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View Full Version : 50th tour or Fantasmic Buffet?



potcfan
12-02-2005, 01:46 PM
I am trying to decide between the Imagination to Celebration tour or Fantasmic balcony seating as a surprise for my husband and kids. If you could choose one or the other, which one would it be and why?

SportyTink
12-02-2005, 02:20 PM
Alright....I'll give this one a try....but I do want to preface it with the fact that I have ONLY done the balcony with F!


I think the first question that I had is the age of the kids. If you are talking much younger kiddies then I would say for sure do F! with the desserts. Lots of choices plus lots of hot chocolate and I am sure that it is nice for little ones to be so high up that they dont' have to worry about tall viewers being in the way and what not.

If you are talking about older kids or kids that truly appreciate DIsneyland and get a kick out of all the things that the rest of us nerds do then I would say do the tour. I love F! and very much enjoyed doing the dessert thing (probably a little too much, but figured I should get my bf's $$$ worth right?!?! :p ) but $57 is quite pricey for a 10 minute long show that you can get for free.

When we did F! it was a pretty special occasion and so that was kind of the topper of it all. If I was talking just your somewhat average trip (even if it is your only annual trip) then I would go with the tour.

Again I could be slightly biased because I have already done one and want to do the other but that is just my 2 cents....Good luck! It is a tough decision!!!!

sierranevada
12-02-2005, 03:22 PM
Okay - I have done both and asked my 9 1/2 yr old son which one he would choose and he said the 50th tour. He had some great points - 50th tour is only around during the celebration - Fantasmic! balcony will be around after that. You get backdoored onto 3 rides with the tour, great gifts - collectible pin, E ticket book replica, group photo and a snack box but the clincher is the great seats for the Fireworks!

Hope this helps!

rentayenta
12-02-2005, 06:16 PM
The tour. You can watch F! anytime.

tink360
12-02-2005, 06:28 PM
I would say the fantasmic balcony, because the night I had the 50th tour, the fireworks were cancelled due to wind. Our tourguide wasn't the best, and was walking so fast through the massive crowds it was like she was doing her best to lose us.

As a bone toss, we got to watch fantasmic instead. They put us riverside behind some ropes, but there weren't any chairs. We got to perch on a very narrow, cold cement ledge. It was 47 degrees that night, and my backside etc was numb by the time fantasmic was over.

The tour would have been ok had I got to see the fireworks as planned, but it's a gamble - fireworks seem to get cancelled fairly often.

gothemi
12-03-2005, 08:52 AM
I would say the fantasmic balcony, because the night I had the 50th tour, the fireworks were cancelled due to wind. Our tourguide wasn't the best, and was walking so fast through the massive crowds it was like she was doing her best to lose us.

As a bone toss, we got to watch fantasmic instead. They put us riverside behind some ropes, but there weren't any chairs. We got to perch on a very narrow, cold cement ledge. It was 47 degrees that night, and my backside etc was numb by the time fantasmic was over.

The tour would have been ok had I got to see the fireworks as planned, but it's a gamble - fireworks seem to get cancelled fairly often.

I would agree to try the tour while the 50th is still going. Then, you can always try for F! later. I have done the balcony seating and I liked it alot. It is fun to experience at least once. This X-mas we will be doing the tour since it won't be around forever.

TINK360, did you still get the dessert snack for F! seating? I am worried the fireworks will be cancelled during my tour.

tink360
12-03-2005, 03:48 PM
I would agree to try the tour while the 50th is still going. Then, you can always try for F! later. I have done the balcony seating and I liked it alot. It is fun to experience at least once. This X-mas we will be doing the tour since it won't be around forever.

TINK360, did you still get the dessert snack for F! seating? I am worried the fireworks will be cancelled during my tour.

No, how it worked was we sat in the chairs for the fireworks, & they handed out the gift bags (pin, photo, E-book, etc) and the snack boxes. We waited a while before heading over for fantasmic. My own fault for not just skipping the comp show, because I already had premium riverside seats for the 11:30 show. I just thought it would have been a nicer set up than sitting on cement or standing. Once there, they didn't offer anything more in the way of drinks or treats, but I still had my snack box.

On the upside, riverside fantasmic did have a limited buffet service (for the F! I bought premium seats to). I had never done the riverside one before, and I had read complaints about getting just a box with stale cookies. A waiter took our order for cocoa, coffee, etc, and then we helped ourselves to the desserts. There was chocolate layer cake that looked good, 2 types of iced cookies and little cream puff looking things topped with chocolate.

I think I could have gone to city hall and complained, and maybe got a crack at watching fireworks another night. But it was the last night of my vacation, so unless I chose to extend my stay it wouldn't have worked. Just wish now I had worked harder at watching the fireworks on a previous night, instead of skipping the crowd scene and thinking I would leave it for the tour.

gothemi
12-03-2005, 06:13 PM
Thanks for the input. We will try to catch the fireworks early then.

cpeak
12-03-2005, 06:51 PM
When is the tour available? Is it only on the weekends?

disneyjunkie
12-03-2005, 10:21 PM
Have done Fantasmic balcony and riverside and Imagination to Celebration tour. Give me Fantasimic any day, but if you are decide on the tour dont go see the 5oth show at the opera house first and dont view the fireworks first or it will be repetivive. Of course keep in mind I am a dessert fan so thats why I amy love the Fantasmic dessert buffet most :)

gothemi
12-04-2005, 08:16 AM
When is the tour available? Is it only on the weekends?

Somebody correct me if I am wrong, but I believe they run the tours everyday cpeak. Mine is for a Tuesday.

cpeak
12-04-2005, 10:14 AM
Somebody correct me if I am wrong, but I believe they run the tours everyday cpeak. Mine is for a Tuesday.


Thanks, I wanted to do the Discover the Magic Tour with the kids, but I think it is only available on weekends. Do you think the 50th tour would be okay for 5 year olds?

annieb727
12-05-2005, 11:01 AM
i know they do not recommend strollers for the tour -- so five may be ok...never been on the tour -- will be going next weekend!

sierranevada
12-05-2005, 11:07 AM
Thanks, I wanted to do the Discover the Magic Tour with the kids, but I think it is only available on weekends. Do you think the 50th tour would be okay for 5 year olds?

The youngest we have taken was a 7 yr old - she liked the tour but would not ride any of the rides except Buzz - we went on Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Splash & Buzz. She waited with the tour guide and was perfectly happy to do so.

sierranevada
12-05-2005, 01:22 PM
The youngest we have taken was a 7 yr old - she liked the tour but would not ride any of the rides except Buzz - we went on Pirates, Haunted Mansion, Splash & Buzz. She waited with the tour guide and was perfectly happy to do so.

Oops - meant BTMRR, not Haunted Mansion.

disneyjunkie
12-05-2005, 06:39 PM
We had a stroller with us on the 50th tour and it wasnt a problem with keeping up. I did feel that the guide could have allowed a few seconds more before going into the rides to accommodate those parking a stroller and another lady using a ride on. Also the time spent in the 50th show on Main St was long... mostly my daughter let my grandson out of the stroller to use this time to fun around in the area. She didnt take him into the movie since we had all seen it before, including the baby who loves Donald Duck, but due to length of the tour ahead she thought this was a good time to let him loose and wear him out!

emmah
12-05-2005, 06:46 PM
I am trying to decide between the Imagination to Celebration tour or Fantasmic balcony seating as a surprise for my husband and kids. If you could choose one or the other, which one would it be and why?

Hi there potcfan, having just come back from DL, during which time I did both fantasmic seating and the 50th tour, I feel comfortable offering my opinion; do the tour, rather than the balcony. the balcony was great, no doubt about it, but there is only so much chocolate cake one can eat before feeling ill (one piece, in my case, and a fruit skewer, along with a mint julep), and the seating is very crowded. the following night i watched fantasmic from right down on the waterfront, and for my money, the whole experience was loads better. i felt the heat from the fire, and the damp from the water, and i could really see what was going on (up there on the balcony, it is quite a distance away and for me, as i had never seen the show before, it was better to be up close). the tour on the other hand, was worth every penny. i deliberately booked it for saturday night because i knew the crowds would be serious (and they were); we were back-doored onto 4 attractions (PotC, Splash, Buzz and BTMRR) with no waits at all (when the standby lines were all over an hour long), and at the end there was the incredible bonus of amazing seating for the fireworks - right in front of the plaza gardens, on the decking - along with a box of yummy treats to eat while we waited, a group photo and a cool pin. not to mention all the stuff i learned along the way - along with three new hidden mickeys pointed out. the tour was ace and i thoroughly recommend it. the balcony was also cool, but if i had to choose, i'd take the tour!:)

potcfan
12-06-2005, 11:41 AM
Thanks for the advice everyone. I think I will do the tour if there are any spaces still available.