Fantasmic Dessert Buffet - Worth the money?

[nunzia]

We did the viewing, riverside, when they were going back and forth between box and buffet. We got the buffet. It was great, and for the two of us I'd sure do it again. (a few months later my friend went again and they had the box..she felt the amount in the box was plenty) We checked in at the time we were told to, and still ended up in the second row. I'd try and check in before then next time. Because I had tall people in front of me, when the show started myself and my friend (our husbands could see fine) went and stood at the back of the viewing area and saw great. Then we watched the fireworks, which was fine, but so much nicer at the hub.
IMO I would do it for DH and myself, but when we are taking the whole family in a few days (!!) that would be 6 adults and 6 kids and no, I don't think it is worth it for that. Of course, I hope everyone is up to seeing the show, because it is so good, but I can't shell out over 500 for it.

 

[bethy]

We did it once last month b/c we have very young children and had never seen Fanstasmic before. I HATE pushing and shoving in crowds and trying to hold my place.

It was fantastic but once was enough for me due the cost. As far as nighttime entertainment I loved it but I love the Fireworks in front of the castle and the electric light parade better. Next time we'll go when the kids are older and we can see the late show for free.

 

[lurkyloo]

Thanks for the replies!

Can anyone guesstimate how long check-in takes? I'm thinking of doing a reservation at Blue Bayou between Fantasmic check-in at 7pm and when we need to be at the seating area at 8:30pm.... maybe a 7:30 dinner ressie is cutting it too close?

 

[Queenbillabong]

No, 7:30 should be enough. You can't really check in for F! until 7 p.m. Just make sure you are there a bit earlier than that as the line up builds quickly because they check in both shows at the same time. We had reservations for 7 p.m. and my son went to Cafe Orleans and held our table and I was there within 10 minutes. We had dinner (no dessert though ) and still had time to ride the Haunted Mansion and shop a bit before checking in for F!

 

[lurkyloo]

Great - thanks for the quick reply!

 

[nunzia]

I don't know. We have had long waits getting seated at BB even with PS. I have also found the meal takes quite awhile. I would be nervous about a 7:30 ressie, but I tend to over worry.

 

[brenda1966]

If it were me and my kids could easily stay up for the 10:30 F! viewing, I would watch the fireworks from the hub or main street (don't they go off right after the first F!) Then I would head over, grab a spot for F! and send someone off to get snacks.

Seeing the fireworks from the F! area is fine, but it's not great. For me, the firworks from the hub area are a priority over F!, but I've seen F! several times (also seen it at WDW where they have a wonderful stadium).

It's a tough call as to whether it's worth it. If money were no object, sure I'd spend the money. But for us, I just can't justify the cost for such a short show. I'll pay that much to see a 2 hour Broadway show.

 

[lurkyloo]

Good point about the long waits at BB!

I have to say, the only reason I bought tix was as a surprise for DH's birthday. We go to DL almost monthly and I always insist on watching the fireworks from Main Street - I never let him see Fantasmic!

So I thought this would be a nice way to make it up to him...

 

[SweetSpot]

Thank you so much everyone for all of your opinions. It's a tough call because it is such an expense for something that could be had at no cost. I keep weighing the pros and cons. I really don't like crowds or waiting to hold a spot only to have people cram into you. We probably won't get back to DL again and will still be on EST so we'll be really tired at 10:30, especially after getting to the parks when they open. After reading everything here I think I would regret not booking it so I think it's worth the splurge.

 

[noryglory]

We saw F! this past Sunday night at 10:30. Walked up around 10 and got GREAT seats sitting down basically in front of and between the two "reserved" dessert areas they have cordoned off. I noticed right before showtime there were many chairs NOT being used in the reserved areas. I am so glad we didn't pay for it. But the only other time I went to Fantasmic, we went at the 9 show, had to stand and hold our spot for like an hour before, and I hated it and thought it was stupid. This time, we could sit, had time to go get snacks, and I thought the whole thing was wonderful and charming.

Bottom line is this, for me. If I HAD to go to the 9 p.m. show, I'd pay for the seats. If I could go to the 10:25 show, I'd just show up about 30-40 minutes beforehand and get a good spot on the ground. We were right near the train station and HM, about 10 feet from the water. Basically you know that no one can hold seats for more than an hour since the first show isn't over until 9:25, whereas people will hold seats for the 9 p.m. show for hours and hours. We debated buying the dessert buffet and then figured our kids could tough it out to go to the late show. It was a great decision for us!

 

[JDBlair]

We (family of 4, my parents and cousin) splurged during our trip to DL in March 2006 and did the reserved seating, river front. It was a really hard decision to make because it was pricey but I justified it by knowing it would be DH and DD's first time seeing F!, we would pay cash and it would be a unique experience for all of us. It was the final evening of our trip and I have to say, I don't regret it one bit. It was great. We had the buffet, it was tasty and we really felt special sitting in that area and having that moment be our farewell to an excellent vacation. We'll probably never do the F! Reserved Seating again because I'd like to experience a new something for each visit but I don't discourage anyone from having this moment, if they can afford it. DH loved the show and didn't have to complain about the crowds and this made it a far more enjoyable experience for all of us and him! Totally worth it!!!

 

[jrgutknecht]

So we just returned from our trip May 7 thru 11.

Parks were not crowded at all Wednesday or Thursday. Crowds showed up Friday and by afternoon it was a 50 minute wait for attractions that were walk-ons two days earlier.

We picked up our tickets at Guest Relations at 4pm and checked in at 7pm. The check in process was kind of odd because they had people for both the 9pm and 10:30 show checking in at the same time. There was only one line and one person was at the podium while the other was going down the line looking for 10:30 people. Most of the people at the front of the line were for the 10:30 show, so when the CM at the podium called out - "next person for the 9pm show please" someone from the back of the line rushed up to her and checked in. She quickly realized what has happening and decided to just pick up her clip board and work her way down the line.

At any rate we checked in and because we're both tall (I'm 6'6" tall) I offered to sit in the back row. She put us in two seats in the back row right next to the center lighting position next to where the stage managers sat. As tall as I am, there was actually someone TALLER than me sitting in front of me, but it worked out okay because there was enough room for me to slide over a little so I wasn't sitting right behind him.

The seats were not very comfortable, but much better than sitting on the ground. By the time we came back at 8:30, the place was packed. The seating are in front of us on the ground was full, you basically couldn't walk anywhere but the walkways they kept open.

Once we sat down, a very nice CM came over with our goodie box, it had some cheese and crackers, some grapes and a few small desserts. We had unlimited cofee, hot chocolate, soft drinks and water. He even made a point of telling us to stay put after the show because we could watch the fireworks from these same seats.

We had a great view of the show, and it was awsome.

We got to ride the Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion and Pirates during the time we would otherwise have been sitting on the ground waiting for the show. So for me it was totally worth it and it's probably the one thing I'd splurge for again next time I go.

If you have kids I HIGHLY recommend checking in early so you can get front row seats.

 

[quest4dl]

We have tickets for early June. How early did you check in?

 

[cccdisney]

We have tickets for early June. How early did you check in?

We did the Fantasmic PS on April 27th. I got to the check-in area at 6:25pm and was around #5 or #6 in line. And remember that each person was checking in for more than one person. I would say be there more like 6:15. We had good seats (2nd row on the center aisle) and really enjoyed the experience. It was a trip alone with just my dh. I don't think I'd pay for my kids to do it - they wouldn't have even eaten any of the desserts since they were "too deluxe" for their taste buds! LOL They are more fans of chocolate chip cookies

 

[Nora94]

. I don't think I'd pay for my kids to do it - they wouldn't have even eaten any of the desserts since they were "too deluxe" for their taste buds! LOL They are more fans of chocolate chip cookies

well you silly goose, you eat the yummy fancy desserts and let them eat the grapes!

Actually I saw a chocolate covered strawberry in there, and that is going to cause fights over who is going to get Daddy's.

Thanks for all the info, we are going on June 6th.

 

[cccdisney]

Yes the chocolate covered strawberry was yummy!!! I WISH the box was full of them!

Have fun!!

 

[kwonyong]

We did the reserved fantasmic seating in late April and just loved it. Sure it was expensive, but it was money well spent. The service, food and show were fantastic.

 

[DevilDuckie]

well you silly goose, you eat the yummy fancy desserts and let them eat the grapes!

Actually I saw a chocolate covered strawberry in there, and that is going to cause fights over who is going to get Daddy's.

Thanks for all the info, we are going on June 6th.

Fight, nothing. California is a community property state. Half of that sucker is Mommy's to begin with!

 

[avalon451]

Fight, nothing. California is a community property state. Half of that sucker is Mommy's to begin with!

 

[Cinderlala]

Fight, nothing. California is a community property state. Half of that sucker is Mommy's to begin with!

Ha! You sound like a lawyer!!