FP+ worth it for Fantasmic handicapped section?

[smscrapbooks]

I'm brand new here and was wondering if it is worth it to use a FP+ for Fantasmic since my family will have to sit in the wheelchair section. My husband is unable to transfer from his power chair. We will also have with us our three kids ages 7,5, and 1 so it would be nice to not have to go sit for an hour before the show. What are your thoughts?

 

[JenniBugInPink]

It's been too long since I've been for me to answer your question with any degree of authority, but since it was your first post I wanted to say, This is a great place, and I'm sure someone will be along shortly who can answer your question.

 

[catra121]

My experience was that they will still seat you in the reserved, center sections...IF there is space. The handicap spaced in the FP+ and reserved dining areas fill up quickly though so I would still recommend getting there as early as possible.

If the handicap spaces are all filled in the reserved areas then they will seat you at the next available space which may or may not be anywhere near the reserved section.

I always get the dining package and then get to the show as early as I can...about an hour before the show...and I always feel like I get one of the last spaces in the area. But I have always made it into the reserved area.

 

[smscrapbooks]

I was told that the only handicapped seating was in the very front row and the very back row. Can someone confirm that there is handicapped seating in the reserved FP section? Is there a reserved FP section?

 

[catra121]

Unless it has changed...what they do for FP+ and the dining package is rope off special sections (at the center of the theater) and they are roped off from the very front to the very back...which means there IS handicap seating in each of the areas. I have never been at the front...only the back...but those areas are roped off like any of the other reserved areas and you are only allowed to sit there if you have a FP+ for the FP+ section or the dining package for the dining package area (though they will put FP+ handicap guests in the dining section and vice versa if one area is full but the other is not). Closer to the show start time they do open the area up to other guests...but my experience has been that the handicap sections fill up much sooner than that.

 

[smscrapbooks]

So how far in advance do you think we should get there? We are going mid-October. I have a very active one year old so I dread the thought of having to keep him sitting down for the show, plus the additional time of arriving early. That's why I thought FP+ might be good for us.

 

[lanejudy]

Welcome to the DIS!

We have arrived around 45-30 minutes early with the F! dining package and sat in the w/c seating at the back. I can't say whether that's typical or not since we only did it once, and I have not done it with FP+. You may want to arrive a little earlier with a party of 5 (we only had 3).

Note that you likely will only be allowed to have 1 person sit next to the wheelchair, and the rest on the row in front. The cut-outs are set with just 1 companion seat per w/c space. I suggest you have one of the kids sit next to DH, while you sit directly in front of them with the other 2 kids. Once you arrive and claim your seats, it is possible for you to walk around with the little guy pre-show while the rest of your party saves your seats. It will be crowded, though, so you'll need to keep hold of him.

Enjoy your vacation!

 

[SueM in MN]

Welcome to the DIS!

We have arrived around 45-30 minutes early with the F! dining package and sat in the w/c seating at the back. I can't say whether that's typical or not since we only did it once, and I have not done it with FP+. You may want to arrive a little earlier with a party of 5 (we only had 3).

Note that you likely will only be allowed to have 1 person sit next to the wheelchair, and the rest on the row in front. The cut-outs are set with just 1 companion seat per w/c space. I suggest you have one of the kids sit next to DH, while you sit directly in front of them with the other 2 kids. Once you arrive and claim your seats, it is possible for you to walk around with the little guy pre-show while the rest of your party saves your seats. It will be crowded, though, so you'll need to keep hold of him.

Enjoy your vacation!

This picture shows what lanejudy described...

The CM is standing in one of the wheelchair spots. They are grouped across the entire back row of the theater - 2 wheelchair/ECV spots, then a short bench that seats 2 people. Half of the bench for a companion for the wheelchair/ECV to the left and 1/2 for the right.
You can see a blue line painted on the rows right ahead of the back row. Those rows are for the rest of the party and for guests with disabilities who don't need a wheelchair spot.

As other posters already mentioned, the entire back row is wheelchair seating. This includes the Fastpass Plus and dining plan, which is sections from back to front.
There are a few wheelchair spots in the first row. I believe they were in the middle section and not sure if the continue across the entire front row or just part.

 

[casjen]

I was able to transfer from my ecv but we were seated in the last row of one of the middle sections, on a bench with a blue stripe. I think it was Mailficent. At any rate we could see just fine. I did see the area where the ECV's/wheelchairs were parked and it was a bit more central. We got there about 40 minutes ahead of time.

I wasn't disappointed with our spot at all.

 

[lizard1]

We had a FP for Fantasmic last month. We arrived just before the show before us got out (not exactly sure how far in advance of the show it was). They had us stay to one side of the group of FP people. When the theater was cleared from the first show, they let us move past the ropes holding the others back. We waited there until the theater was cleaned for us to enter. They had several CMs that came up to us. We asked to be seated in the front. They said it was no problem and led us to the front (it is a long way around, there is a winding path down). The seating in the front was a bit different. I think there were spots for WC all of the way across, but there is a cut and then a longer bench. They put our family of 8 (with one WC, unable to transfer) in the front center section in one front row. It was a little tight, so two of us moved to the row behind. No other WC were seated in the front, though I don't know if that was because others ran down to the front when the seating opened (the spots in the front are not clearly marked as WC/handicap) or because no one else asked- there were several people we heard say they wanted to stay in the back.