Fantasmic Dinner pkg Question

[tpettie]

I have a dinner package set up for Mama Melrose. there are two showings of Fantasmic on that night do I have to use my dinner package tickets for the 6:30 show or is there seating for the 8:00 one too?

[ShannonMB]

The dinner package seating is only good for the first show of the night.

HTH!

[TinkerbellinLouisian]

When you make your F! dinner reservation...they will tell you the time for your F! show....

Mary

[Robo]

Originally Posted by TinkerbellinLouisian

When you make your F! dinner reservation...they will tell you the time for your F! show....

And, it will always be the first show of the evening.

[tpettie]

Ok here is my delema we have a dinning pkg. for F but I'm now thinking we should go to the late show so that we have more time to tour the park. DHS closes at 8pm and the F shows at 8pm can that be right? how busy is the late show? do we have to show up overly early to get reasonable seats? Advice is greatly needed. Skip the pkg for more park time or keep it? I don't know what to do?

[Robo]

Originally Posted by tpettie

Ok here is my delema we have a dinning pkg. for F but I'm now thinking we should go to the late show so that we have more time to tour the park.

1- DHS closes at 8pm and the F shows at 8pm can that be right?

2- how busy is the late show?

3- do we have to show up overly early to get reasonable seats? Advice is greatly needed.

4- Skip the pkg for more park time or keep it? I don't know what to do?

1- Sure.

2- Nearly always less busy than the first show.

3 & 4-


No one can predict exactly how large the crowds will be or how early you should go to find a seat for Fantasmic! on any given day.
It has totally to do with the whim of the crowd at DHS on that day, and the general crowd LEVELS.
How much time you wish to "invest" in waiting is a personal decision. We have never done the formal Dinner Package, and have always seen the show (dozens of times).

(Take all of these as "average" numbers, sometimes the crowd will be MUCH greater and the theater can fill up much sooner.)

VERY Busy days:
If you go to the first show of the evening (or "only" show that evening), if you arrive about 75-120 minutes before show-time, you can sit just about anywhere.
45-60 minutes before: Outside seats likely still available.
30-40 Minutes: will vary between seats at edges and rear of theater to SRO or even "closed" to further guests.

Yes, the lines can start forming over 2 hours before the show-time.

At about 120 min. before show-time, they will open the gates and begin allowing guests in line to approach the theater seating.

(See my maps. It is a very long ramp.)

They will continue with the lines of guests walking in until the theater is completely filled or the show begins, whichever comes first.

They will "hold open" the Dining Pkg. seating area ONLY for guests who have the Dining Pkg. voucher.

BUT, if the theater is over-crowded (a very likely scenario in 2009)
then, at about 35 min. before show-time,
the CM's will cease holding the DP area open for DP voucher guests
and, at that time, begin to allow ANYONE
who still needs a seat to sit in (any seats left) the DP area.


Busy days:
If you go to the first show of the evening (or "only" show that evening), if you arrive about 75-120 minutes before show-time, you can sit just about anywhere.
60 minutes before: Good seats
25-35 Minutes: will vary between seats at edges and rear of theater to SRO or even "closed" to further guests. (The crowd of "last-minute" arrivals can be slow to get seated before show-time.)

Off-Season (not busy days):
You should be OK to enter by 30-50 minutes before, but you'll likely be seated to the outer edges, and/or way at the back.

Dining Package:
New Dining Pkg. Entrance was added in mid-Sept. 2009.
If you do the Fantasmic! Dinner Pkg. you still SHOULD enter by AT LEAST 35-45 minutes ("safer" at 45 minutes) before show-time and still be guaranteed "pretty good" seats (not my "first choice" area, but fine), regardless of crowd-levels. Remember, the DP is only valid for the first show of the evening, if there are 2 or more. If you do have DP and you spy some seats outside the DP "reserved" area, you are free to choose to sit anywhere outside that area you like, no problem.

If there are TWO Fantasmic! shows in one evening, the second one will have lower crowd level than the first one. You can arrive a bit later (generally, 45-60 minutes) and still find a seat.
(Some say less advance time will be needed, but I'm cautious.)


Be aware that the second show waiting area will LOOK like the show is "too crowded".
That's because they HOLD the 2nd crowd outside the theater while the CMs CLEAN it after the first crowd has exited.

Then, they will let those waiting together in that big group IN... all at once, and there will be PLENTY of room.

(The theater seats over 7,000 guests.)

When you enter the theater, there will be CMs along the way directing the flow of traffic, but you may (if you are early enough to have a choice) simply choose any open seats in the theater to be your own.
If you want to exit more quickly, choose a seat farther back and to towards audience-right.
If you want to be immersed in the show (and sometimes, immersed in water-mist, if the wind is blowing "in") choose a seat towards the front.

We like to eat our evening meal while waiting for Fantasmic! to start.
You can bring in items from the counter-service places in DHS, or they DO have concession stands at the rear of the theater serving "baseball stadium-type" food and drinks. Yes, even beer, sold strictly ONE-at-a-time, one-only-to-a-person, so a single person can't go and buy beer for other members of a group... all guests wanting to buy a beer must be present in-person at the counter.
We have a hot dog, maybe a pretzel, later some popcorn or cotton candy (Disney Health Food).
http://www.allearsnet.com/menu/menu_fan.htm
Click above for the "menu."

But, nothing ALWAYS happens the same way at WDW.
I would be cautious about assuming anything, as WDW has been experiencing
unpredictable (sometimes record-breaking) crowds even over the past couple of years.

If its IMPORTANT to see a particular show, arriving a bit too early will be better than arriving a bit late.

If its not a really big deal to see a particular show, you may certainly arrive closer to show-time and just see if you get lucky.
Many folks do.

========================

[tpettie]

Thank you so much Robo you are truly wonderful.

[amberg@eastlink.ca]

and yes if you have booked it and looked at robos pick- the package entrance is long and a lot of it uphill....and did i mention long? lol i was shocked when we went on the 1st or 4th last month and there was a new entrance for hte package...but wasnt preparred to walk ten miles...okay so not that bad...but bad enough, however it was worth it to have secured seats.

[Robo]

Originally Posted by amberg@eastlink.ca

and yes if you have booked it and looked at robos pick- the package entrance is long and a lot of it uphill....and did i mention long? lol i was shocked when we went on the 1st or 4th last month and there was a new entrance for hte package...but wasnt preparred to walk ten miles...

The distance is the same if you enter via the regular gates.
The two routes are just on opposite sides of the Beauty and the Beast theater.
It has always been a long, long walk up that long hill to get to
the theater.

[amberg@eastlink.ca]

Originally Posted by Robo

The distance is the same if you enter via the regular gates.
The two routes are just on opposite sides of the Beauty and the Beast theater.
It has always been a long, long walk up that long hill to get to
the theater.

really? alwasy seemed so much shorter to me in the past! must be the extra weight of a stroller and two kids....

[Robo]

Originally Posted by amberg@eastlink.ca

really?

Yup.

Check the maps again-

Orange line: Dining Pkg. Entrance path.

Yellow line: Regular Entrance path.

[amberg@eastlink.ca]

Originally Posted by Robo

Yup.

Check the maps again-

Orange line: Dining Pkg. Entrance path.

Yellow line: Regular Entrance path.

oh i did when i posted...it had to be the extra weight...lol it really did seem so much shorter when i was there on previous trips.