landing in MCO at 6pm, what are my chances of making it to 8:30pm Fantasmic?

[disneyberry]

is this nuts?
could i possibly make it to the late showing of Fantasmic?

i'm talking about 11/29 Sat after Thanksgiving too...

i will be by myself for a few hours, and while i wait for dbf to arrive in Orlando, i was thinking about trying to catch one of the fireworks shows.

now i'm convinced i'd prefer to see Fantasmic (vs. Illuminations or Wishes). except that Fantasmic starts the earliest that night, and also seems to be the hardest show to get into last minute.

now i will be just 1 person, and i am a tiny person! could the CMs possibly let me squeeze into the show if i only showed up at the theater with a few minutes to spare?

what do you all think my chances are?
i've never tried to see Fantasmic last minute before. i've always gone and waited in line forever and then sat in the theater forever (which is why dbf refuses to see Fantasmic now, 'cause he hates waiting)...

 

[goofy4tink]

I don't know about that one. I would think it would be quite crowded that Sat. night. I know that when we went in August, we got there about 40 minutes before the start time and it was packed. They actually had a standing room only section being used!! If you can get there 1 hr. before, I would say go for it. Otherwise you might be better off catching a different show. Of course, you might be able to rush over there and if it's too crowded, maybe you could get to another park for their show. Maybe someone else will have a better idea than me.

 

[tjkraz]

Hmmm....what exactly is it that falls between SLIM and NONE???

Let's see, if the stars align properly, you'll probably need all of the following to occur:

- Plane arrives on time.

- Luggage arrives on time and you can retrieve with minimal delay.

- Ground transportation gets you to WDW very quickly, or rental car lines are short.

- If renting a car, you don't get lost on the way.

- You don't need to check-in at your hotel (either to deposit luggage or get park passes).

- You don't have to park a mile away from the MGM entrance.

- Lastly, and most importantly, there are actually seats available at Fantasmic when you arrive. All of the seats can often be gone an hour before the show begins, and Thanksgiving crowds should still be at the max.

I guess if you don't have any other plans, you could always give it a shot. But I wouldn't necessarily get your hopes up. If it works, make sure you let us know.

 

[GAIL HAYDEN]

I would say slim and none and slim left town. They usually stop people from entering about 30-60 mins. before the show starts.
The crowds will be heavy the Sat. after TG. I think another show would be a better bet.

 

[Saa62]

I would set my sites on catching Illuminations and there could be slight chance of not making that if there are any major delays. The logistics of getting from the airport to directly to Disney Studios would be near impossible. I have not been to WDW during that time but it would be a good guess the place will be very crowded, so even if you did make it to the park getting into Fantasmic would and entirely different challange. As said before everything would have to go perfect to even have a chance. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

[InstImpres]

OK, here's the optimist view....

Convince DBF that since he is waiting for his piece of luggage he should wait for yours too! That leaves you carry-on. Spring for the car service and get dropped at MGM. Pick a kind looking CM - when we went in August although it was standing room only, they let us go and "look for extra seats"

We did fine. If not and you don't want to stand, that leaves you time to hurry over to Epcot.

Good luck
Sandy

 

[Disneyland_emily]

Personally I think thats cutting it a bit to close for comfort as there is alot of variables in there.. It takes about 30-50 min from the airport to Studios on a good day- add getting from the entrance to the stadium at 15+ min with bag check and If the F! Theatre gets full/capacity they will "close" the show and no-one gets in even if ya have seats and such because it sadly is for the one person with legit seats the other 9 dont. After Thanksgiving is a large capacity time so the prob theyd close is alot higher than not.

The other thing is You didnt mention what kind of ticket you are using but to me it seems kinda silly to waste a whole days ticket on one show (even though they are great shows) What about heading to a MK resort and watching Wishes from the beach?

-em

 

[disneyberry]

thanks, all, for your opinions! it helps...

btw, i'll be solo for this portion of the trip.
i never check any luggage, i do carry-on only, so it'll be straight from deplaning to either a Towncar or Emerald Aisle at National.
oh, and i would never waste 1 day on a PH ticket! are you crazy?!? i have an AP.

as for whether i check-in to my resort first or not, i guess it depends on what time i first enter those "Walt Disney World" gates and i'm on property already.
also, if i'm taking a Towncar, i'd probably just check-in. if renting a car, i could theoretically head straight to MGM's parking lot... but that would mean possibly walking from the parking lot (running! ) or waiting for the parking Tram.

i admit, i know this is practically impossible. just thought i would check if anyone else has ever attempted such a thing.
thanks again.

 

[DisneyDude10171]

it is not worth the stress that it would likely cause, try another time

 

[erikthewise]

Why not try Illuminations? It doesn't start until 9:30, so if you get there at 8:30 you might actually get a decent spot. If not, it can still be enjoyable even without the best view.

 

[disneyberry]

stress? what stress? it'd all be fun to me... heh!

okay i'm only kidding (half kidding)... although my commando self thinks it'd be fun. (you really have to be some kind of commando nut to think of this idea in the first place anyway...)

i will just make the judgement call when i actually get inside WDW's gates.
i'll probably just end up going to Illuminations, or maybe i'll go to MK to ride a few rides since it's the park that's open the latest.

whatever i decide, (even if i choose the futile attempt to see Fantasmic, and fail at it), i'll be happy since i'll be in WDW! yeah!