SDL fireworks

disney144

Mouseketeer
Joined
Feb 23, 2014
Any recommendations regarding finding a spot for fireworks? Are fireworks only visible from in front of the castle?

We are hoping to watch them one night we are there. We would like a place we can see them, but don't need a great spot (example- we are totally ok at Disneyland on the left side of the hub where the trees kind of block it). How early would you recommend lining up?
 
From the limited trip reports, it sounds like the fireworks are popular. But, there is apparently a HUGE amount of space in front of the castle, so as long as you're not after a "front row" viewing spot, then you should be okay. I think some people also watch it from the "Gardens of Imagination" if they can't handle the crowds immediately in front of the castle.

TDR Explorer is heading back to Shanghai soon, so the updated trip report would no doubt include recommendations for best viewing spots.
 
Oh great. They had a great podcast regarding the opening. Looking forward to hearing more. I'm hoping gardens of imagination is a bit less crowded. I would rather have a half view and a little wiggle room. Fireworks at US parks are enough to give me anxiety. We'll see with China!
 
Yes, you will want to be in front of the castle, but anywhere in front is fine. They do a LOT of projections (on the castle and ones that look like fireworks) so their fireworks aren't as amazing as the ones here in the states, but something to see if you are there. I watched them the first night, and then the second night I went shopping in the stores up front (Mickey Ave) and the rest of my party went on rides. We did not have any problems with crowds but were there on weekdays in November/December.

Have fun in SDL! That is my all-time favorite park and can't wait to get back there :)
 


If its not too late now for you to read this disney144. Limited fireworks, it's all about projections on the castle but I would recommend getting as close to the front as possible as it also includes projections on an arc of water in the "lake" (water) dead centre in front of the castle (like a very, very scaled down World of Colour). We missed seeing those from where we watched (near Dumbo) and even getting closer another night still couldn't clearly see them. I plan to see if on uTube to watch properly! The projections were good and we were pleased to have a Pirates and a Star Wars piece included as well as eg the inevitable Frozen.
 
The limited fireworks during this show is due to the air quality regulations in China. It's worth getting in a position where you can see the projections and fountains if you want the full experience.

I've just got back from my second trip to SDL. The first night I watched from a spot that I'd found on my previous trip over near Dumbo. It was a nice easy spot to get to, on a little part of the walkway that jutted out over a pond, which had previously given me some nice fireworks reflections. Unfortunately with the rain that night, I didn't get any reflections. It's a reasonable spot to see the projections and the fireworks, but you don't see any of the fountains or water screens at the bottom of the castle.

The second night the park was so empty with the awful weather, I just walked right up to the viewing area about 15 minutes prior to the show and found a spot close to the front right on a rail but a little to the side. It was pretty much an unobstructed view of everything that was on offer, but obviously being off to the side, I didn't get the symmetry with the fireworks. I was more than happy with the spot though both for viewing and photography purposes.

The third night I did a bit of experimenting and actually watched from over the lagoon in Treasure Cove. There was a little spot by the walkthrough Pirate Ship that had a perfect unobstructed view of the castle and being a beautiful still night, some lovely reflections in the lagoon. There was also a nice bit of railing I could rest my camera on for long exposure shots of the fireworks. Being more of a projection based show, I did miss much of it from this position, but I am absolutely thrilled with my fireworks shots. Another thing to note if you plan to watch the show from anywhere other than in front of the castle (I did also consider watching from the Tomorrowland Terrace if it was raining again, as it would be completely undercover but still have a good view of the castle), is that the park is technically closed once the show begins. About halfway through the show, I was approached by a CM and asked to move on. I just kind of procrastinated moving, and eventually they allowed me to stay until the end of the show, but it would probably depend on the CM that you get.

I'll upload my favourite photo from each location when I've gone through them to give you more of an idea of what you can expect.
 
As promised, here is a selection of fireworks photos from my trip to Shanghai.

This first one was from my spot near Dumbo. You can just see some of the tops of the fountains. Please disregard the raindrops all over my camera. Despite trying to cover it with a Ziploc bag, I still had to wipe the lens frequently!

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This was the second night, where I was a bit closer to the front. You can see the difference with the fountains. Would have been even better if I was a bit more centrally located, but it wasn't a bad effort for arriving about 15 minutes early! You can see there was still a bit of drizzle around playing havoc with my camera.

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This one was from my out of the box positioning in Treasure Cove. I'm very happy with my photos from here, and I did enjoy the complete isolation of it all, but I did miss a LOT of the show not being able to see the projections, and there was no music piped into that location either. If you only have one opportunity to view the show, this is not the place.

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Treasure Lagoon is a great spot for a 2nd night viewing Zanzibar. I must also ask you about the settings you used to get the longer fireworks effect but without a tripod. I now you said PIO gave you some tips. These days I find I shake too much though as soon as I start mucking about with shutter speeds.
 
Treasure Lagoon is a great spot for a 2nd night viewing Zanzibar. I must also ask you about the settings you used to get the longer fireworks effect but without a tripod. I now you said PIO gave you some tips. These days I find I shake too much though as soon as I start mucking about with shutter speeds.
Use the timer on your camera to take the photo. Then you don't get the shake from pressing the shutter release. It seems most cameras these days have an option for a 2-second timer.

Sayhello
 
Treasure Lagoon is a great spot for a 2nd night viewing Zanzibar. I must also ask you about the settings you used to get the longer fireworks effect but without a tripod. I now you said PIO gave you some tips. These days I find I shake too much though as soon as I start mucking about with shutter speeds.

I just used the fireworks mode on my camera, nothing fancy :thumbsup2 I only used it at times when I had something to rest the camera on. This spot had a nice handy fence. It didn't have a flat top, but I managed to fashion myself a little 'tripod' from the wire bits of fencing lol! It wasn't perfect (the castle could definitely be clearer), but did the trick well enough I think.

Use the timer on your camera to take the photo. Then you don't get the shake from pressing the shutter release. It seems most cameras these days have an option for a 2-second timer.

Sayhello

I always forget about this trick! Wouldn't work with my fireworks mode because even after the initial shutter release I couldn't hold the camera still enough lol! But it's definitely a good trick to keep in mind.
 
Thanks both. Zanzibar yes I do try to use a ledge or fence tops where I can. I guess looking at our pics we got a couple I am happy with. sayhello I must find where this is on my camera!
 
Thanks both. Zanzibar yes I do try to use a ledge or fence tops where I can. I guess looking at our pics we got a couple I am happy with. sayhello I must find where this is on my camera!
If you need any help, just let me know what model you have, and I'll see if I can help you figure it out.

Sayhello
 

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