World of Color Superthread

[GrandBob]

How wet all depends on the wind. It can be barely noticable to wishing you wore a poncho. The wet zone is a warning, but you can be dry there, or wet well back from there.

How true! When we went last year, we were quite close; not quite the wet zone, but close. Stayed dry as a bone.

When we went a couple weeks ago, we took the fire hydrant spot. For those not familiar, that's about as far back as you can get, almost on the main walkway. We actually got a little sprinkle once. Surprised me.

-Bob

 

[datadiva48]

My brother who will be joining us with his young son on our trip to Disneyland has only one day to visit. He wants to see WOC, but he is planning on spending most of the day at Disneyland. He purchased a hopper ticket, but can I run over with his tickets to California Adventure and get us all fastpasses for WOC. If the ticket has been activiated by entry into Disneyland, but not California Adventure yet? He hates to waste time walking over to Californai Adventure when he has only a day to visit.

 

[GrandBob]

Yep, once the tickets have been activated at either park, they can be used for FPs at either park, including WOC FPs. Have fun!

 

[skiingfast]

My brother who will be joining us with his young son on our trip to Disneyland has only one day to visit. He wants to see WOC, but he is planning on spending most of the day at Disneyland. He purchased a hopper ticket, but can I run over with his tickets to California Adventure and get us all fastpasses for WOC. If the ticket has been activiated by entry into Disneyland, but not California Adventure yet? He hates to waste time walking over to Californai Adventure when he has only a day to visit.

Yep, once the tickets have been activated at either park, they can be used for FPs at either park, including WOC FPs. Have fun!

Just to add on since GrandBob noted that you surely can do this.

Woc Show Ticket(I call it this since it's not a FP at all except that it comes from a FP machine) will not effect any other FP collecting. Nor will what you have for DL effect collecting DCA FPs. So you could leave DL grabbing one more set of FPs, walks strait to DCA and grab your WoC show tickets, and Soaring FPs. All within 10 minutes, no problem.

 

[Briarrose1306]

I'm taking my first solo trip to DL next weekend, the 9-11 and have never seen WOC. During my last trip in May, I got FPs for it and got in line and hour and a half early, ended up with a great view only to have the entire show stop not two minutes into it due to issues of some sort. Needless to say, I was quite annoyed and didn't try again during the trip. I'm wondering if I should really push myself to try it again this trip with the notion that I would probably only be able to do it Saturday as I imagine it will be sold out by the time I get there on Friday. Is it possible as a single person to kind of just sneak in within the last 20 minutes before it starts? I really don't want to waste almost 2 hours of park time during the holidays as this is only my second Christmas time trip and I'm only there for a little over 2 days. Thanks in advance.

 

[skiingfast]

I'm taking my first solo trip to DL next weekend, the 9-11 and have never seen WOC........ I really don't want to waste almost 2 hours of park time during the holidays as this is only my second Christmas time trip and I'm only there for a little over 2 days. Thanks in advance.

It's a bit of a tough call. How late do your arrive? Before 6pm? You could get a show ticket with a picnic or dinner.

I would also suggest watching the second show since you are solo, I wouldn't suggest this with kids in tow. For the second show the wait is much less, however because you will be queued in the area, it can be a bit of a spoiler for a first time.

 

[HydroGuy]

In recent months they have allowed walkups for the second show due to the fact that not all FPs were distributed. But that is generally for the red section which tends to have more poor viewing spots.

 

[Briarrose1306]

Yes, Skiingfast, I will be there before 6pm. I should be in the park between 10-11am but when I got there about that time in May the FPs were completely gone. I've not really been a fan of the picnics I've seen nor do I want to pay for the dinners. If I'm going to pay that much, I'd rather do BB or Steakhouse55, but I appreciate the suggestion. I think trying to get into the second showing would be my best bet it sounds like. Or I've heard the view from the backside isn't a bad way to go, any truth to that?

 

[Eeee-va]

Is it possible as a single person to kind of just sneak in within the last 20 minutes before it starts? I really don't want to waste almost 2 hours of park time during the holidays as this is only my second Christmas time trip and I'm only there for a little over 2 days. Thanks in advance.

I would make an effort to see it in SOME way. It's up to you how much time you think you can/should devote to it. IMO you very well may be able to get a FP when you arrive Friday. And there are a few front viewing areas that don't require FP. And if you are above-average height, you may be able to find a pretty OK spot in the actual reserved area without too much of a wait as long as you have a FP.

If you really don't want to invest any real time into seeing it, and/or if you MUCH prefer being ALL alone to crowds, then you can catch one of the shows from the wrong side of the water. You will miss most of the animation but the fountains are still gorgeous and I found the experience so peaceful compared to waiting and being jostled in a viewing area. And if there are technical glitches/etc. then you didn't just waste much of your evening.

I wasn't looking to stake out a PERFECT back-side spot, so what I did on a day when DCA closed at 8 and there was an 8:15 show, I got in line for Toy Story Midway Mania some time before 8--the line was only about 10 minutes, so I got off the ride right about the time World of Color started, after park closing. Then I just found an "alternate" World of Color viewing area at my leisure. This MAY be even easier on a day when DCA closes at 9 and has a 9:15 show... Again, this will NOT be the ideal spot, but barring technical glitches, it should give you some of the highlights of the show in a pleasant, solitary (and very dark) atmosphere, with no waiting required.

These are photos from alternate viewing areas ranging from near California Screamin' (the first picture) to the beach-ish area near Jumping Jellyfish (the last one). Again, for the shows I saw, anyway, there were places where you could've thrown a rock and not hit anyone. If you're intimidated about being alone that's not so good, but I thought it was really special.

There are places where you can see some of the animation.

Some areas did have a few people.

One more advantage to watching from the wrong side is that technical glitches (like the building lights coming on randomly) might look really nifty.

 

[twins_mom]

Can we bring a stroller for our lo?

 

[HydroGuy]

Can we bring a stroller for our lo?

Yes. Have a plan if possible to have the faster people in your group go ahead and get a viewing spot because the stroller will likely slow you down trying to get there.

 

[brookelizabeth]

I apologize if this question has been answered, I have not reviewed the entire thread, and the search is returning no results for everything I type in!

My husband is legally blind. He CAN see, but not well. He basically sees things like you are looking through the opposite end of a telescope--everything is very small (along with being 100% colorblind and extremely sensitive to light). Therefore in order to truly see shows he generally needs to be as close as possible, and even then he will miss a lot of details. We frequent WDW where he gets a Guest Assistance Pass and we have been able to use it for everything--even Fantasmic where they ushered us into the front row of the reserved section on the side.

Is there anything like this for World of Color? I noticed there are handicapped sections, but that's not exactly what we need-unless there is one up close that we can surely get into that I'm not seeing on the map. I'm not expecting to be ushered right up to the rails, obviously, but, just wondering if there is something at least sorta close for people with low vision.

Do you recommend we do the reserved dinner so we can get into the front/close section, or do you think Disneyland would be able to assist with this? I'm guessing they will be able to help, since it's never been a problem at WDW.

We are going in January, a low-season, so hopefully that too will help us getting a better view for him.

I apologize for the long post! And thank you in advance for your help!

 

[Eeee-va]

Actually, people in the handicapped section DO get in before everyone else and can pick their viewing spot. In November 2011 (and I believe well before then as well) they had a separate waiting area for handicapped viewers, right at the front. You do need a Fastpass to view the show (free one is best; you might want Yellow or Red?). But the handicapped queue people are let in first, before the regular queue behind them. They can then choose either the handicapped section or anywhere else in the viewing area.

If multiple shows are offered during your trip, I'd either make sure to go to the early show (which will involve substantially more waiting, as I hear they start loading people into the viewing area an hour prior to the show and you'd have to be there before then) or stay out of the area until the first show is over. I THINK you can probably show up to the second show shortly after the first one ends, meaning you could in theory hang out somewhere away from the first show and then when that's over, head over to the back of the handicapped viewing queue, which will still get you in before anyone else. I can't guarantee that though, so if you don't have 2 nights to potentially devote to World of Color (in case the late show thing doesn't work) you may just want to go to the first show.

(In normal circumstances, I'm not certain I think it's worth the trouble to see the first show, even though it's nicer because you don't get at all spoiled for the show. In your husband's case, though, I think a lot of the appeal of the show would be the music, which is hard to avoid if you're in the area.)

Alternately, if you yourself aren't that interested in the show (or don't think it's worth the hassle), you might just view it from an alternate viewing area in the back--some of those get pretty close to the fountains, and my GUESS is that your husband wouldn't be able to see the projections anyway (they're not that clear, though I heard a rumor they're getting new projectors at some point which will help with that).

Low season crowds may or may not help you--World of Color is a "ticketed" event so I believe the first show pretty much always "sells out" which makes the crowds for the first show, at least, pretty similar regardless of season. But if the handicapped viewing entrance continues to work like it did in November (and I don't see why it wouldn't) you should have no trouble getting as close as you like.

Have a great trip!

 

[brookelizabeth]

Actually, people in the handicapped section DO get in before everyone else and can pick their viewing spot. In November 2011 (and I believe well before then as well) they had a separate waiting area for handicapped viewers, right at the front. You do need a Fastpass to view the show (free one is best; you might want Yellow or Red?). But the handicapped queue people are let in first, before the regular queue behind them. They can then choose either the handicapped section or anywhere else in the viewing area.

If multiple shows are offered during your trip, I'd either make sure to go to the early show (which will involve substantially more waiting, as I hear they start loading people into the viewing area an hour prior to the show and you'd have to be there before then) or stay out of the area until the first show is over. I THINK you can probably show up to the second show shortly after the first one ends, meaning you could in theory hang out somewhere away from the first show and then when that's over, head over to the back of the handicapped viewing queue, which will still get you in before anyone else. I can't guarantee that though, so if you don't have 2 nights to potentially devote to World of Color (in case the late show thing doesn't work) you may just want to go to the first show.

(In normal circumstances, I'm not certain I think it's worth the trouble to see the first show, even though it's nicer because you don't get at all spoiled for the show. In your husband's case, though, I think a lot of the appeal of the show would be the music, which is hard to avoid if you're in the area.)

Alternately, if you yourself aren't that interested in the show (or don't think it's worth the hassle), you might just view it from an alternate viewing area in the back--some of those get pretty close to the fountains, and my GUESS is that your husband wouldn't be able to see the projections anyway (they're not that clear, though I heard a rumor they're getting new projectors at some point which will help with that).

Low season crowds may or may not help you--World of Color is a "ticketed" event so I believe the first show pretty much always "sells out" which makes the crowds for the first show, at least, pretty similar regardless of season. But if the handicapped viewing entrance continues to work like it did in November (and I don't see why it wouldn't) you should have no trouble getting as close as you like.

Have a great trip!

Thank you, thank you! World of Color is very important to me, so I definitely want to see it from the front side. A friend of mine who also happens to have a vision impairment, and knows Disneyland well, suggested Red - so I think that is what we will go for with the FP and then just hope for the best! We will have 3 nights at Disneyland, I'll aim for 2 for World of Color (and one for fireworks), so in case we don't get what we need the first night, we can try again.

As for the first or second showing, I'm a bit more partial to the second showing just because we have a 4-year old that may get antsy with waiting too long. I'll just try to divert my eyes during the first show. Or maybe we'll watch it from the back, and then from the front! In all, I need to do more research yet on the first versus second showing - before I make a solid decision there.

Thank you again for your help. It's good to know the handicapped sections are loaded in first, that will be very helpful for my DH to find a spot that he thinks will work. And I don't think he'll be able to really see the projections very well either-he can't see them very well/at all at WDW's Fantasmic from the 2nd row. He will enjoy the technology of the show (techno geek), the overall BIGness of it, and the music most I think.

 

[mikethern]

Disney should just install bleachers so everyone can sit and have a good view. They could even install pull-out bleachers like the ones in high school gyms. Heck, ask the guy who designed Soarin' to design bleachers that disappear into the ground when not in use.

 

[HydroGuy]

Disney should just install bleachers so everyone can sit and have a good view. They could even install pull-out bleachers like the ones in high school gyms. Heck, ask the guy who designed Soarin' to design bleachers that disappear into the ground when not in use.

The WOC viewing experience does need improvement. I have no idea how Disney will fix this. Frankly I think bleachers would be ugly and would disrupt the feeling of the Paradise Pier area. I suspect Disney is working on a Plan B - something that would not be available until 2013 at the earliest since 2012 is the year they roll out the "finished product" of the DCA refurb so they can't take WOC down in 2012. At some point WOC will require a refurb and that will be the time. A good time for this might be January-March 2013.

 

[Eeee-va]

I wonder if someday they might make the main viewing area more sloped. I still remember many years ago when they closed the whole Rivers of America to make "terraced" viewing for Fantasmic! Though given that they had what, 20 years of experience with that show, you'd think they could've built a better viewing area for World of Color.

Though at this point they COULD just distribute fewer Fastpasses on less busy days--when the second show doesn't "sell out" until 6 PM (or not at all), they could probably just reduce the number of people they let in the area, which would help somewhat.

But you never know...we saw it from the bridge where the entire viewing area was just 1-2 people deep, yet the person behind me insisted on standing about an inch away from me and pretty much pushing me against the rail the whole time. I've seen Fantasmic! twice standing up at the front and never had that sort of problem, and it was much more crowded... So I guess some problems will only be fixed with time as the novelty wears off...and with the show constantly being updated, the novelty may actually never wear off!

 

[mikethern]

I just realized that bleachers might make it hard to see the images reflected on the water vapor because the viewing angle would be changed. Maybe that's why there are no bleachers.

 

[KCmike]

I hope they rethink the meal plans that come with the preferred dining for 2012. Doesn't seem like too many good options for kids and picky eaters.

 

[my2mickeykids]

I can't see if this has been answered yet, there are so many pages. My sister & I only have 1day in the parks & want to maximize our time. We really want to see WOC & don't mind paying for priority seating but don't want to waste a lot of our evening waiting to see the show. If you had 1 day (Saturday) how would you view WOC? Thank you!