Being at the park on Disneyland’s 55th birthday wasmagical in itself. Going by myselfat the spur of the moment with a 3-day weekend allowed me to enjoy attractionsthat my usual D-pals think are lame. Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln, Aladdin and It’s Tough To Be a Bug cometo mind (what are my friends thinking by ignoring these greatattractions??). I was pleased toread that Aladdin being extended because I would love to see it again. I saw Captain EO in 1988 at DW. Seeing it now causes a few chucklesfrom the audience because it is so dated, but it’s also MJ at the top of hisgame. The extra balmy, sunnyweather had me on the water rides quite a bit. Thank goodness for single rider lines, especially at GrizzlyRiver Run because the fast passes here were not functioning (probably due tothe use for WOC??).
The World of Color was a great show, however, there are severalvariables over which one has no control over that could affect the experience.First, although the DCA park opens at 10am, the cue for the WOC begins at9:30. I could be better statedthat the attractions open at 10am. I waited 30 minutes to get my WOC fastpass, and after I left the line ithad grown considerably. I'm sure people were waiting up to one hour to gettheir WOC fastpasses. I waspleased to hear cast members announce that, "you must be scanned into thepark to get your WOC fastpasses," meaning that people could not stay athome while someone goes to the park to collect a handful of passes for theirfriends and family. Nice and fair.
The fastpass gives you a one-hour window to arrive with no lateseating allowed (this is because of a pretty dandy pre-show that involvesgiant, light-up puppets one half-hour before show time). While people are allowed to sit downand wait, the cast members will make you stand up about 45 minutes before theshow so they can get a beat on how many more folks they can squeeze in. My word of advice is to get to aviewing area as close to front and center as possible, especially if you have youngtots along. Murphy's Law of showattendance dictates that the biggest and tallest person within a 10-mile radiuswill stand directly in front of you. There is too much excellent color saturation from the lights happeningat the water level, and there are also some low-level lasers that would becompletely missed if you aren't tall enough or close enough to view them. Eventhough the front viewing areas are considered wet zones (with signs declaringthat you may get wet), my experience was that this was only a light mist thatfelt kinda nice following such a balmy day.
Another variable that will affect the projections is the strengthof the wind. A windy evening willdistort the projections, and at times I could barely make out the animation orthe characters, recognizing what was happening mostly from the soundtrack.Speaking of which, Musorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain with Chernobog was prettybreathtaking, as I imagined being in a volcanic caldera with the flames.
I was able to make it into the first show, and as the masses ofpeople exited the pavilion, they pass by the next line of 9000 folks who arewaiting patiently. I think thatwhen I return, I would like to check out the show from across the pier oppositeof the official viewing area. I’m convinced that it would still be spectacular,even from the other side.
My only discontent with this set-up is that the rides at ParadisePier shut down early. This is sad, because IMOHO, California Screamin' is bestbecause of the twilight views it offers of the park and surrounding areas. Thesame goes for the Fun Wheel. Willnighttime enjoyment of the rides eventually return?? I sure hope so.
Glow Fest was just freaky. Need I say more? I really enjoyed thesection of the show with the Bollywood theme in sunshine plaza. The alcohol sales seemed completelyunnecessary and anti-climatic for the park experience.
Anyways, that’s a wrap until I visit again in October. Cheers to all!
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