Fantasmic Dining Package

[Ware Bears]

I understand from reading Libby's trip report that with the Fantasmic Dining Package you no longer enter at the separate entrance by Oscar's but use the regular entrance. Is there a separate queue for Dining Package peeps or will we have to join the main queue? We've seen it twice with the Dining Package and although we went an hour before the show we were able to walk straight in and sit down. I'm not so keen on the change.

 

[Lizzy Lemon]

Yes, it is the regular entrance but I'd read keep to the right hand side and go straight up to the top where they will tear you ticket in half and allow you through. We could hear the calls of 'standing room only' when we went up the path but there were plenty of seats for the Fantasmic packages, we wouldn't have been very pleased otherwise as we arrived in plenty of time as advised.

 

[Rosie]

Unfortunately it is true that the package has changed . I e mailed a couple of weeks agon and there is now no separate line and you need to be there 90 minutes before the show. Unwise move I think on Disney's part. It may work out ok when there is free dining and the park restaurants are full but otherwise I think they will lose heaps of money on this penny pinching exercise.
We will eat offsite and go back for the late showing and I expect many others will do the same. Its a shame as we really liked the package.

 

[Dimplenose]

We were very cross back in August - certainly not the deal I thought I was paying for. I'd even agreed to a stupid time of 3:30 for dinner just to get the seating!

That said, we decided to queue jump and just walked alongside the regular queue. No one challenged us and when we got to the top of the seating we were directed to the reserved seating area (so we weren't depriving anyone of a waited for seat). It was still really boring sitting for 90 minutes but we did have very good seats. The regular seating was full a good hour before the show. I'm sure we'd have got a reserved area seat right up to 30 minutes before the show but they wouldn't have been such a good view.

But remember we were there at the beginning of August and the parks were very very busy. The queue for the second show that we passed as we were leaving was very long too.

 

[Pegasus928]

I think I will be taking everyones advice about 'queue jumping' and walking straight to the front.
In my opinion being on the Fantasmic Dining Package should allow me that luxury. It's why we factor it in to our plans 90 days in advance - to enable us to guarantee ourselves a seat without having to waste 90 minutes of our day standing and waiting for them to open up the theatre.
I wonder if that is a good time to go on TSM

 

[fairytale]

I think I will be taking everyones advice about 'queue jumping' and walking straight to the front.
In my opinion being on the Fantasmic Dining Package should allow me that luxury. It's why we factor it in to our plans 90 days in advance - to enable us to guarantee ourselves a seat without having to waste 90 minutes of our day standing and waiting for them to open up the theatre.
I wonder if that is a good time to go on TSM

Hiya pegasus.

I'm sure you will have read this before but the key to riding TSM is to hit the stand by queue first thing, and I mean first thing, like straight after Rope Drop. Whilst queuing in the Standby Line you should get one member of your family to get some Fastpasses to enable you to ride again later in the day, believe me even though it will be rope drop the queue purely for Fastpasses will be a good 10 minutes plus.

We did this exercise last year and our fastpassess came out at 1.30pm- 2.30pm, I think by 10am that morning they were gone for the day

We was lucky last year, just as we were exiting TSM we were attacked by the dream team with Dream Fastpassess for the day

TSM in my opinion is the best all round ride at WDW.

 

[Pegasus928]

Hiya pegasus.

I'm sure you will have read this before but the key to riding TSM is to hit the stand by queue first thing, and I mean first thing, like straight after Rope Drop. Whilst queuing in the Standby Line you should get one member of your family to get some Fastpasses to enable you to ride again later in the day, believe me even though it will be rope drop the queue purely for Fastpasses will be a good 10 minutes plus.

We did this exercise last year and our fastpassess came out at 1.30pm- 2.30pm, I think by 10am that morning they were gone for the day

We was lucky last year, just as we were exiting TSM we were attacked by the dream team with Dream Fastpassess for the day

TSM in my opinion is the best all round ride at WDW.

Thanks - that sounds like a good strategy

 

[Lauren101]

do people think it is worth getting the package now then? I was planning on it for next August - we go in the last 2 weeks, but I am not really bothered about the restaurants that offer it, so would only do it for the package. I'd rather spend the TS dining credit elsewhere if the FDP is not worth it!

We enjoyed using the FDP in 2007, but in 2008 we ate in Hollywood & Vine - (was not a nice meal), just for the FDP, but then Fantasmic! was cancelled due to the weather (hurricane Fay) - so we didn't get to see it!

 

[EvertonCJ]

We did the package in August and would not do it again. The only meal time we could get was very early (about 4.30pm) and we still had to arrive at the Fantasmic site 90 minutes before the show. I think it is worth doing once, but we have now seen it 3 or 4 times and wouldn't want to wait such a long time in future.

 

[Lauren101]

Do you mean you are not doing Fantasmic at all? I would happily skip it - it is good but not worth all that waiting around - but I think the rest of my family will want to do it next year. So if we are going to Fantasmic late August next year - would you advise the package - or would we get seating ok (without waiting a ridiculously long time...)?

Thanks

 

[EvertonCJ]

It might be slightly less crowded in late August as the American schools have gone back by then. If you don't do the package I would say you have to definitely get there 90 minutes beforehand. If you do the package, I would still arrive about 75 minutes before. There is not a great deal of difference in waiting times between the two. Certainly they were turning people away a good hour before the start and this included people who had vouchers from the Fantasmic restaurants. The show itself is superb, but it does only last for about 20 minutes. If we do visit next year I think we would probably spend the time somewhere else.

 

[team harris]

We did the package in August and was unaware of the changes.

The only benefit we could tell from doing the package when on free DDP was that you got a free starter!

 

[Ware Bears]

Oh well, it looks like I don't need to worry about the changes as I failed to get a dining package today.

I will try again next week on Saturday or Sunday as then I can phone as soon as lines open. Unfortunately I can't phone from work so it was 2pm before I could ring today and I wasn't holding out much hope.

Thanks for all your replies.

 

[Pegasus928]

We didn't get the first day we wanted as we were about 15 minutes late on the phone. You really need to be on the ball and phone on the 90 day point or you will struggle - and as Fantasmic isn't on every day it makes it even harder toget what you want. Is there no-one that can ring for you while you are at work?

 

[fairytale]

Over on the US board it has just been announced that as from I think today, there is a new entrance designated for F Dining Package holders.

I didnt read it in to much depth but I believe it is now located next to the Beauty & the Beast auditorium.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2287657

Never linked a thread before so I hope this works

I have decided having read so many real horror stories over on the US boards on F been standing room only an hour prior to the show and the day F is showing all the rides been 60 mins plus to change my F day to a different park and simply visit DHS for F only. Even though October is not as quiet as it once was I certainly would rather benefit from quieter lines on a non F day.

 

[Ware Bears]

Yeah, I realised I had more chance of seeing those pigs flying by in the sky when phoning that late but thought I had to at least give it a try.

I can't try this week because either Fantasmic isn't on or we're at MVMCP, Candlelight Processional (hopefully) or our cruise but I will be there ready at 11.55am with my finger poised next Sunday when I will be trying for Boxing Day. Fantasmic is on every night after that so if I'm not lucky DH is going to rearrange his lunch hour to phone in the week.

 

[Lauren101]

ooh really good news they have opened a new entrance to Fantasmic for those doing the dining package - thanks for posting!! I had just decided it wasn't worth doing it - but now changing my mind. I think we will do Mama Melrose rather than Hollywood & Vine though - have tried both but think H&V was worse!!

That is if I can get a reservation - they seem to be quite hard to get?

Can the package be booked via the online booking system or do we have to ring up/

Thanks!

 

[Rosie]

I'm pleased that this is going to be worthwhile again. Sorry for those who missed out on the main point of it but it seems like you got around it well.

 

[Pegasus928]

I'm also pleased they have opened up the DR entrance again.
At least now we can go to the show 30 minutes before as opposed to 90 minutes before

 

[Ware Bears]

Over on the US board it has just been announced that as from I think today, there is a new entrance designated for F Dining Package holders.

I didnt read it in to much depth but I believe it is now located next to the Beauty & the Beast auditorium.

Fairytale, thank you! I missed your post yesterday.

I am so pleased Disney has seen sense and reopened the DP entrance. I was lucky and got a Candlelight Processional DP today so hope my luck will hold over to next Sunday for a Fantasmic one.