Fantasmic disability seating area

[kat_balou]

Is the Fantasmic disability seating in the same area regardless if you have the Fantasmic dinner package or not? I'm considering canceling our ADR F! dinner package in Sept. because it is so early which would cause us not to be able to take a much needed break in the afternoon. I'm not sure I understand how the seating works and I cannot climb stairs. Is it better to have the dinner package for the reserved seating or would I be ok without it?

 

[SueM in MN]

The back row of the whole amphitheater (including the Fantasmic Package area) is reserved for people using wheelchairs and/or ECVs. The back row is the area you enter on and the amphitheater is sloped down toward the stage. So, if you are in the back rows, no need to climb stairs.

The arrangement in the very back row is a few empty spots for a wheelchair/ECV to park, then a seat for one person to sit next to the guest in the wheelchair/ECV. If you have a wheelchair or ECV, the rest of your party will be sitting in the 2 rows ahead of the back row - sort of directly in front of the person using the wheelchair/ECV. A usual party is considered to be 6 (5 plus the person with a disability).
The 2-3 rows in front of the back row are for the people traveling with the person in a wheelchair/ECV or for people with special needs (in your case, can't climb stairs).

If you are not using the package, you enter the area with all the other guests and stay in the regular line until about where strollers are pulled off for parking. At that point, a CM will get your party and lead you to seats (since there is only wheelchair/ECV seating at the specific areas, they make sure your party is shown where to sit). If you don't have a wheelchair/ECV/ walker, etc. but have a Guest Assistance Card, you would show it to the CM when you enter and also at this point.

We have been to WDW in some very busy times - including Spring break. We usually get into the line soon after the gates open for the line to start moving into the amphitheater (about 1-1.5 hours before the show starts). We have gotten there as late as 15 minutes before the show and still gotten a place and gotten there as far ahead as 45 minutes and got one of the last places. General busy-ness in the parks doesn't always translate into busy for people using wheelchairs and ECVs.
The Fantasmic Dinner package seating is the far right section, as you face the stage. The show includes some some portions that are movies on screens made of water mist. There are 3 of these, so each section of the amphitheater has one that is directed toward it. The action does take place all over the stage and there are also portions that take place on boats, which start off stage at the right and going around the water to off stage at the left, so they pass by every section of the seating.
The wheelchair accessible seating for the whole amphitheater of Fantasmic is the same - it's the whole back row and is arranged the same as the seating for the rest of the theater, except that there is a ramp on the far right side as you are facing the stage. So, no stairs to climb if you are sitting in that first section.
I don't know if this will work - it's a really good map made by a poster called Robo:

Here also is a picture of mine that shows the back row after the show, looking down toward stage.

 

[scojos]

can i please ask a question?
we have always done the package mainly to help our ASD child, ie less crowds and easier access to seats, but this yr he desperatly wanted to do 50sPTC.
so my question, with our GAC will we be allowed to use the "back" enterance to fantasmic, we have used "alternates" before but not sure how it works with fantasmic...
thanks
tracy

 

[SueM in MN]

can i please ask a question?
we have always done the package mainly to help our ASD child, ie less crowds and easier access to seats, but this yr he desperatly wanted to do 50sPTC.
so my question, with our GAC will we be allowed to use the "back" enterance to fantasmic, we have used "alternates" before but not sure how it works with fantasmic...
thanks
tracy

I am not sure that they open the 'back entrance" (which is the dinner package entrance) before the dinner package crowd comes in.
If you are using a GAC without a wheelchair, you enter in the regular entrance. If you wait until after the crowd waiting for the gate to open starts entering, you will not have a crowd. It's a very wide (like 20 feet or so) walkway. When you get to the point by the stroller drop off, a CM is nearby for the people with wheelchairs/special needs. A CM will accompany you in and actually seat you.

 

[pumpkinboy]

I hate how early the F! dinner packages are. But my experience with seating and exiting has been that it often pays to be in the dinner package section. The one time we did not do a dinner package we found leaving the park was extremely difficult and time-consuming. Also, you are at the back of the line boarding the bus or boat back to your resort.

Now, we're not huge Fantasmic! fans anyway, and have only been three times in our last 10 visits due to the problems exiting the park afterward; we are devoted fans of IllumiNations at Epcot tho. Still, the next time we do F! we'll be using a dinner package for the head-start you get leaving the theatre (so we get to be first on the boat). YMMV.

It is a cool show though. Good luck!

 

[bookwormde]

Scojos

OT

When we did it a couple of years ago with our DS7 at the time Aspergers, the area outside the entrance is quite wide so we just stood to the side and waited for a “gap” in the crowd. We wanted a seat near the top in case of the need for a quick exit. It does get a little crowded on entrance as you make your way across the top when arriving, we stopped in a couple of “dead zones” to let the more pushy people pass. Leaving was more of an issue (we were center left). Definitely during exiting some serious crowd “compaction” issues and the associated anxiety, we avoided a meltdown by stopping at a couple of dead zones and letting chunks of crowds pass. Next time we will definitely try to get closer to the right (near the main entrance) and if we cannot move ahead of the main crowd we will just wait until the crowd clears.

We are headed down in 3 days and will probably go 2+ times with the second time being an attempt at “down front” seating to get the up close effect (our son has made lots of progress in the last 2 year).

We are also going to try to go on days when there are double performances (M, T W next week and Su, M,W the week after)

bookwormde

 

[kat_balou]

Thank you SueM for the explanation and map. It was very helpful!