Viewing Strategy Fireworks + 2nd Viewing of F!

[Mugglemama]

I apologize - I'm sure this question has been asked a gazillion times, but every time I try to search for it attached to the word "disboards" in Google, I'm getting a "Internet Explorer cannot display this page" sign.

This is my DD20's boyfriend's very first trip ever to DLR. He is soooo excited. Fireworks and F! will only be showing on ONE night of our stay. So, we have to do them both on the same night.

We don't have to have the-most-amazing-perfect-spot-in-the-history-of-the-universe for fireworks, but I *would* like DDBF19 to get to see it pretty clearly.

And then we'll have to be hustling over to ROA for the 10:15 showing of F!

Viewing and strategy suggestions are tremendously appreciated...thank you!

ETA: I don't mind waiting an hour+ for our fireworks viewing spot...but I'd like a spot where we are unlikely to get shoved around/squashed too much.

 

[DLR29]

If you watch in front of the castle, you'll have to wait at least an hour for your spot. Then when you want to head over to Fantasmic, there will be a lot of people, but you won't have to wait very long at all for good seats at F!

Basically, everyone who watches the first F! showing will stay in their seats for the fireworks too. Then they'll sweep everyone out of there, clean up the area, and then let people in for the second showing.

 

[skiingfast]

This will change in in May.

Find a spot for fireworks where you can see the Matterhorn and Castle Clearly and are near an access path left open during the show. After the show make your way quickly forward toward the castle.

In April, go up to the castle and into Plaza Gardens, take the walkway through the building that comes out into Rancho del Zocala. Stay right and get behind the exiting F! crowd.

In May, Plaza Gardens will be closed and that trick may no longer work. You will still want to get toward the Castle and enter Frontieland staying to the right, of a huge crowd pushing into the hub. It's hard to get around them but possible.

In either case I go counter clockwise around the hub to get away from the fireworks crowd. This is much easier than going clockwise around the hub. The reason is the people from the first F! are coming into the hub from FL and AL and making a right to Main Street at the 6 oclock position, or TL at the 3o clock position. If you go counter clockwise you can stay ahead of the crowd movement instead of fighting upstream.

 

[PinkBudgie]

If you don't care about the castle view you can go up by IASW about 15 to 20 minutes ahead of time and plop down anywhere. You won't see the castle but you will see things projected on IASW.

 

[soaringirl]

Thanks for posting this, I too wanted to know! Sorry to hickjack your post, I just wanted to ask: My MIL must likely will have a wheelchair, can we use the same strategy? (as skiinfast stated).

 

[Mugglemama]

Thanks a TON for the info everyone who posted!!!

@SoarinGirl - The last time we saw fireworks from inside the park was back in the summer of 2010, and we had my MIL with us, also in a wheelchair. We had just rushed over from the 1st showing of F! (I never want to see the 1st showing of F! again. Ever. I couldn't *believe* how insanely rude people were...we found an empty spot early - meaning, we didn't block anyone else or ruin their spot to get ours - right in front of the rear rope. People were practically sitting their kids ON my children, stepping on us, shoving us, etc. And don't even get me started on how as soon as the show began, they took out their phones and started taping, arms straight up in the air blocking our view...UGH! )

Anyway, we watched the fireworks from Coke Corner, and while we couldn't see it perfectly because of some trees, we did see quite a bit (dumbo flying, etc.). The spot was not overly crowded, which was the real benefit. HTH.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

Here's my experience,

The fireworks frame the castle, and most of them are just to the left of the castle. So, if you are going to watch them on Main Street (and for a first experience, I'd recommend it) try to get a spot where you will see the sky to the left of the castle, the castle, and the Matterhorn.

The first showing of Fantasmic ends right before the fireworks begin (when the fireworks begin at 9:25 or so). After the fireworks, people will be directed from the Fantasmic show area through Adventureland, and to the Fantasmic show area through Frontierland. There will be a lot of people going in both directions. Just join the crowd, resign yourself that you'll have to deal with the mob movements, and make your way to the shores of the river. The CMs do a good job of directing traffic - it's the guests who try to beat everyone else while in the crowd that cause issues.

I have done this several times, and have been able to see both shows fine.

For soaringirl, there is a wheelchair areas on the right side as you face the island, in front of Golden Horseshoe. You can go there with your mother-in-law provided there is still space. I did this with some friends. We watched the fireworks from Main Street, near the Tomorrowland entrance area, and from there, went with our friend in her wheelchair to that section and we were able to stay with her. So, even though we weren't "right there" to jump over to Frontierland, we were able to get to our area and see the show fine.

For Mugglemama, once the fireworks are over and you go to Fantasmic, you might consider going past the Pirates of the Caribbean to an area that might not be so crowded. A lot of people stop as soon as they get to the viewing area.

 

[Mugglemama]

Thanks, MaryJo...if I remember correctly, it seemed there was a designated area for wheelchairs/strollers? Otherwise I would have been more than happy to have kept moving further. Also, unless I'm mistaken, we were not in front of POTC. Seems like we were more toward the HM...not quite to it, but maybe in front of that restaurant that sits between the two.

The next night, we were there without MIL (she and FIL had decided to stay back at the hotel...) and although we didn't make any attempt to try to see F!, we did go on Haunted Mansion late, and when we came out, we could pretty much stand way behind the designated viewing area (on the upper level of the walkway) and see it just fine (the 2nd viewing of F! was about halfway through when we exited HM). We were thinking...wow, we could have totally seen it much easier/better from here.

Our goal this time is to see the later F! and just stand back. That experience was in the middle of Summer (week after 4th of July), and that late at night when we came out of HM, the walkways were pretty empty, making it so that we weren't blocking anyone by standing where we were. I'm hopeful, since we'll be there in early May this time - less crowded than mid-summer - that we will encounter a similiar situation this time around.

It was really disappointing to have gone through all the effort to arrive early, choose a spot where we could have the wheelchair, sit patiently (ie: our entire party stayed put the entire wait...we didn't send people off to eat or ride rides only to jump back into position at the last minute...), only to have inconsiderate people who think they are more entitled to the experience than everyone else, show up at the last minute, squeeze their way in, sit on the kids in our party as they decide they're going to take the space we'd been waiting in for over an hour, and then block our view with their cell phones . This kind of thing is the main reason we almost never feel compelled to make time to see DLR entertainment.

 

[soaringirl]

Thank you both Mugglemama and Mary Jo!