Jingle Bell, Jingle Bam vs Fantasmic!

[miste76]

Sorry if this has been asked already (I'm sure it has.). Family with an 18 month old. Light show at 6:45pm Fantasmic at 7:00pm... I'm pretty sure they can't do both. This I should their first trip and probably will not be back for at least a few years, if not longer.

Which night show do they choose?

 

[DemonLlama]

I'd vote Fantasmic. No way to do both. Need to line up and get in for a seat to F! long before the light show.

 

[Robo]

Fantasmic!

Jingle Bam is not much of a show.

 

[5DisneyNuts]

Depending on when you are going, you could potentially do both but will miss the beginning of Fantasmic and it will not be a relaxing experience especially with an 18 month old.
JBJB is about 11 or 12 minutes long and then you have to get through the crowds to get to Fantasmic and the walkway into Fantasmic is long lol.
We did this last week because I really wanted to see JBJB and have seen Fantasmic many times. If I had to choose one, would absolutely choose Fantasmic.

ETA: Fantasmic is loud and has scary moments for young children, something to consider.

 

[FastPasser]

.

 

[Gillbob316]

Depending on when you are going, you could potentially do both but will miss the beginning of Fantasmic and it will not be a relaxing experience especially with an 18 month old.
JBJB is about 11 or 12 minutes long and then you have to get through the crowds to get to Fantasmic and the walkway into Fantasmic is long lol.
We did this last week because I really wanted to see JBJB and have seen Fantasmic many times. If I had to choose one, would absolutely choose Fantasmic.

ETA: Fantasmic is loud and has scary moments for young children, something to consider.

But they did in fact let you into Fantasmic Right after Jingle Bam? (What were the actuall start times? Are we talking a 9-9:30 difference or 6:45-7?)

I'm going next Saturday, Jingle Bam is 6:45 and Fantasmic is 7. I'd like to do both. I hope to do both. I worry that even if I go straight from Jingle Bam to Fantasmic afterward, they'll bar me at the gate to Fantasmic because the show start will be imminent (I've been barred at the gate to Fantasmic before for arriving too late... so... I'm pessimistic.)

I'm not concerned about having a good seat for Fantasmic, I just want to get in. I'm a party of 1, so I can move there fast and don't need a lot of space. Your post gives me a glimmer of hope, but as said... I'm pessimistic. lol.

 

[5DisneyNuts]

We did JBJB 11/19 at 6:45pm. Watched the show from the middle section towards the back (non-reserved section). The park was very crowded. Touring Plans had it at 9 out of 10 I believe. After the show, we took off for Fantasmic 7pm show. We are technically 5 quick moving adults. We got to Fantasmic just after the show started. No one was blocking the entry. The CMs were flagging the people entering to the far left sections (facing the stage). We grabbed seats on the bleachers on the left as soon as you enter. I would NOT recommend this area since you have the other latecomers walking in front of you and it is very noisy so you miss the overall effect of the show.

Not the best experience where we were since it was rushed but definitely doable and might be better if you go to the left of the theater.

Keep in mind, nothing guarantees you will have any seating at all depending when you go. We have been there before there were any other shows like JBJB and had to stand in the back. My opinion is that JBJB drew people away from Fantasmic. I think it would have been much more crowded without JBJB, but you are taking a chance trying both and possibly getting shut out.

 

[Gillbob316]

Yeah, I understand it's risky and I'm not guaranteed a seat (or even entry) when I cut it so close, but thank you for your post, those were more or less the details I craved and you were very thorough. You've given me a glimmer of hope that I might actually see both.

It's a Saturday, so I assume it will be a fair to bad crowd. My plan is more or less exactly what you did... I'm going to book it to Fantasmic right after Jingle Bam, and I'm just hoping to be let in. I've seen it both seated and standing room... I'll see it again in the future... so I'm not looking for the IDEAL Fantasmic experience... I just want to see it, haha.

But having seen Fantasmic in the past, my world won't stop spinning if I miss it, which is why I'm prioritizing Jingle Bam (even though I hear it's the lesser of the two shows). I was just REALLY looking forward to seeing Fantasmic on this trip, because I missed it on my last trip in February, which was a big sore spot, because 2 of my party got in, and the other 5 of us got barred at the gate when we went to meet them. It was a fiasco. So the idea that I might miss it again and be barred 2 trips in a row makes it even sorer, hahaha... when I learned the two shows were scheduled so tightly my dreams died a little.

Not that I'm blaming anyone but myself if I miss it again, because I'm the one prioritizing Jingle Bam. Just... really hoping to get into both. (But bracing myself for disappointment, because I know the odds may be against me. I've felt the sting of being barred at the Fantasmic gate before.)