Seeking advice on LLMP and shows/entertainment

LKing

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Mar 3, 2023
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I'm planning a trip in April and need some advice with respect to LL and shows/parades

Background information:
  • It will just be my spouse and I. We are both in our late 50s.
  • We are Disneyland regulars, visiting several times a month. We haven't been to WDW in 15+ years.
  • Our priority is to see and do things that we don't have at Disneyland.
  • We are staying off site. We will have a car.
  • We will likely buy 9-10 day tickets without park hoppers
  • I have a conference for the first three days. The conference ends before 3 pm each day, so we could go to a park for dinner and a show in the evening. We're thinking of doing fireworks and Luminous on these evenings so we have time to find a viewing location.
Our accommodations are free, which means we can pay for parking, LLMP, LLSP, etc. I'm looking at each park and trying to figure which attractions would benefit from LLMP and which ones are easy to get on via standby. Below is our rough ranking of the rides for each park, along with my notes.

Magic Kingdom
Happily Ever After Fireworks - 8 pm How early should we find a place to view?
Festival of Fantasy Parade - 3 pm How early should we find a place to view?

Top priority
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train LLSP - I assume we will pay
TRON: Lightcycle/Run LLSP - I assume we will pay
Space Mountain LLMP (sometimes single rider) TIER 1
Carousel of Progress

Would like to do
Haunted Mansion LLMP TIER 2
Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid LLMP TIER 2
The People Mover
Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor LLMP TIER 2
Pirates of the Caribbean LLMP TIER 2
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh LLMP TIER 2
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin LLMP TIER 2
it's a small world LLMP TIER 2
Country Bear Jamboree
Peter Pan's Flight LLMP TIER 1

Attractions we really don't care if we ride or not
Swiss Family Treehouse
Jungle Cruise LLMP TIER 1
Magic Carpets of Aladdin LLMP TIER 2
Enchanted Tiki Room
Big Thunder Mountain CLOSED
Tom Sawyer Island
Liberty Belle Riverboat
Mickey's Philharmagic LLMP TIER 2
Prince Charming Regal Carousel
Dumbo The flying Elephant LLMP TIER 2
The Barnstormer featuring the Great Goofini LLMP TIER 2
Tomorrowland Speedway LLMP TIER 2
Astro Orbiter
Tiana's Bayou Adventure LLMP TIER 1
Tea Party - LLMP TIER 2


EPCOT
Luminous 9 pm How early should we find a place to view?
Flower & Garden - When do they announce April musical groups?

Top Priority
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (Virtual Queue) - LLSP - I assume we will pay
Mission: SPACE LLMP
Test Track CLOSED
The Seas with Nemo and Friend LLMP - This is a show. Do we need LLMP for this?
Frozen Ever After LLMP TIER 1
Beauty and the Beast Sing Along - This is a show. Do we need LLMP for this?
Remy's Ratatouille Adventure LLMP TIER 1 Single Rider
Space Ship Earth LLMP

Would like to do
Journey into Imagination LLMP
Living with the Land LLMP
Gran Fiesta Tour featuring the Three Caballeros
Impressions de France

We can pass on these
Wondrous China (Circle Vision)
Soarin' LLMP TIER 1
Canada Far & Wide (Circle Vision)
Turtle Talk - - LLMP
Pixar Film Festival - LLMP

Hollywood Studios
Wonderful World of Animation 8:45or 9 pm
Fantasmic 9 or 9:30 pm

Top Priority
Frozen Sing Along LLMP (hourly on the half hour)
Slinky Dog Dash LLMP TIER 1
One Man's Dream
Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy
Tower of Terror LLMP TIER 2
Beauty and the Beast LLMP
Rock'n Roller Coaster Featuring Aerosmith LLMP Single Rider TIER 1

Might do, not sure
Fantasmic!
Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular LLMP

We can pass on these
Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway LLMP TIER 1
Star Tours LLMP
Muppet-Vision 3-D LLMP
Rise of the Resistance LLSP
Millennium Falcon Smuggler's Run LLMP Single Rider TIER 1
Alien Swirling Saucers LLMP
Toy Story Midway Mania LLMP
Disney Jr. Dance Show LLMP

Animal Kingdom
No shows or parades

Top Priority
Avatar: Flight of Passage - LLSP sometimes single rider - I assume we will pay for this
Expedition Everest LLMP Single Rider
Finding Nemo: The Big Blue and Beyond LLMP
Dinosaur - LLMP
Festival of the Lion King LLMP

POSSIBLY
Kali River Rapids LLMP
Na'vi River Journey LLMP
Kilamanjaro Safaris LLMP
Gorilla Falls Trail
Maharaja Jungle Trek
Feathered Friends in Flight LLMP

We can pass on these
It's Tough to be a Bug LLMP
Conservation Station
TriceraTop Spin
 
Last edited:
TRON is absolutely worth it! They got rid of virtual queue a few months ago, but I still recommend Lightning Lane. You will definitely encounter RSR-like standby times if you go that route.
 
Replies in-line in red...lots to dissect here lol

I'm planning a trip in April and need some advice with respect to LL and shows/parades

Background information:
  • It will just be my spouse and I. We are both in our late 50s.
  • We are Disneyland regulars, visiting several times a month. We haven't been to WDW in 15+ years. Be ready for a culture shock! Lots of sharpened elbows.
  • Our priority is to see and do things that we don't have at Disneyland.
  • We are staying off site. We will have a car.
  • We will likely buy 9-10 day tickets without park hoppers
  • I have a conference for the first three days. The conference ends before 3 pm each day, so we could go to a park for dinner and a show in the evening. We're thinking of doing fireworks and Luminous on these evenings so we have time to find a viewing location. Unlike DLR, WDW is as much about the resorts as the parks. I would leave yourselves plenty of time to check out some of the great resorts. That's a fantastic thing to do after your 3pm conference ends if you want to save on the ticket cost a bit. If you wanted, you could spend a day or more exploring the monorail resorts and then another day exploring the Crescent Lake and Skyliner ones.
Our accommodations are free, which means we can pay for parking, LLMP, LLSP, etc. I'm looking at each park and trying to figure which attractions would benefit from LLMP and which ones are easy to get on via standby. Below is our rough ranking of the rides for each park, along with my notes.

Magic Kingdom
Happily Ever After Fireworks - 8 pm How early should we find a place to view? This one is very subjective. You'll be able to see them just fine if you walk up at 7:50pm. However, you'll also see people start staking out spots at 6pm (or earlier) sometimes for that photo-worthy angle and distance. The trade off is not worth it, IMO, but different strokes for different folks. On the topic of "sharpened elbows," I have seen people lay down blankets, masking tape, and "reserved" signs to claim their spot -- and, like, for what? To be 50 feet closer to a 200 foot castle that can be clearly seen from 0.5 mile away? Honestly, if you want to save on ticket cost if you're just going for HEA, it's really nice watching the show from the Grand Floridian, Contemporary, or Polynesian. They each have their own viewing areas and pipe in the music to coincide with the show.
Festival of Fantasy Parade - 3 pm How early should we find a place to view? View this over where it starts, between Frontierland and Adventureland (by Pecos Bill's), and walk up as it's starting. Or, view the exact same parade from Main Street and be there 45 minutes before. Your call.

Top priority
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train LLSP - I assume we will pay Yep, most likely.
TRON: Lightcycle/Run LLSP - I assume we will pay Yep, most likely.
Space Mountain LLMP (sometimes single rider) TIER 1 - Check the standby times; it might be manageable.
Carousel of Progress - Fine attraction, but literally no line....ever. Plan to do this when you need to kill some time before a LLMP.

Would like to do
Haunted Mansion LLMP TIER 2 - Check the standby times on this one, as they vary a lot; could be a waste of a LLMP spot
Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid LLMP TIER 2
The People Mover - Best ride in all of WDW. Should be a TIER 1, not because of wait time but because of sheer enjoyment.
Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor LLMP TIER 2
Pirates of the Caribbean LLMP TIER 2 Definitely could be a manageable standby time and the queue is interesting unlike DLR's.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh LLMP TIER 2 If you want my honest opinion, unless you're a Pooh fan, this is not a must-do. It's less interesting than Peter Pan and doesn't even have its nostalgia factor.
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin LLMP TIER 2
it's a small world LLMP TIER 2 Check the standby times; this one varies A LOT. It might be 5 minutes or it might be 90.
Country Bear Jamboree
Peter Pan's Flight LLMP TIER 1 So painful to use your TIER 1 on this, but you have to. The line just doesn't move. But, the LL is bad too.

Attractions we really don't care if we ride or not Only Tiana is surprising, but I'm guessing you have a good reason for that.
Swiss Family Treehouse
Jungle Cruise LLMP TIER 1
Magic Carpets of Aladdin LLMP TIER 2
Enchanted Tiki Room
Big Thunder Mountain CLOSED
Tom Sawyer Island
Liberty Belle Riverboat
Mickey's Philharmagic LLMP TIER 2
Prince Charming Regal Carousel
Dumbo The flying Elephant LLMP TIER 2
The Barnstormer featuring the Great Goofini LLMP TIER 2
Tomorrowland Speedway LLMP TIER 2
Astro Orbiter
Tiana's Bayou Adventure LLMP TIER 1
Tea Party - LLMP TIER 2


EPCOT
Luminous 9 pm How early should we find a place to view? Walk up. It's so nice to watch the fireworks at EPCOT relative to MK. Heck, half the time we can even snag a bench 10 minutes before the show. I guess leave yourself enough time to grab an adult beverage beforehand, if that's something that appeals to you. The lines for the popular beverage spots will be worse than the standing crowds. But, avoid France -- so many people are convinced that you have to stand in between France and the U.K. so that you can quickly rush to the Skyliner to avoid COMPLETE AND UTTER DOOM.
Flower & Garden - When do they announce April musical groups? Can't help you there. Sorry.

Top Priority
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (Virtual Queue) - LLSP - I assume we will pay Yep, most likely.
Mission: SPACE LLMP
Test Track CLOSED
The Seas with Nemo and Friend LLMP - This is a show. Do we need LLMP for this? It's a ride. 100% no need for LLMP. If you do, it's not worth it - check back later. It's a simple dark track ride with, frankly, pretty lazy visuals. The aquarium that it feeds into is super cool though, but you don't need to ride the ride to experience it. Definitely check the aquarium out even if you skip the ride.
Frozen Ever After LLMP TIER 1
Beauty and the Beast Sing Along - This is a show. Do we need LLMP for this? I was about to say that I thought this was at DHS, until I realized that yeah, they have a movie theater in France that does this. Dear heavens, no LLMP needed. I don't even know where they would check it. It's more likely that you'll be the only ones in the theater. Just make sure to get there before it starts because I don't think they open the doors late.
Remy's Ratatouille Adventure LLMP TIER 1 Single Rider
Space Ship Earth LLMP

Would like to do
Journey into Imagination LLMP
Living with the Land LLMP
Gran Fiesta Tour featuring the Three Caballeros Isn't this down right now? I thought I just saw some pictures showing that it was drained for an extensive refurb.
Impressions de France

We can pass on these Skipping Soarin' is surprising, but I guess you have the same thing at DLR.
Wondrous China (Circle Vision)
Soarin' LLMP TIER 1
Canada Far & Wide (Circle Vision)
Turtle Talk - - LLMP
Pixar Film Festival - LLMP

Hollywood Studios
No shows or parades

Top Priority
Frozen Sing Along LLMP (hourly on the half hour) 100% waste of a pass; there's always ample walk-up seating and no bad seats.
Slinky Dog Dash LLMP TIER 1 you have to do LLMP, the line is unbearable otherwise.
One Man's Dream
Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy RIP.
Tower of Terror LLMP TIER 2
Beauty and the Beast LLMP 100% waste of a pass; there's always ample walk-up seating and no bad seats.
Rock'n Roller Coaster Featuring Aerosmith LLMP Single Rider TIER 1 Is this open? I can't keep track of it anymore.

Might do, not sure
Fantasmic! You HAVE to. It's incredible and, from what I hear, way different than DLR. It's in an amphitheater that is dedicated to Fantasmic. I would even encourage you to look at the VIP meal packages.
Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular LLMP

We can pass on these
Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway LLMP TIER 1 I guess, since you have this at DLR. It's a really enjoyable ride, but probably no different. It's more the architecture of the theater that makes it so cool at DHS.
Star Tours LLMP
Muppet-Vision 3-D LLMP If it's still going on, you might not get another chance. It's being permanently replaced soon.
Rise of the Resistance LLSP I hear it's the exact same ride, so good pass.
Millennium Falcon Smuggler's Run LLMP Single Rider TIER 1
Alien Swirling Saucers LLMP
Toy Story Midway Mania LLMP You sure? I could ride this all day.
Disney Jr. Dance Show LLMP

Animal Kingdom Really think about the value you're getting for LLMP here. I'm not sure what the crowds have been like lately. AK needs some lovin'.
No shows or parades

Top Priority
Avatar: Flight of Passage - LLSP sometimes single rider - I assume we will pay for this You might be able to get away with Standby, but this will still be the longest standby line of the day barring a wierd breakdown that has everyone rushing to ride something like Dinosaur.
Expedition Everest LLMP Single Rider
Finding Nemo: The Big Blue and Beyond LLMP You won't need LLMP. Fantastic show.
Dinosaur - LLMP
Festival of the Lion King LLMP You won't need LLMP. Fantastic show.

POSSIBLY
Kali River Rapids LLMP
Na'vi River Journey LLMP One cool animatronic in an otherwise relatively dull ride. But, there's not a lot else at AK so I guess this is worthwhile.
Kilamanjaro Safaris LLMP This is worthwhile. But, it's possible that like 75% of guests are now in line for Flight of Passage, Everest, or this. The other 25% are pondering why there ever were carvinal games in the middle of Dinoland USA (RIP).
Gorilla Falls Trail
Maharaja Jungle Trek
Feathered Friends in Flight LLMP

We can pass on these
It's Tough to be a Bug LLMP
Conservation Station
TriceraTop Spin RIP.
 
Thanks for this thread. I will eagerly be following along. I am a DLR vet (not as frequent a visitor as OP) heading to WDW in March. Made my dining reservations and planning our LLMP for two MK days and one Epcot day. We are staying at VGF and plan to watch fireworks from there one night. We also want to try watching from MK one night, so interested to see the reply that we can likely get a spot by arriving about 45 minutes before without any kind of dessert party (that would be great to not spend the time or money on the dessert party since we don't drink alcohol).

My single biggest concern about the whole trip is riding Frozen. We will be arriving from front of the park for EE (planning to arrive at 7:30 for the 8:30 open) and rope drop Frozen. We will plan to get LLMP for Remy Tier 1. I'm hoping we can book something like Pixar Shorts for 9:00 to then try booking Frozen a second time. Curious how possible this will be for 3 of us, as I think we would enjoy doing it twice.

Frankly, I'd prefer not to walk all the way back to Norway for EE RD and then all the way back to Soarin', but I don't want to risk not getting to ride Frozen with a short wait if we can't get LLMP day of. We have little kids, so SR Remy will not be an option (and not really feasible for us to RD International Gateway this trip). With the continued expansion of LLPP, I suspect day of availability for Tier 1 rides like Frozen will probably continue being tougher.
 
My single biggest concern about the whole trip is riding Frozen. We will be arriving from front of the park for EE (planning to arrive at 7:30 for the 8:30 open) and rope drop Frozen. We will plan to get LLMP for Remy Tier 1. I'm hoping we can book something like Pixar Shorts for 9:00 to then try booking Frozen a second time. Curious how possible this will be for 3 of us, as I think we would enjoy doing it twice.
@OlliePop27 how many people are in your party? I read in another thread that Remy has single rider. The advice was to use Tier 1 LLMP on Frozen.

Also, I'm still interested in whether you have any problems with your Disneyland paired MB+ at WDW.
 
@OlliePop27 how many people are in your party? I read in another thread that Remy has single rider. The advice was to use Tier 1 LLMP on Frozen.

Also, I'm still interested in whether you have any problems with your Disneyland paired MB+ at WDW.
Thank you. There will be 4 of us. Two adults, a 5 year old and a 1 year old. We won't be able to to SR for Remy, unfortunately. I also think you need to RD from International Gateway for it to be practical, but we'll be at front of park. I also heard Remy breaks down a lot, so I'm concerned with rope dropping it and it's down.

I will report back about my MB+. We have them linked in MDE, so hoping for the best! Last use of MB+ was at DLR last summer.
 
Replies in-line in red...lots to dissect here lol
THANK YOU for your detailed reply. It really helps. I understand but don't understand why they have walk on rides and shows as LLMP.

Regarding the resorts, what exactly is there to do there? View the lobby decorations? Eat? Are there any unique stores or stores that sell items that are not in the parks or at Disney Springs? When it comes to adding extra ticket days, it is only $17- $21 per person. It will give us the flexibility to visit the parks more leisurely and book LL farther in advance (remember, we are off site).

Tianas: We rode it at DLR a few times during the Magic Key Preview days. We were prepared to get wet and got drenched. I asked in the AP thread if the level of wet was the same at WDW and it sounds like it is similar. We are okay packing a change of clothes, shoes, rain poncho, etc. for DLR because we are not spending the whole day there. But it isn't worth the trouble for a ride that is very similar to what we have already done.
Soarin': Yes, it is identical to what we have at home. We've gone on it hundreds of times.
Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway: Apparently it is identical to what we have at DLR except that our queue is more elaborate.
Midway Mania: Our standby lines are crazy long and slow moving. If we are in the area and can get on it without much of a wait, we'll take advantage of it. Otherwise, we'll just ride it at home.

I believe Rock'n Roller Coaster Featuring Aerosmith is supposed to be open through 2025. Gran Fiesta Tour featuring the Three Caballeros is reopening on March 15. We'll be there in April.
 
My single biggest concern about the whole trip is riding Frozen. We will be arriving from front of the park for EE (planning to arrive at 7:30 for the 8:30 open) and rope drop Frozen. We will plan to get LLMP for Remy Tier 1. I'm hoping we can book something like Pixar Shorts for 9:00 to then try booking Frozen a second time. Curious how possible this will be for 3 of us, as I think we would enjoy doing it twice.
It will be highly unlikely that you will be able to get a LLMP for Frozen day of. If someone changes their plans and you happen to see it and be successful grabbing it, great but, I would not count on it.
Frankly, I'd prefer not to walk all the way back to Norway for EE RD and then all the way back to Soarin', but I don't want to risk not getting to ride Frozen with a short wait if we can't get LLMP day of. We have little kids, so SR Remy will not be an option (and not really feasible for us to RD International Gateway this trip). With the continued expansion of LLPP, I suspect day of availability for Tier 1 rides like Frozen will probably continue being tougher.
I haven't tried this so not 100% positive it would work but, would it be possible to book your 'throw away' LLMP for Spaceship Earth? Will the LLMP tap be open during ETPE? If so, you need to walk right past Spaceship Earth on your way to Frozen so might be able to tap there to open up the option to try to book Frozen? It would be far easier than going from Frozen to Pixar after your first tap and, open your window much earlier too.

@Dave006, could this work?
 
It will be highly unlikely that you will be able to get a LLMP for Frozen day of. If someone changes their plans and you happen to see it and be successful grabbing it, great but, I would not count on it.

I haven't tried this so not 100% positive it would work but, would it be possible to book your 'throw away' LLMP for Spaceship Earth? Will the LLMP tap be open during ETPE? If so, you need to walk right past Spaceship Earth on your way to Frozen so might be able to tap there to open up the option to try to book Frozen? It would be far easier than going from Frozen to Pixar after your first tap and, open your window much earlier too.

@Dave006, could this work?
Tapping in does not work until regular park open at 9:00 am. Thanks for the advice, I will consider booking something closer than Imagination. I just know we will be heading back towards the front of the park from Norway after riding FEA in order to do other rides. Gran Fiesta is reopening the day we are visiting, so maybe we hit that after FEA if time allows.
 
So interested to see the reply that we can likely get a spot by arriving about 45 minutes before without any kind of dessert party (that would be great to not spend the time or money on the dessert party since we don't drink alcohol).

I think this is doable. Of course, every day is different. But, in my many years of experience, you'll be fine showing up 45 minutes before HEA. Maybe it won't be the absolute most ideal spot of them all, but you'll have spots available where you can see and hear everything (and if you can't, you'll be able to move) - some will be even be great. What most of the early birds don't realize is that the CMs block off parts of the hub and main street for walk ways until the crowds start to fill in and then they open those spaces up. So, a lot of times, someone who shows up 10 minutes before the show has a more ideal view than someone who has been sitting there for 2 hours. Fair? Nope. Fact? Yep.

FWIW, we've never tried any of the dessert parties - the viewing location is subpar and it's SUPER expensive for what it is. It definitely feels more like a tourist trap thing than a luxury experience thing.

With the continued expansion of LLPP, I suspect day of availability for Tier 1 rides like Frozen will probably continue being tougher.

I don't know anyone who has done LLPP for EPCOT. I mean, I'm sure there are people with way more expendable income and way less time than me, but there's just not a lot of opportunity for value at EPCOT. GotG, Frozen, and Remy are about it, and you can easily do all three of those in a normal park day with a half-way decent strategy for a fraction of the cost of LLPP.

Regarding the resorts, what exactly is there to do there? View the lobby decorations? Eat? Are there any unique stores or stores that sell items that are not in the parks or at Disney Springs? When it comes to adding extra ticket days, it is only $17- $21 per person. It will give us the flexibility to visit the parks more leisurely and book LL farther in advance (remember, we are off site).

Yeah, I mean every single one of the resorts is impressive in its own way and a lot of them are iconic. A flight from end-to-end on the Skyliner is a really cool way to spend 30 minutes. The food is usually better (in terms of taste and options) at the resorts than at the parks. They all have unique shops that are specific to the resort theming. There is a lot of merch at WDW that is resort-specific or park-specific that is not sold anywhere else, including other resorts, other parks, or DS. Many DVC members book resort-only stays because there is just so much to see and do.

I'm a big fan of the 10-day ticket because it gets to be so incrementally cheap after like day 7. You have the right idea -- it's so much less stressful with a 10-day ticket versus a 4-day one. Just don't necessarily feel like you need to be a prisoner to your park-of-the-day simply because you bought a ticket. It's nothing to swing over to Polynesian for dinner while you are waiting on a LLMP window.
 
I'm planning a trip in April and need some advice with respect to LL and shows/parades

Background information:
  • It will just be my spouse and I. We are both in our late 50s.
  • We are Disneyland regulars, visiting several times a month. We haven't been to WDW in 15+ years.
  • Our priority is to see and do things that we don't have at Disneyland.
  • We are staying off site. We will have a car.
  • We will likely buy 9-10 day tickets without park hoppers
  • I have a conference for the first three days. The conference ends before 3 pm each day, so we could go to a park for dinner and a show in the evening. We're thinking of doing fireworks and Luminous on these evenings so we have time to find a viewing location.
Our accommodations are free, which means we can pay for parking, LLMP, LLSP, etc. I'm looking at each park and trying to figure which attractions would benefit from LLMP and which ones are easy to get on via standby. Below is our rough ranking of the rides for each park, along with my notes.

Here's an article that shows how much time each Lightning Lane saves you on average: https://touringplans.com/walt-disney-world/lightning-lane (Scroll down.) It may be a bit dated, but it should still show the relative time savings, except for the seasonal differences (like how rides that get you wet are less popular in winter.)
 
I think this is doable. Of course, every day is different. But, in my many years of experience, you'll be fine showing up 45 minutes before HEA. Maybe it won't be the absolute most ideal spot of them all, but you'll have spots available where you can see and hear everything (and if you can't, you'll be able to move) - some will be even be great. What most of the early birds don't realize is that the CMs block off parts of the hub and main street for walk ways until the crowds start to fill in and then they open those spaces up. So, a lot of times, someone who shows up 10 minutes before the show has a more ideal view than someone who has been sitting there for 2 hours. Fair? Nope. Fact? Yep.

FWIW, we've never tried any of the dessert parties - the viewing location is subpar and it's SUPER expensive for what it is. It definitely feels more like a tourist trap thing than a luxury experience thing.
Thank you! What's a good spot to somewhat see the castle and not have tons of people in front who might put kids on shoulders? Maybe the end of the buildings on Main Street?
 
Thank you! What's a good spot to somewhat see the castle and not have tons of people in front who might put kids on shoulders? Maybe the end of the buildings on Main Street?
You would need to be on Main Street to watch without trees in your way and you will be in the centre of other people. I’m really not sure there is a place where there are not other people. We tried standing outside Casey’s as we arrived only about 15 mins before they started and everything was full. Our spot was okay but a lot of the fireworks were blocked by trees.
 
You would need to be on Main Street to watch without trees in your way and you will be in the centre of other people. I’m really not sure there is a place where there are not other people. We tried standing outside Casey’s as we arrived only about 15 mins before they started and everything was full. Our spot was okay but a lot of the fireworks were blocked by trees.
Thank you. My apologies for not being clear. I've been to WDW and DLR before and understand how many people are there during fireworks.

I meant to say the front of a section where people won't be standing right in front of you, like where they make a walkway across the street. At DLR, there's a section by center street where you can be at the front of the section with no one right in front of you.
 
I meant to say the front of a section where people won't be standing right in front of you, like where they make a walkway across the street. At DLR, there's a section by center street where you can be at the front of the section with no one right in front of you.
I think I read that they do the same thing at WDW. The question is, where do they run those ropes to divide the sections?
 
I think I read that they do the same thing at WDW. The question is, where do they run those ropes to divide the sections?
It’s tape, and there’s just too many people for me to be able to pay attention enough to map where they put it down. IIRC, they try to leave the middle of the street open and push the early birds to the sides. Hence why I say that the early birds really get pretty unfair treatment.

The little landscaping fences and garbage cans around the hub are good strategies for an unobstructed view, but they are the ones everyone knows about and seeks out. Don’t be afraid to look further back or to the side for those opportunities. Everyone thinks you need to be front and center and that really isn’t even a good spot. I usually have last minute luck over by Tomorrowland Terrace — bonus points if they open the Tomorrowland gates after the show to ease crowd flow because then it’s a really easy out for you!

I know they’re meme-worthy, but I’ve honestly never seen a parent unapologetically put a kid on their shoulders. As much grief as I give humanity, like 95% of guests are smarter and more considerate than that. The cell phones, though…no way to avoid those. Just have to tune them out!

So now I get to ask the question back: where do we want to go at DLR in April to see the show? I imagine there will be gobs of people because it looks like a lot of the local school districts are on spring break.
 
So now I get to ask the question back: where do we want to go at DLR in April to see the show? I imagine there will be gobs of people because it looks like a lot of the local school districts are on spring break.

Glad I can help in return!

AT DISNEYLAND in April, there will be five areas to view fireworks with projections.
  1. The area between the Partners statue and the castle is the best view but you need to stake out a spot 1-2 hours in advance.
  2. You can stand on Main Street and view the fireworks in front of you while the projections are to your side.
  3. There are projections onto Small World with fireworks to the side.
  4. Fantasmic Dining Package is nice because it is an unobstructed view without having to deal with crowds. The projections are on water screens on the Rivers of America immediately following the first Fantasmic show. Fantasmic dining packages start as low as $35 pp.
  5. Fire of the Rising Moon - same fireworks viewed from SWGE with Star Wars themed music. They are adding SW themed projections from March 28 - May 11 for Season of the Force.
 
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Glad I can help in return!

April should be Mickey's Mix Magic.

There are four areas to view fireworks with projections, as well as in SWGE.
  1. The area between the Partners statue and the castle is the best view but you need to stake out a spot 1-2 hours in advance.
  2. You can stand on Main Street and view the fireworks in front of you while the projections are to your side.
  3. There are projections onto Small World with fireworks to the side.
  4. Fantasmic Dining Package is nice because it is an unobstructed view without having to deal with crowds. The projections are on water screens on the Rivers of America immediately following the first Fantasmic show. Fantasmic dining packages start as low as $35 pp.
  5. Fire of the Rising Moon - same fireworks viewed from SWGE with Star Wars themed music. They are adding SW themed projections from March 28 - May 11 for Season of the Force.
I don't have a picture of the view from Main Street. Here are amateur photos from the other locations.

Between Partner's statue and the castle.
View attachment 931782

Small World
View attachment 931783

Rivers of America after Fantasmic
View attachment 931780

SWGE
View attachment 931781
Great advice. My personal recommendation for DLR is ROA. Watch the early Fantasmic in a dining package section, then stay for the fireworks. Easiest experience and you get two shows for one. The fireworks start about 5 minutes after Fantasmic ends.

One additional tip for folks going after Paint the Night restarts in May. During the 60th I used to hang out in the Emporium during the first parade, then head onto Main Street right after for a great fireworks spot near Center Street. This was back when the parade ended less than 30 minutes before the fireworks and it remains to be seen how the show times work out this year.
 













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