Fantasmic Seating?

[sediment]

My question is: Fantasmic. I've read a lot of the posts here, although I find nothing recent, about seating for the show.

Is it worth the $59 for premium seating?

No. IMO. Also, IMO, Fantasmic! is not even worth the free wait, but then I can see it whenever I want. The same show I've already seen over and over (ok, five times max in the 17 years it's been showing.)

You'll be there for a whole week. Just take one of those days and "camp out" early. No need to see it every night. And try to see a late show instead of the early one.
Here's an idea I've not seen: instead of standing and waiting like everyone else, squueze your way through NOS to Critter Country before the first Fantasmic!. Have a fastpass or two each for Splash. Go on a few times. during Fantasmic!. For pure torture, you can try the Pooh attraction, if only to have experienced it to criticize it. You can also get a bite at Hungry Bear. I think it's open during the show, but I don't think you can see well from there.
So, after the first show, everyone is making their way out of NOS and toward the Hub for fireworks. Now's your chance to stake a good Fantasmic! spot right on the rail.

[GraceLovesGoofy]

I bought prefered seating one year and it wasn't worth it. Fantasmic Disneyland is the best show at DLR and we will usually get there about an hour early and find a resonable seat at no charge.

As with most things, this is indeed a matter of preference. I think the price was well worth having a reserved seat and a great viewing area. Not having to worry about if you would get a good place or not is worth the $$, plus the fact you don't have to sit on the ground.

Its true there are many great spots to watch from for free, but the space becomes so packed by the time the show starts, even if you have a good place, the people around you may all be very close. Many folks don't remember their manners in a situation like this, which is understandable, I suppose.

If you want a special treat, premium seating for F! is worth it, IMHO.

[sweetpea]

We have priority seating for a 9:00 show of Fantasmic. We hope they let us stay and watch the fireworks after.
A few questions:
#1 If Dumbo and Tink fly that night (assuming wind isn't a problem) can we see them from fantasmic seating and can we hear the fireworks music?
#2 After fireworks, what is the least crowed way to get out of the park? Should we head for the train station and go all the way around? I don't really want to be going against the traffic of the crowd trying to get a spot for the 10:30 Fantasmic.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance

[sediment]

We have priority seating for a 9:00 show of Fantasmic. We hope they let us stay and watch the fireworks after.
A few questions:
#1 If Dumbo and Tink fly that night (assuming wind isn't a problem) can we see them from fantasmic seating and can we hear the fireworks music?
#2 After fireworks, what is the least crowed way to get out of the park? Should we head for the train station and go all the way around? I don't really want to be going against the traffic of the crowd trying to get a spot for the 10:30 Fantasmic.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance

Sure, you can stay for fireworks.
1. No seeing, but hearing.
2. "Go all the way around" what? You mean board the train at NOS and then ride it to Main Street? If you can get on the train, then sure. Pretty good idea. You can also get off the train at Fantasyland and do some of those attractions. Like Matterhorn in the dark: very different from the day. The problem is that the train only holds so many guests. You might have to wait a train or two.

[sweetpea]

thanks Sediment yes, I meant ride the train around to main Street. Great suggestions!

[alaskatink]

I would like to do this since we are from Alaska and the last time we were there in DL was 1999, we were in WDW in 2003, but have never seen the show! A question that I just thought of is...what if we decide once we get there that the particular day that we purchased it for isn't good for us, can we switch to another night during our stay or will they hold us to the day we bought it for? Just in case...you never know what might come up.

Thanks, I loved your review, the goodies look great!

As with most things, this is indeed a matter of preference. I think the price was well worth having a reserved seat and a great viewing area. Not having to worry about if you would get a good place or not is worth the $$, plus the fact you don't have to sit on the ground.

Its true there are many great spots to watch from for free, but the space becomes so packed by the time the show starts, even if you have a good place, the people around you may all be very close. Many folks don't remember their manners in a situation like this, which is understandable, I suppose.

If you want a special treat, premium seating for F! is worth it, IMHO.

[GraceLovesGoofy]

I would like to do this since we are from Alaska and the last time we were there in DL was 1999, we were in WDW in 2003, but have never seen the show! A question that I just thought of is...what if we decide once we get there that the particular day that we purchased it for isn't good for us, can we switch to another night during our stay or will they hold us to the day we bought it for? Just in case...you never know what might come up.

Thanks, I loved your review, the goodies look great!

As far as I know, you cannot change your reservation, once made.
If something did come up, I would go to guest services and explain the situation. If premium seating wasn't sold out for the night you wanted to switch to, perhaps they would work with you.

The worst that could happen is they would say no.

[sweetpea]

Just returned from a 5 day trip to Disneyland! We had reserved seating for fantasmic and loved it! The cast members really do a nice job of making you feel pampered, and not having to save a seat for hours is great.
Bonus: the fireworks are great from this location. you get all the great music that goes along with the fireworks, and you CAN even see Tink and Dumbo!!!
After the fireworks, we walked over to the train, road it all the way around to main street station, and walked out of the park pretty easy without having to fight our way through the crowds on main street and those trying to get in for the second show of fantasmic. I give prioroty seating for the 9:00 showing of fantasmic a BIG thumbs up!

[GraceLovesGoofy]

Just returned from a 5 day trip to Disneyland! We had reserved seating for fantasmic and loved it! The cast members really do a nice job of making you feel pampered, and not having to save a seat for hours is great.
Bonus: the fireworks are great from this location. you get all the great music that goes along with the fireworks, and you CAN even see Tink and Dumbo!!!
After the fireworks, we walked over to the train, road it all the way around to main street station, and walked out of the park pretty easy without having to fight our way through the crowds on main street and those trying to get in for the second show of fantasmic. I give prioroty seating for the 9:00 showing of fantasmic a BIG thumbs up!

Glad you loved the premium seating. Yes, its great not to have to save a seat for the show, and also have a great seat for the fireworks.

I'm surprised you got out of the park so easily. We will have to head for the train next time.... we thought the lines would be bad after the fireworks, but sounds like you didn't have a wait.... thats great!

[sweetpea]

It was great....we caught the first train out of New Orleans square no problem and we were a large group of 8. we just headed straight up to the train station as soon as the lights came on after the fireworks.

[kagruber]

I was just in the park Sunday July 26th, 2009 and sat in preferred seating with 7 people. I have been in preferred seating 4 times previously, 1st in 1999 & always river front. They have changed the seating a bit. They now have 75 seats available river front only, but most of them are 2nd and 3rd row seats.

While I LOVE the Fantasmic show & would gladly stand to watch it, being able to sit down and enjoy dessert while watching the show was always worth the $ to me, especially with people who have not seen the show before. My past experiences in preferred seating were over the top fantastic so the $59 with no AAA discount did not deter me. But this past experience, not so fantastic.

They no longer have the dessert buffet and those heavenly chocolate covered strawberries. The large plastic dessert boxes they provide are not keepsake boxes and are a bit clumsy to handle and contain cheese, crackers, grapes, 2 bon bons, and 5 small pastries. (a lemon square, a small cheese cake, a heavy chocolate cake thing, a macaroon and jelly filled cookie) The cheese and crackers are a great idea for those who didn't eat a dinner, but we had so in the entire box there were only two pieces of the dessert I enjoyed. The 2 bon bons. The cakes & cookie were heavy, with little flavor. I saw a lot of boxes only a 3rd or less eaten.

As for the seats....... Get to check in EARLY....... Check in starts at 8pm for 9 pm show & one plus point is that now when you check in they assign you a seat, however you have to get to the Check In at 7pm or earlier to get front row seats. I was there at 7:30 & the check in line was already 10 people deep. My group ended up in the 2nd and 3rd rows. I could not see the show from my seat at all. Between a very tall man & a piller I had no view of the stage or water projections whatsoever, I had to stand in the back.

Between the odd desserts & lack of view & the dragon not working it made me a bit sad because it felt like it was the the end of an era. It wasn't that practically perfect Disney experience where you can over look a few details out of place. It was an expensive disappointment. However, I am going to write Disneyland and tell them of my experience in the hopes that they can tweak their seating or desserts or something and prevent this type of experience for others. At the very least, perhaps they could add 2 chocolate covered strawberries. That would make all the difference in the world.

[OC2Epcot]

I took these pictures of the Fantasmic reserved seating on Wednesday night.

[marqueemark]

I've done the dessert seating thing twice but only because, at that time, I had a back injury and could not sit on the ground comfortably for an extended period of time. These were both special occasions and I had people with me who had never seen "F!" before.

IMHO, the dessert box/beverage is not worth the price and after eating at Disneyland with their constant huge portions of food during the day, we weren't hungry for any of it either time. Carrying the huge box around afterwards on your way out isn't that convenient either but at least it's at the end of the night.

You are paying for the time you would spend waiting for seats and maybe $10 for the dessert package which doesn't even have an "F!" sticker on it anymore.

One thing I don't believe I've seen mentioned is that even if your seats are for the 10:30 show, you will have to check in at 8pm to get seats assigned. As mentioned above, this is actually 7:30 or earlier for the best seats. So for the 10:30 show you will need to be in the packed NOS 7:30 to 8:15 at least and then come back around 9:50 as the CMs recommend. Depending on how tight your schedule is, this can be a big pain because at this point getting in and out of that area is horrible. You can always hit HM and POTC in the time you're waiting though.

I usually take the train back to main street after "F!" ends and I have never had a problem with getting on the next train that leaves NOS station. I have done this with no problem in the middle of July, on dates that are open to all APers, during the week and on weekends.

I hope this helps someone. I have a PAP so can go whenever I want but I understand people who have to be cautious about their time when visiting the parks.

[kburford]

ya, i really wish the price was more sensible. when i went to WDW this summer, they had something similar. It was a dessert BUFFET (better bc you can pick and choose what you want) for the fireworks at the MK and i think it was only $17 (i don't remember exactly). We found out about it on our last day at the MK and it was already sold out. After that price, I can't believe it is so expensive for fantasmic's dessert package. the worst part....my boyfriend and i do the F! dessert package every Christmas :/ we are such suckers haha. upset they don't even put the F! sticker on the dessert box now. if I pay my $60, I want my sticker!! lol oh, and the chairs are different..right? they used to be more of a cushioned fold up chair and now they are just plastic. ugh. it all just keeps going downhill, doesn't it.

[marqueemark]

I went back last week and there were Fantasmic! stickers on the boxes again. And the seats aren't the wooden cushioned ones anymore, but they were still comfortable.