We only have 1 day at DHS (Saturday 10/6 - Columbus Day weekend). Fantasmic is a high priority but I’ve heard horror stories about standby (lining up 60-90minutes ahead, etc.). But not sure I want to waste touring time/money on a dining package and the dessert package is crazy expensive. Currently, our 3rd FP is 2:30 at RnR. Considering trading that one in for Fantasmic FP. I’m worried that by 2:30, Fantasmic won’t be available as a 4th FP.
Thoughts? How early do you have to show up for Fantasmic FP? Are the seats decent?
We have done dining package last two times—and one time we went back to resort after lunch and were too tired to return so didn’t even use the F! vouchers. I’m interested in input too because F! is a must-do for us this trip and we’d rather eat at Sci-Fi than one of the dining package restaurants. Our day is predicted CL6 so not low.
Got a F! FP+ 3 years ago, got there early and still got crappy seats. For us, it was a waste of a FP+ and it also makes it impossible to get day-of additional FP+. I will never do that again.
This time around (next Nov.), we will do the dessert thing and get there 45 minutes prior. According to what I read, this should ensure we will have great seats. It is also much less expensive (and time consuming) than the dining package.
We couldn’t get a day of fastpass last week. We wound up going standby. Because we didn’t have anything else planned for the evening we ended up heading to Fantasmic about an hour early. We strolled in and went right to a great seat. We were quite early, but we didn’t have to wait in a line at all. We could leave our seats (not the whole group at once) to go to the washroom or buy snacks. It was actually pretty relaxing.
I’m not sure what the crowd level was that day (8/26) so I don’t know if it is often that way.
Not sure if standby is always like that but I think you would be fairly safe planning that way. They had lots of snacks and drinks available to purchase near the seats.