Fantasmic - only once the whole week!

[girlpenguin]

So we are going to be at Disney Sept. 11-18 (leaving in the afternoon on the 18th). According to the calendar, Fantasmic is only going to be shown ONCE the entire time we are there, and that's on Sunday the 13th. Since I can't call until this Saturday to make my ADRs, I basically have NO shot of getting a Fantasmic dining package my entire stay since my only option is Sunday, and that's so early into our stay that the slots are going to be taken by all the other 90+10 people long before I can even make reservations.

This just sucks! *vent* All the other weeks until now they've at least been offering a Thursday night show too!

 

[kristen2276]

well the week I am there the week before you, only has it on Thursday I believe- or at least that is all she was able to check for- and all they had left was the Brown Derby, cause no kidding, it is a 2TS meal and I am not eating that at 3pm- so frustrating and I think it is ridiculous! They should have it at least 3 times a week- AT LEAST-

 

[DisneyCruiser83]

You don't need a Fantasmic package to see Fantasmic. Just make sure you are there about 45 minutes before the show and you will have a great seat for sure. The theater is quite large, and you will be there at value season. I highly doubt you will have trouble finding a suitable seat if you arrive in pleanty of time. Just relax and enjoy your vacation.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

This is why we didn't see F! this year nad won't see it next year. With two young kids waiting without the package for a seat is going to be a PIA.
We have actually never seen Fantasmic!

 

[momandseandodisney]

So we are going to be at Disney Sept. 11-18 (leaving in the afternoon on the 18th). According to the calendar, Fantasmic is only going to be shown ONCE the entire time we are there, and that's on Sunday the 13th. Since I can't call until this Saturday to make my ADRs, I basically have NO shot of getting a Fantasmic dining package my entire stay since my only option is Sunday, and that's so early into our stay that the slots are going to be taken by all the other 90+10 people long before I can even make reservations.

This just sucks! *vent* All the other weeks until now they've at least been offering a Thursday night show too!

We are there the 10-20th of Sept, where did you find this calander?

 

[Tricia1972]

So we are going to be at Disney Sept. 11-18 (leaving in the afternoon on the 18th). According to the calendar, Fantasmic is only going to be shown ONCE the entire time we are there, and that's on Sunday the 13th. Since I can't call until this Saturday to make my ADRs, I basically have NO shot of getting a Fantasmic dining package my entire stay since my only option is Sunday, and that's so early into our stay that the slots are going to be taken by all the other 90+10 people long before I can even make reservations.

This just sucks! *vent* All the other weeks until now they've at least been offering a Thursday night show too!

All tables aren't released for the 90 +10, they hold tables back to release at exactly 90 days. If you don't get the F! dining package when your window first opens, call 90 days before you want the package - you may have better luck.

Speaking of luck - Good Luck!!

 

[girlpenguin]

The calendar is here on the Dis boards - if you look at the Dis News box you'll find it. If you're there until the 20th you'll be ok - they have a showing on the 13th and the 18th during your stay. So you'll have two options. But in our case, we're leaving on the 18th so we literally only have one showing during our entire 7 night stay.

We have a 3-year-old, and I know there's no way she's going to want to wait in line for 2 hours. And since they've cut it to once or twice a week showings now, I suspect there is going to be a very large long line.

 

[Montog]

We have the exact same problem, only showing while we're there is I think the 10th. I'm just going to try to do the best I can tomorrow to get a package, but don't have my heart set on it.

 

[momofbcs]

We didnt do the package last time either. We walked up to the line and waited 15 minutes and had no problem seeing the show. we didnt have up close seats, but its an amplitheatre so there isnt a bad seat.

 

[gkrykewy]

I wouldn't bother with the Fantasmic package. The "reserved" seats are terrible -- all the way off to the side. We did the package last year, and ended up just hopping over the rope to sit in much better seats.

 

[catne]

Respectfully, have any of you folks gone to Fantasmic this year since they started cutting back on performances? All this advice about walking up 15-45 minutes before the show & getting seats is SOOOOO out of date. You would be extremely lucky to get standing room only space at that point. There's going to be some seriously disappointed people if they follow this advice. That's the way it was -- LAST YEAR -- when they showed Fantasmic every night of the week & two times some nights. If you happen to be going when they're only having one or two shows in a week, good luck with getting a seat if you don't show up at least 90 minutes before show time...even then, you may be shut out - earlier this year (back in very slow weeks of Jan & Feb) when there were only two shows a week there were reports of the theater being closed 45 minutes before the show due to full capacity -- no way will there be seats at 45 minutes if there's only one show in a week.

Last week, in a week that had 6 shows, the lines started forming at 6:30 for a 9:00 show. At 45 minutes before the show, the general public seats were full, the standing room only sections were full...the only seats left were handicapped and dinner package reserved seats...and that was in the pouring rain on a night that looked like they'd probably have to cancel the show. At 8:30, it was completely full -- in the pouring rain. Still raining at 9:02 and still full when they cancelled it & just did the "taste of Fantasmic" 5 minute version.

If Fantasmic is on your Must-Do list, then either get the package & show up an hour before show time...or plan on getting to the theater at least 90-120 minutes early. Buy a meal or snacks & take them into the theater with you - we saw lots of "picnics" happening in the stands before the rain started.

 

[cmusschoot]

Respectfully, have any of you folks gone to Fantasmic this year since they started cutting back on performances? All this advice about walking up 15-45 minutes before the show & getting seats is SOOOOO out of date. You would be extremely lucky to get standing room only space at that point. There's going to be some seriously disappointed people if they follow this advice. That's the way it was -- LAST YEAR -- when they showed Fantasmic every night of the week & two times some nights. If you happen to be going when they're only having one or two shows in a week, good luck with getting a seat if you don't show up at least 90 minutes before show time...even then, you may be shut out - earlier this year (back in very slow weeks of Jan & Feb) when there were only two shows a week there were reports of the theater being closed 45 minutes before the show due to full capacity -- no way will there be seats at 45 minutes if there's only one show in a week.

Last week, in a week that had 6 shows, the lines started forming at 6:30 for a 9:00 show. At 45 minutes before the show, the general public seats were full, the standing room only sections were full...the only seats left were handicapped and dinner package reserved seats...and that was in the pouring rain on a night that looked like they'd probably have to cancel the show. At 8:30, it was completely full -- in the pouring rain. Still raining at 9:02 and still full when they cancelled it & just did the "taste of Fantasmic" 5 minute version.

If Fantasmic is on your Must-Do list, then either get the package & show up an hour before show time...or plan on getting to the theater at least 90-120 minutes early. Buy a meal or snacks & take them into the theater with you - we saw lots of "picnics" happening in the stands before the rain started.

I was there in May with a girlfriend and we decided that we didn't need to wait the 2 hours (as we have done in the past)and that there were only 2 of us so 45 min before show should be enough, for 2 ilittle butts...

...WRONG. As we walked into the theatre at 8:15 (9:00 show) there were announcements that the theatre was full and we would have to be in standing room only....

There was PLENTY of Dining package reserved seating but we were not able to sit there, so we ended up waiting until they "dropped the rope" and sat with the dining section we barely fit...even then.

So if you have kids, the dining package IMO is the only way to go as my kids would never sit for over an hour....

 

[medicgirl911]

I may be the lone voice of disent here, but we are totally skipping Fantasmic this year in order to avoid that whole mess and drama. I hope that you all are e-mailing/writing Disney to let them know about your dissatisfaction. For me, we have seen it 3 times and there are other things we would rather do than wait in lines like that and be jammed in like sardines to watch it!

 

[ExtinctDino]

The calendar is here on the Dis boards - if you look at the Dis News box you'll find it. If you're there until the 20th you'll be ok - they have a showing on the 13th and the 18th during your stay. So you'll have two options. But in our case, we're leaving on the 18th so we literally only have one showing during our entire 7 night stay.

We have a 3-year-old, and I know there's no way she's going to want to wait in line for 2 hours. And since they've cut it to once or twice a week showings now, I suspect there is going to be a very large long line.

Hopefully you can split your party and save seats. It would be especially ridiculous to make young children wait that long.

 

[catne]

Hopefully you can split your party and save seats. It would be especially ridiculous to make young children wait that long.

I know it's a real bummer, but they really are not allowing people to save seats in there now -- the "move to the middle of the row, fill all available seats" routine starts very early & the CMs don't just say it, they stand there & repeat until people move. And with other people standing behind the CMs, waiting for those seats, with a bit of glaring, believe me - people move, now. I heard a mom argue with a CM that she WAS going to save these two seats, because her husband & son just went to the Fantasmic theater restroom and would be right back. The CM didn't back off until the family next to the woman said Yes, that's true, we saw the whole family in here already.

Not sure I'd bother to try and wait with little ones, either -- seems like a lot of preschoolers find it to be a confusing & frightening show, anyway. Would be awful to wait 2 hours, and then have to leave right away because your little ones were scared.

Agree 100% with medicgirl911 above -- write & email Disney about your displeasure with the new schedule & lack of shows...if they get enough negative feedback, they may be able to justify the budget for additional shows. Can't hurt, anyway.

 

[Colleen27]

I may be the lone voice of disent here, but we are totally skipping Fantasmic this year in order to avoid that whole mess and drama. I hope that you all are e-mailing/writing Disney to let them know about your dissatisfaction. For me, we have seen it 3 times and there are other things we would rather do than wait in lines like that and be jammed in like sardines to watch it!

No, you aren't the only ones. After reading a few posts about problems with the package seating and needing to be there an hour before even with the package, we decided to skip it altogether. It isn't worth eating at a lousy time and waiting around for 1-1.5 hours to see a 20 minute show. Besides, for the part of the trip we have hours for (we arrive in Sept and stay into Oct) it is only showing once, on the night we're going to MNNSHP.

Hopefully at some point, Disney will be so flooded with complaints that they'll rethink this ridiculous schedule.

 

[ROEDISNEY]

I have know idea why Disney cut these shows down. I don't want to hear it's the ecomony. Look at all the ppl who are going. It makes no sense and It's not fair in my opinion.

 

[squirrel]

That information about arriving 15-45 min early is so out of date!

Last year we arrived early-not sure of the exact time but I believe it was about 30-40 min before the start and it was standing room only-that was in September.

Now with it being shown only a few times a week, I don't think we will bother going.

 

[Tricia1972]

We last attempted to go quite a while ago, with a F! dining package, and we too would have had to wait over an hour, with the package. To us it just wasn't worth it. Our time investment wouldn't have paid off and having a toddler and a 5 year old, we had no idea whether or not they'd like the show. Even with the package we skipped out on Fantasmic that night.

Now, with only being shown once or twice a week, there is no way it's worth it to us. Hopefully Disney rethinks this, but being that I've heard that it's $80k per show, I don't know if they will.

 

[Montog]

IF I can get a package when I call tomorrow, and that is a really big IF given that I've read elsewhere that there already weren't any packages left on Sept. 10, we'll go. If not, we'll just skip it entirely. I've also heard makes the parks too crowded on the one night they show it anyway for those who aren't hopping, so you have to wonder if its worth it.