Fantasmic dessert seating

[RweTHEREyet]

do you think it's worth it for a family with two smaller kids (6 and 2). How early exactly do you recommend getting there if you want to be in a good seat for the kids to see well?

So, if we chose grad night to do this we could already be in our seats for the 8:40 fireworks? Then fantasmic would start right away after that at 9:00? That might be worth it then for us...

Our times for shows were at 9 and 10 with firewords at 9:25. So, we saw fireworks after the show and then we had to leave and join the crowds.

I was in line at 6:30 and was first in line. People for both show times show up at the same time. Once I got in line, it was just 5 - 10 minutes before others fell in line behind me. If you want your pick of any seats, be there at 6:30. I would imagine that most of the seats are good seats, and all the people in front of the preferred seating have to sit on the concrete, they cannot stand up.

It has been a long time since I have had any little ones to worry about, so keep that in mind, but I would say yes to being worth it for 2 and 6 year olds if for no other reason than the fact that you are not in the huge crowd being jostled and with who knows how big a person immediately in front of you. The seats in our section were in rows of 4, four on one side of the aisle and 4 on the other, and there are three rows in each section.

 

[RweTHEREyet]

Thanks for letting me know. I'll make sure to ask them to direct the ticket delivery to the hotel!



Thanks for posting about your experience! In my mind I keep trying to justify it, too, but I'm 99% sure I'm going to just take the plunge I don't know if I will want to wait in line that long with a toddler, so while I'm short I may just have to suck it up & deal w/possibly being in the last row.

As I mentioned above, our section had three rows with an aisle down the center and there were 4 seats on each side of the aisle, 24 seats in all. If you choose an aisle seat for yourself, you can slide your seat a little to the left or right to see around the person in front of you. Most things don't happen at eye level ( a few do), but generally you are looking up.

 

[Lissame]

Even if you get a seat in one of the back rows you might get lucky and have a child in front of you. That has happened to me before.

 

[Dobie]

I don't care about back row for my blocked out weeknight in August, but the three Dobies do want to sit next to each other.

Will I have to line up at the butt-crack of dawn to get three seats together?

 

[triplefigs]

I don't care about back row for my blocked out weeknight in August, but the three Dobies do want to sit next to each other.

Will I have to line up at the butt-crack of dawn to get three seats together?

I don't care about the back row either, but I need my kids sitting with us. We could split 2 and 3 if needed. Wondering if we need to line up early too for that reason.

 

[Lissame]

We have done the dessert seating thing three times before this--I think, things are starting to get all muddled together in my brain.

We have never had an issue with not being able to sit together. I am sure they will adjust the chairs if that was the case. If you had a huge party, it might be a problem, but all four of us have always been able to sit together and we have never waited in line very early to sign up--we usually get there around 7:30.

 

[cooniez]

As I mentioned above, our section had three rows with an aisle down the center and there were 4 seats on each side of the aisle, 24 seats in all. If you choose an aisle seat for yourself, you can slide your seat a little to the left or right to see around the person in front of you. Most things don't happen at eye level ( a few do), but generally you are looking up.

Even if you get a seat in one of the back rows you might get lucky and have a child in front of you. That has happened to me before.

Thanks for the tips!

I don't care about the back row either, but I need my kids sitting with us. We could split 2 and 3 if needed. Wondering if we need to line up early too for that reason.

I'm concerned about that, too. Our toddler can sit on my lap, but our tween needs to be with either DH or myself.

 

[blackjackdelta]

I don't care about back row for my blocked out weeknight in August, but the three Dobies do want to sit next to each other.

Will I have to line up at the butt-crack of dawn to get three seats together?

Most likely you will get your choice of seats from what is left over. We have done "f" the last two Augusts and there was a lady in line at 1630 reading a book, then I, then the cast of thousands. There were over 30 people in line at 1800(people for both shows). Come later so goes the seat selection, but I have seen people move so couple can sit together.

Jack

 

[blackjackdelta]

We have done the dessert seating thing three times before this--I think, things are starting to get all muddled together in my brain.

We have never had an issue with not being able to sit together. I am sure they will adjust the chairs if that was the case. If you had a huge party, it might be a problem, but all four of us have always been able to sit together and we have never waited in line very early to sign up--we usually get there around 7:30.

What time of the year do you go?

Jack

 

[Lissame]

What time of the year do you go?

Jack

End of June/beginning of July, but we have gone in August (2007)

 

[MeRSiamese]

After we checked in and got our seats assigned at the podium. DD and I went to the bathroom in New Orleans Square, back by the train station. Not sure if that is the right way for the flow of traffic, but it worked for us. It was a complete madhouse, but we made it back ok.

Thank you SO much! That is where we will head then!

 

[jacobsmommy]

Just booked the package last night for June 24th (grad night). And then this morning I found out that I won a teaching award and get $1000! I guess I know how we'll be paying for the dessert package...

 

[blackjackdelta]

Just booked the package last night for June 24th (grad night). And then this morning I found out that I won a teaching award and get $1000! I guess I know how we'll be paying for the dessert package...

Congrats on the award!

Jack

 

[Lissame]

Congratulations on the award! That's wonderful!

 

[MeRSiamese]

Most likely you will get your choice of seats from what is left over. We have done "f" the last two Augusts and there was a lady in line at 1630 reading a book, then I, then the cast of thousands. There were over 30 people in line at 1800(people for both shows). Come later so goes the seat selection, but I have seen people move so couple can sit together. Jack

Wait... 1630???!! That is FOUR-thirty! For an 8pm check-in??
Wow... that is just unreal... Four hours just sitting to pick out a seat for something that they paid premium buck$ to do... You would think *someone* in charge of this would have realized that is just bad design for such a special package. How could Disney set up such a mess?!


I'm going to have to do it because I cannot stand for long periods at a time, and getting up and down from the ground isn't really an option (I just hope there's a place to sit while waiting the 4 hours to select a seat!)...
I know I definitely don't want my 8-yr old grandson to have an expensive view of someone else's head for the show, but what a cruddy way to spend good hours on a vacation... sigh...

Just a story of what happened to us during a parade in WDW a couple of years ago: I was sitting on the curb next to my grandchildren, letting my 85+yr old mother sit in my wheelchair for the duration, when afterwards the crowds were standing up to disperse - which takes me a long time to do - and the Disney streetsweeper almost ran me over with his machine!
Other people had moved quickly out of his way, but since I was struggling in pain to stand, he got right up to my shoes and I almost toppled over trying to rush to get up and out of his way!
Another castmember came rushing over to apologize, moving him around me, but my family just couldn't believe what had happened! After a hip replacement, I don't require a wheelchair for most of the time now, but my arthritic bones and other painful hip just can't handle standing still for long... (and I definitely don't want a repeat of that situation - if not just for the pain, but the sheer embarrassment!)

 

[blackjackdelta]

Wait... 1630???!! That is FOUR-thirty! For an 8pm check-in??
Wow... that is just unreal... Four hours just sitting to pick out a seat for something that they paid premium buck$ to do... You would think *someone* in charge of this would have realized that is just bad design for such a special package. How could Disney set up such a mess?!


I'm going to have to do it because I cannot stand for long periods at a time, and getting up and down from the ground isn't really an option (I just hope there's a place to sit while waiting the 4 hours to select a seat!)...
I know I definitely don't want my 8-yr old grandson to have an expensive view of someone else's head for the show, but what a cruddy way to spend good hours on a vacation... sigh...

Just a story of what happened to us during a parade in WDW a couple of years ago: I was sitting on the curb next to my grandchildren, letting my 85+yr old mother sit in my wheelchair for the duration, when afterwards the crowds were standing up to disperse - which takes me a long time to do - and the Disney streetsweeper almost ran me over with his machine!
Other people had moved quickly out of his way, but since I was struggling in pain to stand, he got right up to my shoes and I almost toppled over trying to rush to get up and out of his way!
Another castmember came rushing over to apologize, moving him around me, but my family just couldn't believe what had happened! After a hip replacement, I don't require a wheelchair for most of the time now, but my arthritic bones and other painful hip just can't handle standing still for long... (and I definitely don't want a repeat of that situation - if not just for the pain, but the sheer embarrassment!)

The only place close to the podium to sit are the stairs near by. IF you are in a WC there is a place for those, but until you are able to get seated everyone stands, at least that was the way last year and the years post balcony.

Jack

 

[MeRSiamese]

The only place close to the podium to sit are the stairs near by. IF you are in a WC there is a place for those, but until you are able to get seated everyone stands, at least that was the way last year and the years post balcony. Jack

Thank you Jack!
I'm not going to do the WC thing if I don't have to (although we'll see how I feel by the end of our 7-day stay) but it will definitely be a pretty miserable wait for the seats if I have to stand for four hours just to choose seats... sigh...

 

[blackjackdelta]

Thank you Jack!
I'm not going to do the WC thing if I don't have to (although we'll see how I feel by the end of our 7-day stay) but it will definitely be a pretty miserable wait for the seats if I have to stand for four hours just to choose seats... sigh...

Unfortunately it really is poorly planned but it always seems to be S.O. when we are there, both shows. Last August they had 3 on a couple of days.
Best of luck.

Jack

 

[triplefigs]

We got there around 7:30pm to get our seats for the 1st show on 6/23, got 2nd row dead center behind some very nice people! Kids (age 9) had no problems seeing at all, and we had a great view of the fireworks (and could see Dumbo and Tink). I wish we hadn't eaten a big dinner before hand... the dessert boxes went mostly uneaten. We did bring back the sugar cookies with the raspberry filling, cheese and crackers- but the rest we had to leave. It was a fun night!