How early do I need to be at shows?

Walt Disney World
1

I have either FP or dining package reservations for most of the evening shows. My TP says I need to be there 30 mins to an hour before. Is that accurate or can I be later since I have a package?

2

I would hope if you have a package or FP+ that you should be able to get there 5 minutes before and be let in (That doesn’t mean that you will get a good seat or be able to sit with the rest of your group). But you should get in. That being said I believe the dining packages say arrive about 30 minutes before. If you want to get a good spot for the reserved section you might need to get there 45 minutes before. If you just want a spot but don’t care about where you will sit I would recommend getting there 15-20 minutes before.

3

I would probably want a decent seat…and we have 7 people in our group, so I’d like for us all to be together. I guess we should just get there early.

4

30 min is a good amount of time for most… Illuminations, Fantasmic. Maybe more for Wishes if you want a prime spot. I have no experience with ROL (yet!).

5

I don’t have current tickets so I can’t look at the wording on fastpass+ to confirm, but I thought I read or heard somewhere that with show fastpass+ you need to be there say 5 or 10 minutes before the showtime as they will open up the reserved seating to standby to fill the seats rather than leave them empty.

6

I think each show may have different rules for when you have to show up by. I thought I read somewhere that you could show to Indiana Jones late and still get a seat with fass pass for example.

7

I showed up to Indy show with less than 5 min before start time and got a seat in the front row - for a party of 8, on a high crowd day (8-10 scale). I don’t think I’d waste a fast pass here

8

There again, if it’s an absolute must do for people, then they probably should book one.

We went to DHS twice, once on 30th Dec, once on 4th Jan and saw people turned away from several shows, and being advised to look for fastpasses. I know that’s crazy season, but it’s a reminder that if a particular show is that important to you then make sure you can get in.