Fantasmic strategy and line up time

[Cherrychip]

We will be at Hollywood Studios on March 8 and will also be attending the After Hours event that night which is currently listed as running from 9:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. Fantasmic is listed as having an 8:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. showing that night. I currently have a Fantasmic dining package booked, but am trying to tweak our budget a bit and wondering if we can get in standby for the first show with a reasonable wait time if I cancel that-second show isn't an option since we are doing the After Hours event. How late could we get in the regular standby line for the 8:00 show and get in for a party of 5? I'm not worried if the view isn't great. If we do keep the Fantasmic Dinning package, what would be the latest we could get in line with that and be guaranteed a seat (even if not a great view?)

 

[CarolynFH]

I can't answer about standby, but we did the dining package last month and were instructed multiple times by our restaurant server not to get there any later than 30 minutes before showtime. We got there 40 minutes ahead, and half the dining package reserved seating was full already. We were allowed to choose seats in the 2nd section, which filled very quickly after we sat down. I don't know when they started letting standby into that section, probably 20 or 25 minutes before showtime.

If you're in the dining package reserved seating, you'll have a great view - it's the two sections in the center, straight-on view of everything! Just don't sit too close to the bottom, unless you want to get wet. We were up pretty high and still got damp from the mist.

 

[georgina]

Last night the dining package reserved sections were the center right and next one over to the right. Center left was available for us regular folks. I was tired and got there an hour early, was right on the center aisle In the non-dining package section. I think our section was full around 7:20, but it was not a high crowd level night.

someone asked on another thread about exiting the 8 PM show. We were told on the way out we could choose either exit, toward the front of the park or out to Sunset Blvd.