Fantasmic! Superthread - Or Everything You Need To Know About Fantasmic at Disneyland

[Blue32]

There are four different fireworks show at DLR and IMO Remember Dreams Come True is far from "just fireworks up in the air".

Whether watching fireworks from the the F! viewing area is a good idea depends a lot on which show you are talking about.

Magical during the summer is nothing special and IMO watching it from the F! area you do not miss much. But I do not think Magical has much to begin with.

Hydroguy.... Everytime you or someone else writes something like this makes me think I really need to see this show. We were supposed to catch it in April but pushed our trip back to June because of the refurbs. We saw Magical from the Hub and thought it was pretty good but not anything near F! or WOC. Makes me think my mind will be blown if I ever get to see Remember...

 

[kdkbrebel]

Which row would you recommend? And what time would we need to realistically be in line for the check in to get the best seats? And does the entire party need to be there or can one of us do it?

 

[HydroGuy]

Which row would you recommend? And what time would we need to realistically be in line for the check in to get the best seats? And does the entire party need to be there or can one of us do it?

The OP discussed this. If you want the best seats you need have someone in line at 6PM. Only one person in the party needs to wait.

There is no "recommended row". The first row is best of course, but I have never been willing to wait two hours to get the first row. So we usually end up in the third row.

Small kids will not be able to very well from the third row. My kids are all young adults now and it is not an issue for us.

 

[LisaT91403]

Which row would you recommend? And what time would we need to realistically be in line for the check in to get the best seats? And does the entire party need to be there or can one of us do it?

Only one person has to wait. My husband and I switched off, while the other took my son on rides.

We were there for the 9:00 show on Sunday, June 8th. I arrived at 6:15pm, and was the only one there. At 6:40pm, a second person showed up to wait in line. Of course, there is no way to predict how many people will be in line and at what time...but for our night, you could have easily shown up at 6:45pm and still been the 3rd person in line.

Since we were first in line, we took the 1st row seats, all the way to the right (which is the center).

 

[HenDuck]

Hi everyone!

We decided to splurge and do the Fantasmic dessert package earlier this month. I will agree with the majority and say that this was worth it. In our family, I have grandparents who would otherwise skip the show due to the hassle of waiting around for a good view, so I thought this might be worth a try.

Since it was my idea to do this package, I waited in line from a little before 6:00 pm. The CMs hadn't even put the sign out when I got there, so I just stood around near the churros cart. (If you look on the ground, you can see the gold covers for the hole where they put the sign - that's where I stood). Right around 6 pm, the CMs came and put out a sign but didn't put up the ropes. I stood there alone for another 30 minutes until the next party showed up to wait along with me. Around 7:35, the CMs allowed the line to move up into the reserved area near a podium. At 8:00 on the dot, we were allowed to choose our seats.

I chose the 5 seats in the front row that were together (seats 5-9). Great seats, although I think seat #5 is partially obstructed by the concrete pillar, but it was not problem for our family member who sat there.

Also, my father was in a wheelchair that evening. The CMs allowed us to seat him early so that we could arrange the chair. There was no problem wheeling the chair right up to the reserved section as it is all flat sidewalk.

Service was excellent. Our waiter was very attentive and kept the hot chocolate and bottled water coming. We each took a bottle for the road. The dessert platter was a lot of food, very delicious and sweet. Pictures have already been posted so I won't go into detail about the contents. And we did indeed snack on it for the rest of the trip. Bring a wide bottomed shopping bag to take your dessert platters home with you afterward.

[Not sure if tipping is normally done, but we tipped our waiter $10 ($2 pp). He gratefully and cheerfully accepted the tip. ]

The view of the fireworks was great and a real bonus for the grandparents who wouldn't normally see the show.

I would do this again but probably not next year. It is a hassle to wait around for 2 hours just to ensure a front row seat. However, I enjoyed talking with the other guests while we waited. If you can arrange with your party to wait in shifts, it would be less taxing on one person.

We all thoroughly enjoyed seeing Fantasmic and the fireworks this way!

 

[tatsmx]

Hi everyone!

We decided to splurge and do the Fantasmic dessert package earlier this month. I will agree with the majority and say that this was worth it. In our family, I have grandparents who would otherwise skip the show due to the hassle of waiting around for a good view, so I thought this might be worth a try.

Since it was my idea to do this package, I waited in line from a little before 6:00 pm. The CMs hadn't even put the sign out when I got there, so I just stood around near the churros cart. (If you look on the ground, you can see the gold covers for the hole where they put the sign - that's where I stood). Right around 6 pm, the CMs came and put out a sign but didn't put up the ropes. I stood there alone for another 30 minutes until the next party showed up to wait along with me. Around 7:35, the CMs allowed the line to move up into the reserved area near a podium. At 8:00 on the dot, we were allowed to choose our seats.

I chose the 5 seats in the front row that were together (seats 5-9). Great seats, although I think seat #5 is partially obstructed by the concrete pillar, but it was not problem for our family member who sat there.

Also, my father was in a wheelchair that evening. The CMs allowed us to seat him early so that we could arrange the chair. There was no problem wheeling the chair right up to the reserved section as it is all flat sidewalk.

Service was excellent. Our waiter was very attentive and kept the hot chocolate and bottled water coming. We each took a bottle for the road. The dessert platter was a lot of food, very delicious and sweet. Pictures have already been posted so I won't go into detail about the contents. And we did indeed snack on it for the rest of the trip. Bring a wide bottomed shopping bag to take your dessert platters home with you afterward.

[Not sure if tipping is normally done, but we tipped our waiter $10 ($2 pp). He gratefully and cheerfully accepted the tip. ]

The view of the fireworks was great and a real bonus for the grandparents who wouldn't normally see the show.

I would do this again but probably not next year. It is a hassle to wait around for 2 hours just to ensure a front row seat. However, I enjoyed talking with the other guests while we waited. If you can arrange with your party to wait in shifts, it would be less taxing on one person.

We all thoroughly enjoyed seeing Fantasmic and the fireworks this way!

thanks for your report!!! very detailed!! i appreciate the comment about the gokden marks where the sign will be placed!! (never been to DLR)
Good to hear you had a great time!

 

[nervous1sttimer]

I have decided to go with the Dessert Party seating on August 29th, which means I can make reservations on July 30th, correct? What time EST do I need to call? And do they still sell out quickly??

 

[HydroGuy]

I have decided to go with the Dessert Party seating on August 29th, which means I can make reservations on July 30th, correct? What time EST do I need to call? And do they still sell out quickly??

The OP answers this:

When should one make a reservation for reserved seating?

8AM Pacific Time one month in advance of the night you want the seats. But as just mentioned reservations have remained available after this point. Check with Disney dining.

You can make the res on July 29 at 8AM Pacfic Time - 11AM Eastern. The 30 days commonly discussed is really one month.

 

[MorganM]

Does anyone have a recent picture of the dessert box? I didn't know if they might have changed it so I just wanted to know what they have currently in the box, thanks!

 

[piratenightmares]

this photo was done in june. sorry it's not very good. it was actually an accidental photo. it might give you some idea.

 

[Rainforest_Elf]

I see a lot of tips about showing up 1.5 to 2 hours early for the first showing of Fantasmic, but not much in the way of advice for the second show at 10:30. I realize that the first show will be over at about 9:30 ( a bit before) and that the second showing is generally less crowded. What's the protocol for show #2?

I've never seen Fantasmic in my previous trips, so this is a priority for me. I don't really have extra money to spend on dessert seating, and even if I did, I don't mind sitting on the ground and would prefer great spots for viewing over a seat further away but with a chair.

Advice?

 

[HydroGuy]

I see a lot of tips about showing up 1.5 to 2 hours early for the first showing of Fantasmic, but not much in the way of advice for the second show at 10:30. I realize that the first show will be over at about 9:30 ( a bit before) and that the second showing is generally less crowded. What's the protocol for show #2?

I've never seen Fantasmic in my previous trips, so this is a priority for me. I don't really have extra money to spend on dessert seating, and even if I did, I don't mind sitting on the ground and would prefer great spots for viewing over a seat further away but with a chair.

Advice?

This is pretty much it...

When should I arrive to get a good viewing spot?

The answer to this question depends on whether you are seeing the first show or second show (not all nights have two shows - check the schedule), and whether you have any children or other people small in stature. Since Fantasmic! has sitting and standing areas, the sitting areas are in higher demand. And the center sitting area for the first show of the night is in highest demand of all. This is where the #3 symbol is in the viewing area map shown near the top.

First Show

If it is for the first or only show of the night then some people start gathering four hours before the show in the viewing area in the "sit on the ground" section near the water (location #3 in the viewing area map). For a 9PM show that means people will start arriving at 5PM.

Many people bring a blanket to stake out their spot. If you do that you should leave at least one person behind the whole time to watch over your spot.

Generally you can arrive at 7PM to get a sitting spot. If you are content with a standing spot you can arrive 60-90 minutes early. If you are a small group you may be able to find a spot 30 minutes early in the standing section. The view may not be very good but you can do it.

Second Show

Since the second show starts 75-90 minutes after the first show starts and the show lasts roughly 25 minutes, that means the second show starts 40-65 minutes after the first show ends. Most people leave the area and CMs come and do a quick cleanup.

Since the second show viewing spots cannot be obtained until the first show ends, the second show wait is really a maximum of one hour. You can often get to the sitting area with kids 40 minutes before and still get a spot. I have done this several times with four kids and it works fine. Usually.

 

[94bruin]

I see a lot of tips about showing up 1.5 to 2 hours early for the first showing of Fantasmic, but not much in the way of advice for the second show at 10:30. I realize that the first show will be over at about 9:30 ( a bit before) and that the second showing is generally less crowded. What's the protocol for show #2?

I've never seen Fantasmic in my previous trips, so this is a priority for me. I don't really have extra money to spend on dessert seating, and even if I did, I don't mind sitting on the ground and would prefer great spots for viewing over a seat further away but with a chair.

Advice?

We just did this on Tuesday. We entered the park around 9pm and found a spot near Carnation Café to watch the fireworks (not a great spot, but we were able to see Tink.)

Once the fireworks were over, we made our way through Frontierland. Adventureland was blocked off. I'm assuming this was to let out all the viewers of the first Fantasmic showing.

It was really crowded, but I was able to keep up with DH & DD9, despite having to push a stroller.

Once we got to the Rivers of America, the first section was filled with seated people. However, the CM there indicated that there were plenty of seats towards HM. We were able to get a great seat just left of center - maybe about 2-3 families behind the guardrail. There were still plenty of seats.

We picked up dinner before entering the park, so we ate and killed a little time playing with glow sticks and bubbles. It wasn't a bad wait at all.

I wasn't sure seeing the late show would work for my girls. They are generally in bed by 9pm.

We did the parks from 10am-5pm. Went back to the hotel to shower and nap. That is probably the only way DD5 would have lasted til 11pm. She looked a little out of it when we entered at 9pm. However, once she saw Fantasmic, she perked up. She *Loved* the show. We even had some ice cream afterwards.

HTH!

ETA: Thanks Hydroguy for creating this superthread. I read it right before our trip, so I knew exactly what to do.

Also wanted to mention that fireworks were at 9:30 and Fantasmic was at 10:30.

 

[MorganM]

this photo was done in june. sorry it's not very good. it was actually an accidental photo. it might give you some idea.

Thanks so much for taking the time to post this!

 

[LisaT91403]

Does anyone have a recent picture of the dessert box? I didn't know if they might have changed it so I just wanted to know what they have currently in the box, thanks!

I posted a link in message #393 in this thread. The box shown in the picture was almost identical to what we were served last month (beginning of June). The only difference that I see is that we had one white and one chocolate truffle, and the box shown has 2 chocolate ones instead.

 

[tschaan]

I called today to reserve the Fantasmic dessert package for August 28th. The CM on the phone said that the river is closed that week and there will be no showings! Why would DL close Fantasmic during the DL half marathon weekend?

 

[bellebookworm9]

I called today to reserve the Fantasmic dessert package for August 28th. The CM on the phone said that the river is closed that week and there will be no showings! Why would DL close Fantasmic during the DL half marathon weekend?

Sailing Ship Columbia is reportedly closed from 8/26-28, which would be why there's no Fantasmic. However, the show is listed as being performed on the 29th, 30th, and 31st.

 

[nervous1sttimer]

Yes, I am going the same time and waiting for tomorrow when I can call and book our Dessert Party package for the 29th. I would have liked to go earlier in the week, but starting August 25th they went to their off-season entertainment schedule and F! is only playing Friday-Sunday. It is definitely on the calendar!

 

[Tyggress]

The OP answers this:



You can make the res on July 29 at 8AM Pacfic Time - 11AM Eastern. The 30 days commonly discussed is really one month.

So, I'm wondering if this is still true?

I called the other day to inquire about my young son and if I could just hold him in my lap, rather than paying for another huge dessert box. At the same time, I wanted to confirm when I could purchase tickets for September 6th. I rarely worry about this, as I've gotten seats recently within a few days of a show, but with 8 seats needed this time, I plan to call as soon as I can. The CM told me 30 days out, so August 7th.

Has anyone bought tickets recently that can confirm which it is? I'm wondering if it's changed recently.

I might just have to call tomorrow and try...and call back Friday if it really is a straight 30 days out now.

 

[Kilale]

So we arrive late on Sunday the 12th of October, it appears there is a Fantasmic! show scheduled for 10:30 that night. We will probably be checked into our hotel by then, which is a premium view at the DLR. Is there any spot in the hotel/surrounding area you can see the show or at least part of the show? Would be a really neat way to start the trip, but not a good use of a full days admission..