Is Fantasmic REALLY worth it?

[mvf-m11c]

can anyone give me an idea for when to be in the cafe orleans or hm area for the send of hte first or second show. We are going next week and due to recent crowds, i am hoping they have a third show. Dh and i will have 1 kiddo with us,and would like to move in as the first or second crowd moves out. How long is the show? If they have a third, what time might we expect it to go on? How long between end of one show and start of another.

You can ride hm or splash when the 1st show goes on and when the fireworks end, you can walk over to the 2nd show. Just stay around the cafe orleans or hm area and wait when the people are leaving then you can go over to the sitting area of the roa.

Mostly they don't have a third show on regular days. Like 4th of July, the major holidays, or a very busy day like the summer time on certain days, they most likely will have the third show.

The show is around 22 min.

The third show starts 11:30 if they have one.

The first show starts 9:00, the second starts 10:30, and if they have a third show it starts 11:30 on the regular basis.

 

[HydroGuy]

You can ride hm or splash when the 1st show goes on and when the fireworks end, you can walk over to the 2nd show. Just stay around the cafe orleans or hm area and wait when the people are leaving then you can go over to the sitting area of the roa.

Mostly they don't have a third show on regular days. Like 4th of July, the major holidays, or a very busy day like the summer time on certain days, they most likely will have the third show.

The show is around 22 min.

The third show starts 11:30 if they have one.

The first show starts 9:00, the second starts 10:30, and if they have a third show it starts 11:30 on the regular basis.

At the risk of stating the obvious, the only nights where a third show could happen are nights when DL is open until midnight. If the park closes earlier it ain't happenin'. Use that as a guide.

They only do three shows on a couple nights a year when it is extremely busy. Of all my summer trips they have never done a thrid show.

 

[Disney Dreams]

Yes.

That's as simple as it is. If you see one show while at Disneyland, this is the one to see. It's amazing.

 

[Capt. Swan]

You can ride hm or splash when the 1st show goes on and when the fireworks end, you can walk over to the 2nd show. Just stay around the cafe orleans or hm area and wait when the people are leaving then you can go over to the sitting area of the roa.

Mostly they don't have a third show on regular days. Like 4th of July, the major holidays, or a very busy day like the summer time on certain days, they most likely will have the third show.

The show is around 22 min.

The third show starts 11:30 if they have one.

The first show starts 9:00, the second starts 10:30, and if they have a third show it starts 11:30 on the regular basis.

Thanks very much! we'll schedule to hit the 10:30 and follow your advice.

 

[FlameGirl]

Thanks very much! we'll schedule to hit the 10:30 and follow your advice.

There are some really decent videos of it on Youtube...you can watch a little and decide if it's up your ally: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQjgwH1trkk

 

[mvf-m11c]

At the risk of stating the obvious, the only nights where a third show could happen are nights when DL is open until midnight. If the park closes earlier it ain't happenin'. Use that as a guide.

They only do three shows on a couple nights a year when it is extremely busy. Of all my summer trips they have never done a thrid show.

You are right, when i was there on 4th of july last year, they announce a third show that night, in my experience they only show a third show during the major holidays or sometimes a very busy day that goes to midnight.

 

[disneyfan1955]

What we usually do is set a blanket down (it is on a concrete surface) and get pillows to make it comfortable. The space you reserve, if it is of reasonable size for your party, is the space you will get during the whole show and you get to stay seated during the whole show if you are within the roped area in front of the river. We usually save rides like Pirates of the Carribean and Haunted Mansion for the waiting time while someone is saving a spot because the line at that time is practically walk-through!! There are other rides like Jungle Cruise and Tarzan's Treehouse nearby that are easy to get through while the two or three hour wait is going on. Just be back to your seat by around 8:15 because the crowd control cast members are very good at keeping the crowd limit reasonable, which is why they usually stop letting people into the roped area by that time. The show is SOOO amazing, especially for kids. The first time we saw the show, my four year old little brother had his mouth wide open the whole time!

 

[Disneylvrforever]

This is my absolute most favorite show EVER!!!
Last night when we watched the 2nd show, we were by a family that watched it for the 1st time. They loved it so much & was so impressed that they stayed for the 3rd show too!

 

[Lesleyluvsdisney]

definetly!!!! seen fantasmic bout 15 times at WDW, But was blown away by the original!! SSOOO good we just hung about the back for last 10 mins the first time and got a space under ropes bout 5 mins b4 the 2nd time, i was gobsmacked, dont miss it!!

 

[callmeblissful]

I have seen Fantasmic once (just this last summer, without the dragon.) I liked it, but I'd choose the fireworks over Fantasmic any day. Not all in our group were fans. Perhaps the dragon 'makes' the show, but I...don't know. There were some really cool effects, loved seeing all the characters, but it did seem slightly outdated. I mean, I'm all for classic, but...it could have been better. So excited for World of Color for that reason. Again, I'd choose the fireworks over Fantasmic any day (if I had to choose.) I will add that we saw the 10:30 show; waiting any longer than 1-2 hours just would not be worth it for me or my family. Just my personal opinion.

 

[PHXscuba]

We saw the first show last Monday (holiday night, so they were showing it) with 4 kids ages 4-13. We got to the area right in front of POTC about 7:25. I went under the ropes in the sitting section and found a spot where the 6 of us could squeeze together about the second row of people. Lots of people were saving for family.

We had brought a blanket (based on recommendation here) and spread it out. The kids and I took turns getting up to get dessert, use the bathroom etc. We didn't ride any rides but it would have been easy. We were near one of the "aisles" so we could get out and in pretty easily. I always made sure to make eye contact with the CM "guarding" the entrance so they would recognize us when we came back. I had bought a package of glow bracelets and that kept the kids entertained far longer than I thought they would! I saw several little kids napping with their heads on parents' laps.

I thought it was worth it. We stayed and watched the Halloween fireworks right after and then slogged our way out. It was hard to get up for 8:00 Magic Morning the next day but do-able.

PHXscuba

 

[Judy from Boise]

In all of our trips to WDW we have seen fantastic once. In all of our trips to DLR we have never devoted more than 30 minutes to wait in the "standing" section. This show is just not our cup of tea. I really like the ending, but they lose us with the long middle section focusing on evil and villians.

 

[Leofoenget]

We have never seen it, but I can't believe how early you need to save a spot for good seats (both w/ and w/out the preferred seating). We live in the midwest, and might not be back to DLR for awhile, so I'm feeling a bit stingy with my time in the parks. We would need to go early to get good seats as we have our 3 kids with. We will be doing the Pixar parade and the Holiday parade, also Aladdin, BBB and Jedi training, as these are top priorities w/ the kids. Do your kids love F? We will be in the parks for 4 days, is F worth all of the waiting?

Is it worth seeing? YES is it NECESSARY to sit and wait FOREVER for a good seat NO! I never wait more than an hour if that. After the 1st show starts to leave, we swoop in and stake our spot down front for the second show. We always get good seats with minimal waiting.

 

[FourOrchards]

We saw it years and years ago. I bet it's changed up a bit since then. I really need to make it a point this year to make it again.

 

[disneyfan1955]

We saw it years and years ago. I bet it's changed up a bit since then. I really need to make it a point this year to make it again.

You would be SO surprised at how many changes there are in the show now!

 

[Ladyslug]

I didn't think it was worth it when I was watching the beginning, because there is a big portion in the middle where it's just cartoon images projected onto the water, and I felt like I'd seen it before. But I really enjoyed the floats with the princesses and princes, and then the Mark Twain with all the characters really floored me -- that made it all worth it. Of course, we caught the 10:30 showing, didn't have any kids, waited about 5 minutes, and stood up while we watched, so there was very little downside...

 

[DanT]

just had tickets for reserved seating and dessert on Friday 10/16 at 9pm.

wasn't sure it would be as good as it was from the Disney Gallery Balcony...

Well,,,,,,,,,,,,,it was great...you could feel the spray, smell the black powder and the seats were great. We were in the middle section of chairs under the just to the left of the center light tower...
Great seats, dessert items were great...we basically took a complete one back to the hotel room for the next day

 

[lattemomof3]

Do you bring your own blankets from home if you are staying in a hotel? Or do you borrow one of the extras from the hotel? (making sure to return it, but I don't know if this is ok to do?) Has anyone ever brought a blow up swimming lounger for the kids to sit on- I think I remember reading about that from another post.

 

[prncssmel]

just had tickets for reserved seating and dessert on Friday 10/16 at 9pm.

wasn't sure it would be as good as it was from the Disney Gallery Balcony...

Well,,,,,,,,,,,,,it was great...you could feel the spray, smell the black powder and the seats were great. We were in the middle section of chairs under the just to the left of the center light tower...
Great seats, dessert items were great...we basically took a complete one back to the hotel room for the next day

Okay, so now I am torn. Having seen it from the balcony more than once, I figured it wouldn't be worth it to pay for reserved seating now. The balcony was just so amazing.

Now I am trying to decide between reserved seating and just trying to swoop in for the second show - it's just the 2 of us, so no kids and we don't mind the late time. We will be there at a very busy time, though. Any thoughts from anyone?

 

[DesertBell]

We love F! We saw it 3 times our last trip, once with a friend who had never been do Disneyland before. He said, "I can't believe you get to see this as many times as you want! It's amazing!"

I agree. I have waited 2 hours to see the show, but we end up with fanstastic seats, and it's worth it to us.