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View Full Version : Reservations-2pay or not 2pay-that is the question!



Lynnepitt
06-17-2004, 12:05 AM
I'm not going to start this question with "Does anyone know..." as I know someone will, but when booking for the Fantasmic Dessert Buffet and the character meals, do you pay by c/card when making the booking, or do you just settle the bill on the day?
- I'm trying to persuade my hubby to book a few things but he doesn't like paying in advance for something he hasn't even experienced yet! I'm planning on booking them and then suprising him and my daughters on the day! Crafty heh!!!:fez:

mrs_toad
06-17-2004, 06:22 AM
You must pay for the buffet when you book by giving your credit card number. Call exactly 30 days in advance at 8:00 am CA time if you can. It is worth it, the seating is arranged by order of booking. The number for the Fantasmic Dessert Balcony seating is (714) 781-4400.

You do not have to pay in advance for the character meals. I think you can book those 90 days out. The number for reservations is (714) 781-3463.

I had to pay for a vacation to Cancun months ago that my husband and I won't be taking until August. Thousands of dollars already paid for something that was months away, that really bugged me. :mad: I suppose they do that to strictly enforce their refund/cancellation policy.

Have a great time on your trip Lynn...I'm getting excited for you! Your family is going to have a wonderful time. :)

Lynnepitt
06-17-2004, 08:15 AM
- thanks very much. I'm going to book the character meal in advance - once I've decided which to book, and we were undecided about the Fantasmic buffet (wondering if it was worth paying that amount of money for a dessert and good view. We'll be in America for 3 wks and although aren't on a tight budget, still want to be a little bit sensible). However, I've decided we may only get there once (as you never know whats around the corner) andso we may as well go mad!!!
Do you get any souvenirs from the buffet? I know we're booking the picnic at Seaworld and the children get souvenir pails.

cmpeter
06-17-2004, 10:45 AM
We did the Fantasmic buffet last October...we didn't get any little goodies for the kids. There wasn't much there that they liked to eat. I was hoping for some big cookies, they ended up eating cheese. They didn't care for the cheesecake or black forest cake. There were some Mickey waffles with whipped cream, but they didn't go for those like I thought they would.

Lynnepitt
06-17-2004, 02:28 PM
Are you glad you did the buffet and would you do it again? Is what you're really paying for the view?

sediment
06-17-2004, 02:33 PM
Must be tough for him to pay for his gasoline upfront.

cmpeter
06-17-2004, 06:03 PM
I am glad that we did it. I would do it again when my kids are older...and no longer have a good memory of doing it the first time. :-) My kids were 3 and 7 when we did it the first time. I do think you are mainly paying for the view and the reserved seat. It's not a $50 buffet.

Lynnepitt
06-18-2004, 01:17 AM
Must be tough for him to pay for his gasoline upfront. Not true actually - we use petrol!! LOL At least when he pays for this he knows what hes getting - paying for something that he hasn't even heard of before and doesn't know what he'll be getting is what he objects to. :p

got2travel
06-18-2004, 11:06 AM
They changed the menu...When I did the buffet in November '03 and again in April '04, no more cheescake and cake. We had Mickey rice crispy treates, sugar cookies filled with rasberry jelly, biscotti, brownies, and in April chocolate covered strawberries. A bit more kid friendly now.

But I'd agree, you are not paying for the food, but rather the view.

kijay
06-19-2004, 01:15 PM
No cheesecake????Where's the outrage???? The cheesecake was awesome. But if you are still wondering if it is worth it, I will have to very decidely vote for yes. Having a choice of sitting cramped up on the hard concrete crammed together like a can of sardines, having your view blocked by someone much bigger or thoughtlessly wearing a hat (or the inevitable people that can't sit through a show without having to get up and down thirty times) the answer is definitely a yes, it is worth every penny. You said yourself that you did not know if you would be back, so I would highly recommend you do this. My kids still talk about it (and it was three years ago that we did it). The video I made of the show has been practically worn out from the repeated viewings. I can't recommend this high enough.

heidiwhr
06-19-2004, 01:38 PM
I had some friends do the Fantasmic dessert the first weekend in May. They were not happy. They were only served cookies, and were seated at the river's edge rather than the balcony where it used to be. They felt they were ripped off, and wrote a letter of complaint when they returned home. I haven't heard the response to the letter, nor have I head if the dessert has been moved back to the balcony. You might want to inquire about these issues if you call to book it.

kijay
06-19-2004, 01:42 PM
Isn't there two different seating choices now? There is the original balcony, and isn't there one by the river that has the boxed desserts? Maybe your friends got the wrong one? Or maybe things have changed? I sure hope not. I was looking forward to doing the balcony again later this year.

cstephens
06-20-2004, 07:59 AM
I had some friends do the Fantasmic dessert the first weekend in May. They were not happy. They were only served cookies, and were seated at the river's edge rather than the balcony where it used to be.

There are two separate Fantasmic dessert packages. Perhaps they weren't clear in what they were asking for, or the CM who took their order didn't make clear that there were two areas.

got2travel
06-21-2004, 02:03 PM
Yes there are 2 choices, but only 10, or maybe 20 people fit on the balcony so it fills up very fast. I've never done the balcony but would love too. Unfortunately I tend to take spur of the moment trips, so the balcony is usually full. I really like the lower seating though. You feel the spray of the water screens and the heat from the dragon's fire. You experience the show rather than watch it.

My son loves when I am able to score Fantasmic seats. Its not for the food, but more for the convenience. Although camping out steaking your claim for seats can be its own adventure, I prefer stolling up about 45 minutes before showtime and being let in to the 'special' seats and have all the other people looking at you enviously.