Fantasmic! Desert Party

[Robo]

I really confused by this party. I booked it today and show isn't until 9, but it said I had to show at 7:20 to get my desserts and such. Do we really have to show up and sit there for an hr and 40 minutes, or can I show up later?

Either the start time you have is wrong or the dessert arrival time is wrong.

 

[Shelleyfs]

I would like to think it was wrong. It shows the show at 9:00 pm and my reservation is at 7:20 pm and the CM confirmed it when I paid w/ a gift card. I think I am just going to cancel. That is way too much of a time commitment.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Has anyone done the Fantasmic! dessert party recently? Going in September and still debating if its worth it or not for 39 a person.

That seems expensive. Just a few weeks ago, we got some Fast Passes about a half hour before showtime and arrived at the ampitheater about 10 minutes before the show started.

We were ushered into the dining plan section, which was only about half full. The rest of the ampitheater appeared to be full, except for the far left FP section.

Very good seated without a long wait or extra purchase.

 

[Robo]

I would like to think it was wrong. It shows the show at 9:00 pm and my reservation is at 7:20 pm and the CM confirmed it when I paid w/ a gift card. I think I am just going to cancel. That is way too much of a time commitment.

If Fantasmic! doesn't start until 9PM, the theater shouldn't even be staffed and open to guests until maybe a bit before 8PM.
Something is timed incorrectly on your date.

For instance-
Tomorrow night, July 31, has a first-showing of Fantasmic! at 9PM.
The earliest Dessert & VIP arrival time time is 8PM. Next arrival time is 8:30PM.

And, for tomorrow's second Fantasmic! at 10:30PM, the Dessert & VIP arrival times are 9:30PM and 10:00PM.

 

[Shelleyfs]

Thank you, Robo. I will call back tomorrow and hopefully be able to clear it up. I don't mind an hour. That would give us time to eat and just relax.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Thank you, Robo. I will call back tomorrow and hopefully be able to clear it up. I don't mind an hour. That would give us time to eat and just relax.

My bunch is pretty competitive, so we like to spend the last hour before Fantasmic reriding TSM after the crowd dies down.

That last hour is usually worth about 4 rides.

 

[FastPasser.]

I would like to think it was wrong. It shows the show at 9:00 pm and my reservation is at 7:20 pm and the CM confirmed it when I paid w/ a gift card. I think I am just going to cancel. That is way too much of a time commitment.

I would cancel anyway but not for that reason. Maybe it's just me, but nearly $40 for a box of desserts, drinks and a couple of trinkets seems a little much.

Because it's not really a party with no party area, there is no actual party start time. It's a time span when you're able to pick up your stuff and go to the seating area. According to the internal website "The HUB", arriving 70 to 40 minutes before the show is recommended.

 

[Robo]

I would not get the Dessert thingy, either.
But, many want to.
(Paying WAY to much extra for unnecessary falderal seems to be the new WDW passion.)

I'm just trying figure out why and how @Shelleyfs' timing info would be so oddly "off."

 

[FastPasser.]

I would not get the Dessert thingy, either.
But, many want to.

Yes they do, and by the hundreds. I'm sure glad they do.

 

[GillianP1301]

I just checked my Aug 24th date and there are 2 Fantasmic shows 8:30 and 10:30. I had previously booked the 7:30 dessert VIP viewing, but was going back to change it because I decided that I didn't want to sit and wait for an hour, but instead of 8:00 for the second entry it is changed to 7:50 and they have also added 9:30 and 9:50 for the 2nd show. So, it seems they are tinkering with times a bit and quite possible not everything has been correctly updated.

 

[GillianP1301]

I literally just went back in because I was curious what was showing for @Shelleyfs Nov 18th date and 7:00 and 7:30 are the available times to book. Checked my Aug 24 date that I just booked 5 minutes ago for 7:50 and it now shows as 7:30 and 8:00 as the available times. So I think Shelly, you must have the second entry group time and it's probably supposed to be 7:30 (for an 8:00pm Fantasmic presumably). Definitely something flakey going on with these bookings today.

 

[Shelleyfs]

I called again. I don't know what to say as I found out nothing and just ended in laughing and shaking my head. I explained how my start time was 7:20 and I asked if there was an earlier fireworks that I was signed up for. He said that the only fireworks that night is 9 pm. At first the CM tried to tell me it was like the MK party. I explained it was not. You get a box and it is not buffet. Then he read the exact same thing I read on the site. You show up between 40-70 minutes beforehand if you want a box. I told him I read that but at 720 I would be there 100 mins before the fireworks so I was trying to find why I had to be there so early. He got flustered at that point and just kept reading the website to me. I finally stopped him and told him I read all of that. He said, "Could I finish?" I obviously pissed him off, but he wasn't telling anything I didn't already know. I said okay. So he read the rest of the site on the party. At this point I realized the conversation was a bust and I just said thank you and said good bye. I will try again later.

 

[Robo]

I called again. I don't know what to say as I found out nothing and just ended in laughing and shaking my head. I explained how my start time was 7:20 and I asked if there was an earlier fireworks that I was signed up for. He said that the only fireworks that night is 9 pm. At first the CM tried to tell me it was like the MK party. I explained it was not. You get a box and it is not buffet. Then he read the exact same thing I read on the site. You show up between 40-70 minutes beforehand if you want a box. I told him I read that but at 720 I would be there 100 mins before the fireworks so I was trying to find why I had to be there so early. He got flustered at that point and just kept reading the website to me. I finally stopped him and told him I read all of that. He said, "Could I finish?" I obviously pissed him off, but he wasn't telling anything I didn't already know. I said okay. So he read the rest of the site on the party. At this point I realized the conversation was a bust and I just said thank you and said good bye. I will try again later.

As you have just experienced (more than once) it is very seldom a good plan to "call Disney" (a "phone CM") when you want to find out accurate and factual information.

Most are not schooled in the "details" of the whys and wherefores of Disney actual operations.

 

[FastPasser.]

I will try again later.

What else do you need to know?

 

[Shelleyfs]

You are definitely right, Robo. We have been going to disney since the kids were little, but we always just did the basics and it was straight forward. Since joining this site, seeing all the great things you can do and the fact that the kids are now high school, there are so many things we didn't do and missed out on. Time is ticking away and the kids will be gone to college so I want the special memories by doing these events while I still can. So this is a whole new ball game to me.


FastPasser, I still don't know why I need to be there at 720 for a 9 pm Fantasmic. It just doesn't seem to make sense even by what the site says. So I think I am missing something.

 

[Robo]

I still don't know why I need to be there at 720 for a 9 pm Fantasmic. It just doesn't seem to make sense even by what the site says. So I think I am missing something.

You don’t need to arrive then.

That’s what we have been trying to say.
Even if that arrival time were accurate, it is not a hard-and-fast “must arrive then” time.
Don’t sweat it anymore right now.
You’ll get it straightened out before your trip dates.

 

[Robo]

Nothing compares to Disney planning!

 

[FastPasser.]

FastPasser, I still don't know why I need to be there at 720 for a 9 pm Fantasmic.

As Robo and I have indicated, you don't.

I found the problem. The info that the phone CM has, which I also have access to, regarding the experience is incorrect, it hasn't been updated to reflect that Fantasmic is an hour later during Thanksgiving week. It's showing that the experience is at the same time all month, which is incorrect. Once the experience page is updated, it should all work out.

The bottom line is that no matter what time Fantasmic takes place, show up between 70 and 40 minutes before the show. That's stated on the internal website as well.

 

[GillianP1301]

@Shelleyfs, I would worry about it at this point. I would suggest just checking the Fantasmic start time a few days before your ADR and plan to arrive an hour before that. You could even show up closer to the show if you wanted, as Robo said it's not a hard and fast time in this situation. Arriving earlier gives you first choice of seating, but arriving a bit later still gets you the reserved section so it really depends on how particular you are about where you sit.

If it is bugging though (I get that, I'm the same way), then I recommend trying to email wdw.guest.communications@disneyworld.com. They should be able to help sort out the specifics and if there is a website error, they will funnel that info to the web group to get it fixed. They've been pretty responsive with me on an the MNSSHP dessert party parade viewing issue.

 

[GillianP1301]

You are definitely right, Robo. We have been going to disney since the kids were little, but we always just did the basics and it was straight forward. Since joining this site, seeing all the great things you can do and the fact that the kids are now high school, there are so many things we didn't do and missed out on. Time is ticking away and the kids will be gone to college so I want the special memories by doing these events while I still can. So this is a whole new ball game to me.


FastPasser, I still don't know why I need to be there at 720 for a 9 pm Fantasmic. It just doesn't seem to make sense even by what the site says. So I think I am missing something.

If I were to venture a guess, it is because the group that organizes the VIP dessert package (who are not the same people responsible for Fantasmic scheduling) are working off of an incorrect Fantasmic schedule that has your date showing an 8:00pm Fantasmic time (which would have a 7:00 and 7:30 option. The 7:20 you have is a glitch that I also ran across this morning that had moved the 2nd time up by 10 minutes across the board, it has since been changed back). The other option is the people responsible for Fantasmic scheduling have either provided an incorrect time or have not yet updated the time to the people who update the online calendar.