Disneyland Resort Parades and Shows Guide

Fantasmic!

Fantasmic! is a nighttime show held on the Rivers of America. This show is held twice nightly during peak season, and on some weekends during off-season. Fantasmic! combines music, characters, cartoons, wooden floats and boats and pyrotechnics for a beautiful showdown between good and evil. The actions takes place from the stage on Tom Sawyers Island, and on water sprays from the Rivers of America are the backdrop to show cartoon sequences during Fantasmic! Other sequences are completed on wooden floats carrying familiar couples dancing to their well-known song. For example, one couple is Belle and Beast, who dance to the theme music from Beauty and the Beast. When the Sailing Ship Columbia is in operation, you will see all the characters who participate in the show, as well as some that don't, sail by in a grand show of color and dancing. You will see Mickey Mouse fight many of Disney's evil characters, and once again, become the hero. Fantasmic! is not to be missed.

There are several choices for seating for Fantasmic! One wonderful area to sit is the Disney Gallery Balcony. While this is not a free seat, and does require reservations 30 days in advance, it is worth the money to avoid having to stake out a great seat hours in advance. The seats on the Balcony are above the crowds with a view very close to center stage. With the ticket price for Balcony seating comes a dessert buffet with incredible desserts. The Balcony holds 21 people, and reservations usually sell out before 8:30 am PST 30 days in advance. If you are on the Balcony for the early Fantasmic! you will be invited to remain there to watch the Fireworks.

Another area that requires reservations 30 days in advance is the Riverside Seating, which is located on the side of Rivers of America, in front of the Haunted Mansion. The Riverside Seating also has great desserts, but the selection is more limited than what you will find on the Balcony. This area does have more room, so there are more seats, and more legroom. While the view is on the side, it is still great. Right in front of you is one of the water spray screens, and your view of the stage on Tom Sawyer Island is wonderful.

The 2005 prices for both of the paid Fantasmic! seating is $53.00 per person, and both are highly recommended. To make reservations, call 714-781-4400 beginning a few minutes before 8:00 am PST 30 days before you wish to see Fantasmic!

Of course, you don't have to pay additional money to see Fantasmic! as your park tickets cover the cost of entertainment. For the best seats, center stage, first show, you will need to save your place a few hours before Fantasmic! begins. That is a long time to sit on the ground waiting, so below are a few tips to get a great view without a wait.

For a side view of Fantasmic! if you wait until about 20 minutes before the show begins, and walk toward Haunted Mansion, you can usually slip in under the ropes and still have a great view. These are standing only seats, so take advantage and squeeze in. You can do the same thing on the other side of Rivers of America, or even grab a seat and a meal at the River Belle Terrace about 1 hour before the show begins, and you can stay there to watch.

If you will be going to the second showing of Fantasmic! simply get close to Rivers of America before the first show ends. As people leave, you can just slide on in for a great view with no waiting.

For those of you concerned about taking a baby or toddler to see Fantasmic!, only you know your child. I do feel compelled to tell you though that at 14 months old, our son was taken to see Fantasmic! with seats on the Balcony. Before the show started, he did cry and fuss, because he was tired. The minute the show started though, he calmed down, because he knew the music (I had been playing the Fantasmic! CD for him before our trip). After a few minutes, he did fall asleep. The noise did not bother him at all. We now have a limited number of copies of this CD

Our 2005 Fantasmic! Review
Where To Sit At Fantasmic!

Parade of Dreams

The Disneyland Parade of Dreams is absolutely fantastic. The floats are large colorful and imaginative. The characters walking with the floats are out of this world. The Ursula float, with a giant Ursula on top, and the Lion King float with a Huge animatronic Simba at the helm are just two of the wonderful sites you will see with this parade.

The format for this parade is simple. It appears two times a day, and during each appearance there are three show stops. What is a show stop you ask? Well this is when the whole parade stops. Each float then performs a choreographed show before the parade continues. Many of the floats have acrobatics and people swinging on ropes. The Lion King float is one of these. Each one is different.

The first float in the Parade of Dreams carries Tinker Bell who is brought to life for this parade. She is at the helm of a miniature of the garden you see when you walk into Disneyland. This float is exquisite. Really, all of them are beautiful. The Pinocchio float has another character, Jiminy Cricket, which Disneyland brought to life for the 50th Anniversary.

Finishing off the parade is a float carrying the Princesses: Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White, Mickey and Minnie, who never leave the float, Goofy and Pluto, and the Seven Dwarfs. The final float also has either Donald or Chip and Dale who take turns appearing in the parade. During the show stop the Princesses dance with their Prince both on the float and in front of it. The Seven Dwarfs dance with Goofy and Pluto, and Mickey and Minnie, dressed white dance from their balcony.

If there is a specific float you want to see during a show stop you can ask one of the street vendors in the area you want to sit. They will tell you which float appears where. Since the cart vendors are there for each parade they are very informative on the location of floats.

The Parade of Dreams, which also has speaking parts by Julie Andrews, a song sung by LeAnn Rimes, and a very well known quote from Walt Disney's Opening Day speech is highly recommended. It is a fantastic chance to see the characters up close, and a great chance to see some characters who are never seen in the park for pictures.

Our 2005 Parade of Dreams Review


Snow White an Enchanting Musical

Snow White the stage show is currently being held several times a day at the Fantasyland Theater. For a seat in the front, you will need to line up at least 1 hour in advance. Since this theater is small though, there is really no need for that. Check your show times, and just get there about 15 minutes before the show. You should still be able to get a seat, and no seat in the Fantasyland Theater is a bad seat.

Playhouse Disney Live on Stage

Full of energy, colors, and music the Playhouse Disney Live show is perfectly suited to enthrall even the most active child. Alex was 14 months old but there were many younger children at this show. At 30 minutes it suited for the short attention span of a typical toddler.

The show consists mainly of 'The Bear in the Big Blue House' characters with appearances by 'Stanley' and 'Rolie Polie Olie'. While Alex knows and loves bear, he did not pay much attention to Stanley or Rolie Polie Olie on the television before our trip. This did not matter. He thoroughly enjoyed this show.

You will want to get in line early so you can sit in the 'sit-down' section in front of the stage. This is the most fun area for toddlers. It can be a little tough on the adults since the stage is raised about 4 feet and we were in the front row. The sides and back of the auditorium have real seats.

Effective March 10, 2005 Rolie Polie Olie is no longer part of the Playhouse Disney Live on Stage Show. That portion of the show has been replaced with the very popular JoJo and Goliath from JoJo's Circus. In this segment of the show, JoJo tries to help Goliath when he has the hiccups.

Fireworks

When Fireworks return in May for the 50th Anniversary of Disneyland, the show promises to be bigger and better than anything Disneyland has had before. Fireworks can be seen from just about anywhere in the park. If you can enjoy them from somewhere with a view of Sleeping Beauty Castle though, you will see special lighting effects that add to the Fireworks display. During the Christmas season, if you watch the Fireworks from anywhere along the parade route that has boxes on the lights, you will also see 'snow' at the end of the fireworks. Before you choose your seat, take a look at the lights, and choose the area that suits you best.

If you are concerned about taking a baby or toddler to see the Fireworks, keep in mind that they are held late at night for a young child. Our son has fallen asleep both before and during the Fireworks shows several times. The noise did not bother him at all. For the times he stayed awake, he thoroughly enjoyed the show.

Aladdin

Aladdin is a Disney stage show held at the Hyperion Theater in Disney's California Adventure. This is another theater that really does not have a bad seat. The show lasts about 45 minutes, and is simply a shorter version of the Disney film Aladdin. Amazingly, they even do the parade during this stage show. If you are sitting in the Orchestra section, the parade will go around you. They also use a flying Magic Carpet, which is wonderful to see. The Genie during this production is incredible, and will make children and adults laugh with various jokes. This is another highly recommended do not miss show.

Block Party Bash

The Disneyland website has the Block Party Bash scheduled for one show daily, at 5:15pm. This is very similar to a parade, as it will follow much of the parade route, but will make several stops for 'parties'. The stops are full of very high-energy music, and will get the crowd up and dancing. Much of the music is from Disney/Pixar films, and many of the characters from those films will appear during Block Party Bash.

Keep and eye out for the Green Army Men from Toy Story, and Jessie from Toy Story Two. Watch in amazement as the lead float opens up to one float with 5 stages! Once this stage opens up, the real party begins. Four of the 5 stages are miniature trampolines, allowing for some highflying acrobatics. The second float holds the Green Army Men on alphabet blocks. Signs on this float say Jump and Spin. Next you will see a float that looks like a highway roadwork cone. Following the cone is the Toy Story II float, with Jessie and Woody. Right behind them is another cone, with none other than Mr. Potato Head walking next to the cone. Only at the Disneyland Resort will you see something like that, let me tell you! The Block Party Bash continues in this manner, using cones or the Green Army Men floats to separate the party floats. Why? Because each party float has an action, unlike a normal parade where they simply drive by as you watch. As the first float in the Block Party Bash stops and opens into its stage, the other floats also stop for performances. Depending on where you are sitting around the parade route then, you may see the acrobatics, or the Toy Story II characters, or the Monster's Inc characters, or even A Bug's Life characters. Pixar rules in the Block Party Bash. Anyplace on the route should be exciting and full of fun. So unlike the typical parade where you sit and watch, this one will get you hopping. So, make your plans to attend a Block Party Bash today and enjoy the party!

Our 2005 Block Party Bash Review


Disney's Electric Parade

The beloved Main Street Electrical Parade is now shown at Disney's California Adventure. The parade begins at the Hollywood Backlot and continues along the parade route to Paradise Pier, going in front of the Golden Dreams building. Because of the space in California Adventure, you can secure a good seat for this parade with minimal waiting. If you plan on viewing Disneyland's Fireworks after the parade though, you need to grab a seat near the entrance to California Adventure. Because many people plan to see both the parade and the fireworks, this area does require securing your seat about 1 hour prior to the start of the Electric Parade. Also, be aware, lines to get into Disneyland after the parade are very long.

Fall 2005 Update - Disney's Electrical Parade is now on hiatus until December 16, 2005 when it will come back for the Holiday Season. After then Christmas holiday the Electric Parade will go back on hiatus until late Spring or Early Summer 2006.

Our 2005 Electric Parade Review


Mickey's Halloween Treat

Mickey's Halloween Treat will begin this year at Disney's California Adventure. Mickey's Halloween Treat is a private costume party where your little ones can Trick-or-Treat with their Disney Character Friends.
Mickey's Halloween Treat

Fantasy Waters Show

This show appears nightly at the Disneyland Hotel during peak season. The location is near the Cove Pool on the Disneyland Hotel Grounds. Here, you will see a water show where water dances to familiar Disney music, accompanied by brilliant colors and great choreography. During the off-season, check with the Disneyland Hotel for operating times to see this wonderful show, which is free to view even if you are not staying at the Disneyland Hotel.