Which evening show?

[varietypack]

Hi everyone!
I am super excited to be taking my family to Disneyland on August 9-11!
DH and I have 12, 9, and 6 year old children. We haven't been to Disneyland in 8 years! I really want them to experience 1-2 of the evening shows, but I don't know if Fantasmic! the fireworks, or World of Color would be the best choice. I am not into staking out a spot 2+ hours beforehand, as that just does not seem to be the best use of our limited Disney time. Which show is easiest to get a decent seat beforehand? One of the nights we could probably see one of the late shows, especially if I can get the 6 yo to nap Any suggestions? Our trip will be Tues, Wed, and Thurs nights.
Any and all thoughts would be appreciated!!

 

[skiingfast]

Either do the fire hydrant spot in the blue zone for WoC, or the light tower for F!.

 

[varietypack]

Thanks, skiingfast. so would you say those shows are better shows and/or easier to see than the fireworks?

 

[skiingfast]

Thanks, skiingfast. so would you say those shows are better shows and/or easier to see than the fireworks?

Using those strategies will take some time but you will get a far better spot than showing up last minute to the fireworks, F! or WoC. There just isn't a easy way to get a great spot for the fireworks like there is for WoC and F!.

Personally I like WoC best, F! more than Magical the summer fireworks show. The offseason or regular fireworks Remember Dreams Comes True is wonderful, but I only like it from certain locations which take time and planning to get. If you don't get it from a spot where you can see the whole show it goes from great to ok really quick.

 

[3Minnies1Mickey]

I would do the Light Tower trick for the first show of Fantasmic! and stay to watch the fireworks.

 

[tancee]

We were able to see all 3 shows when I was there. World of Color was my favorite, Fatasmic, and then the fireworks. We had fast passes for WOC. We were in the blue section in a great spot. We lined up early to get that spot. Fantasmic we saw the second show and had a nice spot that we could see well near the Haunted Mansion. The Fireworks we were leaving and just ended up in a good spot to see those.

 

[disneydreamer74]

I have seen them all and I would easily choose F! It is amazing!! All of the shows are good, but IMO Fantasmic is truly magical!!

 

[HappyHaunt]

We saw them all on our trip in June. Really Fireworks are pretty easy to see. There are lots of good spots open even last minute in front of the castle. I think we waited 10 minutes to see that.

We did the second show of WOC, with fastpass. Honestly I wouldn't miss this. It really blew us away, my 13 year old son was clapping in amazement and that doesn't happen often for him. lol It was really great.

Then we did the second showing of F! the next night. Which I think is the best way to see that show. Now waiting for hours, or trying to find a spot. Just wait until everyone leaves the first show, they clean up a for a few and then grab a front "row" seat.

 

[ArchOwl]

I saw WOC again last week and Fantasmic and fireworks (Magical) in late May. I have to say WOC is my absolute favorite evening show. It is really something special. That said, you do have to line up early. However, I think it is perfectly acceptable for someone in your party to stand in line while others get a snack or hop on a quick ride. You can even trade off duties. The line is easy to exit and enter.

If possible, I would do the second WOC show because you don't have to line up that early. Say the show is at 10:15pm, the line starts at 9:15pm. By the time everyone cycles through a snack and bathroom break, you will not be waiting too long. When you are allowed to enter the park, make your way as quickly as possible to a rail and line yourself up as much as you can with Mickey's face on the Fun Wheel. Hold your rail spot to make sure your kids can see.

Alternatively, you could do the fire hydrant trick and show up a little later. Personally, I like the show better when I am closer to the front, but some people like the back because they get a more panoramic view of the show.

Whatever you decide, you will have fun!

 

[Disneylovers2000]

Hi everyone!
I am super excited to be taking my family to Disneyland on August 9-11!
DH and I have 12, 9, and 6 year old children. We haven't been to Disneyland in 8 years! I really want them to experience 1-2 of the evening shows, but I don't know if Fantasmic! the fireworks, or World of Color would be the best choice. I am not into staking out a spot 2+ hours beforehand, as that just does not seem to be the best use of our limited Disney time. Which show is easiest to get a decent seat beforehand? One of the nights we could probably see one of the late shows, especially if I can get the 6 yo to nap Any suggestions? Our trip will be Tues, Wed, and Thurs nights.
Any and all thoughts would be appreciated!!

How exciting!! Have a wonderful time!
You have asked a loaded question! You will find many differing opinions and thoughts on this one and in the end you will just have to go with what you think your kids will like the best! I asked my boys - 11yrs - what they liked best when we were there a few weeks ago and they said -Fantasmik and Fireworks ( we did see all 3 - well sort of ). I will explain though, why they said this. When we went on our trip in Nov. we saw all three then and loved all 3 shows and at that time I would say to you - Fantasmik and WOC. BUT this time wasn't our lucky trip I guess. We got a fastpass for WOC for the blue section 10:15 show. We started lining up at 9:15 as the CM told us. By the time we got there the blue section line up was about half filled. We got into the blue section about 10, tried to find a spot, couldn't find the hydrant so many talk about and when your in that many people I found it a little frustrating BUT being in Disney I was willing to have extreme patience We kind of had a decent spotted staked, we spoke with the familys around us and we all kind of positioned ourselves so that the taller Dads were behind, kids in frontish, and Moms in the mix - the moms were all quite short I had an ok view but really just wanted the kids to see it the most. About 2 mins before the show started a group of young people (early 20's I would guess) squeezed their way in front and in between all of us to get a good spot and thus ended our view AT ALL of the show. Trying to talk with them and let them know that what they did was unacceptable, they just shrugged their shoulders and stayed right where they were... .
So needless to say, we saw NOTHING! My DH did but he is 6'3"! Myself, my kids, and the family around us saw the backs of the people in front of us. WOC is not set up so that every guest is able to get a good view. Although much more organized this year than last - which is good, it is just impossible for all people to see the show. My boys said they wouldn't waste precious Disney time waiting in line again for something they couldn't see anyway, they would have rather used that time to do other things. SO if it were me with my family and I only had 2 nights, I would skip WOC and do F! and Fireworks. We saw the fireworks from the hub this time and they were magical. I would say we lined up about 45mins before hand, we saw them from mainstreet last time and although good, the hub had that extra magic and we got to see Tink and Dumbo fly -which even at 11 my boys thought this was totally cool!For F! (which is my alltime favourite) we lined up just left of the middle light post, at the rail behind the preferred seating and had the best view ever! We got there about 9:45 and showtime is for 10:15. Whatever shows you see, I hope they are magical for you - they were for us!

 

[varietypack]

Thank you everyone, this helps a lot! I love this board
Our last trip was kind of miserable because it was a one day visit during a heat wave, and we had no plan of attack, so the lines, etc were bad. I have a feeling this trip is going to be sooo much better

 

[WICKEDW3NCH]

You have to get a fastpass for WoC which reserves your spot and gives you a return time for the show. For Fantasmic you can hang out at the Rivers of America (preferably the left side) and watch the fireworks then just hang around for the 10:30 show of fantasmic because it is much less crowded than the 9:00 show.

 

[halfwaynowhere]

my last trip, i wasn't planning on catching any shows, decided it was better to use that time for rides. but then i caught bits of the first showing of fantasmic, and decided i wanted to see the whole thing. so i decided to take one more trip on Jungle Cruise, then came back as the first crowd was cleared away, and got a good spot to sit on the ground. It was amazing, and I'd recommend it. I haven't seen WoC yet, and I haven't seen the fireworks from in front of the castle. I'm waiting for an off season trip for those, unless I happen to be in the right place at the right time.

 

[rob1105]

If you plan it right you can see the fireworks then go get a seat for F!. We were asked to be guest in the VIP seating for the firework show which was amazing. Being asked was simply being at the right place at the right time

 

[marcemc]

Another vote for WoC

We got blue section FP by buying the picnic lunches & watch it by the bridge, it has become our favorite show.

 

[Dobie]

WOC would be hard to see with short people unless you were willing to spend a long time standing/sitting and waiting.

Would your budget stretch to Fantasmic Premium Viewing? At 60 dollars each, it is very expensive, but your family would get chairs with great views of both Fantasmic and the fireworks, with no waiting.