Fantasmic! Dinner Package...was it worth it? About This Page:

[Scottwdw]

On Tuesday, October 22nd, my family and I visited Disney-MGM Studios all day. We ate a late lunch at 3pm at Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater. Our plan was to attend Fantasmic! that evening and eat dinner back at our resort.

We figured it wouldn't be too crowded being in the middle of the week and late October. Boy, were we wrong! People started streaming to the queue area at 6pm. By 6:45pm when we started walking up Sunset Blvd., CMs were telling people Standing Room Only was all that was left.

My DDs and I decided we'd much rather ride Rock'n Roller Coaster and Tower of Terror instead of standing for the next hour and a half. My DW, SIL and 4 year old nephew went in because my SIL would not get another chance to see it.

On Thursday morning, I called WDW Dining from our room and made Fantasmic! Dinner Package PS for 7 at Hollywood & Vine for Saturday. Had no problems but was told H&V does not have characters for dinner. That was fine. They needed a credit card to hold the reservation which came to around $169 and included tax and tip. About $24 a person for an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet plus guaranteed seating at Fantasmic!.

Our PS was for 5:40 PM. Upon getting seated, our server handed us a voucher for the Fantasmic! seating. He signed it after we paid our bill later. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] He told us to be at the front of the park (near Oscar's gas station) around 7pm. BTW, Hollywood & Vine is a great buffet! I'll be reviewing it in detail on my site soon.

After some last minute shopping [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img] , I convened our group at Oscar's a little after 7pm. There is a sign there pointing to the doors where the parade ends. CMs check the voucher and let you through. Just before entering the Fantasmic! theater, another CM verifies the voucher and lets you in to be seated. It's a good 5 minute walk from the doors to the theater.

Seating is the last two sections (from front to back) to the right of the stage. During the show, we would miss a few key momments but all in all the viewing was just fine. We were about 10 rows back from the front and had great views of the character boats as they appeared. We were misted a couple of times but that was all. And, we didn't have to wait for over an hour to get the seats! My wife and I both agreed it was worth the extra money.

Now, here's a tip for off peak travelers who want to see Fantasmic! During this time of the year, MK only has SpectroMagic and Fireworks on Saturdays. Fantasmic! didn't seem as full when we attended last Saturday and could only determine the reason was SpectroMagic. People were still finding seats available with less than 10 minutes before the show.

For peak travellers, I would highly recommend the Fantasmic! Dinner package but, unless you really like Mama Melrose's or The Brown Derby, you get your best value from Hollywood and Vine's buffet meal, IMHO. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[chezp]

Thanks for the information! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] I've been looking at doing the Fantasmic dining package when we go at Christmas and I was thinking of Hollywood and Vine, but as we've never been there before, I wasn't 100% sure about it. I think I'll definitely go ahead with it now! [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] Thanks!

[vickeymouse]

It is nice to know that someone thinks it is worth the price - especially since I have already booked it! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[tsgarrett]

We are planning to see Fantasmic on the 26th (the 10 pm show). We really want to eat at the 50s prime time earlier in the evening and thought that show we would probably be able to walk in without any problems. Does anyone agree or should we plan a package?

[tinkerose]

Thanks for the great info on the Fantasmic Dining Package, Scott. I totally agree on H&V being the best value, and the atmosphere is fun too.

[TINKN]

Thanks for the insight. Especially the off-season/Spectromagic tie-in.

[Moley]

Hi Scott!

Thank you for the fine review of the package. I would definitely pick Hollywood and Vine, too, for the most excellent buffet. When I ate there last, I left a note with my tip. I told them to tell the kitchen, "Whoever prepared the green beans is a god!" Now that this restaurant is part of that package, to me it is a great way to have an easy access to Fantasmic and also get a fine meal. I'll check out your site soon for your review. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[parrotheadlois]

Originally posted by tsgarrett:
We are planning to see Fantasmic on the 26th (the 10 pm show). We really want to eat at the 50s prime time earlier in the evening and thought that show we would probably be able to walk in without any problems. Does anyone agree or should we plan a package?

<font size="2" face="Comic Sans MS, Arial">FYI - We were there on Monday the 28th. We ate at the ABC Commissary and went to Fantasmic around 6. We were seated at the top of Pocohantas (right next to the Mickey section) and had a great view of everything! Even if we had taken one of the Fantasmic packages, we probably would've gone at 6:30 to be seated where we wanted (near the top), so we were happy with our choice. I think you'll be ok.

[Skatetigger]

Thanks for the info. I booked the package and am eating at H & V. Glad to hear it's definitely worth it as it will be much easier to not have to get there earlier.