Pre paying for dinner shows

[rachie05]

I would like to do the fantasmic and illuminations dinner show on my December trip. It says you have to pre pay with a credit card but what if you are on the dining plan? Are you only giving your card to hold it or do they charge it. Sorry if this is a dumb question I've never done Disney. And is there a special way to make the dinner show reservations or do you do it the same way as other adr's?

 

[TDC Nala]

The Fantasmic package is not prepaid. It does require a credit card hold and has a cancellation deadline and no-show fee.

There is no "Illuminations dinner show." There is also no restaurant from which Illuminations is visible that will take a credit card hold.

If you're talking about the Candlelight Processional dining package in December (focus of that is the Candlelight Processional show, not Illuminations, although part of the package is a spot where packageholders can watch Illuminations), that is also not prepaid and requires a credit card hold. All Candlelight packages cost 2 DDP TS credits per person, regardless of which restaurant you choose.

In Disney speak, these are not dinner shows, they are dining "packages" including some sort of preferred seating to a show that is otherwise included with park admission. It usually results in earlier entry to the theater to choose seats than the general public is allowed, which can be a good thing with a popular show.

A Disney "dinner show" has both the dinner and the show in one location, and you can't see the show without having the dinner. There are three dinner shows: Hoop de Doo Revue and Mickey's Backyard Barbecue at Fort Wilderness; and the Spirit of Aloha Luau at the Polynesian. All of these would be prepaid at the time of booking.

 

[rachie05]

Sorry over Christmas they have the candlelight procession dinner package not illuminations. Though I think they do a holiday version of illuminations after thecprocessional.

 

[TDC Nala]

They do the holiday version every night during the season and you don't have to have the package to see it or the Candlelight Processional - what you get is early seating to the Processional and they will rope off an area for packageholders to watch Illuminations (in a different location that is not all that near the theater where the Processional is shown). It may or may not be a better view than you could get if you found your own spot to watch Illuminations.

I changed the second post after realizing you may be talking about the Candlelight Processional package.