Fantasmic and wait Times

[jmulkey]

My family and I will be at WDW March 12 - 19 and will be catching the Fantasmic Show on the 13th. We are doing the dinner package at Hollywood & Vine restaurant and our reservations are at 4:30 (wow) and the show does not start until 8:00.

How early will I need to get to the Fantasmic area? Will we have time to ride an attraction after supper and before Fantasmic. It just seems like a long time to wait.

[N.J.boy@N.C.St.]

I know for a fact that lines start piling up for Fantasmic! very early...however,f you are doing the dinner package you have your own area to enter and sit...I posted the link below for you to check out if you haven't done so already

Fantasmic! Meal Packages | Dining & Restaurants | Walt Disney World Resort

[petals3485]

They seem to normally start letting people into the first fantasmic show about 6. We usually go to Beauty and the Beast at 5.15 and then they start letting people in from 6 but it does fill up really quickly!

[tduncan1538]

The article listed above states you should arrive at the designated meeting point 30-45 minutes prior to showtime. This experience is MUCH better than waiting in the standard line. All references to lining up early has to do with the general line. It does start filling up 2 hours before show and you should be there at least 1 hr to 1 1/2 hours before show to get a middle seat (front to back).

The dinner package has it's own designated seating. Though it's in the far right side (facing the performance) it is well worth the stress free entrance and exit. Oh,... about the exit. You exit out the same way you came in which puts you right at the front entrance. Night and Day experience from exiting with the masses.

[Disney05]

Yes, it fills up quickly. The worst part for me are the benches, not too comfortable after sitting for a while. Great show non the less.

[supernova]

I go at off-peak times of the year and never have an issue. Granted, I only do Fantasmic every two or three years (not something I need to see every time I go). But to me, I don't care if I sit in the center or off to the side. Actually, the only thing I DO prefer is that I sit closer to the top. There are several entrance/exits to the theater, but for some reason they only use the main one at the top of the amphetheater. The bottleneck trying to get the heck out of there when the show is over is enough to put me off seeing the show regularly. You'd think that, after all this time, Disney would have found a way to clear out Fantasmic in a better way. Tons of Imagineers and architects, and still only one exits. Nice going, Disney.

[tduncan1538]

The exit described above is another reason the dinner package is so desirable. My experience is during the busiest times of year (Christmas and Easter) so it's more important to take advantage of these benefits. But being able to exit out of the show through a side entrance/exit is fantastic. And assuming you're looking to leave the park after the show then the fact that the exit literally puts you right at the exit to the park is even nicer. A quick, clean exit to the park.