Need Advice! Brown Derby/Fantasmic Package

[gismo1554]

So I booked my ADR's last month before the November park hours became available. Now they are I have tried to change my Fantasmic Dinner Package but haven't been able to. I have however been able to get a normal ADR for the day I wanted so what should I do:

Cancel Fantasmic Package and go for a 5pm ADR at the Brown Derby on the 5th Nov that will be an extra magic hours night and 2 fantasmic showings

or

Cancel my second ADR and stick with a 4pm ADR at the Brown Derby on the 3rd Nov with no extra magic hours and only 1 fantasmic showing

Anyone have an opinion? Do I need to do the Fantasmic package?

 

[mskayjay]

So I booked my ADR's last month before the November park hours became available. Now they are I have tried to change my Fantasmic Dinner Package but haven't been able to. I have however been able to get a normal ADR for the day I wanted so what should I do:

Cancel Fantasmic Package and go for a 5pm ADR at the Brown Derby on the 5th Nov that will be an extra magic hours night and 2 fantasmic showings

or

Cancel my second ADR and stick with a 4pm ADR at the Brown Derby on the 3rd Nov with no extra magic hours and only 1 fantasmic showing

Anyone have an opinion? Do I need to do the Fantasmic package?

Nope! Unless it is working out for you financially, you can just walk into the show on that date. We enjoyed BD but were not overwhelmed. If doing it today, I would try Hollywood and Vine. The stadium for the show is sooooooo large. You should be fine no matter what.

 

[TDC Nala]

Are you on the basic dining plan? You might want to keep the Fantasmic package because you'd get an appetizer with it. You wouldn't get one with a regular reservation.

 

[KatMark]

Never been in November so don't know whether or not you need the package. We were not impressed with Brown Derby and don't think it worth two table service credits. Are you willing to pay out of pocket for it? We always do Mama Melrose for the package as we do not like Hollywood & Vine after two bad experiences.

 

[maj42169]

Are you on the basic dining plan? You might want to keep the Fantasmic package because you'd get an appetizer with it. You wouldn't get one with a regular reservation.

Yes you get an app. but you are using 2 credits of the plan at BD!

 

[3prettyprincesses]

I'm interested in knowing this too. I booked a Brown Derby/Fantasmic package for November and it's for 4pm. That is soooo early to eat dinner. I tried calling once the Nov. hours were posted today to get a later seating and she said it's completely booked. I find that hard to believe since we're going Nov. 9-15 which is supposed to be a slow time. Should I keep the Fantasmic package for 4pm or cancel it and hope to get seats at Fantasmic? I really don't want to wait in line for an hour to see Fantasmic but sheesh, eating at 4pm? We'll have barely finished lunch at Sci-Fi at 1pm and then dinner at 4pm? Any advice? Thanks!

 

[gismo1554]

Are you on the basic dining plan? You might want to keep the Fantasmic package because you'd get an appetizer with it. You wouldn't get one with a regular reservation.

Im not on the dining plan so not an issue really

Never been in November so don't know whether or not you need the package. We were not impressed with Brown Derby and don't think it worth two table service credits. Are you willing to pay out of pocket for it? We always do Mama Melrose for the package as we do not like Hollywood & Vine after two bad experiences.

Ive been to Brown Derby before and it was nice. Because my DBF hasn't been to any he looked at all the menus and this was the only one he would eat at in the park and I wanted to try and do a sit down here so that was why we choose this one. I've heard a few people say they were unimpressed but Im hoping we catch it on a good day as I love their Cobb Salad.

 

[gismo1554]

I'm interested in knowing this too. I booked a Brown Derby/Fantasmic package for November and it's for 4pm. That is soooo early to eat dinner. I tried calling once the Nov. hours were posted today to get a later seating and she said it's completely booked. I find that hard to believe since we're going Nov. 9-15 which is supposed to be a slow time. Should I keep the Fantasmic package for 4pm or cancel it and hope to get seats at Fantasmic? I really don't want to wait in line for an hour to see Fantasmic but sheesh, eating at 4pm? We'll have barely finished lunch at Sci-Fi at 1pm and then dinner at 4pm? Any advice? Thanks!

I think the latest for the fantasmic package is something like 2 1/2 hours before the show which if the show is at 7 would be 4:30 so could be an issue. I dont know what day you are going but when Im there (up to the 9th) the times for Fantasmic vary from 6:30pm to 7:30pm depending on the day

I phoned to change and they said they were full too but whether normal time slots will come up later.

 

[neffernie]

Cancel Fantasmic Package and go for a 5pm ADR at the Brown Derby on the 5th Nov that will be an extra magic hours night and 2 fantasmic showings

This is what I would do. If there are two shows, go to the second one. You will get better seats than the reserved section. The last time we tried this (mid-April), we had 8:30 ADR at Brown Derby, went straight to the 10(or later, I can't remember) showing of Fantasmic and got seats dead center in the 5th row. The theater was practically empty. Also, the reserved section was way off to the side.

I was so glad we didn't pay extra for the package. The only package like that I feel is worth the money is the Candlelight Processional Package.

 

[nosy parker]

Oh my, I just asked this exact same question on another thread! I too am going on Nov. 5th and couldn't get a package. Odd I thought, that it was already all booked up considering that the hours came out yesterday and I called at 6:00 pm. Anyway, opted for the regular reservation at 5:15 which makes me happier since the 4:00 time seemd way too early anyway.

I was told that the tickets to go to the show for the people on the package are always the earlier time. In this case 6:30. The CM told me that this morning. This makes me hope that the 8:00 show will be less crowded and therefore less wait time. Of course, what do I know .......

I didn't even look at changing restaurants. This is our first trip to WDW and I don't know if or when we'll ever get back there, so I have a lot of things and places to eat to cram into my time there. And BD is one restaurant I really want to try. Besides it seems that none of the three restaurants offered on the package seem to get consistently good reviews. The feedback from guests for all three restaurants is all over the place; some excellent, some so-so, some awful. So I find since it's a crapshoot, I might as well take the one that interests me and appeals to me the most.

 

[ransom]

In my experience, the 8:00 show is more sparsely attended than the earlier show. For the early (or only) show, we usually either get there as early as possible or use the dinner package. For the later show, we've found that we can get in line a bit later and still get a decent seat.

You never know what will happen on any given night, but that's been our experience.