Worth it to use a FP for Illuminations July 4th show??

[calablovedisney]

I am in the process of booking my FP+ for our trip and having more trouble than I thought I would.
One that I got is for Illuminations of the 4th of July. Normally I would save my FP for rides, but last time we were at Epcot on the 4th we moved twice to a new location due to people being pushy, and I thought this would be a good way to avoid that and also avoid having to find a spot so far beforehand.

Has anyone viewed from the area? Is it worth the FP? And, how many people will be in the same area-will it be so deep with people it could be hard to see? So many questions....thanks for any thoughts on this!

 

[Jedimike]

I did the FP for Illuminations once, but only because I wasn't going to be in the park most of the day (an arrival day). It would be very tough to not use a FP on one of the big three attractions at Epcot.

I'm conflicted on what advice to offer. Even if you get the FP, you still have to arrive on the early side to get a good view. And no guarantee that people in the FP area won't be pushy. When we went, we were able to sit on the ground with our backs against a railing (away from the water), and when the show started, we stood up to watch. There was plenty of space between us and the majority of the crowd, who were jammed up against the railing in front of us.

 

[calablovedisney]

I did the FP for Illuminations once, but only because I wasn't going to be in the park most of the day (an arrival day). It would be very tough to not use a FP on one of the big three attractions at Epcot.

I'm conflicted on what advice to offer. Even if you get the FP, you still have to arrive on the early side to get a good view. And no guarantee that people in the FP area won't be pushy. When we went, we were able to sit on the ground with our backs against a railing (away from the water), and when the show started, we stood up to watch. There was plenty of space between us and the majority of the crowd, who were jammed up against the railing in front of us.

It is true, I am having trouble giving up a FP, which is why I decided to post this. We plan to use FP for 2 days in Epcot and I have booked FEE for one day already and plan to rope drop Soarin', but with 2 teen girls I think it will be more of a challenge rope dropping than in the past. Since I booked the Illuminations, I can't get a FP for Soarin' on the 2nd day (the 7/4) which is a must do for me. We don't plan to be there all day, but we do have an ADR for Teppan Edo at 5:40 so plan to arrive by 4:30.