Fantasmic Dinner Package???

[surgefest]

Who has done the Fantasmic Dinner Package?? What can you tell me about your experience with it. I'm just wondering if its worth doing?? We'll be going in early december and i dont know if it'll be worth it to sit over in that side section or just get there about 45 mins early and take our chances?? Also is Prime Time 50's ever a part of the dinner package?? What does the fixed price include??? Do you enter in a different area than you would going to the show without the dinner package?? Thanks!

 

[Robo]

Who has done the Fantasmic Dinner Package?? What can you tell me about your experience with it. I'm just wondering if its worth doing?? We'll be going in early december and i dont know if it'll be worth it to sit over in that side section or just get there about 45 mins early and take our chances?? Also is Prime Time 50's ever a part of the dinner package?? What does the fixed price include??? Do you enter in a different area than you would going to the show without the dinner package?? Thanks!

Prime Time is NOT.

You do NOT have to sit in the Reserved Section, if you see any other seats to your liking.

No one can predict EXACTLY how large the crowds will be or how early you should go to find a seat for Fantasmic! on any given day.
It has totally to do with the whim of the crowd at MGM on that day, and the general crowd LEVELS.
How much time you wish to "invest" in waiting is a personal decision. We never do the formal Dinner Package, and have always seen the show (dozens of times).

(Take all of these as "average" numbers, sometimes the crowd will be MUCH greater and the theater can fill up much sooner.)

VERY Busy days:
If you go to the first show of the evening (or "only" show that evening), if you arrive about 75-120 minutes before show-time, you can sit just about anywhere.
45-60 minutes before: Good seats
20-40 Minutes: will vary between seats at edges and rear of theater to SRO or even "closed" to further guests.

Busy days:
If you go to the first show of the evening (or "only" show that evening), if you arrive about 50-60 minutes before show-time, you can sit just about anywhere.
40 minutes before: Good seats
25-35 Minutes: will vary between seats at edges and rear of theater to SRO or even "closed" to further guests. (The crowd of "last-minute" arrivals can be slow to get seated before show-time.)

Off-Season (not busy days):
You should be OK to enter by 10-20 minutes before, but you'll likely be seated to the outer edges, and/or way at the back.

If you do the Fantasmic! Dinner Pkg. you still SHOULD enter by AT LEAST 35 minutes (much "safer" at 45 minutes) before show-time and still be guaranteed "pretty good" seats (not my "first choice" area, but fine), regardless of crowd-levels. Remember, the DP is only valid for the first show of the evening, if there are 2 or more. If you do have DP and you spy some seats outside the DP "reserved" area, you are free to choose to sit anywhere outside that area you like, no problem.

If there are TWO Fantasmic! shows in one evening, the second one will have lower crowd level than the first one. You can arrive a bit later and still find a seat.

Be aware that the second show waiting area will LOOK like the show is "too crowded".
That's because they HOLD the 2nd crowd outside the theater while the CMs CLEAN it after the first crowd has exited.

Then, they will let those waiting together in that big group IN... all at once, and there will be PLENTY of room.

(The theater holds about 7,000 guests.)

We like to eat our evening meal while waiting for Fantasmic! to start.
You can bring in items from the counter-service places in MGM, or they DO have concession stands at the rear of the theater serving "baseball stadium-type" food and drinks. Yes, even beer, sold strictly ONE-at-a-time, one-only-to-a-person, so a single person can't go and buy beer for other members of a group... all guests wanting to buy a beer must be present in-person at the counter.
We have a hot dog, maybe a pretzel, later some popcorn or cotton candy (Disney Health Food).

 

[danny1649]

Moved your thread here I think you will get a good answer from the vets here. Danny

 

[ajcolorado]

I've done the Fantasmic Dinner Package and it very worthwhile if you are going during a busy season. I don't know if Fantasmic is offered every night in early Dec. - if not, that will cause it to be busier on the nights that it is offered because people will use their park hoppers to come over and see it.

50s Primetime is not one of the restaurants - the three restaurants are: Hollywood & Vine, Mama Melrose, & Brown Derby.

You do enter at a different location.

Here's a link with great information: http://www.allearsnet.com/din/fantdin1.htm

 

[disneykate28]

We did this last Wednesday & liked it, but won't do it again. We were on the DDP so it was nice to have the extra perk "without paying for it." We chose to eat at Mama Melrose- food was fair, service was sub par. Our server complained to us about having to serve KIDS! We arrived at Fantasmic 75 minutes before the show & found very few non-dinner package seats available. However, people were just climbing over & under the "Reserved" ropes to sit in our section, much to the chagrin of the 2 female CMs who often tried (unsuccessfully) to run after them. It was appalling to watch the parents totally disregard what they were told & tell their kids to run into our section when the CMs weren't looking. I was afraid that I would be trampled- I wish there was more security in the amphitheater! Anyway, now I'm off on a tangent. I was VERY glad we had FP seating since we were able to use a different exit & avoid the massive crowds. Food was ok but we won't go back to MM without the package.

 

[dr&momto2boys]

We did the FP at the Brown Derby. You order off the regular menu and it includes appetizer, entree, dessert, drink, and tip. Plus of course tickets to the reserved seating. If you have the DDP it's no extra charge. We really liked it. (We didn't have DDP, but thought it was worth it.)

In case no one answered, you do enter in a seperate location--near the front of the park. It's a very long walk but not as crowded. It's especially nice getting out because it's near the exit to the park.