July 3rd Fantasmic 9:00 show:FP or pay for dining package?

[FiveofusNL]

Hi! Looking for some guidance from the DIS community again. We will be visiting Hollywood Studios the evening of July 3rd. Arriving around 5:30-6:00 after a day at the waterpark. The park's crowd level is supposed to be a 7/10 according to TouringPlans and a "neutral park" according to UT. We would like to see the 9:00 Fantasmic! show as we have never seen it. I really do not want to line up for 60-90 minutes to do so though as we will have such little time there as it is. Should I pay the $200 USD (plus the cost of beverages, taxes and gratuity) for the Fantasmic! Dining package for the 5 of us in order to get reserved seating? I hate the idea of spending that kind of money especially knowing that the show may be cancelled at any point (We had it through the Dining Plan in 2011 and the show was cancelled due to bad weather just as it was about to start). I also wondered about getting a FP+ for it so we did not have to line up so far in advance but would not have to spend a huge chunk of change. Unfortunately, I was relying on using those to get the RnRC for DH, DS and DD (their fav ride) and TSM for myself and the other DS. Without the FPs for those, I think it is unlikely we will get to ride them. Do I even need to get either to see Fantasmic...would we really have to line up 60-90 minutes in advance in the regular line? Suggestions?

 

[Robo]

Hi! Looking for some guidance from the DIS community again. We will be visiting Hollywood Studios the evening of July 3rd. Arriving around 5:30-6:00 after a day at the waterpark. The park's crowd level is supposed to be a 7/10 according to TouringPlans and a "neutral park" according to UT. We would like to see the 9:00 Fantasmic! show as we have never seen it. I really do not want to line up for 60-90 minutes to do so though as we will have such little time there as it is. Should I pay the $200 USD (plus the cost of beverages, taxes and gratuity) for the Fantasmic! Dining package for the 5 of us in order to get reserved seating? I hate the idea of spending that kind of money especially knowing that the show may be cancelled at any point (We had it through the Dining Plan in 2011 and the show was cancelled due to bad weather just as it was about to start). I also wondered about getting a FP+ for it so we did not have to line up so far in advance but would not have to spend a huge chunk of change. Unfortunately, I was relying on using those to get the RnRC for DH, DS and DD (their fav ride) and TSM for myself and the other DS. Without the FPs for those, I think it is unlikely we will get to ride them. Do I even need to get either to see Fantasmic...would we really have to line up 60-90 minutes in advance in the regular line? Suggestions?

Even the second show on July 3 will be busy.
Arrive at least 45 minutes before show-time.

If seeing F! is IMPORTANT to you, arrive earlier.

If you just have a passing interest, you can try arriving closer to
the second show's start-time and you MIGHT get lucky.
Some do. Some don't.



F! Dining Pkg, is only valid for the first F! performance.

 

[BMC423]

We love Fantasmic, it's a must do for us. In the past we have lined up for 90 or so minutes in order to get decent seats. When planning this years trip I debated this same thing for a long time before making my decision. We are on the DDP so we decided to do the Dining Package and use a TS. I decided against using our FP+ for this because I feel like there are so many other uses for the FP+. What would you do for dinner if you didn't do the Fantasmic package?
Also remember that they normally have 2 shows in the summer IDK if your plans allow for the second show but you can always use your FP+ for the rides and try for the second show. I hope this helps.

 

[Robo]

We love Fantasmic, it's a must do for us. In the past we have lined up for 90 or so minutes in order to get decent seats. When planning this years trip I debated this same thing for a long time before making my decision. We are on the DDP so we decided to do the Dining Package and use a TS. I decided against using our FP+ for this because I feel like there are so many other uses for the FP+. What would you do for dinner if you didn't do the Fantasmic package?
Also remember that they normally have 2 shows in the summer IDK if your plans allow for the second show but you can always use your FP+ for the rides and try for the second show. I hope this helps.

There is a very good chance that you can get a day-of FP+ for F! as a 4th or 5th FP of the day because they issue SO MANY of them (enough to cover nearly the entire left half of the seating.)
On many nights, it is possible that you can gat a FP+ for F! as you are walking to the theater.

What a FP+ for F! offers is more CHOICE in seating.

If you DO get a F! FP+, you can choose to sit in either the FP section (virtually the entire left half of the theater) or the Standby section (virtually the entire right half of the theater.)
So, whatever section has the better seating at the time you arrive, you can go there.
Without a FP, you can only choose a seat in the Standby section.

As to when to arrive at the theater, I'd get to there 45-60 minutes before the show-time.
Even with a FP or Dining Pkg. reservation, don't wait too late.
On busy nights, the CMs will stop holding the reserved sections within 20-30 minutes before show-time, and turn over any available seats in those sections to waiting walk-in guests.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Map Below-
Arrows indicate the center of the seating.

Shaded areas:
(First or Only F! performance of the evening)
Cyan= Standby (walk-in) seating
Red= Dining Plan Reserved
Blue= FP+ Reserved
Purple= Can be either FP+ or Dining Plan Reserved, depending on needs.

(Second or Third F! performance of the evening)
Cyan= Standby (walk-in) seating
Red, Purple, Blue= FP+ Reserved
(Although much of the outer Blue will likely be used for Standby.)

 

[BMC423]

Robo thanks for posting all that info. Especially the map.

 

[FiveofusNL]

Thank you all for the information, especially to you Robo. The map is a huge help....I never realized how much space is allocated for FP seating. I also assumed all the F! FP would be gone well in advance of that day, so it is nice to know that sometimes they are available that close to the show start. I think I will take my chances of getting a FP for the show while we are there. We were going to eat an early supper/late lunch during our downtime between TL and HS, so I would prefer not to spend a lot on a meal that was not in our original plans just to get the Fantasmic pkg. Hopefully, I can get RnRC/TSM, ST and FSA for early evening so I can get the 4th FP for the 9:00 showing. If not, I will ensure that we line up at least 45 mins before. I was thinking 60-90 mins was required, so 45 does not seem too bad. Someone told me that the "Frozen Fireworks" at 9:45 will draw some of the people away from the 9:00 F! as people will be trying to secure good spots for the fireworks rather than sitting in F!. Hopefully that is true.

 

[Robo]

Robo thanks for posting all that info. Especially the map.

You're welcome.
Below is the theater seen from the reverse angle of the map.
This time shown from behind the audience.
You can see that every seat has a good view of the stage.

 

[FiveofusNL]

Perfect!