Part VIII: Coast-to-Coast Disney Trip Report

Yes, I realize all these fireworks photos are terrible.

Photographing the fireworks wasn’t the top priority this evening, though. Experiencing them again, in all of their awesome glory, was top priority. I knew the photos weren’t going to turn out well due to the lens I was forced to use, so I sort of just let the camera do its thing, triggering the shutter when necessary to start a new shot sequence. The fireworks were even better than I remembered, as I paid special attention to each of the attractions featured this time around. I also paid close attention to the projections and other special effects that really made Remember…Dreams Come True an emersive experience.

Once the fireworks ended, I realized why the spot that was so far back on Main Street was a good choice: because we needed to high tail it over to Disney California Adventure after the fireworks to get there in time to use our World of Color FastPasses. (My spot-choice was totally inadvertent, even if I would like to take credit for choosing it on purpose!)

We raced over to Disney California Adventure, certain we’d be too late to catch the FastPass line. We were. Then, we asked a Cast Member in the vicinity when it had left, and she told us we could still catch the tail end of it if we hurried “that way” (sort of tough to point in a trip report, but obviously she pointed the way it was moving towards Paradise Pier).

We caught up to the line, and made it to Paradise Pier Bay just in time to be admitted with the FastPass group. As we made our way down the steps, I was a bit bummed, as the front two-thirds of the viewing area were completely full. I had heard the show is totally different from the front, and we were a bit underwhelmed by it last time. Suffice to say, I was disappointed. I had even brought my camera poncho in case we got front row seats.

Then, something truly magical happened. If it wasn’t magic, I don’t know how else to explain it. As we were jockeying for position for better seats, a Cast Member opened up a seating area and asked us, and several people behind us, if we wanted to move to the front row. To someone looking on, I believe the scene probably resembled a cartoon: I became a blur as speed lines filled the void where I once stood, and the Cast Member’s hat spun around three times as he had a ‘gee schucks’ look on his face wondering why on earth I moved so quickly at the offer from some a chance to stand in the “You May Get…Very…Wet” viewing area.

Yep, we had a “front row” spot for the show.

As I set up my tripod and camera right at the water’s edge, a small boy came up to me and politely told me that my camera was going to get ruined by the water. To thank him for his useful information, for some reason, I quickly racked my brain for some fanciful story to tell him. Perhaps something about the camera being made of waterproof whale blubber (seriously–for some reason one of my favorite things to do is tell children elaborate, but totally harmless, stories that, while plausible, are ridiculous).

However, it turns out that the truth was just as questionable to this boy. “I have a poncho for my camera,” I told him. He looked at me like he was too old to be fed such nonsense, so I pulled out the poncho and showed it to him. “Wow, that’s really cool!” he exclaimed. I thanked him anyway for his advice, and then engaged him and his family in conversation about how they were enjoying their vacation thus far. I may seem like an old curmudgeon sometimes in written prose, but I can actually relate to kids quite well. Perhaps because we have many common interests!

After chatting for a while, the show was set to begin.

It’s actually somewhat ironic. On our first trip to Disneyland, last August, we were overwhelmed by California Adventure as a whole, the park that many locals trash, but underwhelmed by World of Color, the nighttime spectacular that many have anointed as the park’s redeeming attraction. My initial impression of the show was that, while technically impressive, it was little more than a quick Disney montage show.

When describing it to Walt Disney World fans, the most apt comparison I could previously make was to PhilharMagic. By contrast, however, I thought PhilharMagic works really well because the montages (if you can even call them that since they’re basically new “footage”) are entwined with one another with a central storyline. World of Color’s montages are not.

For additional World of Color photos, please check out our World of Color guide!

That said, seeing it again totally changed both of our opinions of the show. Without a doubt, this was because of the front-row viewing area. We were, quite simply, blown away by the show. It gave me goosebumps. I don’t think I’ve ever done quite such a complete 180 on a Disney attraction.

Suffice to say, It was well-worth getting wet to have this vantage. While the show still is a bit montage-ish in nature, the opening and conclusion tie the show together pretty nicely. Plus, from the front, the grandeur of the show really does compensate for any storytelling shortcomings.

It’s difficult to articulate why our opinions of the show changed so much, but I guess I would now compare the show to Wishes! Both are truly emotive. Standing alone, Wishes! would be a mediocre show, as it’s just simple montages of characters wishing. However, taken as a whole, with the montages, Cinderella Castle, and fireworks exploding overhead, it’s something magical.

After World of Color, the park was closed, so we made quick work of getting photos in the areas we could (I still don’t have a nighttime shot of Disney California Adventure’s Tower of Terror!), as I apprehensively did some photographing. I swear I didn’t have my tin foil hat on, but I kept thinking I saw my favorite security guard, and I would anxiously walk to the other side of a walkway when this seemed to be the case. I doubt he was actually there, but he was certainly in my head!

We spent only a few minutes taking pictures at Disney California Adventure before heading back to Disneyland. Time for more attractions–but first, we saw the cat from Pinocchio (Gideon)! We had never seen him before! It was a little embarrassing, as neither of us knew his name, and normally we like to interact with the character rather than just use them for a photo prop, so we had to improvise a bit.

It was almost time for the park to close, so we headed to the Adventureland side of the park to hit Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, and finally, Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye. Once done with Indy, the park was closed. We had decided prior to this that we would avoid Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, as that seemed to be our “friend’s” stomping grounds. Instead, we asked a Cast Member if we could set up for some shots within the Indy queue. He said “absolutely!” so we had some fun with that.

After, we made our way to Main Street, did some more shooting, and called it a night. No incidents whatsoever this evening, which was a huge relief for me. It was a good feeling having good taste in my mouth for the last night of shooting at Disneyland. I would never wish ill upon even my worst enemy (and this guy would be up there on the list), but I really hope he retires or takes a position with a different employer before our next visit to Disneyland.

Our shooting on Main Street concluded, we headed out. Not really tired for once, but fully energized and excited after a ridiculously awesome night in the parks. I cannot emphasize-enough how great of an evening it was: seeing Remember…Dreams Come True and World of Color in the same night, seeing World of Color from the front row, being allowed to take “up close” shots of the Temple of the Forbidden Eye in Indiana Jones Adventure, AND having a peaceful night of shooting in Disneyland. What a great night!