Best place to watch Disneyland Forever

You'll probably get several different responses as the show is different from different locations around the park. I've seen it twice...once from the back of Main Street and once from Frontierland, and the former was definitely the better of the two. However, if you want a good view of the castle and don't want to miss out on all the effects of the show you'll probably want to shoot for about halfway down Main Street (somewhere between Carnation Cafe and Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor would probably be ideal). Unfortunately, this is the toughest spot to get viewing in.

I am not sure which dining package you booked, but each one has different viewing areas. If you did the Aladdin's Oasis package, your viewing area will be near It's a Small World. From here, you'll want to follow Paint the Night to Main Street and then try to find viewing in the hub area. Due to crowds, it will likely be difficult to make it further down Main Street and find good viewing, especially during busier periods. Viewing directly in front of the castle is decent, but you'll miss all the projection effects on Main Street. If you booked the Blue Bayou package, your viewing area will be down by the flagpole (it used to be in front of Starbucks, but they moved it about a month ago), so you're in a great spot to join the back of the crowd on Main Street but will have difficulty getting closer to the castle. In my opinion, this is a pretty good view, but Disneyland's castle is so small that you'll likely have trouble seeing it, so if you want a castle view it is a poor choice.

If your viewing package is on your first night, I would suggest just watching the parade from the assigned spot and then getting the best fireworks viewing spot you can (as stated above). If you're not satisfied with the view and want to see the show from the middle of Main Street, go back on another night and camp out for the parade near where you want to watch the fireworks (note that this will require waiting for 1-2 hours before the parade), as most people simply step into Main Street after the last float passes and moving up or down it is nearly impossible until the show ends. If the dining package is not for your first Disneyland night, I'd suggest canceling and camping out for the parade and fireworks on your first night. Definitely plan to see Disneyland Forever on your first night so that you can try again if necessary, as the show seems to have a high cancellation rate (in my experience, it's been canceled about 40% of the time).

I would say just before the end of Main Street so you get a glimpse of the Main Street projections and you are still close to the castle. I have seen the show twice, once right in front of the castle and another at the end of Main Street right before the hub, and I enjoyed the second time a lot more. The fireworks even look better from farther back.

Thanks so much both of you. AJ great advice as always. I may swap a world of colour if I need too in an emergency. I guess they won't be doing two paint the nights at the end of July due to cutbacks?

Paint the Night still performs twice on any evening where the park is open until 11 P.M. or later. The cuts do not affect any of the offerings specifically tied with the 60th anniversary celebration, but all other entertainment has been scaled back. If you are not watching Disneyland Forever, I recommend seeing the second parade as crowds are far less, but it is very difficult to view Disneyland Forever from anywhere on Main Street without being there for the first Paint the Night parade. I would definitely wait until you've seen both of Disneyland's nighttime offerings before bothering with World of Color (or, if you need to book in advance, book the package for your last day) as while they are all great World of Color is the least spectacular of the three.

Good that you have dining package viewing areas so my advice won't be useful for you.

Front row for parades, any location. In front of castle is a good idea for fireworks. If you want to see both without changing locations, sit right in front of Tomorrowland at the curb, both sides. Waiting at a good spot will take hours of your time.