PDA

View Full Version : Aladdin Show Upgrades - Either AAA or Disney Property Guests?



Pages : [1] 2

Pat-n-Eil
06-02-2005, 01:52 PM
We plan on seeing the Aladding show for the first time during our trip in August.

I was wondering if anyone knew if there was preferred seating or any other way to get good seats either by booking through AAA or by staying on the Disney properties? (I'm doing both). For instance, would the check-in desk be of any assistance in this regard?

I have not been to the Hyperion, so I don't know if there is a bad seat in the house - but we would like to be fairly close.

Any ideas?

SpaceMTJunkie
06-02-2005, 02:12 PM
We booked with Disney Travel last year and got a voucher for preferred seating. I am sure (being that AAA seems to be getting all the perks) that the same thing will be in the AAA package when you recieve it. We used the voucher last year and it was a great show.

bradk
06-02-2005, 02:25 PM
there is preferred seating available. you should get it in your package if you booked a full package, or if you're staying at a DLR resort, they should be able to assist you.

however, although i'm not familiar with where preferred seating is (and by the way, you should know it's limited to about 80 people per show i think, so you have to plan on getting there that much earlier), i think you might be better off not worrying about it for the following reasons.

there are two real preferred seating spots for aladdin. first is in the orchestra in the first row of the last section. that's because some things go on during the show that take place right in front of you.

second, is the first row of the mezzanine and that's because it'll bring you closer to other special effects used in the show.

the catch here is this, they seat orchestra first, open the mezzanine when the orchestra is full, then seat balcony when mezzanine is full. you're allowed to sit anywhere you want, so if you get there and the orchestra line is reasonably short, you might want to go ahead for the first row of the last section. if the orchestra line is getting long, you might want to ask a CM about the mezzanine or hold out a few moments to see if they open it.

i have some photos from the show posted at the link below (in day 5) that i was able to get from the front row center of the mezzanine, so that might give you some ideas as to what your point of view will be.

Pat-n-Eil
06-02-2005, 02:33 PM
Thank you bradk.. awesome info.

bradk
06-02-2005, 02:39 PM
also, if you can, try for the earliest shows first. the only reason being is that there aren't that many shows per day and it's possible one of the shows can get canceled for whatever reason, so it's better to go early and make sure you get to see a show rather than risk the chance of missing a later show because it gets canceled.

also, do not attempt to go to TOT after the show. TOT is right around the corner (literally) and it seems like a lot of people go there right after Aladdin. So even if you're not going to the performance, time TOT so it's not around the time when the show gets out (the Aladdin show should get out roughly 45-50 minutes after the listed time). I encountered this myself when I went to TOT the first time and it was a virtual walk on (the estimated wait time was '13' minutes), about 10 minutes later when I got out, I went to ride it again and because the show had just gotten out a few minutes before, the wait time was up to 30. it wasn't actually that long of a wait (it probably was when the sign was changed), but that's a prime example of how one attraction can directly affect the queue of another.

SpaceMTJunkie
06-02-2005, 02:57 PM
Preferred seating for us last year was not in a specific place in the theater. They let the preferred seating people in before the general people and we got to sit wherever we wanted to. Then the general people were let in to fill the remainder of the seats.

CoasterChickie
06-02-2005, 02:58 PM
Personally, I think most of the seats in that theater are pretty good. We sat in the second row of balcony seats on our last visit and it was great! There are things down low, but there are also things up high to look at too!!

Disney Vault
06-02-2005, 03:25 PM
And for the preffered seating you have to show up 30minutes before the show right?

Hawaiian Cinderella
06-02-2005, 05:19 PM
there are two real preferred seating spots for aladdin. first is in the orchestra in the first row of the last section. that's because some things go on during the show that take place right in front of you.

This is reserved for VIP and not the preferred. The past 3 times that we saw the show we had VIP seating and were seated in that row before the preferred seating people were let it. When they let the general public in people were trying to fill in the seats but a cast member was there to tell them that it was for VIP only. On one of the times that we were there a lady that my dh was sitting next to said that they got that seat thru the red carpet tour (i think that's what it is called).

a co-worker of mine sat in the back rows of this section and said that they could not see the flying carpet at times because the ceiling for the mezzanine was blocking their view. So that would probably be the bad seats.

bradk
06-02-2005, 05:29 PM
interesting. i had only heard mezzanine was the best place before coming to this site, but then a lot of people on here say the last section of the orchestra. i personally liked where i was, so i'd advocate waiting for mezzanine anyway

CTX
06-02-2005, 06:12 PM
If you are staying at a DLR hotel, how do you go about getting preferred seating for the show?

AlbertaMinnie
06-03-2005, 09:04 AM
We showed up early and lined up first for the first mezzanine. When we reached the top we managed to stay ahead of the crowd and got 4 seats right in the center of the first row. It was perfect.....

Those sitting in the orchestra level had to strain their necks to see what was happening above them, and we had the prefect view. At least that's my opinion. It all depends on what you prefer.

pisces
06-03-2005, 12:20 PM
What is the criteria? I stayed on-property and booked through AAA (not a package, though).

I did have 7-day Park Hoppers, however. Was that supposed to get me special seating last year?

I knew nothing about it. And, I think everything goes haywire when it's raining.

I simply ambled on up to the Hyperion, and saw two lines, one for mezzanine, and one for orchestra. The mezzanine line looked shorter. We were all standing outside in the rain.

They finally opened all doors to the theater at the same time, and I began to trudge up the slippery, wet stairs .....to Mezzanine.

All the seating, at least in rainy Dec. 2004, looked to be first come, first serve.

oregontraveler
06-03-2005, 12:33 PM
And for the preffered seating you have to show up 30minutes before the show right?
YES, you do need to show up early, they allow a limited number of preffered
seats for each show. I don't know anything about DLR hotels offering this feature.

bradk
06-03-2005, 01:23 PM
seating is first come first serve and each section is filled before the next one is opened (orchestra, then mezzanine, then balcony). the only difference is the preferred seating which i guess means you're just allowed in before everyone else (but presumably orchestra). you can wait on line for mezzanine as soon as you get there, but they'll only open it if orchestra fills, so if orchestra doesn't fill, then you'll end up being one of the last people to find a spot

as for being a resort hotel guest and obtaining preferred seating, i can't vouch for it, but it's just something i've heard. my guess is either calling/emailing vacation planning or asking at the front desk. it's not like it's a horrible huge deal to have (like I said, I wouldn't even use it. I had the preferred for Aladdin, Muppets and Tough to be a Bug and had no inkling to use any of them)

DangerMouse
06-03-2005, 01:36 PM
Brad, when we were there in April, they allowed Mezannine and Balcony to enter at the same time shortly after they opened the Orchestra line. We didn't have to wait for the Orchestra to fill first. We were some of the first in line for Mezannine and got front and center seats. I agree with you that these are some of the best seats for this show.

bradk
06-03-2005, 01:46 PM
how long was the orchestra line at the time? were people still waiting on line, or were they already going in when you got there? i think that might have been unusual, because everything i've heard and my personal experience is that they didn't let anyone into the line for the mezzanine until the orchestra line reached the orchestra queue entry. i didn't happen to note if and when they opened balcony, just that i had to wait a few minutes for the orchestra line to fill in order to get into mezzanine

pisces
06-03-2005, 01:56 PM
There were absolutely two outside lines. The orchestra line looked long; it zigzagged almost spilling out to the gate.

The mezzanine line was long, almost to the gate.......but it wasn't zigzagging, so I determined it to be shorter.

It was pouring down rain, so maybe that's why they did things different. But, I'm telling you, the upstairs mezzanine door was opened right at the same time the orchestra door was opened.

It was really raining, and I imagine there might have been a riot, if the mezzanine people had to wait for that whole big long orchestra line to be seated.

We were all in umbrellas, but some people were getting soaked. As it was, I thought I would slip on the puddles that accumulated on the stairs to the mezzanine......and I was in rubber rain boots.

I'm telling you, I think they do things different in the rain. People were clamoring to get in and get dry.

pisces
06-03-2005, 02:02 PM
Ok, am I confusing Mezzanine with Balcony? The Mezzanine is the one where you have to walk up outside stairs (that get really wet in the rain :rolleyes: ) to get to. Right?

Anyway, someone was saying they cancel the show in the rain. I can attest to the fact that they don't.

bradk
06-03-2005, 02:08 PM
there are 3 queues that go (from left to right as you approach them): balcony, mezzanine and orchestra. mezzanine is the first level up, balcony is one level higher. you have to walk up the steps outside for both of them. normally the time they open the mezzanine line is when the orchestra line reaches that point where you enter one of the 3 lines. they don't wait for the orchestra line to be seated until they open the mezzanine line, but once the orchestra line reaches that entrypoint, they won't really be able to fit anymore people into the orchestra, so they open up the line for the mezzanine. once the line for the mezzanine reaches that entry point, then they open the balcony. the doors open for all 3 levels at the same time, so everyone goes into their respective sections at the same time.

DangerMouse
06-03-2005, 02:15 PM
When I was there, they had all three lines open. Orchestra line wasn't full at all when we arrived. We just opted for the Mezannine line because it was open, and I knew that's where I wanted to be. They also had Balcony available. They didn't wait for Orchestra to fill before they allowed the other two levels in. We all entered at about the same time.

If this is an odd occurrence, it may have been because this was the last weekend of the Southern California two-fer and DCA was a complete madhouse. I have never seen the park that full.

AlbertaMinnie
06-03-2005, 02:36 PM
When I was there, they had all three lines open. Orchestra line wasn't full at all when we arrived. We just opted for the Mezannine line because it was open, and I knew that's where I wanted to be. They also had Balcony available. They didn't wait for Orchestra to fill before they allowed the other two levels in. We all entered at about the same time.

If this is an odd occurrence, it may have been because this was the last weekend of the Southern California two-fer and DCA was a complete madhouse. I have never seen the park that full.


We had the same choices in March on a Wednesday before spring break....we were able to choose which line we wanted and all 3 were open. Luckily, my friend's family had just returned and told us to try to get first row in the mezzanine and voila, they were ours! Unfortunately, sometimes "Priority Seating" just makes you feel all important until the show actually starts and you wish you were seated elsewhere. (but it gets you to buy that package!)

bradk
06-03-2005, 03:26 PM
I can buy that, I guess if they KNOW it's going to fill, they probably are inclined to just open all 3 from the beginning. on the flip side though, i recall reading on here someone once mentioning that they didn't open the mezzanine at all because the crowd was so small

MsYumiBr
06-03-2005, 06:13 PM
When we went in February I made PSs for a specific show time (thank goodness because of the rain situation). We were staying at the DLH and I made them through VP. We got "tickets" for the show, not "vouchers". We got to line up in the line right when you walk into the waiting area to the left of the CM podium. In front of us was a lady with her two girls who was wearing a AAA lanyard. As we waited in line I saw a woman with a large party hand to the CM a glossy pink "voucher" and she was was just allowed into the general line as opposed to the line we were in. I thought this was odd considering she had a voucher but I think it's along the lines of a fastpass as opposed to a PS. When we were allowed into the theatre we had about 30 seconds to find a seat, anywhere you wanted. In 30 seconds you better know where you want to go because that's where you will end up. We sat in the 3rd or 4th row from the stage, center. It was great but some of the action was happening right above our heads so all I could see was the bottom of what was going on. I don't think it matters where you sit because they are all good seats. I was just happy to be in that PS/AAA line because we were standing under the building as opposed to potentially getting drenched. I hope this helps.

MickeyLumbo
06-03-2005, 08:02 PM
What is the criteria? I stayed on-property and booked through AAA (not a package, though).

.

The preferred seating is a "Bonus" feature when booking a package with the Walt Disney Travel Company or through AAA (AAA turns around and books with WDTC)... the package must be a minimum 2 night stay at either a DLR Hotel or a "Good Neighbor" hotel and must have a minimum 3 Day Park Hopper.

beginning with a 3 Day Park Hopper Bonus Ticket, you will get 3 days of unlimited entry into both theme parks, One early entry into Fantasyland (one hour prior to Disneyland Park Opening - choose one day mon, tue,thur or sat),
one early entry into Toontown for Mickey's Toontown Morning Madness (One hour prior to Toontown opening to the general public - M, T, TH OR SA)
Preferred seating at three shows in Disney's California Adventure-
1. It's Tough To Be A Bug
2. Muppet Vision 3-D
3. The Alladin Musical

last, but not least, a $10.00 ESPN Zone Arena Game Card.

Call WDTC for more info at (714) 520-5050
;)