If you're trying to save money, you can absolutely skip the dining packages and get in line early for close seats to both shows. I don't think they'll let you camp out with a blanket for either show, so it seems to be a matter of watching to see when they'll start letting people assemble and form an audience. Which takes time. Unless you know the procedure from experience, which I'm sure lots of people around here do! The benefit of the dining package is that there is a reserved area for each restaurant with a smaller population than the general admission areas so you don't have to line up as early to get a good view. There are maps I've seen that show all of the territories. In my personal experience with the Carthay Circle WOC package, I didn't want to wait in line, so when we got to the assigned spot, there were plenty of people ahead of us, and not very many behind us. We probably should have gone earlier for the best view.