DL EXPERTS: Plan me this!

[englanddg]

Just out of curiosity...what is DLC?

Disneyland California = DLC. It drives @raven24 batty that I call it that. I do it because there are Disneylands in Hong Kong, Tokyo, Paris and soon to be Shanghai as well, so it's to clarify that I'm talking about the one in California.

She prefers (with the excellent point that is the only DISNEYLAND, since it is the original) that I call it DL or DLR. <grin>

Anyhow, a while back (can't remember exactly when) she got onto me about (in a nice way) and we ended up having a discussion (minor spat) about it...so, now I see it as a bit of an inside joke between the two of us.

 

[Californian Elitist]

Yeah, I knew it was standing viewing for F! I'll be honest, we saw F! at DHS in 2006 & were extremely underwhelmed. I couldn't tell you a thing about the show other than it was a long wait then after I was ed we wasted so much time. I remember thinking the hype was completely overrated. That said, I'm curious to give it another shot and curious to see if DL can change our minds about it. I don't think we need prime views. Is there anywhere specific you'd recommend we try to get?

I'm hoping ours changes for you as well. I'd recommend a spot in front of Pirates of the Caribbean or near River Belle Terrace. You'll know where these areas are when you get there.

Don't they have a dessert party thing for Fantasmic that does offer seating? I think I've read it's not worth it though...or someone told me that when I was planning my DL trip in Feb (hey, note I didn't call it DLC? I did that just for you!)

[edit]

Yep, found a nice review on it!

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2010/...ds-fantasmic-premium-viewing-dessert-package/

I still am fairly sure though that my DL expert (not from this forum) who helped me plan my trip said it wasn't worth it at all, so we skipped it (the dessert party). The only reason I mention this is that the review link I just posted gave it a rave review...so I suppose it's really up to the individual...

Yes, that's the only way you'll get a chair. I've heard the desserts are good, but they're tiny. Not worth it, in my opinion.

 

[englanddg]

Yeah but wouldn't that be a spoiler???

Ok then, Spoiler Free. It's different and a million times better! The plot is even different.

You'll love it, I suspect!

 

[harveyt0206]

Thank you for asking these questions @sweetpee_1993. Hubby and I were wondering about near-by convenience stores as well. We always have water delivered when we do our WDW trips (geesh....that sounds really elitist, ugh). Any way, we like to get "cheap" water to keep in our room rather than pay park prices on water. I have to say that I'm pretty stoked to have some things within walking distance.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Fantastmic is miles better at DL than at WDW. I did the dessert party for Fantasmic and I enjoyed it a lot. It was expensive but I would do it again as I hate to fight crowds and camp out for a decent spot. I found the desserts to have a lot of variety and I couldn't eat all of what was offered. It actually was my dinner that day. I also ended up taking some of the food back to my hotel.

Traders Sam's is awesome to go to as well. I love sitting inside and looking at all the fun stuff on the walls, and it is really relaxing inside.
Here are some pics of the desserts.

 

[Travel Junkie]

There are a couple of options for you to do F! and Fireworks on the same night.

1. Watch the 9PM F! then fireworks from the same spot. They encourage people to stay in the area after F! to watch the fireworks. From this vantage point you can't see the lower level stuff around the castle but have a great view of bigger pyro and they pipe in the music. This is the stress free option but you will miss stuff they do on and around the castle. If this is a once in a long time (or lifetime) trip you probably want to see the stuff around the castle.

2. Watch the Fireworks from the left side of the hub near the Frontierland entrance, then after the fireworks head over to F! for the 2nd show. Make sure you go through Frontierland and not Adventureland as the people leaving the first F! show are filtered through Adventureland. You do not want to be going against traffic in that mess.

As to where to stand, for fireworks you want to obviously see up in the sky so look for obstructing trees that are in the hub. There are a lot of them. You also want to see the Matterhorn. It is used in the Remember Dreams Come True fireworks. For F! just make sure you have a view of the entire Rivers of America and TS island. The biggest issue with finding a spot of this show is having people in front of you that are taller than you or people behind you angling for a better spot. Generally the 2nd F! is lighter on crowds but on a busy night both shows will be packed.

 

[disneylandfan95]

You can stand anywhere in the hub for the fireworks and still get solid spots for Fantasmic. I would recommend trying to stand as close to the castle as possible, preferably on the Tomorrowland side of the hub for the best view of the fireworks.

When the show is over, was towards Frontierland where they will corrall the 10:30 Fantasmic crowd until they finish cleaning the area. When they let you over to the river, I would recommend trying to be in front of the Pirates of the Caribbean entrance, or slightly to the left in front of the main New Orleans Square thoroughfare. As long as you are fairly centered with the Mill on the edge of Tom Sawyers Island, you'll have a great view. Just try and center yourself with the stage.

Hope that helps!

 

[Cosmic Commando]

I think it's worth standing in front of the castle and then hustling over to Fantasmic! for the first night, but if you decide to see Fantasmic! again on Friday, definitely consider sneaking over to RoA right after the first Fantasmic! to grab your spot and watching the fireworks from there, as well. They do some neat things like green lights and fog during the Haunted Mansion segment and lighting to simulate laser blasts during the Star Tours segment, but it's worth it to see Tinker Bell fly around in front of the castle... it's not just a zip line like at MK.

I don't think you need to be particularly centered to watch Fantasmic!. The stage where Mickey is juts out into the water so you can see him from most anywhere and the rafts all make an entire loop around the water. Centered is probably slightly better, and a few bonus points to the spots on the right side of the viewing area for the big "surprise" that comes from that side.

 

[GiveMeTheMusic]

The fireworks show needs to be seen from the hub, especially if it's your first time. Watch from the hub and as soon as the finale shells burst and the exit music starts, move yo' butts to Frontierland and wait there to be released into the Fantasmic viewing area.

 

[Malloriewillms]

Not sure you haven't thought about this. But when my husband and I did wdw two yrs ago we bought a camel pak and just filled it up around park. It saved us money as my hubby drinks so much water. Also you can get a cup of ice and water for free at any stand or restaurant for free. I'm NorCal but if Von's is like Safeway they should deliver to you for a delivery charge and no minimum... I would imagine that liquor store probably has cases of water or will sell you one if you asked. There pretty nice most of the time. How fun I grew up in disneyland. And we are taking my son for first time in May for his second bday. What the above posters said in terms of where to be are right on target.

 

[flynnibus]

On Sunday night they showed the F! at 9 & 10:30. The fireworks were at 9:30. Ideally I'd like to check both of these things off on our first night. If we stood in the hub area for the fireworks maybe on the Frontierland or Adventureland side would we be able to get over to a decent spot to view F! in time? If you were doing this, detail me where you'd position yourself and how you'd run the time. Be detailed, please. I'm a landmark girl, not an east/west girl.

Yes, I've done this multiple times... here's what I've done.

Get to the hub area.. they will have a path roped off that cuts across the 'island' in the hub for walking. Pick a spot on the left side of the hub, right up against the rope so you face the walkway. This way, no one is in front of you, and you have a direct line out of there. The closer you can get to the center of the hub, the better for you for seeing left/right. The 'better' viewing spot is really up on the center line of the hub.. but this spot is still pretty good alas with some tree obstructions. Try to position yourself to have a clear view of the matterhorn.

Now, depending on the season and how busy it is, will impact how restricted your movement will be.

But the plan is immediately as fireworks finish, you head towards the frontierland entrance and make your way towards the river front. They rope off areas of the river front, and 'release' them in stages. You may find yourself switching sections more than once as they open up areas to move closer. F! is setup with 3 water screens.. and they view best head on. By this time, the water stuff will be raised, so you can see from the fountains in the water where the water screens will be. The main action is on the island and stage.. so you want the best view of that.

What I've found each time is, by the time I get over there, there are still sections still roped off on the FL side, and I am able to move up and get a spot directly on the water front facing the right screen, or cheating towards the center more. You'll basically be near the trees in front of the riverbelle terrace.

If in doubt, just as the CMs manning the ropes to make sure you aren't waiting for a handicapped area.. and wait till they open the section. Line yourself up based on the stage and the water screens viewable poking out of the water.

I've been river front each time I've done this. And what is cool about this side is.. the columbia comes REAL close as it makes it turn.

 

[flynnibus]

I couldn't tell you a thing about the show other than it was a long wait then after I was ed we wasted so much time. I remember thinking the hype was completely overrated. That said, I'm curious to give it another shot and curious to see if DL can change our minds about it.

The original is 5x better and is a MUST see. The water screen stuff is roughly the same, the snake isn't as good as DHS, but everything else is leaps and bounds better. While the show is roughly the same, there are different segments and the staging, tech, and performances are very different. Definately enough to say 'siblings, but not the same show'. You will probably want to see it more than once after seeing it - it's that good. I would also say the same thing about the Aladdin show.. do not skip.

 

[flynnibus]

We keep going back & forth. DH argues we could stay concierge at PPH for $100 more than DLH. Yeah but I don't want to hang around PPH to take advantage of the perks. I'd rather be at DLH. It's 99.9% DLH. If mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. Right?

Paradise Pier vs DLH? No competition... DLH. PP is basically your average Marriott, etc.

 

[flynnibus]

I was thinking maybe I'd have our cabbie from the airport swing by a convenience store or something on the way in

Just have the cabbie stop once you get off the freeway - this isn't Lake Buena Vista.. you're in a real city here

Absolute worse case.. there is a target on Harbor just a few blocks south of DL. Have the cabbie get off the interstate there.. and then head up to DLR.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

The original is 5x better and is a MUST see. The water screen stuff is roughly the same, the snake isn't as good as DHS, but everything else is leaps and bounds better. While the show is roughly the same, there are different segments and the staging, tech, and performances are very different. Definately enough to say 'siblings, but not the same show'. You will probably want to see it more than once after seeing it - it's that good. I would also say the same thing about the Aladdin show.. do not skip.

The snake is Kaa at DL and Jafar at DHS. I thought it was a good idea on one level to have the snake be a character that actually mattered to the story, but I think Jafar is really too slow to be menacing at all. I prefer Kaa, because it fits into the random weirdness of Mickey's dreams at the beginning without the need to be threatening or anything.