Fantasmic Dinner Pkg ?

[Ashleybs]

Is the Fantasmic Dinner Pkg worth the set price? We did not plan on eating in the parks for dinner but really want to see Fantasmic and am not sure about the 2 hr wait to get in to the area and then for it to start. If it is worth it, which is the better restaurant? Thanks!!

 

[disneynuts777]

You are going to have to arrive early for fantasmic no matter if you have the package or not.
Even when we did the package in order to get good seats we still arrived over an hour early. I plan on arriving 90+ minutes this year even if we get a package.
So if you are only getting the package to cut down on your waiting time in the theatre I would not count on it.

 

[Nanajo1]

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[bitohoney]

I don't think it's worth it. I got better seats without it. Even with the package you should get there 90 minutes prior to get good seats.

 

[Nanajo1]

I just read this in the All Ears news letter of 5/24.
..." from Melissa: I cannot tell you how disappointed I am with Disney and how they are handling Fantasmic Dining Packages. We just visited the first week of May and booked the Fantasmic Dining Package. We went to dinner and received our reservation "ticket." We arrived 60 minutes prior to the 8:30 show time, which is what was recommended by our server and what was printed on our ticket. We arrived only to find out there is no more separate entrance for the dining package. So we had to head over to the main gate and try and get through the mob that had congregated there. By the time I made it to the front they had already filled the stadium and told me they had filled the reserved section with people who didn't have the reserved seat tickets to begin with and that we could not see the show! What is the point of a "reserved seat" if they are just going to fill it with anyone to begin with -- and an hour before the show even starts on top of that? Please be aware that your seat WILL NOT be held for you and you should line up 1-1/2 hours prior to show time JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE has to! It's not worth it -- go see Wishes or IllumiNations instead! What a waste of evening at the Studios"
This is really a turn off. We won't consider the package again.

 

[ozziewags]

On the WDW website, on the MOm's panel, they suggest not to get the package for that exact reason. There is no more reserved seating for the package. Why do they have the package?

 

[dvcdisney]

In the past, we have usually been on the DDP and had reserved at least 3 Fantasmic package per trip and they were mostly at Mama Melrose. One time we chose Hollywood and Vine to try something different .... It was not very good so we decided to get it from Mama Melrose from then on.

If you are on the DDP, it is worth it (value-wise). But we found that if you are paying OOP, at least for us, it would have cost us about $30-$40 for the convenience. So, this time around we only booked it once and we are "winging it" for the other times. If Fantasmic does have a second show, we'll go to that one, if not, then we won't bother. It is my favourite fireworks show in all of Disney and, even, I don't think it's worth it now that they suggest you get there 60 min prior. It was fine when we meandered through the separate entrance about 25 min prior to the show and had seats (I know they just changed this last October or sometime then, but it seems like such a long time ago.). They didn't open it up to the general seating at 30 min prior as they do now. It just seems that the value of the Package has gone down.