Welcome, Helen!
We're so happy you stopped by planDisney with your question. It sounds like you are planning a fairytale of an evening for tonight! With just a few hours until your visit, let's not waste a magical moment in tying up loose pixie dust and locking in your plans for the evening.
You are in luck, as I triple checked and barring any unpredictable weather,
World of Color Happiness! is scheduled to perform tonight, October 27th, at 9:00 PM. When you purchase a dining package at a participating restaurant, it includes a voucher for a preferred viewing area for that evening's performance. With a 9:00 PM show, I would still plan to arrive 30-45 minutes ahead of time to secure a good spot. The Disneyland website recommends a
dining package reservation between 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM and 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM. With a 7:10 PM reservation, you may be cutting it a bit close and would possibly be rushing your experience at Storytellers Cafe itself!
Storytellers Cafe is a buffet, so you are certainly a bit more in control of your time, but part of the appeal is the character meet and greets as you dine, especially now with the limited-time Clarabelle's Enchanted Halloween Dinner! I ate at Storytellers this summer, and it was one of my favorite character experiences to date. That being said, it can take some time for all the characters to make their way to each table. I think it may come down to a personal preference for you, depending on how important the character meet and greet is to you as part of your experience. You may not get a photo op with each if you are running close to time to make it to your viewing area. The good news is that Storytellers Cafe is right by the California Adventure entrance, located inside the Grand Californian, so it won't take you long to make it into the park. You'll need to locate the specific viewing area assigned to you once you arrive at Paradise Gardens Park, and you can always ask a Cast Member for assistance.
Helen, I hope this has been helpful and we've set you up for a magical evening! As part of this special version of World of Color, you can actually vote earlier in the day for a specific emotion from
Inside Out to be featured in that evening's performance! Choose between Anger, Sadness, Envy, and Disgust right in the Disneyland app ahead of the show. A pro tip is to enable location services and notifications, which will alert you when it's your time to log a vote!
Wishing you magic!
Tara