Candlelight Processional without Dining Package?

[GPC0321]

Is the dining package absolutely essential? I'm having a hard time justifying the cost when none of the meal choices particularly grab me. We'd probably do the 5pm show. What time would we need to arrive in line?

 

[siskaren]

Whether or not it's essential is going to depend on the narrator. If it's Neil Patrick Harris, then yes, it's essential. Personally, I love Biergarten and the last time I went, the cost of the CP dinner package was just $10 more than doing Biergarten without it, so it was worth it to me.

 

[sharonabe]

Is the dining package absolutely essential? I'm having a hard time justifying the cost when none of the meal choices particularly grab me. We'd probably do the 5pm show. What time would we need to arrive in line?

As siskaren said, the narrator plays the biggest part in this, along with when you're going. If it's Christmas week or Thanksgiving weekend, then you'll probably want a package. NPH is definitely the most popular narrator, but there are others that also draw a crowd.

Do you know when you're going and who the narrator is?

 

[NMPensFan]

We opted for a cheap breakfast since the other restaurants didn't appeal to us. Paying oop. I think captains grill was cheapest but we did garden grill. We're going the week of Christmas so we figured we'd better get the package.

 

[GPC0321]

We're not going until next year (LOL), but I'm still trying to budget and figure out a ballpark of what the trip will cost us. I'd thought about one of the cheaper breakfasts too, especially since my parents will never be able to eat appetizer, entree, and dessert at a lunch or dinner. Biergarten was a thought too, since it's a buffet, but I'm not sure my parents would eat enough on that to justify even that cost (though it's certainly the most reasonable of the lunch/dinner options).
If the narrators keep a similar schedule to this year, we won't be there when NPH narrates (would love to be though!). Tentatively we'll probably be attending either 12/18 or 12/19 (a Monday or a Tuesday).
Are the 5pm performances usually less crowded than the other two? I thought I'd read that somewhere.

 

[jaysmom4285]

We've been to WDW in early December for the past ten years or so. I've never done a CP package because I won't pay the inflated prices they want to charge for the meals. We've never had a problem getting into a performance as long as we chose a weeknight and a lesser known narrator. The theater holds more people than you would think. We generally stand just outside the back of the theater at the ropes. As soon as the standby line is in, the CMs will open the ropes at the back. I can't guarantee this will work all the time for everyone, but it has worked for us. Again the most important thing is a weeknight and a narrator you've basically never heard of. I think the 5 PM show may be a little less crowded because it isn't totally dark when it starts. As PPs have noted, the very popular narrators like Neil Patrick Harris and Whoopi Goldberg will pack the place, and the closer you get to Christmas, the more crowded it gets.