Advice on viewing areas/seating times for shows

[caribear]

I am looking for advice on the best viewing areas and when to "claim" our spot for PTN, Fireworks, and Fantasmic! We will not have any dining or dessert parties booked as my kids are 10 and 15...charged as adults....and eat next to nothing....so it's hard for me to justify spending the money on these packages. We have never been to DL, but live in FL about 40 minutes from WDW....so we go often. My kids aren't really into the parades and shows, but I would like to see them while we are there. Very disappointed WoC will not be showing, but we had already made our plans and booked flights before the Pixar news came out.

So....where should we sit/stand for PTN, Fantasmic!, and the fireworks? How early do we need to claim our spots? I know it will be pretty busy when we are there and would like to make sure we have a decent view for these shows.

Thanks so much for your help!!!

 

[cmwade77]

Basically whatever the beginning of your FP return time is for the show, as they wont let you in any earlier than that.

 

[DizneyMommy]

For the fireworks, we like Main St for the extra projections, and other surprises, between the buildings. End of April on a fairly busy Saturday we walked up and stood in a great spot 20 minutes prior to it starting.

For PTN, we like to be near Little Mermaid, on the north side of the sidewalk area. When the parade passes, we head down the path past Grizzly River Rapids to get head of the crowd toward the exit. If you want to stay in the park, that’s not a bad spot either as the parade will keep going toward the gate and you won’t be swimming upstream.

For Fantasmic, if you can get a FP, I would do it, and follow the instructions given. Otherwise that one is a long wait for a good spot. We don’t do that one often, but we like to be sort of towards Frontierland to be ahead of the exiting crowds as well.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Try to view the fireworks your first night at DL. The show can be cancelled, usually due to unsafe wind speed/direction. If the show gets cancelled on your first night, you'll still have other nights to try to view it again. For F!, ask the CMs when you get your FPs about when to line up and where. If you don't see the show the first night, walk by the F! FP area to do a little research and to ask the CMs there when people started lining up and when the ropes were lifted. With your kids, it will be important to be in the front of the viewing section or they won't be able to see much of the show.
If you decide to try a F! Dining Package, Hungry Bear is the least expensive. If you don't see anything on the special menu that they'll eat, know that you can order for them from the regular menu. You'll still pay the Dining Package price, but at least your kids will have more food options. The HB F! viewing section has a good view of the show.
PTN has a long parade route, so it shouldn't be hard to find good viewing spots, especially if you don't have to be in the front row.

 

[momof2n2]

For the fireworks, we like Main St for the extra projections, and other surprises, between the buildings. End of April on a fairly busy Saturday we walked up and stood in a great spot 20 minutes prior to it starting.

For PTN, we like to be near Little Mermaid, on the north side of the sidewalk area. When the parade passes, we head down the path past Grizzly River Rapids to get head of the crowd toward the exit. If you want to stay in the park, that’s not a bad spot either as the parade will keep going toward the gate and you won’t be swimming upstream.

For Fantasmic, if you can get a FP, I would do it, and follow the instructions given. Otherwise that one is a long wait for a good spot. We don’t do that one often, but we like to be sort of towards Frontierland to be ahead of the exiting crowds as well.

If we grab tha F! FP what time would you recommend we head to the FP entrance to get as good a spot as possible for our group? (9people, three short.)

 

[theluckyrabbit]

If we grab tha F! FP what time would you recommend we head to the FP entrance to get as good a spot as possible for our group? (9people, three short.)

Will you be seeing the first or second show? (I'm assuming the first?) Ask the CMs at the FP machines what time they recommend you return and where. If you get the chance to scout the area (by the Mark Twain dock) a day or two before you view F!, take a moment to talk with the F! CMs about where/when people start lining up to be in the front of the section and if the first group is still allowed to sit on the ground. Remember that just because CMs say that "technically" you aren't allowed to line up before a specific time, that does not mean that guests won't already be lining up or hanging around the area waiting to form a line earlier. I would aim to be in the FP return area about an hour or so before the return time printed on the ticket, just to see if anyone is already lining up. As soon as you see a line form, jump in! Since you will have several adults in your group, you'll be able to take turns taking the kids on rides or for restroom/snack breaks.
This advice doesn't necessarily hold true for the dining package FPs because the reserved areas aren't as packed as the free FP area. Plus, the reserved areas have guests sitting on the ground, not standing. So it isn't so bad if you end up further back. But in the free section, it will be crowded and mostly standing (don't know if the ground sitting section still exists).

 

[agamble]

Fantasmic is a pain sadly. Last summer the queue area was at the boat dock across from Big Thunder. People just waited en mass in the boat dock. This resulted in people who came later getting in front of those who arrived earlier. There did appear to be a line for those who were first though. Once they let people in it is a free for all. We were in the mass of people and still got front on a rail in an area with a screen off to the right. Many people head straight to the center, but we still had a good view and our own screen. We could sit for a while, but as more people arrived CM said we had to stand. It was sardine cramped. The show is excellent though.

We watched PTN in April just outside the zephyr. It's a nice spot. The parade starts on that side so you dont have to wait as long for it. There are also restrooms nearby. We sat down about an hour early, but could have got a good spot for a while after. That day it wasn't too busy and people walked up and sat down behind us just before the show started. We enjoyed our hour wait though and were glad to be front since our kids are very little. You would probably be ok being second row with your youngest at 10. In that case I'd say about 30 mins early is probably ok if you sit in the Pier area. Lots of people like to watch near Buena Vista, so it is more crowded there.

 

[figment_jii]

For PtN, I would aim to see the second presentation if they have one. If they do not, then it depends on whether you want a front row (sitting) spot or if a standing spot is okay. The PtN route is pretty long, so you can often find standing spots with a good view without much of a wait. Personally, I would still aim to be there about 30 minutes before hand and walk along the route (either head towards GotG or Paradise Pier from BVS) and see what's available (my guess is that Paradise Pier is less busy because it's further into the park, there is less happening over there at this point (that will change once Pixar Pier opens), and there is more of the route along this way.

For fireworks, as others have said, I would highly recommend watching it from Main Street at least once. I would probably aim to get there about 30 minutes early (or, head there earlier, get something to eat, head out to MS and eat while you wait). The Castle is also another very popular spot, but you have to be willing to wait hours for that with no guarantee that they'll be able to present fireworks (as mentioned by theluckyrabbit). On Main Street, I would aim to be somewhere around the Candy Palace/Crystal Arcade sign, in the middle of the street. That's far enough back to see the MS projections and effects, and still be able to see the castle and those effects.

You can also watch fireworks from the F! viewing areas; they do the castle projections on the mist screens, but I would only do this as a second option. While you will be able to see the fireworks and the projections, the experience isn't the same as MS (it's not as immersive) and you won't see the characters flying (you might glimpse them, but not framed with the castle or with the right timing). I would do this if you've already seen the show from MS or if you have no other choice (it's generally not easy to make it from the F! viewing area to MS to see the fireworks; there isn't enough time given the crowds).

 

[agamble]

For fireworks, as others have said, I would highly recommend watching it from Main Street at least once. I would probably aim to get there about 30 minutes early (or, head there earlier, get something to eat, head out to MS and eat while you wait)... I would aim to be somewhere around the Candy Palace/Crystal Arcade sign, in the middle of the street. That's far enough back to see the MS projections and effects, and still be able to see the castle and those effects.

Is 30 minutes all you need to wait to see the fireworks on Main Street then? Do people start filling the street up around 30 mins? We've not seen this show and haven't watched fireworks from main street before.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Is 30 minutes all you need to wait to see the fireworks on Main Street then? Do people start filling the street up around 30 mins? We've not seen this show and haven't watched fireworks from main street before.

Yes, Main Street has ample room even 10-15 minutes before (but 30 will give you a better spot for sure).

It’s the castle that people camp out for. Last Saturday the castle area was completely full by 7:00 for a 9:30 show.

 

[figment_jii]

People start filling in well before 30 minutes (so if you want to be in the middle of the street and/or have you choice of spots, aim to be there before then), but somewhere around that time, the CMs start to come around and ask guests to stand up, so more space appears. At least, that's how things were working in late April. It might change with the summer crowds, but about 30 minutes worked well for my group.

 

[caribear]

Thanks so much for all of your suggestions!! I appreciate the replies!

 

[ExpatDisneyLover]

For the fireworks, I was on Main Street right where the clock is - a really good spot to see the projections on the buildings.

For Paint the Night - I was to the left of the Ariel attraction - where the entrance to the main bridge going to Pixar Pier is located- entrance to the bridge to Fisherman's Wharf. It was a really good location IMO.

For Fantasmic - I had the Hungry Bear dining package - quick service $30 per person and of course it was a really amazing seat. Fantasmic at Disneyland is great to see in that they have some additional parts that WDW doesn't have - really enjoyed it.

For the parade and Fantasmic, it is nice to have something to sit on - an extra jacket, blanket etc.

 

[BrerMama]

We just got back yesterday. For PTN, we did the dining package and sat down at 8 pm, but people sat right beside us (we chose seats on the edge of the reserved area) at the same time as us. So right besides us, with a rope between us, and we paid a lot more for the spot (but the meal was delicious so not feeling too bad about it). I would not wait until much past 8 pm though because when we sat down, the entire opposite side of the street was already full. They did make everyone outside the reserved area stand up and we got to sit on the ground the whole time. We took a blanket to sit on.

Fireworks... we sat down on Main Street just about 8 pm for the 9:30 show. Every spot on the curb was taken at that time, but only a few people in the middle of the street. About 9, the street started filling up and we knew we wanted to be in the middle of Main Street, so we got up and moved and sat down in the crowd in the middle. At exactly 9:15, they came around and told everyone we needed to stand. We were just behind where they block off the end of Main Street (between the Coke place and photo shop on the opposite side) to make a walkway. Had a great view, but we sat there for 90 minutes to get it.

We did Fantasmic but did a dining package.

People are serious about their seating for the parades and fireworks. The good spots were staked out hours before. Pixar we could never get a spot on the curb and had to stand behind people. The fireworks and PTN are definitely worth it, though.

 

[momof2n2]

Are all the Main St fireworks spots a must-stand situation?
Can you sit on the curb?

We normally plan ourselves on the HUB at WDW about 90 mins before show, but was thinking Main St for D.L.

 

[BrerMama]

Are all the Main St fireworks spots a must-stand situation?
Can you sit on the curb?

We normally plan ourselves on the HUB at WDW about 90 mins before show, but was thinking Main St for D.L.

My experience Friday night was that the CMs were telling everyone to stand. If you were sitting on the curb, you wouldn't be able to see anything anyway. The street was literally shoulder to shoulder with people standing. There may have been some spaces near the hub where they let people sit on benches, but again... everyone else was standing so you would only be able to see what was high in the sky.

 

[Safari23]

We just got back yesterday. For PTN, we did the dining package and sat down at 8 pm, but people sat right beside us (we chose seats on the edge of the reserved area) at the same time as us. So right besides us, with a rope between us, and we paid a lot more for the spot (but the meal was delicious so not feeling too bad about it). I would not wait until much past 8 pm though because when we sat down, the entire opposite side of the street was already full. They did make everyone outside the reserved area stand up and we got to sit on the ground the whole time. We took a blanket to sit on.

Which package did you do? Is there more than one, other than CC? I thought they had actual chairs.

 

[BrerMama]

Which package did you do? Is there more than one, other than CC? I thought they had actual chairs.

We did Wine Country Trattoria. Seating is on the ground or there’s a few benches. It’s quite a bit cheaper (we did lunch) and the food was more our style.

 

[Safari23]

Thanks!