Best Seating for Shows?

[Shanti]

We've been on two Disney cruises, but haven't yet attended one theater show. Just didn't happen to be interested in the content of the ones showing during our first 2 cruises, and I have a rule to only do things we really want to do on vacation, instead of following others' lists of must-dos.

In two weeks we'll sail on the Dream, and I know I'll want to see Beauty and the Beast, and probably also Believe. In June we're sailing the Wonder, and I'd rather throw myself onto a passing iceberg than miss Frozen.

I know to arrive at least 45 minutes in advance for the most popular shows, but my question is, once we enter, what seats should we head for? Front row, or middle of theater? On the Dream it will be me (middle-aged mom), my 13 year-old son, and my 73 year-old mother, in case demographics make any difference.

 

[jdb in AZ]

How is your mother at handling stairs? We tend to sit in the back so DH and his artificial knees don't have to deal with the stairs. Otherwise, I prefer the middle of the theatre, but on the aisle for leg room, and to make a quick getaway if one of us needs an emergency potty break.

 

[Rob1872]

I disagree with arriving 45 minutes before a show. (Heck, the doors didn't open until 30 minutes prior.) The only reason to be showing up massively early is if you have a party of 12 that you are trying to seat together. You shouldn't have a lot of trouble with finding 3 together. You should still find seats 20 minutes out. (Maybe not in every area, but something.)

I personally liked sitting in the front lower section in the middle or near the aisle on the side. My wife and I once sat in the little balcony box on the side which was neat (and we were able to find seats there a few minutes after the doors opened); however, the disadvantage of sitting in the upper level is that you can see down into the stage where they have the section of floor that goes up and down. I preferred to have the people/props just appear instead of being able to see them coming.

 

[GPaLarry]

The key to getting any choice seats is timing...get there early. There is no saving of seats, sorta. The sound will certainly reach you in every seat and there are no obstructed views, just some long-range. In some cases, the first 10 rows or so usually get the confetti or streamers shot from the sides sometimes during the shows. On the Wonder last June there was none during the Frozen show we saw. Another neat touch is that some of the stage productions project video of animals, airborne lanterns, etc. on the walls to your left and right (port/starboard) for almost 300 degrees...really cool. The featured stage show for each ship is awesome and well worth watching. During a WBTA last year we took a backstage tour of the Magic and were blown away by the limited room, adjusting stored props for rocky waters, costumes, etc. that make it all happen. If they offer one, take it.

 

[FigmentSpark]

My only recommendation is if you sit on the balcony, don't sit in the first row. The safety bars will slightly impede your view.

 

[Shanti]

How is your mother at handling stairs? We tend to sit in the back so DH and his artificial knees don't have to deal with the stairs. Otherwise, I prefer the middle of the theatre, but on the aisle for leg room, and to make a quick getaway if one of us needs an emergency potty break.

She can use stairs.

 

[Steph1992]

For me and my family, the stage shows are one of the most important things to our DCL experience. We do usually get there around 40 minutes early or just hang around the shops until the doors open. We usually sit about 7 or 8 rows back from the front in the center. It's something we'll definitely continue doing as well! Hope this helps!

 

[apathetic]

The best seats are probably the lower area, middle section. But they go fast because a few people will inevitably come in and reserve entire rows. You aren't supposed to do that, but unless you want a pointless and hostile confrontation it is best to just get another seat. I would say there are good views everywhere. We've sat all around on every ship and never had a disappointing view. I didn't particularly like the balcony on the bigger ships, but they weren't horrible either.

Beware, Frozen and B&B will probably be very full. We saw Frozen earlier this year and the theater was filled to max. People coming in less than 15 minutes from start were being separated for the odd 1 or 2 open seats. I'm pretty sure some people didn't get in. Since that show is still relatively new, expect it to be a must see for almost everyone. I suspect B&B will be the same.

 

[tigerchic89]

We usually show up to the theatre 10-15 minutes before showtime (earlier if it's a new show like Frozen), we have to look for 4-6 seats together, sometimes we have to sit 3 and 3 behind each other. We end up on the side sections, sometimes in the front sometimes in the back. But were always able to see the show and never feel like our seats were horrible. My mom is in her 70's, and she prefers to use the side aisle as there is a handrail on the wall. There are no handrails down the main aisles, and sometimes if the sea is rough it's nice to have something to hold onto

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

I would say that most of the seats give quite a good view and as such you can find three together fairly easily even 15 minutes in advance.

I will share our experience though. My sister and her family always like to sit in the front row. I thought that was kinda silly, and makes it harder to take in the whole stage, but we did try sitting with them, and I will say, it made for a much different experience. You really could see the expressions much more clearly and it felt more immersive. We did this for the show on the first night, and for the rest of the cruise we saw various actors from the show all over the ship because we could recognize their faces so easily.

Now, at some of the other shows I did sit in various places in the theater, and they were all fine, but nothing quite like that front row experience.

If you do want to try that, two pieces of advice. You will need to arrive before the main doors open 30 minutes in advance, and also, check out both lines before getting into one. We found the one on the right to be consistently longer. Of course, it may vary cruise to cruise the point is to check out both lines before accidentally getting in the longer one.

 

[mrswillson]

My husband and I never had an issue finding great seats for any of the shows, and we consistently arrived 15-20 minutes before showtime. Because we chose late dining, my experience is for the early showings. Personally, I like sitting front and center about 7 to 8 rows back as you are close to the stage but not directly on top of it; and again, we had absolutely no issue sitting exactly where we wanted despite our arrival time.

 

[COASTIEandMATE]

I definitely would stay seated in my choice and not be getting up and down just because there is no saving of seats and you might return to find your favorite seat taken!

 

[MUN]

I have a rule to only do things we really want to do on vacation, instead of following others' lists of must-dos.

I will respect your wishes by not telling you where we like to sit. Just kidding, I couldn't resist. We like to sit on the left side towards the front. You don't have to get there 45 minutes early for those seats.

MUN

 

[Uncleromulus]

We always sit in the center, but near the back and near the aisle. The view is just fine.

 

[dcassetta]

My favorite area is in the lower center section on an aisle, easier to flag down the bar servers!

However, based on where people seem to head first the prime seats seem to be the front row of the back section just behind the center aisle.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

My favorite area is in the lower center section on an aisle, easier to flag down the bar servers!

However, based on where people seem to head first the prime seats seem to be the front row of the back section just behind the center aisle.

I don't like those seats. You have people constantly (and I mean ALL. THE. TIME.) walking in front of you. And for shorter people (like me) it's a problem.

 

[dcassetta]

I don't like those seats. You have people constantly (and I mean ALL. THE. TIME.) walking in front of you. And for shorter people (like me) it's a problem.

I do not like them either, but that always seems to be the first row to fill.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I do not like them either, but that always seems to be the first row to fill.

Since those rows are pretty short (the ones on either side of the sound booth) it doesn't take much to fill them. And, for first-timers (or other newbies) they may seem the best. I know I sat there once. That's when I found it's not really the best.

 

[StlZNF]

We loved the front row on the Fantasy! Felt like part of the show.

 

[TrishaK]

There's just the three of us, and we liked sitting towards the back where the rows are only 3-4 seats long. We can get in and out without bothering others, and we don't have others bothering us in the middle of the show. We could see and hear just fine.