Fantasmic Dining Package, needed?

[Sim4242]

Is the Fantasmic dining package needed when the park is expected to be a 5/6? Last time we did it but while we were eating our waiter told us the crowds were so low we didn't need it (crowd was a 2 then though) Thanks!

 

[Fangorn]

"Needed"? IMO, it's never needed. It can be useful if you absolutely, positively have to sit dead center, if you have a very low tolerance for waiting, or during super busy holiday periods.

We've done it a couple of times, but in both cases we had grandchildren with us and Nana wanted them to have really good seats. We were also planning on eating at Mama Melrose's anyway.

Under normal circumstances, we don't bother.

Steve

 

[chris benton]

If it's a priority to catch the show, then weigh out your pros and cons. If the expectation of a 5/6 turns out to be a 10 in reality, be prepared for your plan b or c.
Ask around if anyone has gone to a park on an "expected" low crowd level day that didn't turn out that way?
On a 5/6 expected day, if I wanted to catch F!, I'd do the package, but that's me.

 

[CAS239]

There's no show where a dining package is needed.

If you plan on eating at one of the HS restaurants and plan on seeing Fantasmic, then do the dining package. If you don't really plan to eat at one of the restaurants, then don't do the dining package and just go standby or FP.

No matter what choice you do, you'll want to show up about 45-60 min ahead of showtime for best choice of seats

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

Package section is dead center of the theater, if that matters to you. While there are no "bad" seats, I do think sitting dead center is a "plus"

 

[Robo]

If you don't really plan to eat at one of the restaurants, then don't do the dining package and just go standby or FP.

No matter what choice you do, you'll want to show up about 45-60 min ahead of showtime for best choice of seats

Yup.
What a FP+ for F! offers is more CHOICE in seating.

If you DO get a F! FP+, you can choose to sit in either the FP section (virtually the entire left half of the theater) or the Standby section (virtually the entire right half of the theater.)

So, whatever section has the better seating at the time you arrive, you can go there.

Without a FP, you can only choose a seat in the Standby section.



There is a very good chance that you can get a FP+ for F! as a 4th or 5th FP of the day because they issue SO MANY of them (enough to cover nearly the entire left half of the seating.) On many nights, it is possible that you can gat a FP+ for F! as you are walking to the theater.



As to when to arrive at the theater, I'd get to there 45-60 minutes before the show-time.

Even with a FP or Dining Pkg. reservation, don't wait too late.



On busy nights, the CMs can stop holding the reserved sections within 20-30 minutes before show-time, and turn over any available seats to waiting walk-in guests.



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Map Below-

Arrows indicate the center of the seating.

Shaded areas:

(First or Only F! performance of the evening)

Cyan= Standby (walk-in) seating

Red= Dining Package Reserved

Blue= FP+ Reserved

Purple= Can be either FP+ or Dining Plan Reserved, depending on needs.



(Second or Third F! performance of the evening)

Cyan= Standby (walk-in) seating

Red, Purple, Blue= FP+ Reserved

(Although much of the outer Blue will likely be used for Standby.)

 

[eastendlights]

Absolutely worth it to us, we do it twice a trip. The seats are by far the best, much less of a wait time and we eat at HBD and Mama Melrose regardless so for us it is a given.