Originally posted by Mike Bartenhagen
I am sorry but I am going to be very vauge here in the hopes that someone can follow up with more details. For one of the shows you mentioned I believe if you eat at a specific restraunt you can get special seating. That way you could spend the wait eating rather than doing nothing.
Like I said very vauge but I am hoping someone else could help.
Mike
It's called the
Fantasmic Dinner Package and you do have to ask for it that way. You make a Priority Seating Reservation at specific restaurants that are included in the program (I think it's currently Mama Melrose, Hollywood and Vine and the Brown Derby). When you eat there, you get a voucher that allows you to sit in a specific part of the ampitheater for Fantasmic. You still need to get there about 1/2 hour early.
We have never used the package. As Nanaho mentioned, there is a lot going on, so the wait doesn't really seem that long. Generally, you are not waiting in line for a very long time. If there is only one show, or if you are going to the first show on a night with 2 shows, they do start seating an hour or even longer before the show starts. So, most of your wait is sitting down. Once you have your seats, you can move around a bit if you like, as long as you remember where your seats are. (Very important, there are 6,900 seats and room for 3,000 people standing).
The GAC would not really help with Illuminations or Fantasmic as long as the person with the GAC is using a wheelchair. There are only a certain number of wheelchair spaces, so once they are taken, that's it for the night. We have, though arrived at Fantasmic as close as 15 minutes to the show and still been able to get a wheelchair spot. I would not recommend that if you really want to see the show. You are betting on how many special needs people have also decided to go to the show and there is no guarantee that there will be any spots left if you arrive that late.
There are restrooms and snack bars inside the ampitheater area and you will also find CMs roaming around selling popcorn, cotton candy and light-up toys.
The wheelchair seating (whether or not you use the Fantasmic Dinner Package) is along the back row. The first time we went, I was worried about how my DD would endure the wait. She uses a wheelchair, is non-verbal and has mutliple disabilities, including ADD and some obessesive compulsive bahaviors. She had no problem any of the times we've gone (and we have gone with her 5 or 6 times now). On our last family trip, we also had my nephew who has ADD and another condition (I don't what his diagnosis is, but from his behavior, it is similar to Aspergers). I really was not looking forward to waiting an hour with him, but it was really not a problem. There is just so much going on that the time does not feel long.
For Illuminations there are wheelchair viewing areas. How busy they are and how fast they get busy varies a lot. If there is a lot of demand on the night that you go, you might have to be there quite a bit before the show begins. If it's really exceptionally busy in the wheelchair area, they may limit the party to only one person plus the person with a disability (this is because there is limited room in the wheelchair viewing area and they try to save it to use the maximum amount of space for people in wheelchairs/
ecvs or who have GACs). If it's not that busy, you may be able to talk to the CM about letting part of your party stay in the wheelchair viewing area while someone walks around with your child.
We don't usually bother with the wheelchair viewing area, because for us, it's more bother than help. There are plenty of places around WS lagoon where you can see the show. Because there is a fence around the laggon, you can have part of your party mark off and save an area along the fence and then someone can walk around with your child and come back 10-15 minutes before the show begins. When you are looking for a spot, keep in mind that a lot of the show takes place low over the water. Look for the things that stick out in the middle of the water. That's where the water part of the show takes place. Also, watch which way the wind is blowing. If it's coming toward you, you will have lots of fireworks smoke. Also, keep in mind that the busiest areas will be from Canada toward Mexico and the area where you enter WS from FW. People who want to get out of the park quickly after the show tend to pack those places. WHen the show is over, stay put for about 10 minutes; the crowd will clear and you will have a much easier time getting out.