The problem is the CMs give confusing information also. I remember the first time we went to WOC we were told the WOC area would be closed at a certain time, so my husband brought the kids on Swinging Symphony while I waited. Sure enough they closed the area early and we were separated. We kept calling each other to re-connect, but were divided by the crowd. My husband asked to cross the line just to get to the other side and was refused. He walked all the way around Paradise Pier to get to me, even having to cross another line.
They just didn't plan WOC well. The viewing area isn't the best. They didn't want people camping out like Fantasmic, so they require a FP to get into the viewing area.
You can either get a FP by going to the attraction Grizzle Run (those FP are changed to WOC FPs).
Or you can order a picnic lunch online that comes with a FP.
Or you can get a dinner package, like Fantasmic at WDW. This allows you in the preferred dining section.
The biggest problem is having kids and trying to get a view that won't be blocked. We did the dinner package in October and waited a hour plus to get to our section. We went to the area that many here on the Dis. say is the best place to stand in the preferred section. We were right up against the rail.
We discovered that the people below us all put their children on their shoulders, so my kids couldn't see. My husband then put our daughter on his shoulders and we heard many complaints behind us.
It's a stressful situation. We like WOC, but it wasn't worth the effort for my family. My kids thought it was too long and hated standing for that long after a day at the park. If/when we do it in the future we will just do WOC after a long afternoon nap or on the first evening we are there.
