Saving a spot early for the 2018 Disneyland processional

tinkertoes

Earning My Ears
Joined
Apr 19, 2005
I know many sites don't recomend saving a spot early for the candlelight processional but this is something that some friends and I are committed to seeing this year. We are going to take turns throughout the day to save a good viewing area, we hope...

Anyone ever stake out a spot early for this and can share their experience/tips. I remember seeing a lady that was sitting on a bench saving some spots for her group. They had moved the benches for this event. Do they still do this? This was like 3 or 4 years ago.

Does anyone know the confirmed dates?

Thanks so much to anyone that can offer some tips and guidance.
 
Candlelight Processional will be Dec. 1st and 2nd. Yes, they still move the benches. If you want a bench, you will have to be there at opening and be prepared to hold your bench all day. It can be a little easier to get viewing spots for the second show.
 
We were there near the front of the rope drop crowd on Saturday of CP weekend last year. As we walked through Town Square, I marveled at how many benches were "taken" already.
 


I mean if Disney isn't going to sell them others will. I would guess they could get about $200 per bench.
 


Thanks to everyone that has responded. I really appreciate the help as this is my idea and I have convinced some other ladies to join me, so I hope we are successful. Otherwise they may never go along with another of my crazy ideas, lol.

We are all passholders so we dont mind taking turns saving the bench, and i would be scared to do anything that could cause my pass to be revoked :worried:

I just want to make sure we position ourselves in a way to have the best chance of getting one.

Do they allow people to enter Main St before official opening time and if so are people line up at the entrance before then?

Thanks again. I plan to report back once we have gone through the experience...
 
Thanks to everyone that has responded. I really appreciate the help as this is my idea and I have convinced some other ladies to join me, so I hope we are successful. Otherwise they may never go along with another of my crazy ideas, lol.

We are all passholders so we dont mind taking turns saving the bench, and i would be scared to do anything that could cause my pass to be revoked :worried:

I just want to make sure we position ourselves in a way to have the best chance of getting one.

Do they allow people to enter Main St before official opening time and if so are people line up at the entrance before then?

Thanks again. I plan to report back once we have gone through the experience...

I have not had a bench, but I have waited almost all day for the CP from about 10am to showtime on the curb when Lana Parrilla was the narrator. She has a lot of...overzealous...fans so there were many people doing the same thing. It was a fun day of chatting with people around us and I actually met one of my best friends that day. We made friends with one of the cast members working the area and ended up getting moved to seats before the show. That was an unexpected perk. I'm not sure when people start lining up for benches or when they let people in, but I know the benches are taken almost immediately so you will need to be at the front of a turnstile for this for sure.
 
Do they allow people to enter Main St before official opening time and if so are people line up at the entrance before then?
I can't speak for CP mornings specifically, but for non-EMH/MM mornings the ticket gates can open before the park's official opening time. Both times that I've been there recently, the gates opened between 10 and 15 minutes before the park official opened and they let guests onto Main Street (they held guests down towards the Hub until the park opened). There were already a fair number of guests waiting at the ticket gates when we got there about 30 minutes before opening. I haven't gone on an EMH morning recently, so I don't know how that works.
 
Do they allow people to enter Main St before official opening time and if so are people line up at the entrance before then?
Saturday is Magic Morning, so it opens then. Turnstiles will open for everyone at 8am. Sunday, gates open at 8. I have seen pretty long lines at 6am.
 
If you don't have to have a bench for CP viewing, you will still be able to get viewing spots throughout the day. Getting a bench is what is going to make your plan tricky. Do you have a backup plan if you can't get a bench?
 
Not yet :/ but I know its probably a good idea to have a Plan B or C! I am not sure what other options are good alternatives. Would the ledge seating by City Hall be a good option? Is there any area where we will be booted out or asked to move?
 
Do you have to see the first show? Viewing for the second show can be easier to get (maybe not benches) and shouldn't require all day waiting.
 
I have been attending the Candlelight Processional for years now, always getting there early to try to see my friend who sings in the Processional.

I've written plenty of Trip Reports about our days at the park during Candlelight. You might be able to gleam some information from it.
http://flowerstales.blogspot.com/search?q=candlelight

I also put together this map a few years ago about where you can sit.
Candlelight2014-seats-100.jpg



Regarding the second showing. As soon as the Processional Passes down Main Street for the first show, the queues go up on Main Street for the second show. They fill up pretty quickly, so if you are thinking the second show is for you, you'll need to be in that area before the first show starts. Cast members will completely clear out the viewing area after the first show before ushering people in.
 
Re: Paying to save spots.... Disney watches for this. Any view of money changing hands, both parties lose their admission and are banned from the property for a year. I've personally seen it happen. So, I do not recommend.
How can Disney police this? When people are trading money on Venmo how does Disney know?
 
mre200200, this information is amazing! :worship:
Thank you so much for the info! I am a visual person so the pictures are just what I needed to understand how it all works.

I think the plan now is to get there and wait from 6 am for a spot on Sunday since we wont have magic hours. We might even take turns waiting at the queue to get in to the park. We will aim for a bench or curb spot. If we are not successful, then we will enjoy the park and queue up for the second show.

I am excited! It's like a small adventure for me. I am not much of a daredevil, so this is pretty adventurous for me, lol.

Thanks again for everyone's tips. I promise to report back after the event.
 
Not yet :/ but I know its probably a good idea to have a Plan B or C! I am not sure what other options are good alternatives. Would the ledge seating by City Hall be a good option? Is there any area where we will be booted out or asked to move?

I don't believe they will let you sit on the ledge. There are many areas they will not let you watch from.
 
We will be there that weekend. Awesome information! @tinkertoes , if you haven't ever seen the CP, bring some tissues! It's an incredibly moving experience. We were super lucky and got to watch a couple years ago (and they opened up the paid seating and let us sit there from the standing area). It was one of my most favorite moments at the parks ever. Have a wonderful time!
 
How can Disney police this? When people are trading money on Venmo how does Disney know?
I've watched it happen several times (it was a frequent occurance when the dragon first appeared at Fantasmic! and it was probably what gave Disney the idea to sell FP and dinner for Fantasmic! instead of "free" spots.) There are several ways it is policed. I know at least one other person here knows how this can be monitored. That said, I am moving on from this conversation.

Mre200200 has lots of good ideas on great viewing areas!
 

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