Fantasmic Thread!

[JerrodDragon89]

Like they said they snuck in? What if they were coming back from the bathroom or something

 

[LKing]

When we went to the restroom after already being seated, the CM overseeing tickets for our section is the one who opened the ropes for us to leave. As he did, he handed us a ticket to re-enter. He gave us instructions to see him and hand him the ticket when we returned. It was very organized and he communicated the process clearly. There was no ducking under ropes to enter or exit the area.

 

[ShoeCello]

When we went to the restroom after already being seated, the CM overseeing tickets for our section is the one who opened the ropes for us to leave. As he did, he handed us a ticket to re-enter. He gave us instructions to see him and hand him the ticket when we returned. It was very organized and he communicated the process clearly. There was no ducking under ropes to enter or exit the area.

I agree with @LKing here, and saw some people ask to use the restroom and follow this process. Plus I'm 100% certain both pairs were not in the area beforehand and never went past the CM checking passes - our group was lined up close to the front of the line so were one of the first to enter the seating area when they opened it. We were standing and facing the seating area while waiting (it's a long to sit on the ground without getting sore!), and they were not in the area before coming in underneath the ropes, nor did they join any party.

 

[LKing]

@ShoeCello, how early did you get in line to be "close to the front"? Was there a CM or a sign at the beginning of the line?

 

[ShoeCello]

@ShoeCello, how early did you get in line to be "close to the front"? Was there a CM or a sign at the beginning of the line?

We've done the package for RdZ twice now, both times for 10:30 pm showing (so your experiences will be different if you signed up for 9 pm showing). The first time we walked over to the Harbor Galley line up point as the fireworks were ongoing, and got to line basically right as the fireworks were ending (so around 9:45 PM). There were maybe ~15-20 people in total in front of us? I'm estimating from memory, but we got front-row seats by the railing fairly close to the center; here's our view (this photo was taken while standing up):



Each of the groups in front of us beelined to the railing as well, starting from as close to center as possible and then going left (away from center) from there. They had a tape on the ground separating Blue Bayou from RdZ seating areas; they actually picked up the tape and moved it closer to the center a few minutes after opening the seating area (shrinking the Blue Bayou seating and expanding RdZ seating, probably based on expected numbers for that showing) so some people who were behind us got lucky and got seats by the rail closer to the center than those were at the very front of the line.

We mistimed it a little bit for our second time seeing F!, but it still worked out. We crossed over from DCA to DLP right as the fireworks were ending - I do not recommend doing this since you will hit the fireworks crowd exiting. We went up the passageway to the right of Main Street, luckily not having to swim upstream thanks to the one-way flow of the passageway, and then had to fight the crowds to swim across the hub to get to Frontierland. There was heavy traffic here from lots of people going towards RoA for F!; most people are looking for standby viewing. We managed to get to Harbor Galley maybe 15 minutes after fireworks had ended (so ~10 PM, or maybe a few minutes before). There were perhaps 30-40 people in front of us. We still managed to get waterfront seats by the rail, though more to the left than before. Forgot to take a picture of our view of the stage but here's a picture of the seating area showing where we were; there were probably another ~10 people with waterfront seats on the rail to our left before the end of the seating area:



This photo, for reference, was taken at 10:23 PM, and you can see the viewing area is getting close to appearing full. For those unfamiliar with F! setup, the people in the seats in the back are the VIP viewing area next to one of the control booths for F!; the control booth has center view on Tom Sawyer Island, so those seats should give you a reference to where we are. Still a fantastic experience despite being a little bit more off-center than our previous experience.

So based on these experiences, if you are doing the 10:30 pm F! showing with RdZ, the easiest thing is to head on over while the fireworks are ongoing and that way you don't have to go upstream of crowds, and you should land a pretty good spot if your experiences are similar to ours. If watching fireworks is important to you, then you could either watch from RoA, or if you do watch from the hub area or Main St be prepared to swim upstream and be stuck in thick crowds, but if you move quickly and are close to Frontierland there's still a chance for seats close to the front. Again, your mileage may vary depending on crowd levels and how well your group is able to move through crowds (no strollers, kids, or wheelchairs for us; these would make moving through dense crowds a bit harder, of course).

Initially no CM at the front of the line (they were still setting things up from end of fireworks), so be prepared for some potential confusion in the lines. The line on the left will be RdZ; we noticed this was by far the longest line each time (makes sense given the price point). River Belle is on the far right, and Blue Bayou line is the middle. This line was very, very short both times, so I suspect those with BB packages may be able to show up even later and get a good seat, but I don't have any personal experience with this.

 

[michst8alum]

Wait so you tried to go to two shows and both were cancelled?

Yes, both the early shows on Monday and Wednesday were cancelled. We are from the east coast and no way could we stay til the 10:30 show with the time changes.

 

[LKing]

We've done the package for RdZ twice now, both times for 10:30 pm showing (so your experiences will be different if you signed up for 9 pm showing). The first time we walked over to the Harbor Galley line up point as the fireworks were ongoing, and got to line basically right as the fireworks were ending (so around 9:45 PM). There were maybe ~15-20 people in total in front of us? I'm estimating from memory, but we got front-row seats by the railing fairly close to the center; here's our view (this photo was taken while standing up):

Thanks for all the details and photos. I have RdZ reservations for the 2nd show on July 4. I might cancel them as our priority will be watching July 4 fireworks.

 

[gardenrooms]

Sorry to hear abut people having F! cancelled on them. I know it is so disappointing.

 

[gardenrooms]

Oh man, I remember doing this with my then girlfriend, now wife. We were there at rope drop and briskly walked to some door near the BB entrance to sign up for it. I miss the late 90’s Disneyland sometimes.

Interesting. You must have gotten in on it earlier than I did. When I did it they would release the reservations I think it was 30 days out at 8am and I was on the phone at 7:59 dialing and redialing no matter where I was (usually at work lol) till I got through. Earliest reservations got the best seats. (I had happened across it on the LaughingPlace discussion boards when things like that weren't so widely used. Loved those boards, and the regulars were awesome.) Once we discovered it we did it until they closed that down then did the Riverside seating till they closed that down.

 

[Mousequake]

Just to confirm-- if a member of your part is in a scooter and you have the BB dining package, you'll need to be at the back of the section, correct?

 

[MonocularVision]

Interesting. You must have gotten in on it earlier than I did. When I did it they would release the reservations I think it was 30 days out at 8am and I was on the phone at 7:59 dialing and redialing no matter where I was (usually at work lol) till I got through. Earliest reservations got the best seats. (I had happened across it on the LaughingPlace discussion boards when things like that weren't so widely used. Loved those boards, and the regulars were awesome.) Once we discovered it we did it until they closed that down then did the Riverside seating till they closed that down.

I think it would have been 1996(?). I feel like it was around then when they started doing advance reservations for places but we never did that so I can’t be sure.

 

[LKing]

Just to confirm-- if a member of your part is in a scooter and you have the BB dining package, you'll need to be at the back of the section, correct?

You are escorted to the roped off area and are free to choose where you want to sit. The scooter needs to be in the back row. The rest of the party can sit anywhere.

 

[gardenrooms]

I think it would have been 1996(?). I feel like it was around then when they started doing advance reservations for places but we never did that so I can’t be sure.

Interesting. Now that I'm thinking about it, I know at least one of the earlier years I did it would have been 2001, as I was going to a class on a Saturday morning to clear my teaching credential (2nd career - I was 50+ at the time) and I exited the freeway to make my call lol. I know I had done it before then, I think maybe a couple of times, as it was firmly fixed in my mind I had to jump on it!