Fantasmic recently

[AvaandJoshmom]

Can anyone who's been in the past couple of weeks tell me what the crowds were like for Fantasmic? We will be heading down next week (13th-20th) with DH, DM, DD almost 3 and DS 11 months. If we have to get seats an hour before the show I think we will skip Fantasmic just because I don't think the kids will want to sit for that long! Any input will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Minnie-n-Mickey4ever]

My opinion here - we've never gone an hour before the show just to stake out a spot for Fantasmic. Usually about 1/2 hour and we've gotten good seats.

But it all depends on where you want to sit. If you want to be up close and in the middle section then you'd probably have to be there at least an hour before.

I prefer sitting closer to the top, but that's me, so for us getting there 1/2 earlier is great.

By the way - we'll be there next week too! Not counting today I have 2 more days of work!

 

[striker3636]

In our opinion, Fantasmic is a "must-see", and an essential part of the Disney experience for us! =)

I can't comment on recent crowds, but here's our strategy:

We have "done" the dinner package with Fantasmic for the preferred seating a few times, and this has worked out well for us. Most of the time we went to Hollywood and Vine, with an ADR seating time of 4ish. We have snackies for lunch, watch the parade from a spot nearby the restaurant, and zoom back for dinner. We plan to have snacks while we wait for Fantasmic, which uses up a bit of wait time for us. We also bring glow sticks and that type of thing to entertain the kids. When we have the dinner package, we never arrive earlier than 1/2 hour before the show, and we've always had great seats in the preferred section.

We have also just arrived at Fantasmic and tried to get the middle section (preferred seating is always off to the right). We arrived 45 min early and got perfect spots, although, it was full in the middle section within about 5-10min. (Keep in mind, we haven't been when there were peak crowds). We usually plan this (along with scoping out spots for parades) as down time, where we trade off taking kids to the washroom, having snacks, and pulling out some little thing (glow sticks, bubbles, whatever) to keep the kids busy while we hold our spot. We did this when our youngest was 3 1/2, so the kids were a little older....and the challenges of waiting are a little easier.

 

[Sparkie]

A few points.....

Getting there an hour early doesnt mean that you will be sitting in the theater waiting for the show to start. You will be lined up outside the enterance on the street waiting for the doors to open and then it is a long walk to the actual theater. Usually they ask people with strollers and wheelchairs to stay to the ???? left I believe because there is a special parking place for strollers before you enter the seating area.

We were there in July 08 and only lined up about 30 min prior to the show. We waited on the sidewalk by Sunset Blvd just past the Beauty and the Beast exit and between that next gift shop. We were able to get in to see the show but we were seated to the far and I mean FAR left of the stage. It was ok but I have also seen the show from center and center is better.


July 07 we lined up early- the recommended hour before the show- only to be herded into this massive, hot, sweaty, MOB- in which everyone was pushing to get through. We thought we were doing great by lining up early- that we would be the first ones in the seating area- that was before we realized just how far the seating area is from the actual enterance. We did get to sit in the upper rows of the center section and the show was GREAT!!!


My suggestion..... Fantasmic is a spectatular show and I wouldnt miss it......BUT..... I wouldnt line up an hour early with little ones either. I think getting in line 30 min ahead of show time would be ok especially if it is a slower time of year- but I also understand that 30 min in a stationary line with 3 little ones can be an eternity. Just understand that when you arrive an hour or 30 min early you will not be waiting inside the theater with a seat- you will be outside on the sidewalk.

 

[krdindy]

We were there last Thursday, and arrived 30 minutes early. We were seated about 2-3 sections from the far left side of the stadium. A lot of people had to stand in the back because it filled up so quickly. Last year we did the Fantasmic Dinner package, and if you want to be sure to have a seat, I would recommend doing that.

 

[brockash]

Okay let me start by saying we really all loved the show, however the getting to our seats was a total nightmare! We went on Labor Day night- maybe that was part of the problem. It was EMH's, but I wanted to do it this night, because there were 2 shows, and I thought the 2nd would be much less crowded than the 1st or on a night when there was only 1 show. We did get really good seats, but if I would have known how bad it would have been to get in, I would have used a table service credit for one of the places that gets the preferred seating for Fantasmic. I know most ppl. say it's not worth it, and that the seats aren't very good, because they're toward one side, but if we're ever on free dining again, we'll be using that. Like I said we really enjoyed the show, it was great, but getting to our seats was horrible. The show was I think at 10 or 10:30. I think the first show was at 9? First they let you in to a point around 9:15. It was so crowded and so hot. You were packed in like sardines the entire time. About 10 minutes later they let you in a little farther, and direct ppl with strollers to go to the right side, because eventually you have to park the stroller. -If you have a stroller and a child that can walk and stand on there own, I'd recommend parking the stroller out of the entire area, and not bothering with it. We stood in that spot for what flet like forever, but in reality I'm sure it was closer to 15 min. It was again horribly hot, ppl right next to on both sides, right behind you, right in front of you. You were basically touching. They finally let you in, and you could park your stroller and get to a seat. Like I said we ended up getting great seats, right in the middle, and it was pretty full, but I don't think it was full enough that ppl were standing during the show. At the end we just sat there for the longest time, because I wasn't going back in that maddness. It's a total bottle-neck. We waited for basically everyone to clear out and then started our venture back. Like I said, the show is great, all of us really liked it, and I wouldn't want to miss it, but I'd definetly try something different, like the dinner package next time.

 

[brockash]

I should have added that we had my DS 6 and DD 17 months. I thought they did great considering the circumstances as far as standing in line is concerned, but if I were you, I'd definelty do the dinner package thing if you can.

 

[CandleontheWater]

The crowds have really died down since the summer or even Labor Day weekend. I think you'll have no problem getting seats if you arrive 30 mins early. I woudln't advocate much less than that, if you want decent seats, but unless you are dead set on front row center, I woudln't line up an hour early. I really think most seats for Fantasmic are, well, fantastic so I don't think you'll be dissapointed either way.