It depends on where you get seated. I have read Tier 1 people pay, then complain about getting stuck behind a pole. The seating area is not that large. We were told that seats are assigned as you pick up your tickets, which you can do from your resort concierge desk up to 7 days in advance with your ADR number. One time, someone at the concierge desk wanted me to wait, but knowing this information, I told her to give them to me. We always book the luau towards the end of our trip, so we can pick up our tickets from the earliest day out to get the best seating for your assigned tier. Doing this, we have always gotten seated towards the very front. Tier 3 is on the far sides and in the back which is a step or two up from the main floor. I actually wanted to be seated back there. Once on a low crowd nite, my sister and her son sat up there and enjoyed it - my nephew was on steroids for asthma and was a bit moody - therefore scared of the fire dancers and loud music. As your trip gets closer, some people will probably start to drop out, but I would probably do Tier 3 dining plan over paying OOP for Tier 1.