expert advice needed for Jan 2 - 6 trip

[MommyLove]

Hey DISrs! So, I kinda think of myself as a Disney expert, but it will be almost two years since our last trip and throw in the 60th as well as the shut downs starting in January, well... I need some advice!

I'm taking my daughters (7 and 16) and we'll be there from Saturday January 2nd until Wednesday the 6th (5 day hoppers). We have a F! reservations at BB for Saturday at 6:30pm. Will we automatically get the special viewing for the first show at 9pm? Is that good timing from the time of the meal to the time of the show? I mean... how early do we need to show up at the viewing area? As a side note, it's been about a decade since I've dined at BB, so I'm really excited about that! And F! is my 7 year old's FAVORITE so it will be a fun surprise for her. As well as a fond farewell to the show before the shutdown.

For the MM... the calendar says that MM is happening on every day of our trip but Wednesday (same with EMH at DL so I'm thinking Wednesday the 6th is a good day to hit DL first in the morning, but not use the MM). Which day would you use the MM and why? On the other days, which park would you hit first and what time should we get there (EMH at DCA is on the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 6th, so I'm thinking Tuesday the 5th is a must for starting the morning at DCA).

Both parks open at 8am each day with with DL closing at midnight and DCA closing at 11pm. We like to get there first thing in the morning, take a break/nap in the afternoon when it's busy (approx 2pm-6pm) then come back and shut the place down. We're staying right across the street within walking distance.

 

[mom2rtk]

First off, love the scrapbook pages!

Are there 2 Fantasmic shows that night? I'm guessing yes since it will be a pretty busy time. I'm not sure what the cutoff is for one show versus the other, but hopefully someone else will chime in. Your timing with dinner could be perfect. But it could be tight depending on how much you care about where you sit in your section. We did the RBT dining package in October, and they are seated in the same area. We got there at 7:45 and were probably 20 people back in line. It's possible that with dinner at 6:30 you might not be done in time to enter the dining section when they let you in at 8. That's fine if you don't mind sitting further back in that section (it is a sitting section). But if you wanted a seat at the rail, you will likely be too late for that.

 

[Elk Grove Chris]

Janet is right, you will likely be behind a few people in line already once you are done with dinner. Good news is that you can opt for the back part of the seating area, there is a minor slope, so that might be enough for your younger DD to see everything. Or you might luck out and get near the from too.

I would tend to use a MM as soon as possible into a trip, when you still have fresh legs. A lot of people tend to hit the opposite park when there is a EMH, I think that really only matters when the parks open earlier than 9 like when you will be there. So I would gage the crowds and in all likelihood go to the park with the EMH as the vast majority will try to hit the opposite park-onsite hotel crowds are quite manageable. Not a great answer, but all depends how early you line up and how many of your cohorts do the same. Others may have hard and fast rules on this, but we really play off the crowds lining up at the gates.

 

[MommyLove]

First off, love the scrapbook pages!

Thank you! I'm really having fun with the Disney scrapping. I have a gallery at Mouse Scrappers with more of my pages if you care to see more.

Are there 2 Fantasmic shows that night?

Yes, at 9:00 and 10:45. Every day of our trip. I was thinking it would be better to see the first one and run around/go on rides during the 2nd one (do we even have a choice on which show?)

Your timing with dinner could be perfect. But it could be tight depending on how much you care about where you sit in your section. We did the RBT dining package in October, and they are seated in the same area. We got there at 7:45 and were probably 20 people back in line. It's possible that with dinner at 6:30 you might not be done in time to enter the dining section when they let you in at 8. That's fine if you don't mind sitting further back in that section (it is a sitting section). But if you wanted a seat at the rail, you will likely be too late for that.

As long as the 7 year old can see, I don't feel we need to sit at the rail. So with the preferred seating we stay seated for the whole show?

Janet is right, you will likely be behind a few people in line already once you are done with dinner. Good news is that you can opt for the back part of the seating area, there is a minor slope, so that might be enough for your younger DD to see everything. Or you might luck out and get near the front too.

Good info - is the back better than the middle?

I would tend to use a MM as soon as possible into a trip, when you still have fresh legs.

Good point. I think we'll do it on Day 1. Thanks!



Something I just noticed... the Disneyland Forever fireworks is listed at 6:30pm on Saturday night, but at 9:30pm the rest of the days of our trip. Is that right? Why would they do it like that?

 

[MommyLove]

12 days till we leave, yay!!

So I'm just wondering, would we have a choice of which F! showing or will we definitely get passes for the first show? Would we be better off sitting in the middle of the F! dining package section, or could we/should we stand at the back?

Thanks in advance!

 

[PoohBearFriends]

12 days till we leave, yay!!

So I'm just wondering, would we have a choice of which F! showing or will we definitely get passes for the first show? Would we be better off sitting in the middle of the F! dining package section, or could we/should we stand at the back?

Thanks in advance!

Seating for F! We sat in the mid back. BB section last year. We could see very well. It is sloped and everyone is seated on their cushions.

I would call and request your show time with the dinner reservation. Last year we had 5:30 dinner when they brought the tickets and seat cushions they double checked our showtime FP.