Hi Julie,
Welcome back to the Disney Parks Moms Panel!
Instead of doing the standby line for this show, I recommend the
Rivers of Light Dining Package. With a dining package, you will get access to the reserved seating area for the show. We did the dining package with Tusker House Restaurant and it was wonderful. We all love the food and character experience at this restaurant. Our server gave us our vouchers for the reserved seating area during our meal. We arrived to the amphitheater area about 15 minutes prior to show time and still found good seats although, I suggest you get there at least 20 minutes prior to show time to have a better selection of seats in the reserved viewing area.
We did not pay any additional amount for the dining package. So if you plan to dine in the park anyway, just do a reservation at
Tusker House Restaurant or
Tiffins with the dining package to get access to the reserved viewing area. The show is lovely and is a beautiful way to end the day. I prefer to sit closer to the front so that we can see the details in the show. We always look for a Disney PhotoPass photographer in the amphitheater so that we can get our photo taken just before the show.
Julie, if you decide to go the standby route, I suggest getting in line at least an hour and a half early. My concern with the standby line strategy is that you still may not get a seat for the show so, if you can do a dining package, try it!
Magic, memories and Minnie Mouse hugs,
Donyell