Explain to me about Fantasmic...

[michygoomy]

Hi all. Last trip was the first time we got to see the MK fireworks and Illuminations and loved them both. Can't believe we didn't do that before!

The one thing we missed was Fantasmic. And I hear it is a "must-see". So, I've been reading about getting there 90 minutes ahead, sitting in the back, etc., but I'm looking for a little more info.

My questions:

1>When you arrive 90 minutes ahead, is that to queue up or can you go right in and sit down?
2>I understand there is some sort of counter service nearby--can we get some food, then go sit down? (I suppose the answer depends on #1)
3>What kind of seats are there? Are they just concrete tiers or real seats?
4>If one member of our party went ahead to get seats, could the rest come later (like 30 min before) and join the first? Or would the rest just get stuck in a line?

Thanks in advance! I'm thinking too much about this stuff!

Mich

 

[ShaneV]

>When you arrive 90 minutes ahead, is that to queue up or can you go right in and sit down?

Usually they open the gates to the stadium about 2 -2 1/2 houts ahead of time. You can go sit sown.

2>I understand there is some sort of counter service nearby--can we get some food, then go sit down? (I suppose the answer depends on #1)

There is a counter service that sells snacks at the top of the stands.

3>What kind of seats are there? Are they just concrete tiers or real seats?

Metal bleacher types seat like you would see at a high school football game.

4>If one member of our party went ahead to get seats, could the rest come later (like 30 min before) and join the first? Or would the rest just get stuck in a line?

You wouldnt really get stuck in line, but if it gets crowded you not going to be able to save a seat.

 

[swilphil]

I've only been once, but here are my answers.

1. You have to stand in the line until shortly before the start of the show. We sent a couple of people ahead to stand in line while we went on another ride.

2. There is counter service, but you won't have a whole lot of time to eat before the show starts. We had a snack while waiting in line.

3. The seats are bleachers--metal, I think.

4. The amphitheater holds 9,000 and they direct you to a spot when you enter. I would not think you would be able to find your party if they went early, unless you had dependable cell phones and could communicate. We found cell phone reception at MGM to be a little shaky. Plus I don't know if the ushers would let you save seats.

If you have little ones, bring ear plugs! It's very loud!

 

[RobinMarie]

I'm no Fantasmic expert but based on our experience:



1>When you arrive 90 minutes ahead, is that to queue up or can you go right in and sit down? You may sit down, I've been there where people were sitting two hours before the show.

2>I understand there is some sort of counter service nearby--can we get some food, then go sit down? (I suppose the answer depends on #1) I saw limited selections at the top of the stadium. I believe you'd have better selections bringing items in from the park vendors outside of the stadium.

3>What kind of seats are there? Are they just concrete tiers or real seats? Stadium seating - like bleachers made with metal set on concrete. I find it hard to sit so long without back support.

4>If one member of our party went ahead to get seats, could the rest come later (like 30 min before) and join the first? Or would the rest just get stuck in a line? It is difficult to save many spots for people. I wouldn't recommend doing this and maintaining good feelings with your Fantasmic neighbors. People who sit there up to two hours ahead of time probably won't appreciate this.

 

[michygoomy]

Thanks for the quick answers!

Back support can be and issue for me too. And I certainly don't want to upset the fellow park-goers! (Though my DH could care less

 

[Safari Steve]

Saving seats is not allowed in the Fantasmic Amphitheater. On particularly busy nights, guests arriving 30 minutes prior to show time will either be stuck with Standing Room Only viewing or may be kept out of the theater entirely.

You are allowed to bring food into the theater. The stands inside sell things like hotdogs and soft pretzels, there are vendors walking around with drinks, popcorn, cotton candy, etc. Counter Service locations on nearby Sunset Blvd serve pizzas, hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, and turkey legs.

 

[Maddle]

I love the Fantasmic show, and always try to see it. The special effects alone are worth the price of admission.

Last Fall I had an opportunity to run over at the last minute on my own. (I was traveling with small nieces and nephews who were rather young, and their Mom and Dad took them back to the hotel.) The cast member sent me in to "wherever you can find a space." I got a great seat next to a gracious family who had waited at least an hour and a half, and it was their first time at the show. When it was over, the first thing the husband said was, "Wow! That was WORTH the hour and a half wait!"



Maddle

 

[SueM in MN]

1>When you arrive 90 minutes ahead, is that to queue up or can you go right in and sit down?

The answer depends on how many shows there are and which show you are going to. Sometimes, there are 2 showings. For the first show (or if there is only one show), they start opening the stadium up for seating a long time before - the 2 to 2.5 hours that someone mentioned.
If there is a second show, the stadium has to be emptied and trash picked up before they start letting guests in. So, for a second show, you m,ay not be let in much before the show starts.

2>I understand there is some sort of counter service nearby--can we get some food, then go sit down? (I suppose the answer depends on #1)

You are right about it depending on #1. You may have lots of time or very little. Safari Steve listed what you can find inside. You didn't ask, but there are also bathrooms inside, near the snack counters.

3>What kind of seats are there? Are they just concrete tiers or real seats?

We have seen people bringing in their own stadium seats (the kind that clip onto the stadium bench and provide a backrest). I don't know where they kept them during the day though since they might not fit in lockers.

4>If one member of our party went ahead to get seats, could the rest come later (like 30 min before) and join the first? Or would the rest just get stuck in a line?

Safari Steve noted that saving seats is not allowed and even if it was, it would be very difficult to find the rest of your group in a crowd of 9,000. The rest could get stuck in line or not get in at all if you don't keep your group together. We dreaded the wait the first time that we went because my youngest DD has special needs which make waiting a real challenge. We were pleasantly surprised because it was no where near as bad as we expected. We had food, we had a bathroom if we needed it and we brought things to keep her busy. There is also constant activity before the show with all the vendors selling food and other stuff around the stadium. They've also had some comedians doing a preshow when we've gone during "long wait" season.

 

[donna in Oz]

Even if you go in early to get your seats, the wait isn't as bad as you might think. Everyone is in the same position as you; we've had some wonderful conversations with folks we've met while seated in the same area. And doing the "wave" has now become almost inevitable . . . . . .

Once we watched a young lady who knew origami fold a scrap of paper into a beautiful crane; she then presented it to a young child in front of her.

 

[michygoomy]

Again, thanks for the great responses.

You didn't ask, but there are also bathrooms inside, near the snack counters.

Good to know! Especially since DD has the great timing to always need to go when a parade or show starts (missed most of Tapestry of Nations last time......erg).

Well, I think I'm even more excited for the show after reading your responses! There's only one show a night while I'm there, so I'm looking forwarded to being able to go sit with our hot dogs or whatever.

 

[gschmerl]

To make things MUCH easier, book the Fantasmic dinner package. You eat dinner at one of three restaurants and your server gives you a ticket for Fantasmic. You go in a separate entrance and don't have to go in unitl 30 minutes before the show. Saves wear and tear on the back. You have to book the package ahead and tell the restaurant you are booking the Fantasmic dinner package.

 

[il-gander]

Ditto on the dinner package advice. We found this to be well worth it. We had to eat dinner anyway, did not spend any extra, and breezed into a packed stadium 30 minutes prior to the show to a reserved seating area with plenty of elbow room!

Carla

 

[peachgirl]

If you go to the last showing (assuming they have more than one) I really don't think you'll have to be there anywhere near 1 1/2 hrs in advance.

During the week of Christmas we went to the last show available twice and never got in line more than 1/2 hour in advance. We had no problem getting center seats.

During our trip last month, we went to the 2nd show and got in line about 1 hr before it was sheduled to start. I'd guess we were in the first 50 that got in the stadium. We had our choice of seats.


Just a FYI, some people ( including me) don't like the dinner seating at all, for other's it's fine. It is off center and we really think that the best way to see Fantasmic is as nearly center as possible.

 

[quilt4luv]

What rest's can you get the package deal at? Is this an extra cost on top of your food?
MJ

 

[gschmerl]

Originally posted by quilt4luv
What rest's can you get the package deal at? Is this an extra cost on top of your food?
MJ

There is no extra charge on top of your meal. Each person has to order a dinner entree. The restaurants are Hollywood and Vine, The Brown Derby, and the name of the last one escapes me...it's Mama something.

 

[gumdrop]

Originally posted by gschmerl
The restaurants are Hollywood and Vine, The Brown Derby, and the name of the last one escapes me...it's Mama something.

The other restaurant is Mama Melrose's. Here is a link that will give you more info about the Fantasmic Dinner Package along with the prices for each restaurant meal: http://www.wdwig.com/fantdin1.htm

 

[cali2gagirl]

I'm reading 'most' of this thread... Is Fantasmic an extra admission price on top of getting into MGM? We had planned to do this...I was thinking it was a fireworks show/display..I didnt' realize it was inside.. I know my kids will not sit still for nearly 2 hrs waiting on this... Will I not be able to see anything if we wait til near "showtime"??

 

[peachgirl]

There's no extra charge for Fantasmic. It's a wonderful show held in an outdoor theatre and one not to be missed, imo!

As I said in my previous post, we've never gotten in line 2 hours before showtime. The key is to go to the latest show available. We've never been to a later showing that was sold out, so you could've walked in right before the beginning and still gotten seats.

If you want center seating, you will need to be there 1/2 hr to 45 minutes before they start seating, but in my experience that was plenty early enough. The part of the show that we love the most are the film clips presented on the water screens. We think that the center seats give you the best view of this, but they do have 3 screens, so even if you're on the sides you still have a decent view.

 

[gschmerl]

The problem is, there are not always two Fantasmic showings each night. There are unsually only two shows during VERY crowded times (ie:holidays). We were there during Easter week and went to the late show and were fine. We were there during July and there was only one show each night. We did the dinner package and were very glad we did. We have sat both in the middle and on the side and the views were good both places.

 

[SueM in MN]

I know my kids will not sit still for nearly 2 hrs waiting on
this... Will I not be able to see anything if we wait til near
"showtime"??

You might be surprised. My DD (who has multiple disabilities, some of which make it very chaalenging to wait) did not have much trouble waiting at all. Actually, this is one place where we have not seen/heard a lot of bored, whiny kids. A lot of people bring soemthing with them for the kids to do. We've seen everything from kids coloring to playing with small action figures, looking at their autograph books, eating popcorn. Just watching all the people coming in and the activity of the popcorn and pop vendors coming down the aisles is enough to keep some kids busy.

You can ask CMs how early to arrive and still get a seat. There is a Guest Information board just at the corner of Hollywood and Sunset (close to the Brown Derby). The CMs there can give you a good idea of how fast the stadium fills up and what time to get there.
I would not worry about getting the "choice" seats in the center. The wheelchair seating (where we sit) is across the whole top row. We have sat in everything from the center to off at either side. IMHO, there is not a bad place to sit. There is a movie portion that takes place on water screens - there are 3 screens; one pointed at each area of seating. Some of the action takes place in/on boats in the water, but the water wraps around the semi-circular stage, so the boats will be seen at all areas as they proceed along the water. The stage itself is kind of a mountain-y looking set, but the center part sticks out a little more so any action on it is viewable from all sides. The only thing you want to avoid is getting there so late that there are no seats and you have to stand.