Places to watch the night time shows? Times?

[phillymummer]

Hello!

We are going to DLP next week! I'm so excited. We are going for only 1 day. I know everyone will want to see the nighttime shows. Aside from right in front of the castle, and on main street, are there any other good locations to watch the show? What time does it usually start? I didn't see times on the website or the app.

Anyone have any idea what the crowds will be like? Everyone is writing a "priority list" of which rides are must-dos. I'm not sure if we will pay for the access pass for any of the rides- ill probably depend upon the crowds.

 

[TikiThunderPirates]

Hello!

We are going to DLP next week! I'm so excited. We are going for only 1 day. I know everyone will want to see the nighttime shows. Aside from right in front of the castle, and on main street, are there any other good locations to watch the show? What time does it usually start? I didn't see times on the website or the app.

Currently the Disney D-Light pre show starts at 22:50 with the Disney Dreams Nighttime Extravaganza starting at 23:00. It's not dark enough until very late this time of year. As for where to stand, I think anywhere you can see the castle somewhat clearly is fine. I've watched the show from the edge of Discoveryland where it meets the hub and didn't feel it was too obscured and it wasn't as jam packed with people. Even with this location plan to arrive 20-30 minutes early and be on the side of the park you plan to watch the show from 60 minutes early (you can still experience attractions until 20-30 minutes if you don't want a prime location) because it gets challenging to cross the hub (like any Disney park with a night time show).

Anyone have any idea what the crowds will be like? Everyone is writing a "priority list" of which rides are must-dos. I'm not sure if we will pay for the access pass for any of the rides- ill probably depend upon the crowds.

The crowds are busiest during mid-day, like any park. If you have early entry plan to use it and get there at least 30 minutes before you can enter the park. The lines to get in can back up a bit. It is busy this time of year, but with the extra long park hours you can get a lot done.
Access pass isn't a must for many of the attractions even in summer (with a good touring strategy), with the exception being Crushes Coaster. The wait for that attraction is always too long. With only 1 day to visit, if you want to experience this attraction, plan to pay for the One Access for that ride, and book it as soon as you enter a park. It will sell out quickly.

Enjoy attractions early and later in the day for lower waits. Shop, eat, see a show or do walk-through attractions (the Fort in Frontierland, the Labyrinth in Fantasy land, etc) during the busy middle part of the day.

It's a great resort, enjoy your visit.

 

[Karin1984]

If directly opposite isn't an option, I would go to the right, to castle stage / Discoveryland. The drones will be out of proportion, but you can still see them do what they need to do. If you go to the left the castle might block some parts of the drone show.

 

[phillymummer]

Thank you! This is helpful information, especially about Crush. That ride is #1 on my daughter's "priority list" of things to do. So, do we have to be in the studios park to get the access park, or can we be in the main park? I'm trying to figure out which park we need to go to first.

 

[TikiThunderPirates]

Thank you! This is helpful information, especially about Crush. That ride is #1 on my daughter's "priority list" of things to do. So, do we have to be in the studios park to get the access park, or can we be in the main park? I'm trying to figure out which park we need to go to first.

Are you staying at a resort hotel? If yes, you will have early entry for either park. Currently they both open at 9:30 for all guests so early entry will be at 8:30.
If no, then you are an hour behind hotel guests and the line to enter can get long and you will already have all the hotel guests in the park in front of you at attractions.
For either situation I would prioritize entering the park that has more of your "#1 attractions". I would enter and then try to book any One Access you may need while getting in line for a top priority attraction that ends up with a longer wait as the day goes.

You will need to have a DLP account set up in the app to buy Access One. Do this ahead of time to save a bit of time. You may also have to link your tickets to the app before you can purchase One Access. There is an option to purchase it in person at City Hall or Studio Services, but no one wants to wait in that line.

 

[phillymummer]

Are you staying at a resort hotel? If yes, you will have early entry for either park. Currently they both open at 9:30 for all guests so early entry will be at 8:30.
If no, then you are an hour behind hotel guests and the line to enter can get long and you will already have all the hotel guests in the park in front of you at attractions.
For either situation I would prioritize entering the park that has more of your "#1 attractions". I would enter and then try to book any One Access you may need while getting in line for a top priority attraction that ends up with a longer wait as the day goes.

You will need to have a DLP account set up in the app to buy Access One. Do this ahead of time to save a bit of time. You may also have to link your tickets to the app before you can purchase One Access. There is an option to purchase it in person at City Hall or Studio Services, but no one wants to wait in that line.

We are not staying “on-site”. We’ll be taking the train in from Paris. Her #1 ride is crush. So if we want to buy the access pass for it, do we need to be in the studios? Or, can we pay the pass for crush from either park?

 

[Karin1984]

We are not staying “on-site”. We’ll be taking the train in from Paris. Her #1 ride is crush. So if we want to buy the access pass for it, do we need to be in the studios? Or, can we pay the pass for crush from either park?

I believe you can, never tried it. But if you have one day and want to do both parks, I would start in the studios. Do the headliners and then spend the rest of the day in Disneyland Park. This is open till later and you can stay for the fireworks. It will save you some time parkhopping.

Even when the parks are right next to each other, if you are at the back of Disneyland Park and want to go to the Studios, it is a 10-15 minute walk.

 

[TikiThunderPirates]

I believe you can, never tried it. But if you have one day and want to do both parks, I would start in the studios. Do the headliners and then spend the rest of the day in Disneyland Park. This is open till later and you can stay for the fireworks. It will save you some time parkhopping.

Even when the parks are right next to each other, if you are at the back of Disneyland Park and want to go to the Studios, it is a 10-15 minute walk.

Agreed. I think over all the waits at the Studios get longer quicker than at DLP. Plus there are more things to do at DLP during the middle of the afternoon when every line is long.