Anyone done Fantasmic dessert buffet lately? Question...

[bostontim]

I have been researching the Fantasmic dessert buffet, and I lot of the information I have found is several years old. I seem to have found some new information that says that it is really no longer a "buffet" but a box of packaged treats that they bring to you. Can anyone confirm that this is true? If so, the $59 price tag seems awful steep, even considering the prime viewing location for Fantasmic.

 

[bluegrizzlies1]

I have been researching the Fantasmic dessert buffet, and I lot of the information I have found is several years old. I seem to have found some new information that says that it is really no longer a "buffet" but a box of packaged treats that they bring to you. Can anyone confirm that this is true? If so, the $59 price tag seems awful steep, even considering the prime viewing location for Fantasmic.

I did it last may 2008 and yes it is a big box of goodies and you get unlimited drinks. 59 bucks is steep but so is staying in the disneyland hotels and the food in the park is also steep.

I can say for 59 bucks you have a seat and dont have to fight the crowds and you do not have to sit around in a spot for 3 hrs waiting for the show to start.

Would I pay 59 bucks again for a seat the answer would be yes in a heartbeat. I think it is expensive for the seat but so is everything else in the park but you go and pick the things you really want to do and just do it.

 

[mechurchlady]

$59 is the equivalent of dinner at Ariel's Grotto or the Blue Bayou plus popcorn and a Mickey Bar and a Soda pop to boot. For me I cannot see paying all that money when I could buy a friend or relative a one day pass, let them have fun, buy them a hot dog then let them stake out a spot for less than two of the special dessert boxes. That is a lot of money if you have a herd of people in your group.

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

I just did it last night and it was wonderful. With Disney - if you pay extra for it, there is usually a reason....

We didn't even need to get out of our 9pm show seats to see the fireworks - it was an excellent vantage point, even though you couldn't see the castle - you were positioned to get a great view of all of the fireworks, including those shot from the Main Street rooftops. I never know the lasers from the Tommorrowland segment came from Tom Sawyer Island!

The fruit, cheese, and dessert box was extremely tasty and they will accomodate special dietary requests. We took much of our box back to the hotel for snacking later!

They also give you unlimited beverages of your choice and will even send you home with a fresh hot cocoa.

It is pricey, but we walked up at 8:15 PM - checked into the podium and were seated after 8:30pm for the 9pm show - and could stay for fireworks! Thumbs up!

 

[Vala]

The latest info I can provide is from November 2008, and you get a box of goodies, yes.

We did it in 2007 too and the contents changed a bit since then. They added cheese and crackers which was a welcome change. The sweet treats were great, but they even sent me in a sugar rush for days, and I don't even want to know how kids may react to that.

I'd pay it again too. It isn't cheap, but well worth 3 hours of park time to me that you don't have to camp out in the area to secure your spot. It's usually our "special treat" for the trip.

 

[Quilter007]

It's the only way to see Fantasmic -- I just can't deal with sitting on the ground for hours! The goodie box was great. And, our kids didn't eat most of theirs, so we had snacks for a couple of days! Definitely worth it for us.

Katrina

 

[DizNee Luver]

We did it March 8th this month. Here's a picture of what we got.

We felt the price was worth not having to get there 2-3 hours early, not having someome crowd in last minute & block our view, & being able to stay in our seats to view the fireworks after our show. Yes it's a bit steep, but well worth it to us. We showed up one hour prior to show to check-in (you are seated by check-in order) We went to the seating area 30 mins before the show. You're seated, they bring you a drink (soda, water, coffee, tea, hot chocolate) & your dessert box with sweets, fruit, cheese & crackers. They keep your drink filled the entire time. We sat dead-center & had no one blocking our view. We were able to sit comfortably & relaxed. The view of the fireworks from there was very good. You don't have the castle in your view, but we were able to see Tinkerbell flying. Really a beautiful view!!

Hope that helps. Also, when you call in for reservations (if you plan on doing this)....call exactly 30 days out (I believe now they do it like this.....if you want May 3, you would call on April 3) Call at 8am pacific time...these seats can go very quickly. They will charge your card immediately for this. On the day of your show, go to City Hall to pick up your tickets. The person that made the reservation needs to be the one to pick them up. Bring the card you used to pay for them as proof of who you are.

 

[bostontim]

Wow, great advice, and thanks for posting pics! I was going to surprise the two friends I am taking but now I'm thinking of giving them the option of this or dinner at Blue Bayou or something similar. Thanks everybody!!

 

[Rockiedave]

Are they still doing Fantasmic in May? I thought I read that maybe they weren't for some reason.

 

[Sherwin]

As far as we know, Fantasmic is out April, May and until the 12th of June.

 

[thmar]

As far as we know, Fantasmic is out April, May and until the 12th of June.

Yes, I was afraid of that...we'll be there in May

 

[MAH4546]

Honestly, I don't get why it's worth it.

Nobody actually has to wait 2-3 hours to get a good seat for Fantasmic. I usually show up 15-20 minutes before and never have a problem staking out a spot in front of the French Cafe.

 

[MichaelColey]

True. We went a week ago. We got there about 20 minutes before it started and were right up on the rail, just behind and slightly to one side of the dessert area. Desserts and a chair for $60 per person? $240 will go a long way toward funding an extra trip to Disneyland for our family of four. We'll stand up and munch on trail mix instead.

 

[mechurchlady]

Honestly, I don't get why it's worth it.

Nobody actually has to wait 2-3 hours to get a good seat for Fantasmic. I usually show up 15-20 minutes before and never have a problem staking out a spot in front of the French Cafe.

That or get a disabled friend to park in disable on the sides.
For $240 you could hire someone to come to the park, give them a ticket and food money to stake out a prime spot and still have enough for dinner at Taste Pilot for the whole family. A lot of unemployed neighbors and friends out there.

Sometimes you can get a meeting of dis members and a group of people stake out the prime spots thus leaving a lot of people free to do other things. If I had a scooter I would for free do a meeting and help people out but right now I have to hold off on travel.

It is nice to be down front but the show really is not that much better. Aladdin has front sees so you have the characters near you, aisle seats for characters and upstairs for those who want a birds eye view. I could see paying $10 per person for a front seat at Aladdin but really the view for Fantasmic is good anywhere you stand.


You could just do Blue Bayou and get a fancy dessert and have money left over for some popcorn later to munch while standing in the back row.

 

[Queenbillabong]

We did it March 8th this month. Here's a picture of what we got.

I have to ask - what is that purple thing? We did this in May and did not have that in our box of goodies:

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Ooh, we had the chocolate covered strawberry - yum!!

 

[YellowMickeyPonchos]

The purple thing also looks different now, but it's a really yummy soft cookie that is filled with raspberry filling and the purple is tinted white chocolate....

 

[Disney Dreams]

I just did it last night ...

- giggle - I was there too! And I was right by the pre-paid seats (not in them).

We might have been 2 ships passing in the night - or even right near each other!

Too funny,
Dreams

 

[blackjackdelta]

True. We went a week ago. We got there about 20 minutes before it started and were right up on the rail, just behind and slightly to one side of the dessert area. Desserts and a chair for $60 per person? $240 will go a long way toward funding an extra trip to Disneyland for our family of four. We'll stand up and munch on trail mix instead.

Michael:
I will be there mid August on a Sat night showing. Please give me your advice on how to do this. We go at this time of the year and the place is a zoo so I need your help anyone else's.

Jack

 

[MichaelColey]

There are three big light platforms. Two of them are raised in advance, but the middle one is left down until shortly before Fantasmic begins. Before it's raised, it looks like the view will be blocked so very few people camp out there. If you get there before they raise it, you'll have a prime spot with an unobstructed view once they do raise it.

 

[mnmrmustard]

Thanks to everyone who has posted, great information overall and good pros and cons. We are going in October so they don't have the dates posted yet for Fantasmic! There are 5 of us and we are already doing Blue Bayou and Goofy's Kitchen. The $300 for this will probably be a bit too steep with what we are already spending, but maybe next time