowded at any point. Went for this same spot again on Thurs evening, but earlier (about 10:30) as it was generally more crowded that day. Still able to get a great spot sitting on the sidewalk a little further up towards IASW this time, near the churro cart. Filled up quickly after we sat down. Glad we saw it twice because Tues night the little round things with characters on top weren't there. Loved it just as much the second time--maybe more!
Crowds: Yes, it is crowded! Best tip for any DL trip ever still applies: go early! We got lots done in the early hours and it was manageable and fun. We took a midday swim/nap break and then went for dinner and fps for as many rides as we could do and did those and entertainment in the evenings. We were able to ride everything we wanted, usually more than once, using a combination of fp, single rider, and plain old waiting in line. Seemed like a little more of the latter was required than I usually do, but it wasn't bad and lines we waited in were not usually more than 30 mins. We got right into Matterhorn line after fireworks on Thurs (I think maybe before they had even reopened it yet) and were expecting 45 mins, but it was a lot less--maybe 25.
Wed and Fri were both grad nights and were fine. Didn't really notice anything different on Wed. Friday did seem a lot more crowded (maybe just typical for the weekend anyway) and we saw lots of grads that day (all well-behaved!). We left around midday Friday so didn't see how the evening was.
It was an awesome girls' trip this time with me, a friend, and our teenage daughters (14 and 16). Everyone had a great time! Happy to answer any questions anyone has...Thanks again for all the tips--they helped make our trip great!
Tuesday night we did F! with BB dining package and had the best spot I've ever seen this show from (and that's including the former dessert seating). It was awesome and totally worth it. No waiting. Showed up about 10-15 mins before the show and sat behind a few people, but with no obstructed view. Plenty of room to stretch out your legs and be comfortable (as much as is possible on the ground).
Watched fireworks from there and agree that it's good, but Main St is definitely the place to see it, especially if you only have one chance. We could see a little of Tink and Nemo from where we were and the projections on the water were fine, but take third after Main St and IASW.
So the next night (Wed) we were careful to work our way over to Main St by about 9, then just wander up and down the shops until PtN was over and the street filled. Had a great spot, but then technical difficulties stopped the show shortly after it began. The projections are amazing from here though! We went up to FL and rode a few rides after that.
Thursday night, we were on Main St in time for fireworks, but went up to ride something and then couldn't get back, just as a poster said earlier on the PtN/fireworks thread--it is one-way traffic to Tomorrowland. You can come back the other side (by Buzz) by the crush of people caused me a panic attack and we pulled the cord and headed back up to IASW. Projections were great here, we could see the Matterhorn, but didn't really have a view of Tink and Nemo. It was fine and I was happy to be able to breathe! Maybe next time we'll see the Main St version. The fireworks are really pretty fantastic wherever you are and we all loved all the Disney songs throughout.
PtN is truly spectacular! Don't miss it, but do try for the 11 parade. Much easier to sit and see, especially up by IASW, where it ends its second run. Tuesday after F! and fireworks, we wandered over after collecting an Indy fp and riding something (Star tours?). Showed up around 10:45 and sat right down on the sidewalk in front of souvenir stand, across and a little up from the entrance to Storybook boats. Had front row, unobstructed view. People came later and stood behind us. Didn't feel crushed or too crowded at any point. Went for this same spot again on Thurs evening, but earlier (about 10:30) as it was generally more crowded that day. Still able to get a great spot sitting on the sidewalk a little further up towards IASW this time, near the churro cart. Filled up quickly after we sat down. Glad we saw it twice because Tues night the little round things with characters on top weren't there. Loved it just as much the second time--maybe more!
Crowds: Yes, it is crowded! Best tip for any DL trip ever still applies: go early! We got lots done in the early hours and it was manageable and fun. We took a midday swim/nap break and then went for dinner and fps for as many rides as we could do and did those and entertainment in the evenings. We were able to ride everything we wanted, usually more than once, using a combination of fp, single rider, and plain old waiting in line. Seemed like a little more of the latter was required than I usually do, but it wasn't bad and lines we waited in were not usually more than 30 mins. We got right into Matterhorn line after fireworks on Thurs (I think maybe before they had even reopened it yet) and were expecting 45 mins, but it was a lot less--maybe 25.
Wed and Fri were both grad nights and were fine. Didn't really notice anything different on Wed. Friday did seem a lot more crowded (maybe just typical for the weekend anyway) and we saw lots of grads that day (all well-behaved!). We left around midday Friday so didn't see how the evening was.
It was an awesome girls' trip this time with me, a friend, and our teenage daughters (14 and 16). Everyone had a great time! Happy to answer any questions anyone has...Thanks again for all the tips--they helped make our trip great!
