Fantasmic Dining Package Discussion Thread

View Fantasmic! from River Belle restaurant OR from dining fast pass area

  • River Belle Restaurant

    Votes: 26 41.3%
  • Dining Fast Pass Area

    Votes: 37 58.7%

  • Total voters
    63
Anyone have a report on the seating area for Cafe Orleans? We go this weekend, and I have a reservation for BB and CO on different nights that I have to pick from. We would prefer CO for dining, just seems the seating for BB is better.
 
I was looking back at Curlyxz map (Post #298) and was trying to figure out what the areas behind the dining packages are now considered. Under the old system (pre-refurbishment), they used the terraced areas as FP viewing, but what are they considered now? For example, the areas behind the light towers...are they standby? I know the PotC bridge, which used to be FP, is now considered standby.
 
I watched Fantasmic yesterday and can report that Cafe Orleans was a direct substitute for the RBT seating as shown on my map earlier in this thread. They seem to have a different procedure in regards to how they line up the dining packages before letting people into the seating areas. But everything else remains the same.
 


I'm going to go ahead and explain the new waiting process for the dining packages as I experienced this past Sunday, 9/10.

Dining packages still line up in the same area as noted in my map, right in front of the Harbor Galley. If you get there before 7:30-ish, all Fantasmic CM's in the immediate area will tell you that there is no official line. Of course, there will likely already be other people waiting in an 'unofficial' line. From what I experienced, around 7:45pm CM's were beginning to instruct people to form three separate lines depending on your seating area(BB/CO/HB). It's at this point that CM's begin checking Fastpasses. Guests are then instructed to follow their respective lines as they are walked down next to the Tom Sawyer raft dock and are held there until 8. Once 8pm hits, Cafe Orleans(or RBT once it reopens) is let into their seating area first, with Blue Bayou following, and ultimately Hungry Bear is let in.

I hadn't heard of this change beforehand so it caught me a little off guard. If I had to guess as to why the change, i'd have to say that with this new method the lines are spread across the entire walkway. This helps avoid having the one single line with all dining packages thrown in from stretching past the merch cart by Haunted Mansion.
 


I'm going to be cancelling a reservation for BB tomorrow night at 4:50 for 4 people.

My DD8 decided she would rather go to school than DLR. o_O So we are leaving Friday night instead, and I have CO reservations for Saturday night.

If you would like to pick up my reservations, let me know! I'll be cancelling them in a couple hours if I don't hear from anyone.
 
I'm going to be cancelling a reservation for BB tomorrow night at 4:50 for 4 people.

My DD8 decided she would rather go to school than DLR. o_O So we are leaving Friday night instead, and I have CO reservations for Saturday night.

If you would like to pick up my reservations, let me know! I'll be cancelling them in a couple hours if I don't hear from anyone.
I can relate! I absolutely HATED missing school when I was a kid!

I hope my four-year-old takes after her father (who loved missing but still kept straight A's), because we're already taking her out for 11 days of kindergarten next year for the EBPC Disney cruise! :rolleyes1:sail:
 
Tiffjoy have you called her pediatrician? Surely she must have a fever to be acting so silly!

Hahah! She's always been like this. Cried the past two years over spring break. When we went to Japan and France, she missed some school and was not too thrilled. We were visiting a two thousand year old temple in Kyoto and she was moaning about missing school. Lol!

I can relate! I absolutely HATED missing school when I was a kid!

I hope my four-year-old takes after her father (who loved missing but still kept straight A's), because we're already taking her out for 11 days of kindergarten next year for the EBPC Disney cruise! :rolleyes1:sail:

I don't know where she gets it. I was a very good student but loved missing school, like you said. My DH wasn't interested in school and did so so because he was so smart he was bored, so she doesn't get it from him either! Enjoy that cruise!!
 
I'm going to be cancelling a reservation for BB tomorrow night at 4:50 for 4 people.

My DD8 decided she would rather go to school than DLR. o_O So we are leaving Friday night instead, and I have CO reservations for Saturday night.

If you would like to pick up my reservations, let me know! I'll be cancelling them in a couple hours if I don't hear from anyone.

We also have reservations at CO for Saturday night! I love CO and am super excited they're doing a dining package. I really wish they'd make it permanent. The menu is so much better than RBT.
 
FYI we did Cafe Orleans for a 6:30 res on Sunday 9/10.

We arrived early and still didn't sit until 7pm. The next part I think had to do with our waiter getting sat with 4-5 tables at once. We didn't get our food for an hour. Drinks were not listed on the menus so they had to verbally tell you. We got our salad and gumbo and about 3 bites in our monte cristos came. Waiter didn't come frequently. Again I think this had to do with an overwhelming amount of volume for one waiter which can happen by no fault to him.

We had a 1st showing ticket (9pm) but by the time we got our bill settled, it was 8:15ish. Because everything took so long and the fireworks got cancelled the only other night we could have seen them, we asked for a 2nd show ticket and they accommodated no problem.

I also got a Mickey beignet for my birthday.

Overall the food was great. We had nice seating on the patio. Once everyone gets used to the new stuff, I'm sure it'll be a smooth enjoyable dinner.

As for Fantasmic seating. We went there after the fireworks ended. They had lines for BB, CO and HB.

At around 10 they let everyone in with the order above and you picked your spot. We were among BB and CO people only I think and we were second row center. Overall everything worked out great.
 
We also have reservations at CO for Saturday night! I love CO and am super excited they're doing a dining package. I really wish they'd make it permanent. The menu is so much better than RBT.

Maybe we will see you! Ours is at 4:50. I agree that it's much better than RBT. I had zero interest in that one. Hoping there are no high winds and everythjng goes off fine.
 
I was looking back at Curlyxz map (Post #298) and was trying to figure out what the areas behind the dining packages are now considered. Under the old system (pre-refurbishment), they used the terraced areas as FP viewing, but what are they considered now? For example, the areas behind the light towers...are they standby? I know the PotC bridge, which used to be FP, is now considered standby.

I'm interested in this, as well.
We like standing behind the central light tower.
Is that a FP location? Or standby?
Anyone with insight/experience since the show opened again this summer?
 
FYI we did Cafe Orleans for a 6:30 res on Sunday 9/10.

We arrived early and still didn't sit until 7pm. The next part I think had to do with our waiter getting sat with 4-5 tables at once. We didn't get our food for an hour. Drinks were not listed on the menus so they had to verbally tell you. We got our salad and gumbo and about 3 bites in our monte cristos came. Waiter didn't come frequently. Again I think this had to do with an overwhelming amount of volume for one waiter which can happen by no fault to him.

We had a 1st showing ticket (9pm) but by the time we got our bill settled, it was 8:15ish. Because everything took so long and the fireworks got cancelled the only other night we could have seen them, we asked for a 2nd show ticket and they accommodated no problem.

I also got a Mickey beignet for my birthday.

Overall the food was great. We had nice seating on the patio. Once everyone gets used to the new stuff, I'm sure it'll be a smooth enjoyable dinner.

As for Fantasmic seating. We went there after the fireworks ended. They had lines for BB, CO and HB.

At around 10 they let everyone in with the order above and you picked your spot. We were among BB and CO people only I think and we were second row center. Overall everything worked out great.

Sounds like it worked out really well, cool that they switched you to second show so easily!
 
I'm interested in this, as well.
We like standing behind the central light tower.
Is that a FP location? Or standby?
Anyone with insight/experience since the show opened again this summer?

I saw a bunch of people staked out in those areas long before we arrived. So my guess is that it's GA
 
I'm interested in this, as well.
We like standing behind the central light tower.
Is that a FP location? Or standby?
Anyone with insight/experience since the show opened again this summer?

Yes, it's stand by. So far the only FP area is the area along the waterfront next to the Mark Twain dock. There are little to no people with experience with stand by viewing here so you'll have to play it by the ear on your visit.
 
I will be using an ECV for my trip. Do I NEED the dining package? Not sure where the handicapped area is for the new viewing arrangements.
 

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