Seeing Fantasmic! during high crowd times

[Jfsag123]

Headed to WDW over our spring break in mid-March and we are really wanting to see Fantasmic!, as we have never caught it before. I booked the dinner package in order to be sure we are able to get decent seats during the first show, as the second show will be too late for us with the young kiddos. However, I've heard some mixed feedback about the utility of the dinner package. Is it worth it? Would we be able to see it just as easily without the package?

 

[LSUfan4444]

Would we be able to see it just as easily without the package?

No.

Yo can certainly see it without the package, but not just as easily. Without the package you will want to line up earlier and get seats that are not as good.

If you planned on a table service in Hollywood Studios (and I recommend it because the counter service food there is HORRIBLE) and Fantasmic is a MUST DO, then the dining package is the way to go in my opinion.

 

[Hootch]

since we did the Fntasmic! meal package. We went to Mama Melrose'. It was good. I'd stick with the pasta and flat breads. The reserved seating area has changed since then.

If you really want to see F!, then the package is worthwhile in my opinion. The ride waits got shorter as people without reserved seating were lining up for the show. And the benefit of not having to wait very long with young kids, pays for the meal in many cases.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Any chance the youngsters can stay up late? I find it much easier to let mine stay up late than make them get up early.

This summer, we visited DHS on a crowd level 9 day. We went to Midway Mania while the early Fantasmic was in progress. The posted wait was 75 minutes with an actual wait of 15 or less. After riding 4 times in about an hour, we gathered up some snacks and headed over to the Fantasmic theater. It was about 10 minutes before show time but the place was less than half full. We got great seats near the middle section about half way up.

We also liked the flexibility of not being tied to the meal package.

 

[JZCubed]

Is it worth it?

There are no better seats for Fantasmic than the ones provided to those who purchase a dinner package. And if there are better seats that are not available to Dinner Package attendees, people arrive an hour prior to the show to obtain those seats.

Would we be able to see it just as easily without the package?

With little children, maybe not as easily, because you'll need to both wait on line and then in your seats prior to the show beginning. Not that you don't have to arrive early even with Dinner Package, but you won't have as good a seat selection if you go 'Stand-by' versus Dinner Package and you will need to arrive earlier.

My family just returned and we are also planning our next trip. We used FP+ for Fantasmic (our 4th FP+ after having been in Epcot all day) and arrived early - only to have mediocre seats. We will be purchasing Dinner Package for our upcoming summertime visit.

Yes, the Package is a slight $$ premium, but worth the expense to save time and gain the best seats.

 

[Jfsag123]

Thanks everyone for the input! Looks like we will be keeping the package.

Any chance the youngsters can stay up late? I find it much easier to let mine stay up late than make them get up early.

This summer, we visited DHS on a crowd level 9 day. We went to Midway Mania while the early Fantasmic was in progress. The posted wait was 75 minutes with an actual wait of 15 or less. After riding 4 times in about an hour, we gathered up some snacks and headed over to the Fantasmic theater. It was about 10 minutes before show time but the place was less than half full. We got great seats near the middle section about half way up.

We also liked the flexibility of not being tied to the meal package.

My kiddos actually do pretty well staying up late. Last time we went we did the dessert party in MK for 10pm fireworks, then went back and rode rides until closing time - it was great! However, we've got a really early morning planned for the following day in this case, so I'm not sure I want to push it with the late Fantasmic the night before. The idea of 4 rides on Toy Story within an hour sure is tempting, though!

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Thanks everyone for the input! Looks like we will be keeping the package.



My kiddos actually do pretty well staying up late. Last time we went we did the dessert party in MK for 10pm fireworks, then went back and rode rides until closing time - it was great! However, we've got a really early morning planned for the following day in this case, so I'm not sure I want to push it with the late Fantasmic the night before. The idea of 4 rides on Toy Story within an hour sure is tempting, though!

The key is to zig when everyone else zags. The vast majority of DHS guests attend the first Fantasmic, which makes this the very best time to do something else.

Just don't trust posted wait times at night. They're often greatly exaggerated.

 

[puffkin]

Keep an eye out too for the picnic Fantasmic! deals. They do these during really busy times and basically you preorder a bagged lunch that comes with Fantasmic seating. We found it to be really reasonable and the food wasn't bad. We picked our meal up headed into the theater and ate there while we waited. Worked out great and was much easier and cheaper than doing a full meal with my kids. Highly recommend!

 

[Baptist]

If you have young ones, I think the package is not that bad. Once your kids reach 10 and is considered an adult, it becomes too expensive (in my opinion).

I would keep the package and get the reserved seating because you are going during spring break. If it was an off time, I would suggest just going stand by.

If 50s Prime Time Cafe is part of the package, I would choose it over Mama Melrose. We love the food at 50's and it's a fun place to eat. I got yelled at by our server many times (all in good fun).

Have a great time!

 

[Mikie]

I agree that it's worth it, especially if you were considering table service anyway - the package doesn't cost any more than a regular meal at the 3 participating restaurants (hollywood brown derby, Hollywood & Vine buffet, Mama Melrose's)

I'd never seen F! til this trip, so I didn't know what the line looked like getting in - it was pretty darn crazy!! Huge swarm of people all down the street (is it Sunset blvd?) we weren't sure it was fantasmic, or where the separate lines for dinner package, FP and standby were. As the line got moving, it eventually became clear where to go for dinner package and the CMs in the amphitheater are good at checking your voucher to get in the correct (center) section. As hectic as it was for dinner package, it would have been far hairier getting through the SB wait, and those people had clearly been lined up quite a while (I think we got there about 30 min early) now that I've seen it, in the future I might try to just catch a later show, but I'm glad idol it this way for a first time and with little ones.

 

[JeninTexas]

Keep the package. We had lunch at Mama Melrose and it was really good. We arrived for the first show about 30 minutes early and had front row center seats. They were terrific! Awesome view the entire time, and of course, the show is probably the best at Disney. Wonderful experience with the dining package!

 

[Lavitz]

Keep the package. We had lunch at Mama Melrose and it was really good. We arrived for the first show about 30 minutes early and had front row center seats. They were terrific! Awesome view the entire time, and of course, the show is probably the best at Disney. Wonderful experience with the dining package!

Thank you for saving me from typing, you wrote word for word what I wanted to say.

 

[Lyndarella]

The last time I saw F! was during a slow season. We arrived an hour early and had terrible seating.