LIES!! Fastpass+ & Fantasmic!

Donal Duck

Donal Duck

Member
This thread is too confusing.

I'm going Christmas week and have a FP+ reservation for Famtasmic for the 6:30 PM show.
My FP+ return time is 5:55 to 6:10 PM.
Knowing how crowded this show is, if I were to start lining up at 5:55 pm I wouldn't get in.

I thought the idea of the FP+ was to guarantee you admission to an attraction at a certain time ?
 
LucyK

LucyK

Well-Known Member
I'm quite alright with the F!Dinner package having better seats than FP+ since people are paying for former while the latter is just a way to skip the lines. I rather spend my FP+ at a ride anyway.
 
PolynesianPrincess

PolynesianPrincess

Well-Known Member
So I have a story to share regarding FP+ for Fantasmic.... In September, we chose Fantasmic as one of our options for FP+. Thinking it would be the same as priority seating for Illuminations or one of the parades, we were pleased to find out we were correct. FP+ seating was almost center for the show. It was a sepcial section roped off next to the dining package section. We were very pleased with this as Fantasmic is my sister's favorite show and we hate getting there so early to sit on those hard metal bleachers. Fast forward to a few weeks ago when we were choosing our FP+ options. We again chose Fantasmic because A - It was convenient and easy to use and B - We were bringing my cousin on her first trip and wanted her to see it. F was scheduled for 6:30 so we had a return time of 5:55-6:15pm. We got stuck in the queue at Tower of Terror til 6:05 and then we ended up getting out of line as to not miss our time for Fantasmic. We hustled up the hill to the ampitheater and got there at 6:10pm. I scooted through the crowd looking for the FP+ seating. There was no sign so I asked a CM. He informed me I could sit anywhere other than the dining package sections, which were the middle 3 sections. Yes, they now have 3 dining package sections right in the center. I looked around and the only sections available were on the very end and I was NOT happy about this. I marched right up to another CM and asked her what the point of FP+ was if I had to sit in the same section as everyone else just now coming up who didn't have FP+. She told me the FP+ guaranteed me a seat, not a specific section. I then asked her if we had gotten stuck on a ride and showed up at 6:25pm and the whole ampitheater was full (as the first show does usually tend to fill up), then what? Would they have taken a group of 3 people who had gotten there on time and gotten seats and make them move for us because we had FP+ and they didn't? I was FURIOUS at this. NO place on the Disney site did it say this was different than the testing they ran back in September. Had we known this was not going be a guaranteed section but rather just a guaranteed seat, we wouldn't have wasted a FP on it and just shown up an hour early. FP+ for Fantasmic offers NOTHING. If you look at the other nighttime FP+ options, they offer a specific section (Illuminations, Wishes, MSEP....) One would think Fantasmic would be the same way. I plan on writing a VERY lengthy letter to Disney about this. If anyone shows up at 5:55 (which is the standard start time for the return for the 6:30pm show) they're not going to be happy with their seats. They will have the same seats to choose from as everyone else arriving who don't have FP. It's completely pointless now.

My advice for anyone wanting to use one of their FP+ options on it... Don't bother. You'll have to arrive an hour early anyway to get a good seat either way.
 
PolynesianPrincess

PolynesianPrincess

Well-Known Member
Donal Duck said:
This thread is too confusing.

I'm going Christmas week and have a FP+ reservation for Famtasmic for the 6:30 PM show.
My FP+ return time is 5:55 to 6:10 PM.
Knowing how crowded this show is, if I were to start lining up at 5:55 pm I wouldn't get in.

I thought the idea of the FP+ was to guarantee you admission to an attraction at a certain time ?
Click to expand...

Yeah, you might get in, but you won't have a seat anywhere clsoe to the center. Read my post above to see my ecperience with it this past weekend.... I am NOT a happy camper about it.
 
PolynesianPrincess

PolynesianPrincess

Well-Known Member
safaribob said:
I don't recall ever seeing anything about FP+ giving preferred seating for Fantasmic. Everything that I have ever seen/read is that it is just like for any other ride/attraction. It allows you to not have to stand in line forever to get in and get a seat. I believe the only time that you get "preferred seating" with a FP+ is for Wishes or Illuminations.
Click to expand...

In September when they were testing, it was a guanrateed section that was next to the dinner package section. I know this first hand as we used FP+ for this.


Master Yoda said:
The Fantasmic dinner package has always used the far right seating area.
Click to expand...

Dinner package seating is now dead center and utilizes the center 3 sections. It was like this Sunday night and also in September when we did testing for FP+
 
ABQ

ABQ

Well-Known Member
derelicte19 said:
Dinner package seating is now dead center and utilizes the center 3 sections. It was like this Sunday night and also in September when we did testing for FP+
Click to expand...
That's the worst part. I'd gladly do the dinner package, but the availability runs out way too fast, yet they dedicate every "good" seat to it now, meaning camping out for an hour may get you an OK seat, but there's certainly no guarantees there.
 
Betsyboo

Betsyboo

Well-Known Member
I'm glad I checked out this thread. I agree with @ABQ , the times for the "dinner" packages fill up quickly and I don't want to have dinner at 3:45. I've not seen Fantasmic during my last three visits but I doubt I'll be using a FP+ to see it in February. Thanks for all the advice.
 
PolynesianPrincess

PolynesianPrincess

Well-Known Member
ABQ said:
That's the worst part. I'd gladly do the dinner package, but the availability runs out way too fast, yet they dedicate every "good" seat to it now, meaning camping out for an hour may get you an OK seat, but there's certainly no guarantees there.
Click to expand...

When I was trying to change my ADr last week, they had a bunch of dinner packages open for Sunday. I think maybe with the addition of 2 more sections, maybe they have more availability? We've never tried the dining package because it can't be used with Tables in Wonderland.
 
ABQ

ABQ

Well-Known Member
derelicte19 said:
When I was trying to change my ADr last week, they had a bunch of dinner packages open for Sunday. I think maybe with the addition of 2 more sections, maybe they have more availability? We've never tried the dining package because it can't be used with Tables in Wonderland.
Click to expand...
I was unable to find anything aside from a 4 O'clock dinner, which is too early. However, I did find a Fantasmic Lunch availability. Never knew those existed. I snagged it before they changed their mind on the offer.
 
Last edited:
PolynesianPrincess

PolynesianPrincess

Well-Known Member
ABQ said:
I was unable to find anything aside from a 4 O'clock dinner, which is too early. However, I did find a Fantasmic Lunch availability. Never new those existed. I snagged it before they changed their mind on the offer.
Click to expand...

Yeah, they have lunch and dinner available. When we arrive at 6:10pm there was PLENTY of openings in the dinner package seating area so you should get a good seat even if you show up only 15 minutes before the show starts.
 
LucyK

LucyK

Well-Known Member
Can't you do lunch instead? We did the F! Dinner Package last February and had a late lunch (1:45pm) at Mama's.
 
mweier

mweier

Well-Known Member
A month or so ago, I tried looking for F! dinner reservations for February and everything was around 3pm which is neither lunch nor dinner. No matter how good the seats are, there's no point to me in eating at a weird time of day.Sounds like F! FP+ gets you to the front of the line (which should help) but not reserved seating, even though it used to. lame.

EDIT: I just went back and confirmed that Mama Melrose has lunch options but neither BD nor H&V did. Sounds like a dining package lunch is better than blowing an FP+ on F!
 
Last edited:
Cesar R M

Cesar R M

Well-Known Member
reading about lunch hours is always interesting.
I read that "late lunch" comment and makes me giggle. as We Mexicans usually eat IN THE MINIMUM at 1:00 pm.. (and mostly we do at 2-4pm timeframe)
 
ExtinctJenn

ExtinctJenn

Well-Known Member
It seems the final answer here is that where you are seated with FP+ has changed a ton over the past few months. I read a trip report from someone who went recently and said they entered and were seated in the same spot as the dining package folks, off to the right. A few weeks ago I read in the thread about the Glow With the Show ears that FP+ folks and dining folks were seated in the center, again entering through the side entrance however. Am I reading this right that now, not only do you not enter from the separate entrance but you're seated wherever there aren't already seats taken (i.e. you could end up with crap seats)?

We used one of our FP+ selections for Fantastmic! in December and if it's not really going to benefit us to have them, then I'll use it for something else for sure. Though knowing my luck, as stated above, it'll change again to be front row wonderful seats if we do. Would love someone to officially clarify. :)
 
RandomPrincess

RandomPrincess

Keep Moving Forward
ExtinctJenn said:
It seems the final answer here is that where you are seated with FP+ has changed a ton over the past few months. I read a trip report from someone who went recently and said they entered and were seated in the same spot as the dining package folks, off to the right. A few weeks ago I read in the thread about the Glow With the Show ears that FP+ folks and dining folks were seated in the center, again entering through the side entrance however. Am I reading this right that now, not only do you not enter from the separate entrance but you're seated wherever there aren't already seats taken (i.e. you could end up with crap seats)?

We used one of our FP+ selections for Fantastmic! in December and if it's not really going to benefit us to have them, then I'll use it for something else for sure. Though knowing my luck, as stated above, it'll change again to be front row wonderful seats if we do. Would love someone to officially clarify. :)
Click to expand...
I would keep them for know and see how things develop in the next month.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom