Do we need a Fantasmic package?

[akayf]

We currently have a Fantasmic package booked for dinner at Hollywood and Vine. DH really wants a dinner at Yachtsman Steakhouse and says we can take the boat from HS to YC, eat, then boat back to HS and just head to Fantasmic. Our last trip was pre- FP+. He seems to think we can just show up and walk in and get a seat.

We have 2 boys(8 and 5) who love steak and are used to dining out so I'm not worried about them. We also have plenty of other character meals planned(GG dinner, CP breakfast, 1900 PF dinner, Ohana breakfast) so if we do drop H&V they won't miss out their only chance to eat with a character.

It would be nice to eat a non-character, non buffet meal but I'm worried we will never be able to get into the show if we don't do a package. DH refuses to eat at Brown Derby because he hated it like 20 years ago and neither one of us is really too interested in the choices at Mama Melrose.

What would you do?

 

[Maggie'sMom]

I'd book Yachtsman and try for a FP+ for Fantasmic as a 4th FP. I've had luck getting Fantasmic fastpasses on the day of after we've used up our first 3. But I suppose it also depends on when you are going.

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

My only concern would be time...
There are 2 main ways to get to The Yacht Club from HS via WDW transportransporthe. First being to hoof it, and the second being by boat.
You could also Uber/Taxi over and back.
It also depends on time of year... Lower crowds mean more available seating.
If you can snag a FP you would still have to be there early enough that they haven't let in the stand by crowd, who may now choose to sit in any open spot.
I do agree, however that Yachtsman is a better choice for a dinner than any of the choices at HS...

 

[akayf]

We are going at the end of August. There is a 5:40 ADR for Yachtsman available. Will that give us enough time to eat snd head back over for 8:30 show? DH doesn't want anything earlier.

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

We are going at the end of August. There is a 5:40 ADR for Yachtsman available. Will that give us enough time to eat snd head back over for 8:30 show? DH doesn't want anything earlier.

You should be ok, I would be at Yachtsman by 5:20 and if you run late take an Uber back to HS. Most people line up for F+ an hour in advance, and every single time I've been there they have let in people at least 30 minutes before. So unless you have a FP for it assume your seating will not be as great.
Look at Robo's maps, he has an excellent one of the seating chart for F+.
It's a great show!

 

[ConnecticutNonna]

https://www.disboards.com/threads/wdw-maps-by-robo.3545729/page-5

Above is the link to his maps...

 

[xlsm]

In my opinion, you do not need a dining package reservation or even a fast pass.

In summer we just walk up to Fantasmic about an hour before and get a seat. Most recently in December (the 22nd to be exact), we had a 5:40 Yachtsman dinner and a fast pass for Fantasmic because I didn't know how crowds would be (we did MK in the morning/early afternoon, and used FPs at night for DHS). I didn't think our FP seat was any better than our standby seat. It's a very forgiving theater layout, and you can see from all areas pretty well.

I wholeheartedly recommend Yachtsman for dinner. It was our favorite meal in December. Using the Friendship Boat is convenient (although it feels really slow sometimes!)

 

[akayf]

Thank you everyone! I'm changing our ADR to Yachtsman. DH is very excited over his steak. So are the boys when they found out they were getting steak.(I didn't tell them we were canceling a character dinner) The last time we ate there was a pre-kids trip years ago and it was great. It is going to be nice to have a real sit down dinner and not deal with the buffet. And I'm glad we're be seeing Fantasmic this visit. We didn't see it when we took the boys for their 1st trip back in 2013 because our younger son was a little afraid of fireworks at the time. Now he can't wait to see it!!!!!

 

[WhispyPixie]

I think the answer to this depends a lot on the time of year and week/day you attend. Last week which was supposed to be a non-peak attendance week, our daughter was there for a bachelorette party. They had FP for Fantasmic, showed up 35 mins before and were placed on a side in the "nose bleed" section, with many other areas still open. Personally I don't think there are any bad seat for this show, but the girls all wished they had done the Fantasmic Dinner package as the seating for it was significantly better. Good Luck!

 

[Klavigne1122]

We just went last week and walked in 30 mins early with no fastpass or reservations and I could have easily sat in the front row if I wanted.. I didn't because I had a small child and it would have been too close for him