Garden Rocks strategy

[SusanDK]

The crowds are crazy right now. Pre-pandemic, when we went to the Garden Rocks concerts, we could almost always arrive at the pavilion around 5 pm and be guaranteed a seat. In addition, if one was early (e.g. before 5 pm) for the first concert, it used to be possible to sit in the arena and wait for the concert to start. More recently, however, they have been holding even the crowds for the first show in a queue and only letting in after 5 pm.

My husband read somewhere (which he can't find again - one of the FB WDW groups) that people were queuing as early as 11:30 am for the concerts! Eek!

We tried to go see The Guess Who, arriving just after 5 pm when we would usually easily be able to get a seat, and the entire seating area was filled and closed, the standing room behind the pavilion was filled multiple people deep, all of the seating in the area where people sit to eat their quick service behind the pavilion was full with concert-watchers. We couldn't find a spot to even stand where we could see the band, and the queue for the 6:45 show was already 75-100 people long.

So ... what is everyone's experience with the concerts this year? What time to arrive to get a seat for the first show? Are later shows easier to get into than early shows (the early show used to always be easiest)? Are people really queuing mid-day? If arriving early, is the seating open or are standby guests held back until just before show time? I'm aware they are doing dining plans for the concerts this year but we aren't interested in that (could never eat a three-course meal).

Thanks!

 

[carlyle688]

It’s been hit or miss with them holding people in the queue for the first show. We went to see Kool & the Gang on Sunday and got there at 3:30 and were able to go right in and find seats. But friends who went to see Rick Springfield said they made them wait in line for the first show both nights.

 

[SusanDK]

Thanks! Did you feel you needed to be there by 3:30 to get seats? Were people still able to get seats if they came, say, a half an hour before the show?

 

[summerlvr]

It’s been hit or miss with them holding people in the queue for the first show. We went to see Kool & the Gang on Sunday and got there at 3:30 and were able to go right in and find seats. But friends who went to see Rick Springfield said they made them wait in line for the first show both nights.

I was there for Rick Springfield's first night and walked right in to the theater around 3:30ish and grabbed a seat. They may have had the theater blocked off earlier to prevent people from arriving super early, then perhaps opened it up to prevent the line from getting too long? Don't know about the second night as I didn't go back.
I was there for both nights of the Guess Who and they did make people line up for the first show on the first night, but not the second night.

 

[Tess]

My husband read somewhere (which he can't find again - one of the FB WDW groups) that people were queuing as early as 11:30 am for the concerts! Eek!

Thanks!

For some acts at both F&G and F&W, I have seen people queued outside the theater as soon as they were able to get to it when WS opened at 11:00 a.m. So yes, it happens. Some of those waiting aren't even waiting for the show--they are holding space for someone who has paid them to be there. Seems to me, it would be cheaper to do a dining package but then again--they wouldn't necessarily get front row.

I have never been able to access the theater prior to the 5:00 p.m. seating so I can't speak to it. There was always a dining package (or in the good old days) wristbands from Chase queue on one side (Japan) and the general audience queue on the other (Germany).

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I've been to one set (skipped the middle show). The early show was bursting at the seams. at 8 there was plenty of room to sit. If you are going to the first show and want to sit inside, go a bit early. I don't know about the middle show, but that theater holds a LOT of people.

 

[SusanDK]

Since I started this, I thought I'd add our experience last night for anyone interested. We went to see The Orchestra. We got a late start so only arrived at Epcot at 5:10 pm and assumed we would not make the 5:30 show, but decided to power walk from the parking lot to the American pavilion just in case. We arrived at 5:28 - all seats were taken but they let us into the area for standing room.

When the set ended, we queued for the 6:45 show and, although it looked like we were at least 100 or more people back, we got excellent seats even considering that there were a lot of roped off sections in front for the dining package people. Same drill at the end of that show, we queued for the 8 pm show and got almost identical seats. And each set got better than the previous one!

Edited to add: Epcot was packed! TouringPlans had it at a 7 and it was every bit a 7+. When the last set ended at 8:35 pm, we made our way to Soarin' and the route through the World Showcase was wall-to-wall people milling around and grabbing spots for the fireworks. Soarin' claimed to be a 35 minute standby, but it was walk-on and we were finished with it at 9:08 pm, having entered the queue ca. 8:50.

 

[WEDWDW]

Since I started this, I thought I'd add our experience last night for anyone interested. We went to see The Orchestra. We got a late start so only arrived at Epcot at 5:10 pm and assumed we would not make the 5:30 show, but decided to power walk from the parking lot to the American pavilion just in case. We arrived at 5:28 - all seats were taken but they let us into the area for standing room.

When the set ended, we queued for the 6:45 show and, although it looked like we were at least 100 or more people back, we got excellent seats even considering that there were a lot of roped off sections in front for the dining package people. Same drill at the end of that show, we queued for the 8 pm show and got almost identical seats. And each set got better than the previous one!

Edited to add: Epcot was packed! TouringPlans had it at a 7 and it was every bit a 7+. When the last set ended at 8:35 pm, we made our way to Soarin' and the route through the World Showcase was wall-to-wall people milling around and grabbing spots for the fireworks. Soarin' claimed to be a 35 minute standby, but it was walk-on and we were finished with it at 9:08 pm, having entered the queue ca. 8:50.

Were the second and third Sets SRO as well?

 

[SusanDK]

Were the second and third Sets SRO as well?

The third set definitely wasn't. I went to the restroom while waiting for it to start and when I returned the entire queue had been cleared and there were still seats. It may have filled up, and felt / sounded like it was a full house based on the cheering, but we were fairly close up front so I did not really see to the back after I was re-seated just before it started.

Second set may have been full but, again, I didn't really look all the way back during the show. I would say that all sets filled up completely, but it was certainly possible to get seats if arriving in a reasonable time pre-show with the last one being the easiest to snag a seat.