Allocated seating trial at Fantasmic***Now with another new twist, see page 15, #288***

[lugnut33]

I wouldn't mind this at all if they did it more like they do at DLR. Disconnect it from the system, get it the day you get there, etc. The one thing I DO have major issue with is the size of the seat. Almost every day I have to squash myself into half a seat on the train to make room for my more well endowed brethren, and even then usually after asking them to please move their bags/cup/legs from the seat they aren't sitting in. 20" is no longer adequate spacing for the majority of people...

If Disney is truly concerned about guest satisfaction they will mark out the seat widths for comfort rather than capacity. However, we all know that's not going to happen. Enjoy being squished in.

 

[mom2rtk]

If Disney is truly concerned about guest satisfaction they will mark out the seat widths for comfort rather than capacity. However, we all know that's not going to happen. Enjoy being squished in.

If Disney cared about guest satisfaction any more, there is no way they would have announced to paying customers (in a park without enough to do for the admission price already) that the show was full last night when it wasn't even close.

 

[ArwenMarie]

So....

If this continues as some sort of same-day FP, I guess they are admitting that (prebooked) FP+ failed here?

 

[3DisneyFanz]

For the people against the idea is it the whole concept you don't like or is it a piece of if like being in the park to make the reservation or losing control of where you might sit?

 

[Angel Ariel]

For the people against the idea is it the whole concept you don't like or is it a piece of if like being in the park to make the reservation or losing control of where you might sit?

I don't think the logistics of assigned seating at the seat level are viable for a theme park. In sports venues and concerts, the customer is picking their seats long before arrival. I don't think Disney intends these tests to remain same day fps, but I also highly highly doubt the capability of Disney's IT dept to integrate interactive seating charts with fp+ in order to have people choose specific seats ahead of time. I think they could likely integrate fp+ prebooking with choosing sections, but not rows or seats.

 

[bauer1168]

Bauer1168, since the theater was only half full, I'm curious if you saw people get up and move to different spots?

This whole thing just sounds ridiculous...... putting people through the hoops making them line up to get paper FP. I thought one of the great benefits of FP+ was that it saved all those trees? Then the announcement that it was full? I'd be steaming mad if we left the park after hearing it was full only to find this thread today and see I could have gotten more for my admission price last night. I'd insist that they comp me a ticket to come back and see the show.

I didn't see any guests getting up and moving somewhere else. There was one family who basically had a whole section next to themselves.
I'm guessing guests didn't move to their own bench as they were the side sections and the average guest will always want to be as central as they can be. Whether it's for a show/movie.
I'm going to try and go back either tomorrow or Friday and see what's happening (will keep an eye out if guests move around etc.).
I'll try and take some pics too of the benches and the seat numbers that are on them and of the theatre and how full it is.
I can understand the reasoning for trying it for the 9pm showing as that does get ridiculous.
I got a FP for Fantasmic in June (was the 3rd additional FP of the day), arrived at the return time to find that the FP queue had snaked around the coffee cart behind TOT, the big gates there, looping all the way around past the ice cream kiosk and Fairfax Fare to were the DVC stall is. That was only the FP line. The SB was parallel to it (but didn't snake around, just went straight down Sunset Blvd.), but it was simply crazy I'm guessing (?) they're worried if they don't try something it will get worse, especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas, or because TSMM and GMR close at 8:45 for the fireworks, and the only 2 attractions that are left open are TOT and RnR which are at the back of Sunset Blvd creating a bottle neck situation.

 

[lugnut33]

This could also be a test to see how they are going to control crowds for River of Light show at AK because they don't have anywhere to hold people before the show.

 

[Dr.Mickey]

I think this seating issue is part of the problem faced as DHS is picked apart before the long awaited expansion. It reminds me of the impending road construction in my city's major interstate crossroad. The final result will be so much better than it is right now, but once construction starts, it's going to be pure heck for 3 or 4 years. I could honestly see DHS going to reservation only for all rides and attractions once construction is fully started. There may only be 4 of ANYTHING available (shows and rides) since Star Tours and TSM may occasionally be unavailable depending on the construction around them. People are already complaining about how bad the lines will be. Going reservation only would solve that problem for sure. It might still suck, but at least you know what you will get to do on your short day at DHS. And having FP reserved only for Fantasmic would fit that.

 

[SureAsLiz]

I'm waiting for the second show to start now - fp for both 9 and 1030. Its interesting the difference between the two. I'll post more in depth when I get home tonight

 

[jtowntoflorida]

I got a FP for Fantasmic in June (was the 3rd additional FP of the day), arrived at the return time to find that the FP queue had snaked around the coffee cart behind TOT, the big gates there, looping all the way around past the ice cream kiosk and Fairfax Fare to were the DVC stall is. That was only the FP line. The SB was parallel to it (but didn't snake around, just went straight down Sunset Blvd.), but it was simply crazy I'm guessing (?) they're worried if they don't try something it will get worse, especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas, or because TSMM and GMR close at 8:45 for the fireworks, and the only 2 attractions that are left open are TOT and RnR which are at the back of Sunset Blvd creating a bottle neck situation.

I bet it does totally have to do with the early ride closures due to the nightly fireworks, but it is probably also related to crowd flows as the DHS renovation is underway.

I don't mind the idea of same-day FP that are disconnected from the system, but I think it's a huge load of crap to turn SB guests away from an empty theatre. I'm sure there were quite a few guests whoe weren't aware of this test and came to DHS specifically for the Frozen fireworks and the late Fantasmic. That would be a total bummer to be turned away.

FWIW, I have no dog in this fight. Fantasmic was a one-and-done thing for us. I just don't get the hype about it.

 

[LOL!]

I haven't read every single post so if someone has already mentioned this I apologize but..........

Maybe Disney decided that they couldn't fit as many people into each showing as they'd like because guests were "occupying" too much individual space, so the best way to increase the number of guests per show was to create 20" wide slots and assign everyone a slot? So perhaps what used to be a theater filled with 5,500 people creating their own space is now filled with 8,000 people seated in defined spaces?

I mean, everything they've done lately seems to be about squeezing more out of existing resources. My bet is the need for a third (or fourth?) showing on particular days resulted in someone pointing out that if they could just get people to sit closer together during the shows they already have...............

 

[SureAsLiz]

My Experience with the Fantasmic! Test - 7.22 (Assigned seats)

• 6:15- Enter DHS
• 6:20- Characterpalooza!
• 6:30- Jump in line to grab FP for F! The distribution was in the same area as the regular kiosks, but no one was actually waiting for the F! station.
  • - I get a pass for the 9pm showing in Jafar, row Q, seat 8. Return time 8:25-8:45
• 8:20- Head to F! line and see they are letting people in prior to the time slot
  • - To enter the area, I had to show my pass and scan my band (I assume to count, as it wasn't scanned when distributed)
  • - Entering was great. The crowd was much more disbursed with entry times so there wasn't the usual bottleneck this is my first plus for the assigned seating
  • - Mickey is reserved for the dinner package and is full for the show. Everything to the left (when looking at the stage) is FP, the right is standby. At this point, SB is getting pretty full. The first two sections are almost full, but cast members are doing a great job of keeping things orderly over there
  • - Find my seat which happens to be in between two families. Probably about a foot and a half of space (on par with the 20" that a PP mentioned)
  • - Row R seat 8 (6-12 actually) is free so I sit there instead hoping the group that is assigned to that section doesn't show up
  • - They don't! A little girl who was also assigned to Q moves back because a very tall group was assigned P and she couldn't see this is my first issue with the assigned seating
  • - Throughout this time, industrial engineering is taking counts for each row.
• 9:00- Show goes on
  • - Exiting was a mess. I usually avoid the 9pm showing for this exact reason. It took a good 15 minutes to exit.
• 9:45 - The FP distribution station is still open so I jump back in to see about getting a 10:30 pass. I was originally going to SB this show, but decided against it.
  • - I get a pass for the 10:30 showing in Jafar, row J, seat 24
  • - As I am heading to Echo Lake, an announcement go stating that F! is full, but I assume it was a glitch since there was no show going on?
  • - Watch the Frozen fireworks by Echo Lake
• 10 - Head back to the theatre. This time entry was much more crowded, but there was the rush which is normal. Finding my seat was simple. There are 24-25 seats per row, so I was on the end.
  • - The section reservations are the same including Mickey which means there was a whole 15 people who sat there. The best section was virtually empty my second issue with the assigned seating
• 10:15- Talk to some cast members and basically the system isn't able to recognize that the dining package reservation isn't needed in the second showing so it won't give out passes to that area and rather than allow SB to enter they just leave it empty.
  • - There is an issue with a group in the wrong seats. It was just a language barrier issue and things got sorted out
• 10:30 - Show goes on
  • - leaving the stadium was much simpler since the stadium was only half full

Other thoughts:

• I was there by myself. It seemed like they used single parties as fillers because I never had a card printed for me - the just gave me the top one from a stack. This probably explains how I got the end of the row for show 2, but not how I ended up between two different parties at show 1, unless they printed the wrong number of passes for one of them.
• There were a few rows that had large empty sections. Whether this was to the system or parties not showing up I don't know.
• In Jafar, not all the rows were labeled with seats. I believe from U on were blank.

Pros:

• Entry into the theatre was far simpler than normal.
• Not having to worry about finding a seat, especially for large groups, is a great idea. There was a Brazillian tour group in my section that took up 3 rows, and they were all able to come in separately since their spots were reserved.
• Having the seats numbered does make the stadium a little more orderly and there were far fewer empty spaces overall because people generally kept to "their spot", even in standby. If capacity was what Disney wanted, that's what they got.

Cons:

• I don't like not picking my seat. Only once have I sat outside of the first 4 rows in Mickey and that was a personal choice to sit a section over to see how it looked. Plus we got the nightmare scenario of getting such behind a tall family with nowhere to go.
• If I had sat in my original assigned seat, there would have been major claustrophobia issues. the 20" really is not enough space for grown adults to comfortably sit in.
• The fact that the system doesn't recognize that Mickey is a usable space for the second showing the best seats were left empty really bothered me.
• Being able to get into the FP area was simple since not all CMs cared if you had a card, so there were some issues with people feeling entitled to spots they had not reserved even though they entered through the FP queue (I know this is a daily problem, but it seemed to be enhanced with this system).

Overall:

• Not a fan of the actual assignments, but I see the value in the process. Though to be honest if I lose "my spot" because of this system, I will probably stop going to see F! I know FP+ is a hot topic, but I enjoy the fact that I am able to go after work and still get that prime spot because of FP+. Returning to legacy (as it is) rewards those who show up early which I am simply not able to do because of my job and being relegated to the sides when I have never had a problem getting the center is not something I care for. If Disney wants to grow their central Florida market, this doesn't seem like it is going to help entice AP subscriptions.

I may try again tomorrow to see how the row reservations work, but I actually expect that to go worse (trying to get 24 strangers to willingly fit in one row doesn't seem like it will work. People are going to want to take up more than one spot unless the CM make everyone move whenever a row starts to get full)

Honestly, I see the section reservations going the best - but again, this would prevent me from getting my prime spot.

Photos:
What the seat numbers look like
My assigned seat
The stadium was full for the 9pm showing
The stadium was not as full for the 10:30 showing. Note the empty center. The two sections on the other side of me were also empty.
What the fast passes looked like. Different colors for different shows.


[it is late so I apologize for any mistakes I may have made in this post. Also, sorry it is so long]
[Edit 7.22:// wow, that's a lot of words. I will try to reformat tomorrow so it is easier to read]
[Edit 7.23:// Updated some formatting]

 

[bauer1168]

Great report, thanks!

 

[ChelleFeegan]

Thank you. Still not convinced...

 

[wisblue]

A quick comment about seat widths.

The report is that the seats at Fantasmic are 20 inches apart and there are a lot of complaints that that is way too small for comfort.

Some quick Google searching revealed these facts:

1. The average airline seat is 17 inches, and in some cases 16 inches

2. The average seat width at Dodger Stadium is 18 inches.

3. The seats at Michigan Stadium, which are all bench seating, are 16 inches in the student section and 18 inches in the rest of the stadium.

Consider that at a major college football game there is likely to be a much higher percentage of adults than at a show at WDW, and in certain weather those people are going to be wearing several layers of clothing that will add to their bulk.

I suspect that for a full show at Fantasmic people aren't getting an average of more than 20 inches of seating space anyway. Anyone who thinks they would be uncomfortable spending 45 minutes or so in a 20 inch space should probably stay away from any sporting event with bench seating and is probably going to be really uncomfortable on an airplane.

 

[Robo]

- Entering was great. The crowd was much more disbursed with entry times so there wasn't the usual bottleneck this is my first plus for the assigned seating

- Mickey is reserved for the dinner package and is full for the show. Everything to the left (when looking at the stage) is FP, the right is standby.

At this point, SB is getting pretty full. The first two sections are almost full, but cast members are doing a great job of keeping things orderly over there

I can't tell if you are speaking just about the time at which you got to the seating area.

Did they not "assign seats and arrival times" for over half of the theater? (Standby and Dining Pkg.)

Was "standby" simply regular walk-up and no "pass" was required to sit there?

Did they only require FP guests to arrive at a set time and sit in assigned seats?

 

[ArwenMarie]

For the people against the idea is it the whole concept you don't like or is it a piece of if like being in the park to make the reservation or losing control of where you might sit?

If I'm understanding this right, this would involve picking up a paper FP probably earlier in the day. So....Will you have to go in the morning to get the paper? And then do what at DHS all day? And then what is the point of MDE at all? Could have just stayed with paper.

Now, if they found a way to put it into MDE and disconnect it from the other FPs, that would be an improvement.

The assigned seats would annoy me but I could get over that.

 

[ELSA711]

If they are going to reserve the whole theater is has to be assigned seats, not rows or sections. The problem is there will always be scum that cheat. If they don't like their assigned row or section, they will just sit in yours. When you arrive, if all the seats in your row are taken, what are you going to do? "

Well, with my family of 5 I'm going to kick their *** out!

 

[ELSA711]

I can't tell if you are speaking just about the time at which you got to the seating area.

Did they not "assign seats and arrival times" for over half of the theater? (Standby and Dining Pkg.)

Was "standby" simply regular walk-up and no "pass" was required to sit there?

Did they only require FP guests to arrive at a set time and sit in assigned seats?

I wonder if the lower down the seat is they assign earlier arrival times, maybe they are trying to fill bottom up by time of arrival.
That would be an improvement and maybe I wouldn't feel the need for the dinner package. I just can't stand in that line with a mob of people 45 minutes prior to the show.

 

[karly05]

SureAsLiz, thanks for the report, very interesting. (I'm one who likes to pick my seat so I don't get stuck behind tall people, etc.; luckily F! is not a must-do for me.)

BUT - my real question is: Characterpalooza!?!?!???? How on earth did you score that!? Just lucky? I'm not meaning to threadjack, so that's probably a topic worth its own thread, but do tell!