bennette
06-09-2010, 01:17 PM
Okay, let’s see, my longer review.
Let’s dispense with the caveats. This was not a normal show, as it was both an early run; there was ticket/wristband distribution managed by non-Disney staff; and there wasn’t a “full” crowd. (We estimated 3,000.)
Our instructions (that we received from the radio station) told us not to come to the viewing areas before 9:00, with a show start time of 9:30. I heard several comments from different radio staff about the times and why no fastpass (which we’d originally been told we’d receive). The most common comment was that they had more than enough room for everyone and no need to use the fastpasses. (Not saying that’s true, just what was stated. I’m also not sure why they wouldn’t have tested the fastpasses with a large, less functional crowd than CM’s, given the opportunity but I’m just a casual observer. I’m sure they had a good reason.)
We had dinner reservations in DTD and actually didn’t end up back near the viewing area until about 8:50. People had already been allowed in, presumably for some time. We asked where to go and where told anywhere we wanted.
My savvy friend escorted us as close to the front of the blue (center) section as possible but the splash zone and area just behind it were full. She determined we would be better off standing a little further back but next to a roped off walkway, as it would minimize the number of people standing directly in front of us.
My biggest issue with the show was and probably will remain, the lack of truly tiered or appropriately sloped seating/standing area. If you are not at a railing or the front of the next sloped section, you will not see the entire performance, because the people in front of you will obstruct your view. Yes, we saw kids on shoulders (we were told that wouldn’t be allowed when the show went live but I have no idea how Disney will stop it in a standing room only crowd). Surprising, a worse obstruction for me was the vast number of people holding a camera or other device straight in the air overhead, filming the entire show. People do this for the fireworks, I know but for some reason is seemed much worse in this venue, probably because the fireworks are much higher in the air than WOC.
Yes, much of the show is high in the air (like fireworks) but there is some action going on on the surface of the lake. If you can’t see it, well, you miss out on certain elements and I think very few people will get a good view of this. Specifically the splash zone, folks right at the rail in other areas (I’m not sure it matters which area you are in if you are at the rail) or on the bridge overlooking the lake are areas I suggest for viewing. Not that you won’t have a good time elsewhere (my husband had ZERO complaints) but I like an optimal experience.
I’m not going to discuss the show itself, so as not to spoil it for anyone. Certainly it is unique and impressive. There is much to like. Sorry to be short, but I couldn’t describe it well anyway.
Anyone who is wondering about whether blue 1 or blue 2 is a “better” spot; we were told by our CM (who got extensively queried by my savvy friend) that those designations are only useful for security CM’s, they don’t designate prime and subprime, anything like that.
I can’t quite figure out the handicapped thing; I’m not sure they have either. In the blue section, between the first and second “tiers” they had an area roped off with benches and I saw some folks in there with wheelchairs and some people sitting on benches but no scooters nearby. Not sure how they would have seen over the bodies of the people in front of them. Our CM was not able to provide full specifics when asked about various other seating arrangements for the show when it went live. So not to say there isn’t an option, I just don’t know where or how it will be set up.
I think they must have been selling picnic dinners somewhere. We saw quite a few people come through with black clamshell boxes, which I guess they ate standing up? I know we had the broom brigade come through several times during the show, which I found distracting.
Timeline for waiting:
As I said, we got there at about 10 minutes to 9:00 for a 9:30 show start. At 9:00 they started the warm up with the large Carnivale-type puppets. Last night was their first appearance. Several of them are really great puppets but I can’t say I got all that charged up by the preshow.
The preshow ended about 9:20 and we waited. At 9:25 the fireworks came on across the way and we waited some more. Some folks have posted that we were waiting for the fireworks to finish; I don’t know but we did keep standing until 9:50 when the show started.
The show lasted 25 minutes? A half hour? When it was over we examined some of the other standing areas. Our best recommendation is the splash zone. While level of “splashness” will vary depending on weather, last night’s group mostly reported minimal wetness, much of which dried off when the extensive fire elements were used. They did report that a few times, they got a splash of moisture that was enough to cause them to cover their faces and miss brief glimpses of the show. I think everyone should probably pack a poncho. You just don’t know where the breeze will send the water.
It was fairly misty last night and I felt some of the images weren’t as clear on the water screens as I was expecting, and some of them seemed to be truncated at the top of the water screen. Savvy friends felt this was a reflection of the weather and the breeze so your mileage will vary.
My other primary issue with the show was more personal. Yes, I think the lack of seating areas are a mistake. The vagueness of the lineup at this time and whether or not you will have to queue extensively for a “good” seat is also troubling. I have a back issue that prevents me from standing or sitting in comfort for long periods of time. Last night was about as much as I could handle. I would be happy to pay for a really good spot and a last minute walkup—that’s the only way I can manage to see Fantasmic—but that doesn’t seem to be in the cards right now. I actually said last night that I could see myself getting a wheelchair for this event because I don’t know how else I could get through a longer wait. That’s assuming I’m happy with the wheelchair seating they work out.
This is a lot of fussiness and quite a few negatives, I know. Please don’t let it detract from your potential enjoyment of the show. The show isn’t live yet. There is a lot about it that is spectacular and much that I think Disney will figure out how to improve in the next few weeks/months. The single big problem I see is the setup. (Not immediately fixable, but no doubt they could do something about it in the long term or maybe the majority of people will be like my husband, who really enjoyed it and had no complaints.)
Happy viewing!
Let’s dispense with the caveats. This was not a normal show, as it was both an early run; there was ticket/wristband distribution managed by non-Disney staff; and there wasn’t a “full” crowd. (We estimated 3,000.)
Our instructions (that we received from the radio station) told us not to come to the viewing areas before 9:00, with a show start time of 9:30. I heard several comments from different radio staff about the times and why no fastpass (which we’d originally been told we’d receive). The most common comment was that they had more than enough room for everyone and no need to use the fastpasses. (Not saying that’s true, just what was stated. I’m also not sure why they wouldn’t have tested the fastpasses with a large, less functional crowd than CM’s, given the opportunity but I’m just a casual observer. I’m sure they had a good reason.)
We had dinner reservations in DTD and actually didn’t end up back near the viewing area until about 8:50. People had already been allowed in, presumably for some time. We asked where to go and where told anywhere we wanted.
My savvy friend escorted us as close to the front of the blue (center) section as possible but the splash zone and area just behind it were full. She determined we would be better off standing a little further back but next to a roped off walkway, as it would minimize the number of people standing directly in front of us.
My biggest issue with the show was and probably will remain, the lack of truly tiered or appropriately sloped seating/standing area. If you are not at a railing or the front of the next sloped section, you will not see the entire performance, because the people in front of you will obstruct your view. Yes, we saw kids on shoulders (we were told that wouldn’t be allowed when the show went live but I have no idea how Disney will stop it in a standing room only crowd). Surprising, a worse obstruction for me was the vast number of people holding a camera or other device straight in the air overhead, filming the entire show. People do this for the fireworks, I know but for some reason is seemed much worse in this venue, probably because the fireworks are much higher in the air than WOC.
Yes, much of the show is high in the air (like fireworks) but there is some action going on on the surface of the lake. If you can’t see it, well, you miss out on certain elements and I think very few people will get a good view of this. Specifically the splash zone, folks right at the rail in other areas (I’m not sure it matters which area you are in if you are at the rail) or on the bridge overlooking the lake are areas I suggest for viewing. Not that you won’t have a good time elsewhere (my husband had ZERO complaints) but I like an optimal experience.
I’m not going to discuss the show itself, so as not to spoil it for anyone. Certainly it is unique and impressive. There is much to like. Sorry to be short, but I couldn’t describe it well anyway.
Anyone who is wondering about whether blue 1 or blue 2 is a “better” spot; we were told by our CM (who got extensively queried by my savvy friend) that those designations are only useful for security CM’s, they don’t designate prime and subprime, anything like that.
I can’t quite figure out the handicapped thing; I’m not sure they have either. In the blue section, between the first and second “tiers” they had an area roped off with benches and I saw some folks in there with wheelchairs and some people sitting on benches but no scooters nearby. Not sure how they would have seen over the bodies of the people in front of them. Our CM was not able to provide full specifics when asked about various other seating arrangements for the show when it went live. So not to say there isn’t an option, I just don’t know where or how it will be set up.
I think they must have been selling picnic dinners somewhere. We saw quite a few people come through with black clamshell boxes, which I guess they ate standing up? I know we had the broom brigade come through several times during the show, which I found distracting.
Timeline for waiting:
As I said, we got there at about 10 minutes to 9:00 for a 9:30 show start. At 9:00 they started the warm up with the large Carnivale-type puppets. Last night was their first appearance. Several of them are really great puppets but I can’t say I got all that charged up by the preshow.
The preshow ended about 9:20 and we waited. At 9:25 the fireworks came on across the way and we waited some more. Some folks have posted that we were waiting for the fireworks to finish; I don’t know but we did keep standing until 9:50 when the show started.
The show lasted 25 minutes? A half hour? When it was over we examined some of the other standing areas. Our best recommendation is the splash zone. While level of “splashness” will vary depending on weather, last night’s group mostly reported minimal wetness, much of which dried off when the extensive fire elements were used. They did report that a few times, they got a splash of moisture that was enough to cause them to cover their faces and miss brief glimpses of the show. I think everyone should probably pack a poncho. You just don’t know where the breeze will send the water.
It was fairly misty last night and I felt some of the images weren’t as clear on the water screens as I was expecting, and some of them seemed to be truncated at the top of the water screen. Savvy friends felt this was a reflection of the weather and the breeze so your mileage will vary.
My other primary issue with the show was more personal. Yes, I think the lack of seating areas are a mistake. The vagueness of the lineup at this time and whether or not you will have to queue extensively for a “good” seat is also troubling. I have a back issue that prevents me from standing or sitting in comfort for long periods of time. Last night was about as much as I could handle. I would be happy to pay for a really good spot and a last minute walkup—that’s the only way I can manage to see Fantasmic—but that doesn’t seem to be in the cards right now. I actually said last night that I could see myself getting a wheelchair for this event because I don’t know how else I could get through a longer wait. That’s assuming I’m happy with the wheelchair seating they work out.
This is a lot of fussiness and quite a few negatives, I know. Please don’t let it detract from your potential enjoyment of the show. The show isn’t live yet. There is a lot about it that is spectacular and much that I think Disney will figure out how to improve in the next few weeks/months. The single big problem I see is the setup. (Not immediately fixable, but no doubt they could do something about it in the long term or maybe the majority of people will be like my husband, who really enjoyed it and had no complaints.)
Happy viewing!