I booked CC lunch package and stood in that section last week. It was mid-week, so only one show a night and thus pretty full overall. 2nd show on a 2-show evening is probably a better plan overall, if that works out for your schedule.
Our goal was to arrive plenty early and maybe try to get down to the lower reserved dining area, where we previously saw the show. Instead, we had a good time at Trader Sam's before the show and ended up not making it to WOC super early, but instead maybe 20-30 minutes early. It was all fine. The CC section was definitely NOT as good as the lower reserved dining section, but it was certainly good enough, gave us plenty of breathing/elbow room, and made for a more relaxed evening overall by not having to get there early and fight for spots. I guess it comes down to knowing your priorities for the particular evening--a more leisurely pace and not having to fight for the best spots or wait as long, vs to secure the more perfect viewing area. I've done both and see the advantage of each option.
One thing that was not an option for us was eating at WCT or Ariel's instead of Carthay Circle to more easily secure the best viewing area. Our experiences at the first 2 restaurants haven't been very good, while we've found CC to be fantastic (but of course, that too is highly subjective).