Very busy Fantasmic shows with reduced performances

[jt04]

Wow. You are honestly the first person I have ever heard diss Fantasmic! Everyone of my friends says Fantasmic! is by far the best nighttime entertainment Disney has to offer in the parks, and I agree with them. Give me 100 more attractions like Fantasmic! any day.

I guess I made the mistake of seeing it twice. I actually enjoyed it the first time but the second time everyone seemed to get restless during the show and we couldn't wait to get out of there. I think it is a combination of the show being too long, the volume way too high and the hard seats, not to mention the smell coming off all those people :hurl:

Sorry, just not impressed.

 

[SirGoofy]

I guess I made the mistake of seeing it twice. I actually enjoyed it the first time but the second time everyone seemed to get restless during the show and we couldn't wait to get out of there. I think it is a combination of the show being too long, the volume way too high and the hard seats, not to mention the smell coming off all those people :hurl:

Sorry, just not impressed.

I can see that. Personally, I saw the show once every other week during my CP, so I didn't get tired of it. But of course that's why there's apples and oranges.

 

[Lee]

Fantasmic @ DL > Fantasmic @ DHS.
Except for the seating issue.

Be even more so when DL is finished with it's Fantasmic upgrades.

*sigh* Nostalgia moment....
Watching Fantasmic at DL from the balcony of the Disney Gallery during one of their special dessert packages. Wonderful times.

 

[SirGoofy]

Fantasmic @ DL > Fantasmic @ DHS.
Except for the seating issue.

Be even more so when DL is finished with it's Fantasmic upgrades.

*sigh* Nostalgia moment....
Watching Fantasmic at DL from the balcony of the Disney Gallery during one of their special dessert packages. Wonderful times.

So I've heard...

Man I really need to go to Disneyland.

 

[hrcollectibles]

I'm an "APer" and after seeing the show for the second time I have one word......B-O-R-I-N-G!

Funny how everything at WDW that has been built in the last several years gets shredded on this forum and the one attraction that probably deserves to be critisized, gets a pass. As a proud APer, I really don't care if they shut that show down for good and put something interesting in that spot.

I have seen this show 4 times (once my first time the other 3 times with friends who had never seen it) and I have to agree with you here. Its the only attraction I actually feel like cattle when I leave. Being herded with the masses.

By the way I like your avatar

 

[Rob562]

Its the only attraction I actually feel like cattle when I leave. Being herded with the masses.

Which is why it's always a good idea to sit and relax (or stand up and stretch but stay in place) for at least 15-20 minutes after the show ends to allow the hoarde of people to make their way out of the theater. When I see that the sea of people is pretty much gone, that's when I get up and stroll out, sanity still intact. (The same suggestion goes for Illuminations and Wishes... Find a bench, sit down, and wait 15 minutes while you people-watch

-Rob

 

[shmmrname]

Of the three night-cappers at WDW, Fantasmic! is my least favorite, and actually a miss-able event now in my wife's mind. But, it's still rediculous that it isn't offered nightly. It's a marquee show, and it feels like a full-length spectacle that's different than the parades. I can't say I would wait an hour to complain, but it's not surprising that others would. No, it's not my favorite, but clearly it's a huge positive for others, and I almost feel compelled to complain with them.

 

[wdwfan22]

I guess I made the mistake of seeing it twice. I actually enjoyed it the first time but the second time everyone seemed to get restless during the show and we couldn't wait to get out of there. I think it is a combination of the show being too long, the volume way too high and the hard seats, not to mention the smell coming off all those people :hurl:

Sorry, just not impressed.

I agree with you. Fantasmic is also our least favorite of the Disney nighttime shows. I have seen both Disneyland's & DHS version and neither one really do anything for me.

 

[misskaityx3]

According to the post and news that started this thread, "managers were left at the entrance to explain to guests why they wern't able to see the show" since Fantasmic has been reduced to two shows per week. However, despite this claim and the the many reports of crowded conditions, I have not heard people online make any mention of actually being turned away from the show. Has it actually filled to capacity? Can anyone give first hand experience of being unable to attend Fantasmic? ...or has there been standing room available even during these busy times of two shows per week?

I suspect if the show was truly reaching capacity and people were being turned away we would hear about it through many complaints in forums like this.

I was!! we attended HS on a Thursday night Jan 10thish and my mom went into Fantasmic at 5:30 to save us seats while my and my brother and dad rode RocknRoller Coaster which had been closed the day before for repairs. When we finally got through the line it was about 6:30 and we headed towards Fantasmic to meet my mom. They had the area roped off with security guards and would not let ONE PERSON past that rope bc the theater was filled to capacity. We tried explaining my mom was in there and had saved us seats but they said it didn't matter how much room it was the amount of people. I was OUTRAGED! People were screaming at them and I was so frustrated bc its my favorite show and my brother would not get a chance to see it I didn't even care about taking my wrath on them. They wouldnt even let anyone with the Dining package through or people who had left their stuff in the theater and left to get food. it was REDICULOUS. People were crying. I felt bad for my poor mother who waited so long to save us seats. Luckily, my mom convinced a guard to sneek my whole family up the exit bc it was her bday and he had seen her earlier and we were able to see the show.. but in the back .. not in the seats my mother saved.

 

[nanna]

If you do decide to leave make sure you listen to cast members advice and grab a re-entry ticket, this way you will already have been counted and you can enter the theatre again without any problems.

 

[Mr D Duck]

I was!! we attended HS on a Thursday night Jan 10thish and my mom went into Fantasmic at 5:30 to save us seats while my and my brother and dad rode RocknRoller Coaster which had been closed the day before for repairs. When we finally got through the line it was about 6:30 and we headed towards Fantasmic to meet my mom. They had the area roped off with security guards and would not let ONE PERSON past that rope bc the theater was filled to capacity. We tried explaining my mom was in there and had saved us seats but they said it didn't matter how much room it was the amount of people. I was OUTRAGED! People were screaming at them and I was so frustrated bc its my favorite show and my brother would not get a chance to see it I didn't even care about taking my wrath on them. They wouldnt even let anyone with the Dining package through or people who had left their stuff in the theater and left to get food. it was REDICULOUS. People were crying. I felt bad for my poor mother who waited so long to save us seats. Luckily, my mom convinced a guard to sneek my whole family up the exit bc it was her bday and he had seen her earlier and we were able to see the show.. but in the back .. not in the seats my mother saved.

I'm sorry you had a traumatic time and I'm glad you finally got to see the show but I really have to take issue with the whole saving seats thing in general- not a personal attack on you, I assure you .
I'm a regular fantasmic viewer and it really annoys me that while my family and I queue up for an hour and a half before the show sacrificing riding time so we are all guarenteed to see the show, others send in a non-rider as a seat holder and enjoy more rides before the show. If a guest wishes to view fantasmic they should have to wait in the ampitheatre along with everyone else. Can you imagine how unhappy we would all be if the Brazilian tour groups sent in one person with a flag an hour and a half before show time to hold 50 seats and then the rest of the party arrived half an hour prior to show time? Disney do warn guests against the save a seat strategy and if the ampitheatre is full... its full, the company cannot risk squeezing a few more people in, can you imagine the law suits if someone was injured and the lawyers found out disney had over-filled the ampitheatre? These buildings have a capacity for a reason- safety.
Now, I am in complete agreement that it is wholly unreasonable for Disney to make such drastic cut-back to, lets face it, one of the flagship attractions of DHS and through complaints hopefully this ludicrous situation can be reversed. However, I would emphasize what others have said, It is completely unfair to take your frustration out on the staff who happen to be working at Fantasmic that night. I'm sure they are just as unhappy as all of us and certainly do not deserve to be mis-treated because someone higher up in the company made the decision to cram all fantasmic audiences into a couple of shows a week. I know I would not like a customer to become aggressive with me because of a situation I have no control over whatsoever in my own occupation.

 

[Buried20KLeague]

Fantasmic @ DL > Fantasmic @ DHS.
Except for the seating issue.

Be even more so when DL is finished with it's Fantasmic upgrades.

*sigh* Nostalgia moment....
Watching Fantasmic at DL from the balcony of the Disney Gallery during one of their special dessert packages. Wonderful times.

TOTALLY agree. I was lucky enough to book the balcony on a trip a few years ago just by chance... Not thinking at all that it would be the last time it was possible because of the removal of the gallery.

There was just something about sitting on "HIS" balcony and walking around "HIS" little outdoor courtyard and everything. That whole park just oozes history and magic... But being up there was just over the top.

Now... If I can just get my way into Club 33 and his apartment over the firehouse... :lookaroun

 

[Animaniac93-98]

Anyone else upset that DLR's Fantasmic! is getting new projectors, lighting, Dragon and Flotsam and Jetsam charactres (for The Little Mermaid segment) and all WDW got was 5 less shows a week? That speaks volumes to me.

 

[SirGoofy]

Anyone else upset that DLR's Fantasmic! is getting new projectors, lighting, Dragon and Flotsam and Jetsam charactres (for The Little Mermaid segment) and all WDW got was 5 less shows a week? That speaks volumes to me.

You really shouldn't be surprised by this.

 

[T-1MILLION]

That speaks volumes of the horrible operations down in FL too.

Let's see.

Backlot Tour- Closed for refurbishments(I guess) or maybe to save some money(or both)

Sounds Dangerous- Closed for seasonally busier times. (no one's favorite but another studios attraction down)

Limited to no Fantasmic Shows while my Girlfriend and I are there.

That is some poor planning for the studios, and fantasmic is one of our favorites and she really enjoys it.

Guess we might be spending that one day over at Universal since even though they are cutting back on some effects, we can do almost everything there.

 

[Animaniac93-98]

You really shouldn't be surprised by this.

Of course I'm not but I still want my new Dragon at least!

 

[marni1971]

Anyone else upset that DLR's Fantasmic! is getting new projectors, lighting, Dragon and Flotsam and Jetsam charactres (for The Little Mermaid segment) and all WDW got was 5 less shows a week?

Not to mention the new pyro spreads and lighting effects it got a year or so ago. What an East Coast mess. I guess the DHS upgrades are stalled now (yes, they were planned).

 

[TURKEY]

Things like this dont help at all. I took this a week ago, on a very busy weekend. The Studios parking lot was almost full, and there were several thousand cheerleaders in the park. On entering the park you are greeted by this:

The parking lot is full due to the huge tent in the parking lot for those cheerleaders that I think is going to be there until March if I remember correctly.

 

[SirGoofy]

Not to mention the new pyro spreads and lighting effects it got a year or so ago. What an East Coast mess. I guess the DHS upgrades are stalled now (yes, they were planned).

*Le sigh*

I'm moving to California or Tokyo.

 

[Morgymon]

So...do I wait in line for the entire day, or miss fantasmic?..

OMG DECISIONS!!!
ahem...
WHY?!?