Fantasmic! Dinner Package- worth it?

[Disney_n00b]

I've got 5 days until I get to make my ADRs and I'm considering the Fantasmic! Dinner Package with either Hollywood & Vine or Mama Melrose on our HS day. This trip is my first visit ever and I'm wondering if anyone has any feedback on the experience. I've read that it might mean that we have to have an early dinner/late lunch that day to make it work and I'm okay with that. We will be a group of 8 total with MH and our 2 girls, my parents, my sister, and my niece and the kids will be 9, 5, and 2.5- I was thinking H&V for the characters but hadn't seen many reviews online?

 

[Merx]

I've got 5 days until I get to make my ADRs and I'm considering the Fantasmic! Dinner Package with either Hollywood & Vine or Mama Melrose on our HS day. This trip is my first visit ever and I'm wondering if anyone has any feedback on the experience. I've read that it might mean that we have to have an early dinner/late lunch that day to make it work and I'm okay with that. We will be a group of 8 total with MH and our 2 girls, my parents, my sister, and my niece and the kids will be 9, 5, and 2.5- I was thinking H&V for the characters but hadn't seen many reviews online?

Yeah, I also have the same question for my up coming trip, being a first timer myself and don't know much.

For my ADR I ended up going with H&V, as I don't much any other character meals plans, but from reviews I've read, the food is average, but I do want to experience the character meal to see if my 4 year old son would like it.

It'll be good to hear from people with actual experience though.

 

[ScubaCat]

It's a great way to spend an extra $5 or so per person on a dinner you probably don't want, and then be disappointed when they let everyone in early and the vouchers become useless.

Also, H&V doesn't do characters for dinner.

 

[UncleMike101]

We did The Brown Derby dinner in 2014 and H&V character lunch in 2015.
Both meals were good but "Disney" priced.
We didn't have any problems getting great seats for the show.
We're skipping it this year because our three year old granddaughter was a little scared by the special effects last year.

 

[TXWAC]

Worth it. Did it last time we were there and had a great time. Earlier than later on the seating time. Take your time in the A/C after a long day in the park then walk right into the seats.

 

[Merx]

It's a great way to spend an extra $5 or so per person on a dinner you probably don't want, and then be disappointed when they let everyone in early and the vouchers become useless.

Also, H&V doesn't do characters for dinner.

Oh, I thought they had the Minnie's Halloween Dine for characters for dinner

Yeah, I plan to get there at least 45 minute early as i read that they let everyone in after a certain time

 

[ScubaCat]

Oh, I thought they had the Minnie's Halloween Dine for characters for dinner

Yeah, I plan to get there at least 45 minute early as i read that they let everyone in after a certain time

You should be fine then. Enjoy the show!

 

[momtotaryn]

H&V does Minnie character dining for dinner now. We've booked the Fantasmic Dinner Package with H&V for our upcoming June trip, and we are definitely looking forward to it. When we are there, it will be Minnie's Summertime Dine.

It's been a while since we've been to WDW (5 years!), but we did the H&V Fantasmic Dinner package back then, without the character dining. I thought it was well worth it!