Fantasmic

[sbkline]

On our previous off property visits to Disney-MGM, we have always opted to skip Fantasmic out of lack of interest. However, this time, since we are staying a week and have much more time, I thought we'd give 'er a try. However, that's when I was thinking it would be along the lines of the stadium shows at Sea World, where you just walk in shortly before the show and plop your butt down. But I read last night that there are actually lines for Fantasmic and that you may need to stake out your spot as much as an hour and a half before the show. Is this true? I'm not sure if it's worth it to us to waste that much time waiting for the show to begin. Yes, we have more time this time around, but that's an hour and a half we could use to enjoy the park at night, as we have never seen the studios at dark before. That's an hour and a half that we could use to go mini-golfing or something. So does this seem accurate that it's an hour and a half wait for this show? Do you consider it worth the long wait?

 

[DisneyMusician2]

I consider it worth the wait....I wouldn't do it every time, but it is certainly a show to be experienced at Disney. The line will go ALL THE WAY down the street waiting to get in to the theatre, though. Get a snack and see it, it will be a good time, especially if you have kids.

 

[sbkline]

We have a 5:55 PM ADR for 50's Prime Time. Does it cost any extra if I were to decide to try for one of those Dinner packages? Is it too late now to do it? We will be at MGM on Friday, April 27. So, if we got out of the restaraunt at 6:30 or 7:00, depending on how long it takes to eat, am I to assume that there would already be a good sized line for Fantasmic?

 

[Rob562]

We have a 5:55 PM ADR for 50's Prime Time. Does it cost any extra if I were to decide to try for one of those Dinner packages? Is it too late now to do it? We will be at MGM on Friday, April 27. So, if we got out of the restaraunt at 6:30 or 7:00, depending on how long it takes to eat, am I to assume that there would already be a good sized line for Fantasmic?

The dinner packages aren't available for Prime Time Cafe, only Mama Melrose's, Hollywood & Vine, and the Brown Derby. Here's info about the package on AllEars:
http://www.allearsnet.com/din/fantdin1.htm

As for how long you *need* to wait, it depends on what time of year you go. There will ALWAYS be people who wait a long time for shows like that because they HAVE to sit front and center for the show. But the stadium seats 7000, with standing room for more.

In the off-season of early December, I've never arrived earlier than 30-40 minutes (and once or twice it was as late as 10-15 minutes) and have always gotten a seat. With the Fantasmic dinner package you still have to arrive 30-40 minutes early, but it's not 60-90...


-Rob

 

[sbkline]

So, if the lines are only for those people who are picky about their seats, what about folks like me who don't want to waste time sitting in a line and prefer to waltz in at 8:25 and take a seat back in the nosebleed section? Would there be plenty of seats available or would I be out of luck?

 

[slowbee]

In December, you'll be fine... it very seldom fills up in the first few weeks of December. If you wait till the last minute, you'll be in the roost or along the ends of the theater... but they are still good views of the show.

If it was a normal season or peek, you wouldn't get within 20 yards of the main gate because once it fills up, they turn everyone back.

It's our family's favorite show. It's worth seeing and the time you have to wait for the show.

 

[jvenegas]

So, if the lines are only for those people who are picky about their seats, what about folks like me who don't want to waste time sitting in a line and prefer to waltz in at 8:25 and take a seat back in the nosebleed section? Would there be plenty of seats available or would I be out of luck?

I gather form your OP that your dates are April 23-30 so crowds should be on the down side. You can come in easily 15-20 minutes before showtime and ther will be plenty of good seats. As another poster said, the theater seats 7,000 and all seats have great views so you should be fine.

Don't miis this show, it is probably one of the best shows Disney has running right now.

 

[Ashleigh]

The show is GREAT, so I would recommend seeing it too. Just be careful, on April 27 & 28 the Magic Kingdom is closing at 7:00pm for grad nights, so the other parks (MGM & EPCOT) may be more crowded on that evening than expected during that same time period. Since the Animal Kingdom closes at 6:00pm most of the people will be at one of those two parks. We are also going to be there on April 27th and we traveled during this time period a couple of years ago. As long as all the parks were open, it really wasn't too crowded, but when grad nights were in effect the other parks were more crowded. It was also very crowded at the Magic Kingdom the nights when the spectromagic parade was going (since it doesn't run every night during this time). Have a wonderful vacation!

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

That's an hour and a half that we could use to go mini-golfing or something. So does this seem accurate that it's an hour and a half wait for this show? Do you consider it worth the long wait?

I think you've got your priorities completely mixed up here.

If you would rather spend 90 minutes hitting a little ball around, hitting it with a stick, putting it into a hole and then taking it out again in preference to sitting waiting for the best nightime show at WDW EVER - then I hope you have fun.

Go see Fantasmic and sample the Disney Magic you've been missing

 

[Captain Hank]

I gather form your OP that your dates are April 23-30 so crowds should be on the down side. You can come in easily 15-20 minutes before showtime and ther will be plenty of good seats. As another poster said, the theater seats 7,000 and all seats have great views so you should be fine.

Don't miis this show, it is probably one of the best shows Disney has running right now.

I wouldn't cut it quite that close. More along the lines of 30-45 minutes early to be safe. It's true that there are a lot of seats and all have a pretty good view, but some are definately better than others. Also, if you don't arrive fairly early, you run the risk of being in the standing room-only section. It is a truly great show, one of Disney's all-time best. Definately go see it!

 

[svickersart]

I havent seen Fantasmic at WDW yet but I have seen it at DL several times and its a great show. At DL the show is done on Rivers Of America so theres no line to get into but people start camping spots 4 to 5 hours in advance. I also chose to skip it at WDW because I didnt want to wait in line but next trip I do want to see the show. One thing you can try if you have the people with you is have part of your party stand in line while the rest of you go on a ride or shop then switch places so you are not all standing in line the whole time. ToT and RRC are both close by as are most of the parks shops.
Steve

 

[Kadee]

While Fantasmic is not something we do every trip, we do enjoy it when we see it. I agree with it being the best show at WDW. We got there about an hour early (with food in hand, of course), met some nice people sitting around us, talked to pass the time, but then, some performers came out after about 20 -30 minutes. I don't know if they still do this, but they were hillarious..... and quite talented. One guy walked on his hands all the way down the steps of the stadium (and for those of you who have been, you know that is a pretty long way to go on your hands). The time passed very quickly. Fantasmic was definitely worth the wait! Please don't skip it for mini-golf.....that would be SUCH a waste of time. Just my opinion, but I HATE mini-golf. I would rather wait in a line at any WDW attraction than go mini-golfing. ....Regular golf? Now that is a different story.

 

[lilclerk]

When we saw it in February, we got there about 30 minutes prior and were LUCKY to get seats. And this was on a relatively quiet day in MGM. The lines for ToT and RnRC were 30-45 minutes throughout the day, and there weren't really any waits for anything else.

 

[dave1105]

We saw it twice last April. One time at the first show and one time at the second show. We got there about 45 mins before the first show and didn't wait long before they started letting people in to be seated. We had to sit on the far right that show and the view wasn't too bad. The second show I think we got there about the same time but wait to get in was longer because we had to wait for the first show to end and empty out. The people waiting were kinda unruly, felt sorry for the CM trying to hold them back. In addition, people were actually trying to sneak in thru the handicapped line.

The second show we did get front and center and the view was better in my opinion. We were close enough to get wet from the spray.

 

[sbkline]

I wouldn't cut it quite that close. More along the lines of 30-45 minutes early to be safe. It's true that there are a lot of seats and all have a pretty good view, but some are definately better than others. Also, if you don't arrive fairly early, you run the risk of being in the standing room-only section. It is a truly great show, one of Disney's all-time best. Definately go see it!

I wouldn't mind waiting a half hour or 45 minutes in line, but an hour and a half is kind of much. But I might not even mind being in the standing room only section. I mean, if I can stand in line for 30-45 minutes just to get a seat for a half hour show, then I suppose I could do it the opposite way and sit and people watch for a half hour or 45 minutes and then go in and stand for the half hour show. :lol:

 

[MiceysBestPal]

I wouldn't mind waiting a half hour or 45 minutes in line, but an hour and a half is kind of much. But I might not even mind being in the standing room only section. I mean, if I can stand in line for 30-45 minutes just to get a seat for a half hour show, then I suppose I could do it the opposite way and sit and people watch for a half hour or 45 minutes and then go in and stand for the half hour show. :lol:

I can't let this go on without comment.

You do not need to wait IN LINE to see the first show of Fantasmic!

About 60-90 minutes before show-time they simply open the ramp to the theater and you just go in and sit where you'd like.
If you wait too LONG before going in, the guests going in do get backed-up and line is created by default... so don't wait to go in, if you don't like lines.

If there's a SECOND show, you WILL wait in line, as the CM's much clean the theater after the firs show is concluded and the guests have exited.

 

[ChuckFromCanada]

Fantasmic! is an amazing show that is DEFINATLY worth the wait !! A must see.

 

[Wilt Dasney]

About 60-90 minutes before show-time they simply open the ramp to the theater and you just go in and sit where you'd like.

It's been over 4 years so my memory could be rusty, but I don't recall people being allowed to sit where they want when I worked the show. The sections were filled in order to accommodate as many people as possible. Again, this could be a faulty memory or something that is only true during the peak times, but it's how I remember things being done.

To the OP: I would never get there more than 30-40 minutes early. You should definitely be able to get a seat then, and it doesn't sound like you're all that picky about WHERE you sit, as long as you see the show. You should be fine.

 

[PSU_Princess]

It's been over 4 years so my memory could be rusty, but I don't recall people being allowed to sit where they want when I worked the show. The sections were filled in order to accommodate as many people as possible. Again, this could be a faulty memory or something that is only true during the peak times, but it's how I remember things being done.

To the OP: I would never get there more than 30-40 minutes early. You should definitely be able to get a seat then, and it doesn't sound like you're all that picky about WHERE you sit, as long as you see the show. You should be fine.

I think that you are allowed to sit where you want, every so often they ask everyone to slide all the way to the end of the row to allow more people to fit.

I think we would usually go about 20 min early and never had a problem getting a seat.

 

[MiceysBestPal]

It's been over 4 years so my memory could be rusty, but I don't recall people being allowed to sit where they want when I worked the show. The sections were filled in order to accommodate as many people as possible. Again, this could be a faulty memory or something that is only true during the peak times, but it's how I remember things being done.

To the OP: I would never get there more than 30-40 minutes early. You should definitely be able to get a seat then, and it doesn't sound like you're all that picky about WHERE you sit, as long as you see the show. You should be fine.

I have seen the show literally dozens of times over the years it has been at WDW. We arrive early and can sit absolutely ANYWHERE in the theater.

We prefer dead-center, very front row (the short sections of seating, designed to accomodate wheel-chairs, but not used for them now.)

I strongly caution guests to NOT attempt to arrive just 30-40 minutes ahead of show-time if the park is busy. There are nights when the theater is nearly full an hour before. And I have read reports that on busy nights even the so-called "reseved for Dinner Pkg. guests" area is taken over by non-pkg guests by 30 minutes before the show, so don't wait too long to get to those seats if you are using the DP.

If its important that you SEE the show on a given night... please err on the side of caution.