Fantasmic Balcony Seating Pictures

[cardaway]

Anybody have any pictures of the balcony that you can pay to watch Fantasmic from or any pictures of the show taken form there?

We were going through some DL pictures yesterday and I have a bad feeling about where it might be. The balcony I'm thinking it might be seems far away from the water. Hopefully I'm wrong.

 

[DLovinFam]

Anybody have any pictures of the balcony that you can pay to watch Fantasmic from or any pictures of the show taken form there?

We were going through some DL pictures yesterday and I have a bad feeling about where it might be. The balcony I'm thinking it might be seems far away from the water. Hopefully I'm wrong.

I do have pics of the balcony taken from Tom Sawyers Island right on the Fantasmic! stage. I can't post them on here right now (long story...comp. problems) but I can tell you we had a PERFECT view on the balcony for Fantasmic! The Balcony is directly across from the stage/water. I wish I could share my pics with you, because they really show what a great view it would be. If dh gets things fixed for me, I'll figure out how to post them.

 

[CamColt]

This thread might help....

http://www.wdwinfo.com/disneyland-california/disneyland-fantasmic.htm

 

[Michelle2]

I was just thinking of those pictures on that link when I read this post. Those are perfect examples of what to expect.
I will find out on Sept 16th! I will post pics after that!

 

[Eeyorecln]

Just be forewarned not every seat is a good seat. After all the hassle just to get the seating for our last night there, it was a HUGE disappointment. We spent $280 and noone in our family had a good view. They split up our family so my DH, who had the baby, and oldest DS,6 YO, were behind a pole. They couldn't see much at all. My other 2 DS, 5 and 4 YO sat with me. They sat us behind a whole group of adults,tall ones. So my kids kept trying to scoot around trying to see but the CM's didn't want them moving their chairs around or blocking the pathways in between the groups. Since it was our last night there my boys were disappointed they never got to see much of the Fantasmic show. They had liked the one at WDW and wanted to see the DL one. My DH pointed out if they were going to charge as much for kids, they should provide boosters or seat the kids in a way that they can see. And I don't think they should even be selling the 2 seats they put behind a pole. They must know by now that view isn't very good. As for the desserts, we were seated 15 min. late even though we had been there since 8 PM. So we didn't have much time to even enjoy those. In hindsight, we would have been better off finding a free seat and buying some Disney shirts with the money. We got a perfect view of the Fireworks and the kids just drew pictures while we waited. They didn't mind waiting and they were able to see the whole show. And this was free. Sorry to go on so long but I think too many people hype the balconey(probably they are getting seated in front) and if you're unlucky enough to get behind a bunch of tall people or pole, then it's a big letdown. Especially for the cost! I would try the river for families with kids as they charge less for them and you can check in early to get a good seat. We were the first to check in so if we had been riverside I have a feeling we would have had a much better view and saved on cost.

 

[cardaway]

Thanks for the link to that other thread. Yes, that is the place I was fearing it would be. It's easy to see what Eeyorecln was posting about. Look at the size of those poles, and the building doesn't look to be the best place to view the show from anyway.

We'll pass.

 

[scanmom]

DO NOT PAY FOR BALCONY SEATING!!!! We have never done it, and we have seen Fantasmic with a perfect view and desserts several times. All you have to do is be at the River Belle Terrace early enough to get a seat on the outside patio. We go to the 2nd show. We show up at the inside door to the terrace at the very end of the 1st show. They will not let you onto the terrace until it is cleared from the 1st show and they have cleaned it. We have always been 1st in line, and the CM will make sure you get in 1st, then we pick our table... front and center. Then a couple of us ( we are a party of 6-8), goes into the RBT and gets desserts for all of us. We sit and talk, relaxing at the end of our Disney day until the show starts. My kids are big enough to go to HM or POTC while we wait if they want to. The terrace is elevated above the walkway, so the view is perfect. We spend about $20-$30 dollars on dessert and really enjoy it!

 

[DLovinFam]

I was just thinking of those pictures on that link when I read this post. Those are perfect examples of what to expect.
I will find out on Sept 16th! I will post pics after that!

Have a wondeful time! We sure did! We weren't disappointed!

 

[WickedWench]

DO NOT PAY FOR BALCONY SEATING!!!! We have never done it, and we have seen Fantasmic with a perfect view and desserts several times. All you have to do is be at the River Belle Terrace early enough to get a seat on the outside patio. We go to the 2nd show. We show up at the inside door to the terrace at the very end of the 1st show. They will not let you onto the terrace until it is cleared from the 1st show and they have cleaned it. We have always been 1st in line, and the CM will make sure you get in 1st, then we pick our table... front and center. Then a couple of us ( we are a party of 6-8), goes into the RBT and gets desserts for all of us. We sit and talk, relaxing at the end of our Disney day until the show starts. My kids are big enough to go to HM or POTC while we wait if they want to. The terrace is elevated above the walkway, so the view is perfect. We spend about $20-$30 dollars on dessert and really enjoy it!

This is a great suggestion! I googled for an image of the terrace, and I have to say it looks much nicer than the balcony. I'm really glad I didn't opt for the preferred seating. Thanks so much for the tip!

 

[Michelle2]

I sure am feeling wary and dumb now.... I don't know what to think, but I guess it is too late anways...
I will just hope for a good view ...all I can do.

Oh, and I was planning on scoping out the area for future spots that will be worth camping out for. I have been to DL many many times, but would never go on the weekends because of crowds, thus making it so I never have seen the DL Fantasmic. This will only be a one time thing, and if we went again, I will have a better idea of what to expect for down below!

I have friends that just got back, and they said it was wonderful, so I guess it is all in the eye of the beholder....I am just super picky, and am afraid I will be disappointed now. Don't flame me, just stating my confusion....LOL

 

[Tink33]

Michelle,

You will have a fantastic time on the balcony. The desserts are delicious (make sure to eat dinner early so that you can sample a little of everything) and the service is superb. If don't have a front row seat, you can kneel on your chair.

 

[Tink33]

Here is a picture of the desserts from July.

 

[Eeyorecln]

The kneeling on the chair might not work for little kids with not so good balance. My kids chair almost fell over. But for older ones that would probably work. scanmom Thanks for the idea on Riverbelle Terrace. That sounds much better and cheaper . We'll have to try that next time. I just wish we had seen that idea before our trip. And here I thought I had researched everything. My DH would have loved to have had a better view for $250 less. Ah well, now, our next trip we'll know more. That's why we bought an AP so we could get it right eventually.

 

[Michelle2]

My DH would have loved to have had a better view for $250 less. Ah well, now, our next trip we'll know more.

That sounds sooo much like my DH, I don't think that he is too thrilled about the cost, but like you said, I am planning to keep my eye out for what to do next time....I am not going to knock it till I have tried it, though! Just a little wary....wish us luck, we leave tomorrow, and will be to DL Saturday afternoon.

 

[dulluth]

Despite all the posts against the priority seating, I am going to be an advocate for it! We were not in the front. but the people in front of us tried to scoot a bit to give everyone the best view. We knew that we might not ever get back to DL, so we considered this a once in a lifetime choice. The desserts were awesome, and the view was great. We got there about 15 minutes before. I think if you try to get to RBT in time to get an outside seat to see the show, you would be wasting a lot of time you could be spending on rides. So, the way I look at it, it's a tradeoff, time vs. money ... and we all know that losing time at Disney, is losing money. As an added perk. we got to see a proposal for marriage, and she said, "yes". Very sweet!

 

[NotSoLittleMermaid]

I posted my story of the Fantasmic dessert buffet here: http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=903607
I can understand why it wouldn't have been a good thing for little kids. (I'm an elementary school teacher). As 2 adults, my sis and I felt it was worth it, but ALL the seats are not equal, as others have stated. We were glad we did it. Next time, I'm going to check out the RBT idea.

 

[karylrocks]

We did the RBT thing last week. There was only a 9:00 Fantasmic showing, and we got to RBT around 7:00. Everyone else went to save a table while I was in line to order dinner. They found a pretty good table but had their eye on one right by the walkway, and they were able to move to it before we got our food. By the time we were finished eating it was almost 8:00. DH and I stayed at the table while the kids went on a couple of rides and were back about 10 minutes before the show. It did not seem like a waste of time for us because we had to have dinner anyway, the kids were still able to ride some rides, and DH and I would just as soon sit and enjoy the atmosphere as go on the rides anyway. Just a side note; if there are some in your party that don't care for the food at RBT, just run next door to Stage Door Cafe where they have (only) fish, chicken, or mozzerella strips with fries. We didn't realize this until we had already eaten, but we ate there for lunch the next day and it was pretty good.

 

[yeartolate]

We have done the balcony 3 times so far. We are hug fantasmic fans, but I grow weary of the crowds - which now can accumulate 3 hours ahead of show. We have never been disappointed with the view. Once the show begins, you can always stand or move your seat a bit.


Since I am unwilling to show up 1 -3 hours ahead of time for "the seat" I will splurge and be happy I did. If you go to the 9pm show, the added bonus is that you can stay for fireworks. Again, not a perfect seat, but one without 40000 not so perfect strangers cramping your style.

 

[scanmom]

I am sure the balcony seating is very nice, but we have 6 in our family, so it is really too expensive. Even if we wait at RBT for 2 hours (we have never waited that long) that works out to more than $150.00 per hour. I think my time is worth that. And we usually stay at DLR for at least 4 days, usually 5, and Fantasmic plays only on the Friday night (we go in the shoulder season), so we have already seen everything multiple times. We are ready for some people watching!! And we do let the kids go on some rides in the immediate area while we wait at the table. We like relaxing, people watching, and discussing the great time we have had on out vacation!!! I'm telling you, I have never done the balcony seating, but I can't imagine that it could be any better than RBT.

 

[blackjackdelta]

We were there mid August, second group to be seated. Front row center and to the left when facing the show. Perfect view and the desserts were wonderful. People were staking their claims to their sit down spots 3 hours prior to the first showing and worse for the second(crowds trying to move. The CM's were very helpful.
Would not have missed it for the world.