2nd showing Fantasmic!

[magicalfoursome]

Need some DL vet help! It is my family's 1st trip to DL this July. We want to be sure to see WOC and Fantasmic. I am hoping for some kind of dinner/dessert package for WOC-- sounds like the crowds will be huge! I am thinking of the Fantasmic dessert package as I do not want to stake out a spot hours before the show but this could get quite pricey doing both packages for WOC and F! If we see the second showing of F! do you still recommend the dessert package? How much time is there usually between shows?

 

[Eeee-va]

The first Fantasmic starts at 9 PM. Then they show fireworks immediately afterward, and a second show at 10:30.

If you don't mind seeing the second showing of Fantasmic! and don't mind sitting on the ground, you can get good to excellent seats by hanging out around the Haunted Mansion around 9:15 or 9:20. When the show concludes, a lot of people leave the Fantasmic! seating area. Edge up with your party as close as you can; even if the park is very busy you should be able to get to the seating area. Sit down for goodness' sake. A couple minutes after Fantasmic! concludes, fireworks will start. When the fireworks end, nearly everyone will leave the seating area. Just edge forward and with any luck you'll have front-row seats, or close to it! You'll be waiting in sum for a little over an hour this way.

Given that if your party wants a guarantee of sitting together, you have to wait in line well in advance to claim your seats for the dessert seating anyway (and the price tag!), I think the second showing is a great way to see the show. Also, with World of Color, I tend to GUESS that Fantasmic! won't be QUITE as busy this summer (though it should still be plenty busy enough). If it's not quite as busy as last summer, you don't even need to be that quick to get railing seats (in our early-to-mid December trip last year--something like December 9th? I forget the date--it was cold and we could've gotten railing seats probably 30 minutes before the show!).

I think the main disadvantage to this would be that you'd see the dragon in advance (she's kind of hard to miss!) but that's not so bad. If that's an issue I suppose you could watch the Haunted Mansion the whole time....

 

[magicalfoursome]

Thanks Eeee-va! I am hoping that WOC will draw some people away from F! Will I be able to see the fireworks from the Haunted Mansion area? I have 3 nights in the parks-- I guess I should plan on seeing F! one night, WOC another night, and the fireworks on another-- hopefully the weather will cooperate!!

 

[jernysgirl]

For our family, we will only go to the second showing of F!. I would never wait that long for the first showing.

As a PP stated, if you can swoop in after the fireworks, you can find a great seat with only having to wait maybe 30-40 minutes. We usually watch the fireworks at 9:25 on Main Street, and then head against the masses into Frontierland to get to the river and have never had a problem. There are going to be CMs out directing traffic and if you can just follow the path where they are telling you to go then it shouldn't be to bad. Moving with the traffic flow in that direction is not as bad as trying to move OUT of that area. Everyone from the first F! and fireworks are clogging Main Street and that is the place you are heading away from. DH and I each have one of our kids in a stroller and make a plan to meet somewhere in case we get separated along the way. Works great for us!


When getting a place for the fireworks, we try to position ourselves to the left hand side of the hub closest to Adventureland and Frontierland to aid in our route after the fireworks are over. And if you do decide to do the nighttime entertainment on different nights, just know that you should try for the fireworks early on in the trip (the first night) as they have been known to get cancelled due to the winds at higher elevations.

 

[magicalfoursome]

When getting a place for the fireworks, we try to position ourselves to the left hand side of the hub closest to Adventureland and Frontierland to aid in our route after the fireworks are over. And if you do decide to do the nighttime entertainment on different nights, just know that you should try for the fireworks early on in the trip (the first night) as they have been known to get cancelled due to the winds at higher elevations.

Thank you!! Sounds like the second seating would be best for my family. I have a DS12 and DD15 so staying up late is never a problem. It seems that I can manage to see both the fireworks and F! on the same night as long as the weather is ok. Maybe I will get to see them twice!

 

[HydroGuy]

For our family, we will only go to the second showing of F!. I would never wait that long for the first showing.

As a PP stated, if you can swoop in after the fireworks, you can find a great seat with only having to wait maybe 30-40 minutes. We usually watch the fireworks at 9:25 on Main Street, and then head against the masses into Frontierland to get to the river and have never had a problem. There are going to be CMs out directing traffic and if you can just follow the path where they are telling you to go then it shouldn't be to bad. Moving with the traffic flow in that direction is not as bad as trying to move OUT of that area. Everyone from the first F! and fireworks are clogging Main Street and that is the place you are heading away from. DH and I each have one of our kids in a stroller and make a plan to meet somewhere in case we get separated along the way. Works great for us!


When getting a place for the fireworks, we try to position ourselves to the left hand side of the hub closest to Adventureland and Frontierland to aid in our route after the fireworks are over. And if you do decide to do the nighttime entertainment on different nights, just know that you should try for the fireworks early on in the trip (the first night) as they have been known to get cancelled due to the winds at higher elevations.

We do the same. We did the early Fantasmic when kids were younger. Since they got bigger and could stay up later we always have done the later Fantasmic. And sometimes we do the Fireworks/Fantasmic duo.

 

[jimreuter]

I usually watch Fantasmic from down by the Pirates' Lair raft docks. Easy to get a good spot without a long wait. It's hard to predict what is going to happen with WOC coming on line versus a whole bunch of people who have been "Fantasmic" deprived for months. But, if you let it, I'm sure it will be fun!

 

[Eeee-va]

I have seen fireworks and Fantasmic! in the same night. You probably won't get a front-row standing spot (then again, if you walk with purpose, you might! we did on a busy June night when fireworks started, then stopped in the middle due to wind).

In fact, if fireworks are a priority, then depending on the height of your 12-year-old, and if you can grab shirts/backpacks to stay together, that would be my plan as alluded to by a PP:

See the fireworks from the Adventureland/Frontierland area on Day 1 (unless maybe it's super-windy and you're almost certain they won't launch). The moment the fireworks end, move toward Frontierland with purpose (follow the crowds) and when the CMs let you through, get a standing spot near the Rivers of America. We got a spot right on the fence and in some ways I actually preferred it to being front and center, as we felt a lot closer to the Mark Twain. The main problem I can think of is that it's standing so shorter people might have trouble if they're not right along the fence. Some people also get aggressive to try to get the best spot if the parks are super-busy, so that's worrisome, but with your kids the ages they're at, I'd at least consider it. That way, if fireworks don't happen that night you'll still have another chance to see them, and if you can pull them both off, that gives you 2 chances at WoC if you so desire, or a time to see one show you like again.

Have a great trip!

 

[ashley17]

Maybe I'm just obsessive, but Fantasmic is one of my very favorite things at Disneyland so I always stake out a spot for the first showing and stay for the second lol. That way I can watch the first and take photos during the second. Plus I just watch the firework show another night.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

We completed the Trifecta *term from DangerMouse last July ~ here's our experience -

** Last of all ~ we completed the Trifecta! After Ariel's we made our way over to our spot for the EP, we enjoyed it ~ we did see the parade during our April '08 trip and the changes are nice but I miss the Blue Fairy. As soon as we saw the USA Flag float coming we headed toward the exit, around GRR, passed Soarin' and made our way out of the park. We got into DL and found a spot near The Plaza Restaurant for the fireworks, our view was great. We then made our way over to Adventure Land for F! ~ we got a great spot using the light tower trick! We had a long wait and DS was tired ~ DD had the stroller all day so she had no problem watching the show, DS sat in the stroller and slept during F! Poor guy, I had to wake him up for the walk back to HoJo.

***Above taken from ~http://www.disboards.com/showpost.php?p=32765258&postcount=1

 

[rentayenta]

We will definetly go for the 2nd showing this year.