It varies from person to person whether it's worth it, but to me it definitely is. I hate sitting in the theater for an hour or more to wait for a show, so the big benefit to me is getting there later.
As for the location of the seats, I honestly don't think it matters where you sit - all views are very good. I waited for over an hour once and got 3rd row center seats, and I didn't feel like it changed the experience for me versus sitting in the dinner package seats.
The other cool thing is that you get a little bit of a "backstage" experience on your way in to the theater via the back way.