10-19-12 World of Color Show

The World of Color is a nighttime "spectacular" offered at California Adventure. It's one of those shows that has strategies dedicated to it in order to get a good viewing spot because, once again, it's largely a free for all. They've set up a system with three viewing areas: blue, yellow, and preferred. You have to have a pass to enter and it's assigned depending on the time of day you pull one. First half of the day gets blue, second half gets yellow. People line up for hours beforehand at the rope into their color section to stand in a good viewing spot.

Tuesday morning I woke up late and decided, after days of cheap meals, I was ready for something nicer. We called and got seating for lunch at Carthay Circle, which offers passes into the preferred area if you each order an entree and dessert or appetizer. When we got to that section of the park around 5:00, cast members were already lined up near the seating area to keep people from going in and trying to sit down. I asked a pair of CMs where to line up for the preferred area and about what time to get there. I tried not to laugh as one of them said, "Oh, with preferred viewing you don't have to be here until 8:00!"  (The show is at 8:15)

At a few minutes before 7:00 they still hadn't opened the area when we checked, so we rode one more ride that had no wait and when we emerged ten minutes later, the ropes had dropped. We didn't know we could ask for the lower section, but even if we had, it was already full along the rail at the water. We were ushered into the upper, elevated section and secured a spot not too far from center along the rail where we wouldn't have anybody directly in front of us. One of the mass sections between us the water, a  bit lower, was already filling up with people to the back of the line.

What we didn't notice, as we plopped down leaning against the rail for an hour's wait, was that near center is a light tower used in the show. 

If you only wanted to watch the right side, you're okay. You can't see the surface of the water where a lot is going on, but you're close: 

 
But dead center of your view:

Pretty show, lots of lovely effects. But, I discovered, I am definitely more of a Fantasmic/Fireworks show kind of girl. I am glad I got to see it. And I'm glad I didn't camp out the entire evening trying to do so.