What is your favorite nighttime entertainment?

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Now that I have finally seen Paint the Night, I’ve seen all of the nighttime entertainment currently available. It has confirmed what I suspected...Fantasmic! is definitely my favorite nighttime entertainment option. I think my next favorite would be the Remember Dreams Come True fireworks (I haven’t seen Together Forever yet), followed by World of Color. I’m just curious what everyone’s favorite is.

 

[Jedi Mouse]

Fantasmic! vs World of Color can lead to heated exchanges at the Jedi Mouse house. It's a 2-2 draw and both sides are firmly entrenched.

 

[BrianL]

I would have said Fantasmic! until I just saw the updated show and I was so disappointed. I think I have to go with Paint the Night now, with Together Forever a close second.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

For us, it depends on which version of which show. We're sentimental classicists: fireworks all the way (no one does them like DL!), BUT only if the show is RDCT (which has such a special place in our hearts). We love F!, BUT only the original show, not the 2.0 version (give us Peter Pan over Jack Sparrow any day!). And we love WOC, BUT only the original show (so glad it's back -- give me "The Old Mill"!), not the 60th version (so relieved when that went away). PTN is awesome, but will never replace the charm of the MSEP. This is such a hard question to answer by choosing only one show!

 

[agamble]

Fantasmic!! is spectacular, but I do not care for the new sardine viewing situation. I'm dreading trying to watch it on our summer visit. We've only seen it once in this AP year.

I'm really looking forward to PTN and hoping to see it tomorrow.

 

[goooof1]

Fantasmic! all the way! Though, I also intensely dislike the new viewing situation!! "fast pass" section is a joke, right? pay extra $$ or be herded like cattle!!

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Fantasmic! all the way! Though, I also intensely dislike the new viewing situation!! "fast pass" section is a joke, right? pay extra $$ or be herded like cattle!!

So until this year, the last time I saw Fantasmic! was when it debuted back when I was in high school. I vaugly remember everyone sitting on the ground.

 

[ashley0139]

I have a hard time deciding between Paint the Night and Fantasmic. I love both but obviously they are so different. I see PTN more though because seeing Fantasmic is such a hassle with the fastpass and the waiting and the sardine-like situation. I just don't like to deal with it. So I guess PTN.

I'm not a World of Color fan.

 

[peterpanandwendy]

I'm not a World of Color fan either. I just don't 'get it' or something. It is missing something for me. That is the only one I'm okay with skipping for an entire trip.

 

[Katems]

I didn't care for World of Color and I hated Paint the Night. What is happening to the classic Disney characters?? Disney is getting rid of them all and favoring Pixar and Star Wars and Marvel and such. I'm a huge fan of the Electric Light Parade so Paint the Night was a HUGE disappointment. I also found the fireworks to be very lacking. Not impressed at all. I don't usually go for the nighttime (or daytime) entertainment. I go for the rides, rides, rides, rides! Fantasmic was okay, but still a little boring. I did the BB F! package so my very expensive seating and viewing was just fine.

 

[BrianL]

I didn't care for World of Color and I hated Paint the Night. What is happening to the classic Disney characters?? Disney is getting rid of them all and favoring Pixar and Star Wars and Marvel and such. I'm a huge fan of the Electric Light Parade so Paint the Night was a HUGE disappointment. I also found the fireworks to be very lacking. Not impressed at all. I don't usually go for the nighttime (or daytime) entertainment. I go for the rides, rides, rides, rides! Fantasmic was okay, but still a little boring. I did the BB F! package so my very expensive seating and viewing was just fine.

I'm not really sure it's fair to ask where the classic characters are in Paint the Night. The parade is led with Tinekrbell and a Peter Pan unit, I think I'd consider Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast pretty classic at this point, and the finale is a Mickey Mouse unit with several of the classic characters, and songs including Zip-a-dee-doo-dah and When I see an Elephant Fly. No classic characters are being eschewed here, and there is no Star Wars and Marvel. They did include Pixar, but Toy Story came out in 1995! It's pretty classic too.

Sure, the new fireworks are themed to Pixar, but they are only for Pixar Fest, at least for the moment. Disneyland Forever used a lot of classic stuff, and that was only a few years ago. Sure, new characters come in, but the thinking that all the classics are going away just doesn't hold. Over at WDW, the newest ride (about four years old now) at MK is based on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs!

 

[ashley0139]

I'm not really sure it's fair to ask where the classic characters are in Paint the Night. The parade is led with Tinekrbell and a Peter Pan unit, I think I'd consider Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast pretty classic at this point, and the finale is a Mickey Mouse unit with several of the classic characters, and songs including Zip-a-dee-doo-dah and When I see an Elephant Fly. No classic characters are being eschewed here, and there is no Star Wars and Marvel. They did include Pixar, but Toy Story came out in 1995! It's pretty classic too.

Sure, the new fireworks are themed to Pixar, but they are only for Pixar Fest, at least for the moment. Disneyland Forever used a lot of classic stuff, and that was only a few years ago. Sure, new characters come in, but the thinking that all the classics are going away just doesn't hold. Over at WDW, the newest ride (about four years old now) at MK is based on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs!

Agreed. I don't understand that viewpoint at all.

But I also think the electrical parade is insanely boring compared to PTN so what do I know. I feel like people liked the electrical parade because of the nostalgia.

 

[BrianL]

Agreed. I don't understand that viewpoint at all.

But I also think the electrical parade is insanely boring compared to PTN so what do I know. I feel like people liked the electrical parade because of the nostalgia.

Well now, I love the MSEP too, but Paint the Night is incredible and I am generally okay with updates like that. I was so happy the first time I watched PTN and I heard that they kept the tune from the Baroque Hoedown! It made me smile.

 

[peterpanandwendy]

I'm not really sure it's fair to ask where the classic characters are in Paint the Night. The parade is led with Tinekrbell and a Peter Pan unit, I think I'd consider Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast pretty classic at this point, and the finale is a Mickey Mouse unit with several of the classic characters, and songs including Zip-a-dee-doo-dah and When I see an Elephant Fly. No classic characters are being eschewed here, and there is no Star Wars and Marvel. They did include Pixar, but Toy Story came out in 1995! It's pretty classic too.

Sure, the new fireworks are themed to Pixar, but they are only for Pixar Fest, at least for the moment. Disneyland Forever used a lot of classic stuff, and that was only a few years ago. Sure, new characters come in, but the thinking that all the classics are going away just doesn't hold. Over at WDW, the newest ride (about four years old now) at MK is based on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs!

I also think that viewpoint is a bit odd. As far as I know Disneyland has to keep up with what is popular right now, not fifty years ago. My kids could care less about Peter Pan or Snow White. I have a 7 year old boy who LIVES for characters like BayMax or Kylo Ren. To him, nostalgic characters are Buzz and Woody because they remind him of his childhood. lol. I love that Disneyland keeps progressing with the popularity of the most recent films. It would be so sad if it always stayed the same and never changed.... what it Disneyland was exactly the same today as it was when it opened? All the open space and corny rides and limited theming? Would people still go? Or would be a "once you've done it once you don't need to do it again" sort of experience?

We come down from BC every 4 years and every time it is sooooo different and I LOVE that. It is always fresh and new to me. The novelty never wears off. Sure there are some things I loved and will miss (TOT and Aladdin) but the new stuff always blows me away too and it quickly becomes a 'classic'.

 

[BrianL]

I also think that viewpoint is a bit odd. As far as I know Disneyland has to keep up with what is popular right now, not fifty years ago. My kids could care less about Peter Pan or Snow White. I have a 7 year old boy who LIVES for characters like BayMax or Kylo Ren. To him, nostalgic characters are Buzz and Woody because they remind him of his childhood. lol. I love that Disneyland keeps progressing with the popularity of the most recent films. It would be so sad if it always stayed the same and never changed.... what it Disneyland was exactly the same today as it was when it opened? All the open space and corny rides and limited theming? Would people still go? Or would be a "once you've done it once you don't need to do it again" sort of experience?

We come down from BC every 4 years and every time it is sooooo different and I LOVE that. It is always fresh and new to me. The novelty never wears off. Sure there are some things I loved and will miss (TOT and Aladdin) but the new stuff always blows me away too and it quickly becomes a 'classic'.

At the same time I'd never want to see them truly discard the older characters and some of the rides, like Peter Pan's Flight. They are not in fact doing this at all though, so I don't really understand the perception that they are.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Agreed. I don't understand that viewpoint at all.

But I also think the electrical parade is insanely boring compared to PTN so what do I know. I feel like people liked the electrical parade because of the nostalgia.

Paint the Night is a superior parade but MSEP has that nostalgia factor a million fold. I can’t describe the joy of watching a parade I watched and loved as a child and now watching it as an adult with my own child with me (who loved it too). When the lights got dark and the music came on I was crying. My SIL who had never seen the MSEP as a kid said she didn’t get why people liked such an old parade with old technology and she was bummed it wasn’t Paint the Night during their visit.

 

[22Tink]

World of Color is the only must do show for us. It’s one we all love and do every trip.

 

[ashley0139]

Paint the Night is a superior parade but MSEP has that nostalgia factor a million fold. I can’t describe the joy of watching a parade I watched and loved as a child and now watching it as an adult with my own child with me (who loved it too). When the lights got dark and the music came on I was crying. My SIL who had never seen the MSEP as a kid said she didn’t get why people liked such an old parade with old technology and she was bummed it wasn’t Paint the Night during their visit.

Absolutely. Having never seen it as a kid, I thought it was pretty boring. It's a very different parade without nostalgia goggles haha.

 

[SD33]

The original WOC show is as good as it gets for me. But here's the thing, I've watched from the front rail 3 out of 4 times I've gone and the experience is completely different based on where you view from. I would wager a guess that everyone who hates WOC is watching it from some vantage point in the mob, not in an unobstructed viewing area like the front rail.

Front and center, hands down, the best viewing area for Disney's best show ever.

 

[ashley0139]

The original WOC show is as good as it gets for me. But here's the thing, I've watched from the front rail 3 out of 4 times I've gone and the experience is completely different based on where you view from. I would wager a guess that everyone who hates WOC is watching it from some vantage point in the mob, not in an unobstructed viewing area like the front rail.

Front and center, hands down, the best viewing area for Disney's best show ever.

I've seen every version of World of Color, the original multiple times, from pretty much every area including the front. I'm still not a fan of it. But I'm probably in the minority. I end up seeing it though because I'm with other people who want to see it. My favorite version was actually the 60th (which I think universally is the most disliked version).