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jazzysmom
09-13-2005, 02:39 PM
We are heading to Disneyland October 17-19. I have never seen the fireworks show, and would love to know where to sit/stand? How early do I need to get to the spots you recommend? I can't wait to hear your opinions!

1st trip without our kids in 7 years! YEAH!!!!!!

Chadsgal
09-13-2005, 03:03 PM
Right infront of the castle! Make sure you have a clear shot of the MH too. The night we sat in front of the castle we stayed seated after the last parade and it worked very well but that is about a 3hr wait if I am doing the math right in my head.

HydroGuy
09-13-2005, 04:10 PM
See http://www.mouseplanet.com/more/mm050511as.htm for a detailed rundown of locations. We saw it in the hub on Aug 2, and I recommend anywhere in the hub where you can see the castle clearly.

h_lehmann
09-13-2005, 08:06 PM
I've seen it 3 times, always from between Coke Corner and the Plaza Inn. I didn't even know about the projections on the Matterhorn until I read that last post. Nevertheless, this location gives you a very good of the fireworks, both the ones in front of you and ones behind you that shoot from the sides of Main Street. You can also get a decent spot just a few minutes before the show starts here. Best sight lines are towards the right (closer to the Plaza Inn rather then Coke Corner), since most of the fireworks rise somewhat to the left of the castle.

HydroGuy
09-13-2005, 08:11 PM
My two cents is that seeing the castle is 1000 times more important than seeing the Matterhorn. There really is very little on the Matterhorn.

poohlover
09-13-2005, 08:33 PM
Have decided balcony seating for Fantasmic is out of our budget this trip (October). So, I'm thinking we can watch the parade, then the fireworks, and then zip over to watch the late showing of Fantasmic. When you talk about "right in front of the castle," does this mean stake out a chunk of sidewalk or are there walls to sit on or ?? We need to arrive how far in advance of the parade to get good seats? Can we expect chaos when trying to get from the fireworks from the riverfront area to see Fantasmic, and where would be a good place to watch that? Would it be smarter to catch the parade earlier in the week (it runs every night) and arrive later to find a spot for the fireworks and then zip over to Fantasmic?

Somebody, PLEASE!! Based on your experience, just tell me what to do!!! :-)

Thanks!!

spacemountain85
09-13-2005, 08:51 PM
This is as good a place as any to ask this question.

Is the fireworks viewing area still as bananas now in the offseason as it was in, say, July?

HydroGuy
09-14-2005, 06:47 AM
Have decided balcony seating for Fantasmic is out of our budget this trip (October). So, I'm thinking we can watch the parade, then the fireworks, and then zip over to watch the late showing of Fantasmic. When you talk about "right in front of the castle," does this mean stake out a chunk of sidewalk or are there walls to sit on or ?? We need to arrive how far in advance of the parade to get good seats? Can we expect chaos when trying to get from the fireworks from the riverfront area to see Fantasmic, and where would be a good place to watch that? Would it be smarter to catch the parade earlier in the week (it runs every night) and arrive later to find a spot for the fireworks and then zip over to Fantasmic?

Somebody, PLEASE!! Based on your experience, just tell me what to do!!!I cannot answer your question completely, but I think can add some useful information. First, I have no idea what to expect in October. We were there in early August for four days and saw POD, the Remember fireworks and Fantasmic.

We were planning to see all three on the same night, and easily could have, but our afternoon break was too long so we had to skip POD (we did it the following day). But we did see the fireworks and Fantasmic on the same night.

I have kids (the two youngest were 9 and 10) and was concerned about them being able to see the castle after everyone stands up. In addition, in the two weeks before we came DL cancelled the fireworks three times due to high winds. I was not about to spend 3 hours waiting to see the fireworks and have them get cancelled. People who have 3 hours to risk like this are usually AP holders who come to DL frequently. I was willing to risk an hour.

We got to the hub at 8:25PM, exactly one hour before the fireworks started. We got a spot recommended by other MP folks in the hub in between the Adventureland entrance and Main Street. If the hub was a clock, and the castle is 12:00, we were at 8:00. From this spot we could clearly see the castle, and we could see the Matterhorn through and above the trees. We got a spot on the sidewalk on the curb. Right behind us a rope was put up for a walk way for walking traffic before and during the fireworks. No one could walk in front of us, and my 9 and 10 year old were able to clearly see through and above all the folks in front of them in the hub itself. The curb gave them a 4-6 inch advantage, which really helped.

I only saw the fireworks once, and cannot compare to the experience of sitting right in front of the castle. But we only risked one hour, and I felt our view was excellent. It is hard for me to imagine the front of castle spot being significantly better. But others who have tried our spot and the front of castle spot can comment with more authority.

After the fireworks ended at about 9:45, we followed a one-way walking traffic line clockwise in the hub up to the Frontierland entrance (about 30-40 yards - but wall-to-wall people). We went thru the Frontierland entrance and the crowds really dropped off at that point. We made our way over to Fantasmic at about 9:53. There were a lot of folks already down in front, but when we walked past we saw many large gaps. Our family of six easily fit in, with room to spare. A number of other folks came in after us and filled in more of the gaps, but no one around us was crowded. Out spot for Fantasmic was 15-20 feet back from the edge of the river, just left of center for the show. It was a really good spot.

For the POD on the next day, we saw the 7PM parade near the Mattehorn. If you walk thru the hub and take the branch to the right of the castle, you come to a split right at the Matterhorn where the left path takes you to FL, and the right into TL. We got a spot on the benches at that split, on the left near the bushes. This was a shady spot (at 6PM in August the sun was still up and it was still pretty warm out), and having a bench to sit on for an hour while we waited for the POD was really nice.

Have a great visit.

jazzysmom
09-14-2005, 01:28 PM
See http://www.mouseplanet.com/more/mm050511as.htm for a detailed rundown of locations. We saw it in the hub on Aug 2, and I recommend anywhere in the hub where you can see the castle clearly.

I just wanted to thank you for that link. I read everything (except the spoiler section) and really appreciate it!

poohlover
09-14-2005, 04:30 PM
This is EXACTLY the kind of first-hand info I was hoping for - thanks very much for taking the time to share your experience!!

momoftink
09-14-2005, 06:47 PM
We were just there last week and waited after the parade for the fireworks. We had a spot on the sidewalk right in front of the castle. You CAN have one person there with a blanket to save enough space for your group (that was done at Fantasmic also). We thought we could easily do rides after the fireworks but it got really busy and lines were long. The people beside us at the Fireworks said they had sent members of their party out during the wait for fast passes to use afterards. They got them as often as they could and that worked out well. I don't think it would work during a really busy season however as the fast passes would be sold out earlier in the day. By the way, they made everyone stand up for the fireworks. . . couldn't figure out why, but the show was fabulous and very much worth the wait. Hope this helps!




We are heading to Disneyland October 17-19. I have never seen the fireworks show, and would love to know where to sit/stand? How early do I need to get to the spots you recommend? I can't wait to hear your opinions!

1st trip without our kids in 7 years! YEAH!!!!!!