Fantasmic Dining Package Discussion Thread

[LisaT91403]

The had us line up in 3 separate lines. Hungry Bear was the line closest to the river, BB was in the middle, and CO was closest to Haunted Mansion. When we started actually walking in, CO went first...followed by BB and HB.

 

[GeneralTso]

For the later show, they had us line up by restaurant, but once we filed in it was a free for all. It was all very calm and low key. Whoever wanted to be up front, went there. If you wanted to be further back, you went there. It was nice. No drama, no shoving or hysteria. Just calm and filed in and sat down.

 

[Curlyxz]

Not sure if this was posted but hope it helps everyone

for anyone needing more information on all restaurants this site had very extensive reviews

Bluebayou
https://disneylanddaily.com/blue-bayou-fantasmic-review/


Hungry bear
https://disneylanddaily.com/hungry-bear-fantasmic-on-the-go-review/


River Belle
https://disneylanddaily.com/river-belle-terrace-fantasmic-review/

Comprehensive overall article
https://disneylanddaily.com/fantasmic-at-disneyland-everything-you-need-to-know/

Has the area in front of the Haunted Mansion been confirmed as an FP section? I've only known of the section next to the Mark Twain dock as being the only regular FP section, which is how I had it marked out on my own map. The section by the Tom Sawyer Dock has been stand by.

 

[aymiewilson]

Totally stalking this thread as I'm planning to book a BB package for my aunt and I when we make our next trip! We're planning to be in the parks from Wednesday, 1/31/18 to Friday 2/2/18. Neither of us has seen the new Fantasmic, so we're SUPER excited. We've only eaten at Blue Bayou once, 5 years ago when she took me on my first trip to DL (before that, I was exclusively a WDW girl. Silly me!) I'm trying to plan out any dining reservations we'd need and when we'd see the night time entertainment each night of our trip, and I still have a few questions for you guys who've done the dining packages before.
1) Is Fantasmic only offered on Fri-Sun evenings during the value season? What about the fireworks? Right now from any predicted park hours calendar I can see, World of Color will play Wed, Thurs, Fri night, but Fantasmic and fireworks are only on Friday night...
2) If we go to the first showing of Fantasmic, it looks like we will be able to watch the fireworks from our seats. Does anyone know if this is at all a good view? I've seen "Fantasy in the Sky" (BORING) and "Disneyland Forever" (LOVED IT.) I don't think I've ever seen "Remember! Dreams Come True" before. Are there castle projections or anything that would make it better for us to watch this from the actual viewing area in front of the castle?
3) With the BB Dining Package, how far in advance of our Fantasmic show should we show up? We don't really care if we have front row seats. From the map, it looks like every seat in the BB section is great!

 

[BklynGirl]

I just tried to reserve the upgraded RBT package on 12/12 but was told the package is not being offered at all 12/11 thru 12/14 (Mon - Thurs) and would resume again on 12/15. So I'm not sure if that means they're not doing Fantasmic at all during the week or just not doing the upgraded pkg for some reason. Since I'm traveling with two people that are unable to sit on the ground or stand for over an hour without that upgraded pkg I won't be able to see the show at all so I'm pretty bummed.

 

[nicolita3]

I just tried to reserve the upgraded RBT package on 12/12 but was told the package is not being offered at all 12/11 thru 12/14 (Mon - Thurs) and would resume again on 12/15. So I'm not sure if that means they're not doing Fantasmic at all during the week or just not doing the upgraded pkg for some reason. Since I'm traveling with two people that are unable to sit on the ground or stand for over an hour without that upgraded pkg I won't be able to see the show at all so I'm pretty bummed.

Isn't riverbelle terrace still closed with no open date yet?

 

[BklynGirl]

Isn't riverbelle terrace still closed with no open date yet?

The dining reservation lady told me it's opening in mid-November then specifically told me it's not available just for 12/11-12/14.

 

[BecAus]

Totally stalking this thread as I'm planning to book a BB package for my aunt and I when we make our next trip! We're planning to be in the parks from Wednesday, 1/31/18 to Friday 2/2/18. Neither of us has seen the new Fantasmic, so we're SUPER excited. We've only eaten at Blue Bayou once, 5 years ago when she took me on my first trip to DL (before that, I was exclusively a WDW girl. Silly me!) I'm trying to plan out any dining reservations we'd need and when we'd see the night time entertainment each night of our trip, and I still have a few questions for you guys who've done the dining packages before.
1) Is Fantasmic only offered on Fri-Sun evenings during the value season? What about the fireworks? Right now from any predicted park hours calendar I can see, World of Color will play Wed, Thurs, Fri night, but Fantasmic and fireworks are only on Friday night...

Yes, that's correct


2) If we go to the first showing of Fantasmic, it looks like we will be able to watch the fireworks from our seats. Does anyone know if this is at all a good view? I've seen "Fantasy in the Sky" (BORING) and "Disneyland Forever" (LOVED IT.) I don't think I've ever seen "Remember! Dreams Come True" before. Are there castle projections or anything that would make it better for us to watch this from the actual viewing area in front of the castle?

Personally, I don't think it's a great view - it's a good compromise if you want to watch them after 1st Fantasmic as there's no way you can make it round to Main St in time.
On our visit a fortnight ago we did BB on the Saturday night (there was a MHP on the Friday night). We intended to watch the fireworks after but they were cancelled due to high winds - they still did show a short 'projections' show on the water screens which was better than nothing.
The castle is a major element in the fireworks and of course it will always be better to view the fireworks in front of the castle on Main St for the best view.

3) With the BB Dining Package, how far in advance of our Fantasmic show should we show up? We don't really care if we have front row seats. From the map, it looks like every seat in the BB section is great!

We showed up at 7pm which of course is waaayyyyy too early but my son wanted the railing. We just hung near the entrance point at Harbor Galley and the CM let my son pretty much line up straight away there even though you're not supposed to. If you don't want front then I would have thought 8pm or even later would be ok?

FWIW: I think there is only value in the package if you are using it for the first show. Unless of course you really want to eat there anyway - you do get the seat cushion so that is a nice perk / souvenir however.
On the Sunday night I went to watch Fantasmic again - I got a FP for the 2nd show. My son went off and did rides as he wasn't interested. I watched the fireworks in front of the castle - I was a little too far over on the Frontierland side, a tree blocked my fireworks view but I had a clear view of the castle. I had positioned myself so I could leg it straight over to the Mark Twain dock afterwards but I could easily have gone more centre and it wouldn't have made much difference.
As soon as the fireworks finished I walked swiftly over to the dock - the holding area for FP. I was in the front side of the dock queue behind quite a large group of people - in the next 15-20mins a massive group of people formed behind me, filled in the whole dock area which is quite large.
We were then let in and walked down to the FP area. I was 3rd row back on the edge (LHS) of the 'sitting' FP area. I was only 2m away from the dining section and maybe 5-10m away from where we sat the night before for our BB pkg.
For that 2nd show they do combine all the dining packages in the one area which is what I saw - some had cushions and some didn't.
So.... on the second night for the second showing of Fantasmic at 10.30pm with a free FP I had virtually the same view that I had got the night before with our BB package.

I don't regret the BB - we had a really nice meal and I think if you are doing 1st show I personally wouldn't do it any other way but it's just worth noting that I got virtually the exact same view the next night (for 2nd show).

 

[ttig34]

The dining reservation lady told me it's opening in mid-November then specifically told me it's not available just for 12/11-12/14.

I am pretty sure there will be no Fantasmic! Monday thru Thursday of that week- as that has been the case in the past years. When it gets a bit closer to Christmas, they do it daily.

 

[DizneeRailFan62]

Isn't riverbelle terrace still closed with no open date yet?

I was able to reserve the RBT Premium dinner for Friday, Dec 8 at the 8PM time slot. I noted that the end of November it appears they are showing Fantasmic! all week long, 2 shows per night, 9 and 1030 PM. I certainly hope they finish the renovations in time so that we can sit for the show on the terrace, as my disability will not allow me to do the ground sitting any more. We are certainly looking forward to seeing the new version of the show.

 

[casagray]

I read you can switch things out at hungry bear restaurant (it's a previous post); - do you know if you have to do this for the entire meal, or can you switch just parts out? For example can you get the bbq chicken with onion rings? Or the salmon with slaw? Thinking of switching our Cafe Orleans reservation for Hungry Bear (if I can.....)

 

[Curlyxz]

I read you can switch things out at hungry bear restaurant (it's a previous post); - do you know if you have to do this for the entire meal, or can you switch just parts out? For example can you get the bbq chicken with onion rings? Or the salmon with slaw? Thinking of switching our Cafe Orleans reservation for Hungry Bear (if I can.....)

That is a good question. I haven't read of anyone on the boards doing that yet, so you might have to call ahead and ask if that is possible.

 

[stillmorningrise]

We did the Cafe Orleans dining package on Columbus Day. It was by far one of the worst dining experiences we’ve had. We were shocked because we frequent Cafe Orleans a lot when we visit and have never had an issue. The service was horrendous, our waiter acted like he didn’t want to be there and seemed annoyed when we asked questions about the menu. They gave us the wrong entree and that also seemed like a hassle to get the right entree exchanged. When they brought out the steak it seemed thrown together and almost like half the plating was missing.

I’m not one to complain about dining experiences much but this felt justified to warn people.

We arrived about an hour early to line up for our show seating and got great seats in the front and middle. The show was amazing so we felt that was worth some of the cost at least.

 

[Fantasmicfan94]

Hi everyone,

I'm planning a trip mid-December when the daily Fantasmic shows start up. It will be our first one with Fantasmic in many years and Fantasmic is easily the thing my dad looks forward to the most on our Disneyland trips, so I try to do everything I can to make it a good experience.

The problem is that sitting on the ground is absolutely a non-starter at my dad's age. Even with a seat cushion, he's hated having to do that in the past as his legs fall asleep and he gets cold and is basically miserable for 2 hours until the show starts.

That being said:
1) For the RBT premium upgrade package table seating, the chance to sit in a chair for the show is almost priceless, but is the view of the show obstructed at all? Any trees or people standing/walking by that obstruct the view? Also, is there a cap on how big a party I can reserve? I'll be going with a group of 7 adults, 3 children and 1 baby.

2) For the BB/RBT/HB/FP areas, I understand they are "seated only". However, if my party specifically wants to be in the absolute last row of these sections, up against the ropes or whatever where we would be if we were in wheelchairs, is it ok if we stand during the show? Or at the very least stand during the 90 minute wait for the show so we're only sitting for 30 minutes not 120 minutes?

3) Are there any standy areas we can stand at and claim (I don't care how early we have to) where we would have an unobstructed view of the show? Doesn't have to be the best or most center seat, but unobstructed would be nice.

 

[Disney Excitement]

We did the BB Fantasmic package last night (first timers). We had out BB booking at 5pm. We were seated straight away. We were a bit further back but we could have had a water front table had we waited 45mins. Our table was still really good. I was really impressed with the food. We had the gumbo, salmon and Sorcerer Mickey. Our 7 year old had the steak and choc cake and enjoyed it too. All servings were a good size and we were really full at the end! We were given two rounds of drinks. Staff were really attentive and friendly. Our tickets were for the 9pm show and we lined up at 7.50 and had front row seats and were right in the middle of the stage and yes we were given cushions. Fantastic show and well worth the money spent!

 

[Curlyxz]

Hi everyone,

I'm planning a trip mid-December when the daily Fantasmic shows start up. It will be our first one with Fantasmic in many years and Fantasmic is easily the thing my dad looks forward to the most on our Disneyland trips, so I try to do everything I can to make it a good experience.

The problem is that sitting on the ground is absolutely a non-starter at my dad's age. Even with a seat cushion, he's hated having to do that in the past as his legs fall asleep and he gets cold and is basically miserable for 2 hours until the show starts.

That being said:
1) For the RBT premium upgrade package table seating, the chance to sit in a chair for the show is almost priceless, but is the view of the show obstructed at all? Any trees or people standing/walking by that obstruct the view? Also, is there a cap on how big a party I can reserve? I'll be going with a group of 7 adults, 3 children and 1 baby.

2) For the BB/RBT/HB/FP areas, I understand they are "seated only". However, if my party specifically wants to be in the absolute last row of these sections, up against the ropes or whatever where we would be if we were in wheelchairs, is it ok if we stand during the show? Or at the very least stand during the 90 minute wait for the show so we're only sitting for 30 minutes not 120 minutes?

3) Are there any standy areas we can stand at and claim (I don't care how early we have to) where we would have an unobstructed view of the show? Doesn't have to be the best or most center seat, but unobstructed would be nice.

1)The view depends on what table you get assigned. If you get a table right along the rail facing Tom Sawyer Island, you should have a great view. If you get further back, you will be able to see what happens on the island but may struggle to see some of the effects/floats that happen on the river and you may have to look over the heads of those in tables ahead of you. With this experience, you pay for the premium of being seated at a table while also having dinner.

2)It has not been an issue to stand before the show happens. If I recall correctly, about 10-15 minutes before showtime the cast members do begin asking guests to remain seated.

3)There are plenty of stand by areas throughout the area. Most notably, the area around the Tom Sawyer Rafts dock next to the dining package area and the walkways on the second level along the riverfront. This is first come first serve, and i've seen people start claiming spots as early as 7pm, even earlier. Be aware, much, if not all, of stand by is standing only. Not many people have experience with stand by viewing, so you might not find a lot of witness reports on here.

 

[VandVsmama]

I am really pleased to hear about the possibility of ordering off of the regular Hungry Bear menu! Absolutely NONE of the dining package options on the Hungry Bear menu appeal to my kids. My kids love ribs, but they're going to hate ones flavored like blueberry.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

I just tried to reserve the upgraded RBT package on 12/12 but was told the package is not being offered at all 12/11 thru 12/14 (Mon - Thurs) and would resume again on 12/15. So I'm not sure if that means they're not doing Fantasmic at all during the week or just not doing the upgraded pkg for some reason. Since I'm traveling with two people that are unable to sit on the ground or stand for over an hour without that upgraded pkg I won't be able to see the show at all so I'm pretty bummed.

If you are fine with not having a premium view of the show (which you might not have had anyway from the RBT patio -- not everyone gets to sit at the railing), you can stake out spots on the planter wall in front of HM. Your party will be able to sit on the wall whlie watching the show. Yes, there will be people walking in front of you, but at least you'll be seated and able to view most of the show, if not all the small details. And if your party can stand for some of the show, they will be able to see better.

 

[gillep]

We did the CO dining package on Saturday night (6:40pm reservation). We were seated within 10 minutes at a table right inside the doors, but we were not picky. Our waiter was obviously extremely busy but he kept our glasses full and answered our questions regarding the menu and was more than happy to allow us to order the beignets. I wasn't overly impressed with the food, but it was fine and we were hungry, between the two of us we had the gumbo, salad, both monte cristos, maleficent dessert and beignets. We got passes for the second show, we walked over right after the fireworks and were able to get a seat at the railing.

 

[Fantasmicfan94]

If you are fine with not having a premium view of the show (which you might not have had anyway from the RBT patio -- not everyone gets to sit at the railing), you can stake out spots on the planter wall in front of HM. Your party will be able to sit on the wall whlie watching the show. Yes, there will be people walking in front of you, but at least you'll be seated and able to view most of the show, if not all the small details. And if your party can stand for some of the show, they will be able to see better.

1)The view depends on what table you get assigned. If you get a table right along the rail facing Tom Sawyer Island, you should have a great view. If you get further back, you will be able to see what happens on the island but may struggle to see some of the effects/floats that happen on the river and you may have to look over the heads of those in tables ahead of you. With this experience, you pay for the premium of being seated at a table while also having dinner.

2)It has not been an issue to stand before the show happens. If I recall correctly, about 10-15 minutes before showtime the cast members do begin asking guests to remain seated.

3)There are plenty of stand by areas throughout the area. Most notably, the area around the Tom Sawyer Rafts dock next to the dining package area and the walkways on the second level along the riverfront. This is first come first serve, and i've seen people start claiming spots as early as 7pm, even earlier. Be aware, much, if not all, of stand by is standing only. Not many people have experience with stand by viewing, so you might not find a lot of witness reports on here.

Awesome, I'll try calling in my reservation as early as possible and see if I can get them to give me an idea of getting a table by the railing

Thank you!