aussietravellers
who LOVE disney holidays!
- Joined
- Jul 18, 2008
- Messages
- 3,784
Well I didn't know this existed until tonight. We were planning on watching the Electrical Parade at CA tonight and were wandering around an hour and a 45 mins before planning on grabbing a seat along the route and one going off to get dinner to eat at the seat. Well all of the seats were taken, so we saw a couple sitting up above the wall near the wine restaurant, the italian one (sorry can't remember it's name). All of the tables were set along the balcony and we thought, PERFECT, RIGHT ON THE PARADE ROUTE!!! and they are all vacant, we will go in there and have dinner and watch the parade from there.
So up the stairs we went and didn't go left into the restaurant, but right to the roped off area where the set tables were. There we saw the sign "Priority Seating, Electrical Parade". We said to the cast member "how can we get in here". He said you will have to go to guest services and make a reservation. So off I ran.... to guest relations near the entrance and there were tickets left. We got the last seats for the night. Mind you, there are not many tables that fit around there, so I guess it wouldn't be hard to sell out but I haven't seen it advertised anywhere so maybe that's why there were still seats at that late stage.
Anyway.... The tickets are the same price as fantasmic (no AP discount available). Here is what you get for that price. Seating at a table (which was nice) set with a table cloth, napkins and a drinks menu. One drink only per person (this includes wine and beer). Only thing is, it is not free refills of hot chocolate like fantasmic (I think it may be for soda), which I found a bit annoying, it's the same price as fantasmic, we didn't have wine or beer, just hot choc as it was cold, so why no refill? Hot choc is cheaper than an alcoholic beverage. You can get more drinks up until 9pm but you have to pay for them. You get exactly the same food box as you do for fantasmic, only it has a electrical parade sticker on top rather than fantasmic, but exactly the same contents.
It says on the receipt that comes with the tickets that check in is one hour before. Well we were there first, when we saw two tables of people sitting there already about an hour and 45 mins before. By the time I got back with the tickets is was still over an hr before. But we got to check in straight away and take our seats at our table. So those that arrived an hour before, found many tables gone already. So they do not seem strict with check in times like fantasmic.
One other little thing happened. As it was so cold, I went to order a second hot chocolate (expecting to pay for it as we had been told at the beginning that it was one drink only included, any more had to be purchased). When I ordered another hot choc, I was told by the server, "sorry it is one hot chocolate only, no refills". I said, "that is fine, I will pay for it, although I don't think its right when others are having wine and beer which costs more, I am happy to pay for it". He said, "no I mean it is one hot choc per person ONLY!" I said "wait, NO.... you mean if I want another hot chocolate, I have to walk over to one of those other restaurants and buy it!" He was really sweet, he said his supervisor had told him the night before that there were to be no refills on hot choc. So off he went to check with his supervisor to see if I could purchase another hot choc from them and yes I could!
I don't know that I would say that it is as good a value as fantasmic. The parade is not as long as fantasmic, you don't get the refill hot choc. But there are fewer spaces available for the parade and they have two servers for it, so maybe that means it is worth the extra. It was a good view of the parade, although it was VERY annoying that the person below had a balloon and had it flying high, so it kept getting in the way of my photo taking. I am glad we had it, it was nice having our dinner there, then dessert from the box and having a seat to watch the parade. Would I pay to sit there again, not sure! But I am glad that we sat there tonight, we did enjoy it! and the parade was FANTASTIC! WE LOVED IT!
So up the stairs we went and didn't go left into the restaurant, but right to the roped off area where the set tables were. There we saw the sign "Priority Seating, Electrical Parade". We said to the cast member "how can we get in here". He said you will have to go to guest services and make a reservation. So off I ran.... to guest relations near the entrance and there were tickets left. We got the last seats for the night. Mind you, there are not many tables that fit around there, so I guess it wouldn't be hard to sell out but I haven't seen it advertised anywhere so maybe that's why there were still seats at that late stage.
Anyway.... The tickets are the same price as fantasmic (no AP discount available). Here is what you get for that price. Seating at a table (which was nice) set with a table cloth, napkins and a drinks menu. One drink only per person (this includes wine and beer). Only thing is, it is not free refills of hot chocolate like fantasmic (I think it may be for soda), which I found a bit annoying, it's the same price as fantasmic, we didn't have wine or beer, just hot choc as it was cold, so why no refill? Hot choc is cheaper than an alcoholic beverage. You can get more drinks up until 9pm but you have to pay for them. You get exactly the same food box as you do for fantasmic, only it has a electrical parade sticker on top rather than fantasmic, but exactly the same contents.
It says on the receipt that comes with the tickets that check in is one hour before. Well we were there first, when we saw two tables of people sitting there already about an hour and 45 mins before. By the time I got back with the tickets is was still over an hr before. But we got to check in straight away and take our seats at our table. So those that arrived an hour before, found many tables gone already. So they do not seem strict with check in times like fantasmic.
One other little thing happened. As it was so cold, I went to order a second hot chocolate (expecting to pay for it as we had been told at the beginning that it was one drink only included, any more had to be purchased). When I ordered another hot choc, I was told by the server, "sorry it is one hot chocolate only, no refills". I said, "that is fine, I will pay for it, although I don't think its right when others are having wine and beer which costs more, I am happy to pay for it". He said, "no I mean it is one hot choc per person ONLY!" I said "wait, NO.... you mean if I want another hot chocolate, I have to walk over to one of those other restaurants and buy it!" He was really sweet, he said his supervisor had told him the night before that there were to be no refills on hot choc. So off he went to check with his supervisor to see if I could purchase another hot choc from them and yes I could!
I don't know that I would say that it is as good a value as fantasmic. The parade is not as long as fantasmic, you don't get the refill hot choc. But there are fewer spaces available for the parade and they have two servers for it, so maybe that means it is worth the extra. It was a good view of the parade, although it was VERY annoying that the person below had a balloon and had it flying high, so it kept getting in the way of my photo taking. I am glad we had it, it was nice having our dinner there, then dessert from the box and having a seat to watch the parade. Would I pay to sit there again, not sure! But I am glad that we sat there tonight, we did enjoy it! and the parade was FANTASTIC! WE LOVED IT!
