Fantasmic crowd and claustrophobia?

[DisneyMama811]

I've been advised by another poster to come here for advice!

I'm a healthcare worker and as a result of the pandemic I've developed severe claustrophobia, we have a Fantasmic Dining Package booked for our upcoming trip (next week!!) another member of the disboards has advised me that leaving Fantasmic the crowds are insane.. wall to wall people, so far my plan is to hang back in the stands and wait for the crowds to disperse a bit before attempting to leave (we'll immediately be heading back to our resort not staying to ride anything) just wondering if anyone else with claustrophobia has experienced Fantasmic lately and if you have advice/tips

 

[bloomcruisers]

I've been advised by another poster to come here for advice!

I'm a healthcare worker and as a result of the pandemic I've developed severe claustrophobia, we have a Fantasmic Dining Package booked for our upcoming trip (next week!!) another member of the disboards has advised me that leaving Fantasmic the crowds are insane.. wall to wall people, so far my plan is to hang back in the stands and wait for the crowds to disperse a bit before attempting to leave (we'll immediately be heading back to our resort not staying to ride anything) just wondering if anyone else with claustrophobia has experienced Fantasmic lately and if you have advice/tips

I would definitely agree with your plan to just sit in your seat. We got caught in that insanity leaving Fantasmic in early December, and though I don't have claustrophobia, I was definitely overwhelmed. I have been in many lines and crowds in my 70 years and really never felt that way before. Our 10 yr old was actually crying out of fear of being crushed. I wished I could pick him up and carry him, but I physically can't. It was scary thinking about what would happen if people started to panic and push. You get trapped in a mass of humanity as they force everyone to exit along the top to the single exit. You can't help but think about the concerts and festivals where people die in similar situations. Hopefully not all shows are as bad. But we will elect to stay in our seats on future trips.

 

[AussieFan8]

You mentioned you have the dining package. That may help you. We did Fantasmic twice on our recent trip. The first time, we had the package and arrived just about 30 minutes before the show started. We walked right in and were able to choose our seat in the back on the end. (No one at that time was forcing us to sit anywhere, and only the back of the reserved section was available, anyway, since we got there so late.) The seating was perfect, and we hopped up immediately at the end of the show and were able to get right out before the rush of crowds. (You just have to make sure you get there I think at least 25 minutes before the show starts - your ticket will say.) You could even plan to leave just before the end of the show if you think that would be helpful, but we were able to get out just fine popping up right after Mickey appeared.

The second night, we did not have a package. We tried to sit in the back on an end and a cast member said we had to move. We ended up just off center in about the 15th row. Not only was the view worse, once the show ended, there was no way to quickly leave. We decided to wait near our seats, but if you don't like the feeling that you can't get out, you may have some difficulty. There were a lot of people and they were not moving, and a few people pushed their way through the crowds. We did finally notice that some people were walking to the very front, over to the side, and then up to the back to exit. That was much less crowded than walking to the back and then out like most people were doing.

We will likely continue to do the dining package for the better view and ability to sit in the back. (Hopefully, that wasn't a fluke.)

 

[tetera]

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[AussieFan8]

Wow, that is bonkers - we have a Fantasmic Dining Package for the end of this month and after shows in general we tend to stay in our seats, but we have a dining reservation at 8:55PM (Fantasmic is at 8:00PM the night we go). The internet says Fantasmic lasts 25 minutes - will we be able to get out within half an hour afterwards if we wait?

I think so. I would watch and see if the method we noticed is moving faster (walk to the front, over to the stairs on the side of the amphitheater, then up and out.)

 

[Brett Wyman]

We've done Fantasmic twice since it re-opened and it never took more than 10-15 mins to get back out to Hollywood Blvd.