WOC Meal Package - worth it?

[GatorChris]

I'm thinking about doing a meal package to see WOC. In the past, I just grabbed a FP and then tried to get in line fairly early. Is the reserved area any better than the blue or yellow section? And will I still need to rush and be first so that my kids can see the show over the 6 foot giants we seem to always get behind?

 

[mom2rtk]

You will still need to be there early.

The advantages are really pretty marginal. I booked one last year because we wanted to go on arrival day and would not be in the park early enough to get a FP.

 

[scubamouse]

I'd say it's only worth it if you want to go to a specific restaurant anyway. We still were there a half hour early and it was already packed. The people in front of us weren't too tall but they were trying to take video of the whole thing with their cameras which was also pretty annoying.

There was so much hype we heard about it that I ended up being a bit let down by the show.

 

[MommyJKM]

I disagree. We do CC WOC package every time because we show up 10 minutes before and I LOVE IT. I believe the different restaurants have different areas. The CC area is GREAT...I'm only 5 feet tall and have gone with my DD since she was 18months and never had an issue being able to see. It's a raised up area and great viewing. Disclaimer: I have never seen WOC except in the CC viewing area.

 

[HydroGuy]

You will still need to be there early.

The advantages are really pretty marginal. I booked one last year because we wanted to go on arrival day and would not be in the park early enough to get a FP.

I agree with this.

 

[HydroGuy]

I'd say it's only worth it if you want to go to a specific restaurant anyway. We still were there a half hour early and it was already packed. The people in front of us weren't too tall but they were trying to take video of the whole thing with their cameras which was also pretty annoying.

There was so much hype we heard about it that I ended up being a bit let down by the show.

I am curious about which show you saw. The WOC Traditional (shown since 2010), the new WOC Celebrate, or WOC Winter Dreams? The new Celebrate version is nice but not nearly as good as the traditional version.

And I have experienced poor views on a couple occasions and it severely detracts from the show. Showing up early enough to get a good view of the show makes all the difference.

 

[GatorChris]

And I have experience poor views on a couple occasions and it several detracts from the show. Showing up early enough to get a good view of the show makes all the difference.

This is what makes me miss WDW. Bleachers....or at least room to view from the entire lagoon. Sure, DCA can fit thousands to "see" the show, but only a few hundred can actually see it. It sounds like any extra money would put me in the same situation. Get there early if the kids are going to see.

 

[wdwfan22]

I am also really on the fence about this. I have seen the show twice. The first time we had a terrible view and didn't really care for it (the original show) therefore did not have any interest in seeing it again. My daughter wanted to see it again this year, so we got yellow FPs and went early to get a rail view. We both really enjoyed the show (Christmas version). Not that we liked one show over the other, I think it was just so much better when you can see it. Haha! I am going with my husband in October and I think he would like it, but neither one of us are keen on getting there at least an hour early, sitting on the ground for 1/2 hour then standing shoulder to shoulder with other people trying to crowd in and shoving their kids in front of you.

So we were thinking of trying the dining pkg so we could get there 10 mins before the show and get at least a decent view. We're not crazy about the menu at Carthay Circle but have a reservation here since we like Wine Country Tratoria and what we like isn't on the WoC menu. But if we won't have a decent view getting there late, I'm not sure what to do.