Fantasmic Dining Package - Blue Bayou Questions

[tdhickey]

Hi,

We are doing the Blue Bayou Dining Package soon and was wondering if anyone who has been had some advice. We have a 6PM dinner and the 9PM Fantasmic followed by the 9:25PM Fireworks.

I'd love any advice, we are Disney veterans so we've been/experienced all of these separately but not in the new package format, so from anyone who has done it I'd love to hear your thoughts on the following:

- The dining package, any menu restrictions? drinks included? tips included?
- The reserved seating area, how early to show up and are all the spots decent?
- Special cushions, should we plan to carry them out of our dinner or are those given out at Fantasmic
- Is it ok to stay in reserved area for the fireworks and is the view decent or partially blocked (other than the castle part of course)?

Thanks so much!

 

[Aladora]

Hi there! We did the BB F! dinner in Feb and can answer some of your questions. Someone please correct me if I am wrong on the surcharges!

1. There were no restrictions but if you wanted the shrimp cocktail appy (I think?) it was a small surcharge. Same for drinks, they were included but if you wanted the specialty drinks there was a surcharge. Tax and tip are not included.

2. Your FP ticket will tell you when to show up. We got there a few minutes early and were able to get right at the very front of the seating area.

3. You will get the cushions at dinner, we grabbed a locker and stored them there.

4. There were no fireworks the night we saw F! but I have read that yes, you can stay for the fireworks.

 

[707MickeyGirl]

Hi Aladora... can you tell me what size the cushions are? We're doing the BB package in May and I'm wondering if I'll be able to fit the cushions in my bag. TYI.

 

[Eclectic Goddess]

Worth noting - when we were there two weekends ago, they were passing out the BB cushions as people entered the area. I didn't see anyone carrying them beforehand.

 

[Aladora]

Hi Aladora... can you tell me what size the cushions are? We're doing the BB package in May and I'm wondering if I'll be able to fit the cushions in my bag. TYI.

I'm not 100% sure but I found one online for sale that says it is 13X13 inches and 1 inch thick. We went to one of the stores in NOS and asked for a large bag and were able to carry them in it after the show.

Worth noting - when we were there two weekends ago, they were passing out the BB cushions as people entered the area. I didn't see anyone carrying them beforehand.

Interesting! They were giving them out at dinner in February, in fact they were sitting on each of our chairs when we got to the table. I wonder if they changed it because people complained about carrying them?

 

[707MickeyGirl]

I'm not 100% sure but I found one online for sale that says it is 13X13 inches and 1 inch thick. We went to one of the stores in NOS and asked for a large bag and were able to carry them in it after the show.

Interesting! They were giving them out at dinner in February, in fact they were sitting on each of our chairs when we got to the table. I wonder if they changed it because people complained about carrying them?

Ooh that's good to know! Thank you! I hope they're handing them out at the seating area when we go.

 

[Angrose]

When we went mid-March they gave us the cushions at dinner so we did end up carrying them around with us, but they weren't too cumbersome. The size above sounds about right. I wish I would've kept mine. We ended up leaving them in our hotel room because we only had backpacks and couldn't fit them in to take home with us. Those would really come in handy for the parades too!

Regarding your other questions:
We got the shrimp cocktail and did not pay an upcharge. Here's the menu to see what's included: http://touringplans.com/disneyland/dining/blue-bayou/menus/fantasmic-dinner-package

We only lined up about 20 minutes early to get our spot for F! It looked like tons of people, but it was the same line for the RBT people too and once we were funneled into our respective areas we had no problem with getting a great view. The BB area is right in the middle, perfect view, and it was only about 3/4 full so lots of room to spread out. I actually don't mind sitting back a bit, which is what we did.

We stayed in our spot to watch the fireworks, great view for that too, except some people started getting up and leaving so we moved up a bit after those people cleared out. Of course, it was just the 5min basic show. It will be interesting to hear how the view and projections are from that area for the new Disneyland Forever fireworks.

I really enjoyed the whole BB/F! package. I thought it was a great experience and would not hesitate to do it again! At BB, if Wendy is waitressing that night, try to sit in her section. She was fantastic and will take good care of you!

 

[calilou]

Hi,

We are doing the Blue Bayou Dining Package soon and was wondering if anyone who has been had some advice. We have a 6PM dinner and the 9PM Fantasmic followed by the 9:25PM Fireworks.

I'd love any advice, we are Disney veterans so we've been/experienced all of these separately but not in the new package format, so from anyone who has done it I'd love to hear your thoughts on the following:

- The dining package, any menu restrictions? drinks included? tips included?
- The reserved seating area, how early to show up and are all the spots decent?
- Special cushions, should we plan to carry them out of our dinner or are those given out at Fantasmic
- Is it ok to stay in reserved area for the fireworks and is the view decent or partially blocked (other than the castle part of course)?

Thanks so much!

We did the BB F! package a couple of weeks ago on the Thurs night of spring break and had a great experience.

1. I had the shrimp cocktail and was not charged extra. Drinks were all included including my girls' shirley temples with the glowing ice cube. They did specifically request it though (we've been there lots before!). I had ice tea then coffee with dessert and was not charged extra. All of our meals were delicious and there are lots of unique choices. Worth it! Tip is not included.

2. The VIP seating is front and center and was not crowded at all. We went to the later show and didn't arrive until 5 minutes before show starting. Can't go wrong. The restaurant was crowded but seating area for BB was not.

3. We were given the cushions at the conclusion of dinner. They're easy to carry because they have a handle. They're about 14x14 and could easily fit in a bag, stroller bottom or do some shopping and ask for a big shopping bag. My daughter is still sitting on hers in the car!

4. We did not but I hear it's fine to stay sitting for fireworks.

Have fun!

 

[lozzypop]

I know where the viewing area is for BB F!, but where is the entrance where you line up? Is it on the stairs by the center pole? (where the old dessert seating entrance was) Is it clearly marked? I hate to miss out on a chance for a good spot simply because I don't know where the entrance is. That was a problem for WOC too.

 

[tdhickey]

Awesome, thanks I'll update after the trip to let you know how it went. Been to Blue Bayou loads of times, favourite restaurant ever!

 

[Mousequake]

I know where the viewing area is for BB F!, but where is the entrance where you line up? Is it on the stairs by the center pole? (where the old dessert seating entrance was) Is it clearly marked? I hate to miss out on a chance for a good spot simply because I don't know where the entrance is. That was a problem for WOC too.

It's right next to the Harbour Galley restaurant.

Also, we just did the dining package Saturday night and received the cushions at the end of the meal, just to add another data point to the recent discussion about when you receive the cushions.

 

[lozzypop]

Thanks Mousequake!

 

[707MickeyGirl]

Also, we just did the dining package Saturday night and received the cushions at the end of the meal, just to add another data point to the recent discussion about when you receive the cushions.

Thanks for the update, Mousequake. I'll be prepared to carry our cushions around for a little while after dinner.

 

[ADLFAN]

Kind of an unrelated question but does anyone know if you can alter the sides with the entrees at Blue Bayou? I really wish there was a combination of menu items that sounded good, but I'd be hard pressed to find an entree that sounded like a 50.00 plus meal.

 

[Peezle]

You can always substitute sides based on what they have available that day. They are always very good about letting people make substitutions. Just ask your waiter what the other choices are. As for the cost, keep in mind you are paying for the opportunity to sit front and center for Fantasmic! without having to spend lots of time waiting in line and paying for the cushion you get to sit on. If you remember, the former reserved dessert package cost $59 for adults, so for $61 plus tax, you're getting an excellent meal in the coolest place to eat in all of DL, so it's actually a much better deal than what was offered before (although I will miss getting to sit in a chair for F!).

 

[whjensen]

So, pardon the stupidity, but the cushions are included with the meal and are ours to take?

 

[Aladora]

So, pardon the stupidity, but the cushions are included with the meal and are ours to take?

Yes, the cushions are included with the BB F! meal and you get to keep them.

 

[tinklvsu]

How long would it take to complete the meal at BB, or a round about guess of how long its taken those that have? I got reservations for 7:20 - I wanted to try to catch the new fireworks show before the second Fantasmic show. I only have the one day at DL, and one day at DCA, so I was TRYING to get both shows in. The package for Fantasmic is really for my hubby, but I'm dying to see the fireworks and projections in June.

Someone, please make me feel better about my timing!

 

[MickeyMinnieMelanie]

What do the cushions look like? Do you think they will be doing fantasmic during the week in October?

 

[tdhickey]

OK, here was my overall experience. We did the dinner package at Blue Bayou (BB) at 6:10 and the 9:00 showing of Fantasmic on a Saturday.

Meal at Blue Bayou:

• Typical starter choice, you get your choice of any menu item (great value if you say choose surf and turf!) and can choose between two desserts.
• Meal was about 1.5 hours long, included bread service and all the usual stuff, as usual food and service was great
• We were celebrating our anniversary, they gave us an extra mouse mousse cake which was the best dessert ever (we ate it even though we were stuffed).
• All refillable drinks were included, I got a Perrier with lemon (they didn't have limes) and it cost me $2.89 extra but they gave me two bottles for that price
• We checked in 20 min early and got waterfront at our normal reservation time by request which was very cool
• They gave us our seat cushions near the end of the meal and our viewing passes
• Tax & Tip not included, our overall meal was about $160 after tip not overly different from a normal Blue Bayou meal to be honest

Fantasmic & Cushions:

• Cushions were the size of a small swimming kick board, about the same thickness but much softer and more flexible. Easy to carry on a ride or tuck into a medium sized disney shopping bag.
• Cushions were cozy, but really there to make sitting on the ground tolerable, not much better than a blanket and they are kinda small. Still, I'll keep my for sporting events, they may come in handy for those or would make great knee cushions for gardening.
• We were give a window of I think 8:30-9:00 to show up, but advised that people line up early which was very true.
• We had to stand in a pre-loading area from arrival 8:15 to about 8:50 before we were loaded into the very middle front section which was reserved for BB package members.
• It was First in First Seated, we were lined up and loaded by arrival time so those who waited the longest got the closest seats. That being said, they entire area is great viewing and had some extra space.
• The BB package members area was seating only, the very best seating area, only people with cushions were allowed in to our specific area

Fireworks After:

• It was windy so the fireworks show was cancelled
• We were pre-60th anniversary, so the other fireworks on other days were condensed to a few minutes the rest of the week.
• If you wanted to see them, you could stay and this would be a good spot to see the fireworks without an added castle features (not sure if this changes at all with the new one).
• It cleared out really fast in a fairly organized manner, which is not something I recall happening before so that was nice!

Overall experience:

• Great, I would do this again no problem
• The new roped off areas sort of make it hard to move past the Fantastmic Area at night, at the same time it is better organized as people aren't sitting everywhere so it's kind of better in my opinion
• It reminded me a lot of World of Color loading, basically if you didn't have a dining package or fast pass you weren't going to see much so be sure to get some sort of fast pass or dining package
  
• The seating is tiered, the priciest options get the best seating
• We squeezed Pirates and Haunted in between our Dinner end at 7:40 and our 8:20 line up for entry time