DHS FP+ Help

[mj23cj]

I am planning out my fp+ & am trying to decide for DHS. We are 2 adults and 3 little girls none are tall enough for RnRC & none are brave enough for ToT. We will definetly do TSMM. What else? They love frozen! Is the Frozen sing along FP worth getting? Does it give us shorter wait time or better seats?

We are going to Fantasmic and I have the dinning package booked. Is this better or equal to fp for fantasmic? As in good seats and less time waiting. I could cancel the dinning package and do fp+ here if its better. Can anyone tell me if you do or dont get an appetizer at Mama Melrose anymore with the fantasmic dining package? We are on the dinning plan so the package wont cost out of pocket. We are going for spring break end of march during a very busy time if that matters.

Is the seating for Beauty and the beast good? My girls will love this show. Should I get this fast pass?

Any others that would be good for us? 2 of my girls are too short for star tours so that is probably out. Thanks in advance!!!

 

[Caseheidi]

I am planning out my fp+ & am trying to decide for DHS. We are 2 adults and 3 little girls none are tall enough for RnRC & none are brave enough for ToT. We will definetly do TSMM. What else? They love frozen! Is the Frozen sing along FP worth getting? Does it give us shorter wait time or better seats?

We are going to Fantasmic and I have the dinning package booked. Is this better or equal to fp for fantasmic? As in good seats and less time waiting. I could cancel the dinning package and do fp+ here if its better. We are on the dinning plan so the package wont cost out of pocket.

Is the seating for Beauty and the beast good? My girls will love this show. Should I get this fast pass?

Any others that would be good for us? 2 of my girls are too short for star tours so that is probably out. Thanks in advance!!!

Not sure of your girls ages, but Disney Junior live or Voyage of the Little Mermaid are good options if they are toddlers. We did both with DD who was 5 last spring, and they were some of her favorites at DHS.

 

[Starhart81]

I would definitely keep Fantasmic dining package and use your tier 1 FP on TSM. During spring break, Frozen and Little Mermaid would be very good FPs for your tier 2 choices. I would say those would be the best use of your FPs.

 

[mj23cj]

Not sure of your girls ages, but Disney Junior live or Voyage of the Little Mermaid are good options if they are toddlers. We did both with DD who was 5 last spring, and they were some of her favorites at DHS.

They are 6, almost 3 and 9 months. I planned to do those 2 things for sure but I read the fp+ seating for Disney Junior is really bad. Is fp for Little Mermaid worth it?

 

[Caseheidi]

They are 6, almost 3 and 9 months. I planned to do those 2 things for sure but I read the fp+ seating for Disney Junior is really bad. Is fp for Little Mermaid worth it?

It depends on when you go and what your girls enjoy. If you are there in low season, I wouldn't bother. You should have no problems getting in. We were there last May during Star Wars weekend, and not everyone got into VOTLM that was waiting. We were some of the last allowed in, and there was a large crowd still outside the doors. As for my DD, she was a little worried about the darkness of the theater, but as soon as the show started, she was a fan.

I also feel the need to warn you about TSMM. At 5 yrs old, she only sort of liked it. She was not a fan of not seeing where she was going and spinning around so fast. I wish I had prepared her better. She also only tried the first few games, and gave up. I will add that she does not care for loud noises, and that was part of her problem. There is a good chance that your 3 yr old will not be ready. But hey, then one of you can use the two littlest FP+ for another ride (we did this for a few of our choices, letting us do more roller coasters quickly).

 

[DisneyKidds]

I'd say TSMM, Frozen Singalong and Little Mermaid look like the best options. If you have to wait in line for a few showing, the line area for Mermaid can be cramped. Frozen will get you better seating I think, and the girls will love it. Beauty and the Beast you shouldn't have trouble getting into. Grab a drink or a snack and get there 20+ minutes before show time. It's a pleasant theatre to sit in. Been a while since my kids were toddlers so I don't know what the Playhouse Disney lines are like anymore, but the girls will enjoy that.

While people are warning you about things, I've seen a lot of young kids get scared by Fantasmic. Not saying you should skip, but when things get intense with the villains the girls may need an arm to duck under if it frightens them. Great Movie ride is neat, just hold them close during the Aliens part.

 

[mj23cj]

Thanks everyone! I am thinking little mermaid & frozen as my tier 1 but still not sure on my tier 2. I am thinking about canceling fantastic package to do lunch at H&V because my middle daughter loves those characters esp Sophia! How easy is it to see Sophia at her regular meet up in the park? Is she out all day?

Also was thinking do TSMM at rope drop & one time would be enough for us then fp+ fantasmic. Is the viewing area for dinner package vs fp equally good? Is TSMM doable at RD with a baby, toddler & young child. We won't be running like crazy & will have to park a stroller. How long would we wait & how long is the ride? I was hoping to do Disney junior at 9:40. We are going last week in march. We will get there early. I read that they let u into DHS early so is there a rope they hold u back by or can u start lining up for rides? Thanks so much!!!!

 

[Dr Gevil]

I would FP+ TSMM and Frozen Sing Along, plus whatever else, and do the F! dining package.

We did the Jedi Mickey dinner w/ F! package in June. First time we went to see F! as our girls were both finally big enough to stay up that late. The Dining F! passes were right in the middle of the amphitheater. Didn't have to wait in line. Lots of space.

FP+ may get you in a bit sooner, but depending how crowded it is, you still may be sitting on the far sides. Not that much difference from SB, imo.

Whatever you decide - enjoy!

 

[DISNEYD14]

With kids your age I would keep Fantasmic Dinner Package.

For us with 3 little ones and stroller getting in and out of Fantasmic was my worse nightmare.
I would never do it again any other way.
JMO

I would use my FP+ for Frozen again in a heartbeat. We were let in first and got awesome seats, same with B&B over Little Mermaid

But if your DD loves Sophia, use FP+ for Disney Junior show for better up front seats.

 

[tink9702]

Thanks everyone! I am thinking little mermaid & frozen as my tier 1 but still not sure on my tier 2. I am thinking about canceling fantastic package to do lunch at H&V because my middle daughter loves those characters esp Sophia! How easy is it to see Sophia at her regular meet up in the park? Is she out all day?

Also was thinking do TSMM at rope drop & one time would be enough for us then fp+ fantasmic. Is the viewing area for dinner package vs fp equally good? Is TSMM doable at RD with a baby, toddler & young child. We won't be running like crazy & will have to park a stroller. How long would we wait & how long is the ride? I was hoping to do Disney junior at 9:40. We are going last week in march. We will get there early. I read that they let u into DHS early so is there a rope they hold u back by or can u start lining up for rides? Thanks so much!!!!

It's very easy to get decent seats for the Disney Jr. show at 9:40am (or at least was in November). We didn't meet Sophia because DD was too scared, but did meet Jake, both seemed to be out on & off during the day. Yes, they typically open the park 10-30 minutes before 9am. Once the park is open they don't hold you back at all at HS or at least I didn't see that. That would be at MK where they make you stay behind the cast members.

We thought Little Mermaid show was horrible. Just our opinion though. Maybe that's because the Finding Nemo show & Lion King show at Animal Kingdom were so much better and we saw those first. Our FP+ for Little Mermaid allowed us to not stand in line and gives you seats near the front.

DS & DD loved TSMM. They were 5 & almost 4 years old. We had a FP+ for 6:40pm. They were done with the park by 3pm because they weren't interested or couldn't ride everything so we ended up in the SB line because we didn't want to waste 3 hours of our day. Telling you this story just so if you go with a FP+ for TSMM you don't schedule it so late. I'm honestly not sure if you are going to find enough to do at HS to make it to Fantasmic without leaving to go back for pool in the afternoon. You might want to consider doing that.

 

[IWannaBuildASnowman]

Also was thinking do TSMM at rope drop & one time would be enough for us then fp+ fantasmic. Is the viewing area for dinner package vs fp equally good? Is TSMM doable at RD with a baby, toddler & young child. We won't be running like crazy & will have to park a stroller. How long would we wait & how long is the ride? I was hoping to do Disney junior at 9:40. We are going last week in march. We will get there early. I read that they let u into DHS early so is there a rope they hold u back by or can u start lining up for rides? Thanks so much!!!!

I would FP TSMM and keep the dining package. HOWEVER. Will you have two adults or just one? You won't be able to do TSMM with one adult and 3 little kids. (look at a YouTube video of TSMM to get an idea of what it's like). Therefore if that won't happen, use your FP for something else.

 

[magnusx1]

I agree with just about everyone's suggestions, and I'l offer some advice of my own:

- The FP+ for Fantasmic is mostly a waste, especially if you're there at a slower time. It might be beneficial for Spring Break time, tho, only because it guarantees you a seat. Personally, I think the placement of where they stick the FP+ people is just as bad as getting there right before it starts. As you walk in, while all the other sections are filling up nicely, they direct all the FP+ to the far left of the amphitheater, where no one is at. Sure, you might be in the first 20-25 rows, but you're all the way on one side. Basically, my issue is I've gotten the same seats or better without needing to burn one of my FP+s for the day, so I don't plan on making that mistake again.

- Dinsey Junior Live is GREAT for kids that age! And the FP+ is not for a specific space in the theater, they just let the FP+s in about 3-5 minutes before the standby line (if you do come in at the end of your 10 minute FP+ window, you will be all the way in the back for sure, because everyone's already in at that point). Only issues is have with the show is that a) once you've seen it once, you've seen it hundreds of times becusae it never changes, and b) sitting on that hard floor is a BEAR! What I wouldn't give for some kind of chair!

Hope you enjoy your visit!

 

[tjknitz]

I would FP TSMM and keep the dining package. HOWEVER. Will you have two adults or just one? You won't be able to do TSMM with one adult and 3 little kids. (look at a YouTube video of TSMM to get an idea of what it's like). Therefore if that won't happen, use your FP for something else.

Back in 2009 my husband and I took DS (9), DD (7) and DD (9 months) and rode TSMM. My husband rode with DS while I actually took both girls. My 9 month old sat on my lap. I couldn't really shoot anything, but we went along for the ride while my 7 year old had fun. I would say it wasn't the most comfortible way to experience TSMM but it can be done if you have a little one (or at least they allowed me to do it 3 different times in 2009)

 

[ktlm]

Get a FP+ for TSMM. Don't rely on racing there at rope drop. Our trip last October they decided without warning to do a FP+ only test for TSMM. In other words, if you do not have a FP+ you do not get to ride TSMM at all as there was no standby line. We saw several crying children and upset families. I don't know that they will ever try it again, but I would not risk it. TSMM generally is the ride with the longest line in the park. The line is also consistently long. There is a morning stampede to it. You would need to be in the front of the opening crowd and move fast as the line can build up really fast. That should be a definite with small kids. TSMM should definitely be your tier one.


As for your other 2, the Frozen Sing Along is a good pick. You still need to be there at least 20 minutes before the show. They will let the FP+ line in first at about 15 to 20 minutes before the show, and then once that line is in, they let the stand by line in. The FP+ gets you better seats because you get in before the standby line. You have to be there before they start letting the FP+ line in though because after that they immediately let the standby line in and they will fill the theatre, they do not reserve a space for late FP+ people. When we were there, they let the later FP+ holders in because they had FP+, but they had to stand up along the wall for the whole 20 minute show.

The Fantasmic FP+ placement isn't great. You are better off with the dinner package.

If you think you want to ride Star Tours, that is not a bad choice. The line is sometimes really short if you catch it right, but it can flare up to longer waits at times.

We've had 2 FP+ trips and had no trouble getting into Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast or Disney Jr. without it. At those places, it only gets you in first, it doesn't save any area for you, so unless you get there early and are in the FP+ line before they let the standby line in, it does you no good. If there is one of those that is really important and you really want to get there early and get specific or very close seats, then one of those might be worthwhile. Otherwise, they really aren't needed for those. Now, you are going during a very busy time, so you might have a situation where those shows fill up. If you don't want the risk of having to try to catch another show if something you really want to see fills up, it might be worth getting one for that.

 

[DVCkidsMOM]

Get a FP+ for TSMM. ...
As for your other 2, the Frozen Sing Along is a good pick. You still need to be there at least 20 minutes before the show. They will let the FP+ line in first at about 15 to 20 minutes before the show, and then once that line is in, they let the stand by line in. The FP+ gets you better seats because you get in before the standby line. You have to be there before they start letting the FP+ line in though because after that they immediately let the standby line in and they will fill the theatre, they do not reserve a space for late FP+ people. When we were there, they let the later FP+ holders in because they had FP+, but they had to stand up along the wall for the whole 20 minute show.

...

Even with a stand-by line it is extremely difficult to get to TSMM at RD early and quickly enough to not have a long wait because others were faster than you. Needing to keep track of the kids or parking a stroller would sink this plan for sure - get the FP+!

Frozen sing-along FP+ is basically as described above. However, I wanted to point out that when we were there in December and per all research I did; they have about as many FP+s as seats in the theater with a small section of bleachers at the back for stand-by. In other words, a very small portion of each audience is stand-by. We worried that our FP+ to the sing-a-long was going to be a waste, but next to TSMM it was the most valuable FP+ at HS.

 

[GWhitten98]

Depending on when you are going I am not sure the dining package or FP+ is necessary for Fantasmic. We were there in Nov walked up to the gate as soon as it opened with snacks in hand. There was a group of about 50-75 people there, but the line to get in the gate moved very quickly. We parked the stroller and hung out in the bleachers for the next hour or so till the show started. The kids had there snacks ,we took bathroom runs, and relaxed. It was great! We had awesome seat. Right on the isle next to the Diner package roped off area.

I would say FP TSM and Frozen. The third is up in the air. If you and DH have any interest in riding TOT or Star Tours I would FP one of those then get a child swap ticket. Our kids were tall enough at 3 and 5 for Star tours and really enjoyed it. With child swap(we also had a 1 YO) they both got to ride it twice (once with DH and once with me).

I personally think FP for LM and Dis Jr are a waste. Seats even in the back row or just a good if not better in Dis Jr case then those in the front.