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LytNnBug
03-29-2006, 01:48 PM
I know that reservations are to be made 30 days before the date you want. Is the line open 7 days per week and if not, do you call Friday before the 30 days over the weekend?
thanks!

JDBlair
03-29-2006, 03:18 PM
They are open 7 days a week!

sierranevada
03-29-2006, 03:24 PM
Open 7 days a week but it is not exactly 30 days prior. If you want tickets for say, June 15, you call on May 15th which is actually 32 days prior so it is actually the month prior exactly to the day. And start dialing a little before 8 am and keep hitting redial.

JDBlair
03-29-2006, 03:34 PM
We had reservations for March 17th and I made our reservations February 19th or so and they still had 43 seats available for Riverside. So, sometimes you can get lucky!! :D

biolabetty
03-29-2006, 11:33 PM
I called today and got riverside seats for April 9th. I feel very fortunate, especially since it is everyone's spring break time.

Moonliner
03-30-2006, 03:03 AM
Open 7 days a week but it is not exactly 30 days prior. If you want tickets for say, June 15, you call on May 15th which is actually 32 days prior so it is actually the month prior exactly to the day. And start dialing a little before 8 am and keep hitting redial.


Ahh if only I had know that two weeks ago. I would have not been shut out from the balcony seating. :mad:

Also, rumor is that hotel guests can also get a jump on the queue and signup even earlier than the 30-days.

MsYumiBr
03-30-2006, 04:19 AM
Hotel guests can go through vacation planning who give you the "no guarantees" spiel. They don't exactly get a jump ahead but do their best. I heard they physically walk over the morning of and hand them slips of paper which they fill between phonecalls. The seating order still bewilders me. We have done balcony twice and both times sat in the back row, in the same place! Next time we stay at the resort, we will go through vacation planning.

yankeemom
03-30-2006, 04:35 AM
We were making reservations for March 11, and since Feb is shorter month, I counted back and tried to make reservation 30 days prior and was told to call back on Feb 11. We began calling about 10 minutes before 8 west coast time and got an answering machine telling us to call back at 8. We kept redialing, getting that message until about 4 minutes before 8 when the line was answered and we were "queued" on hold to place our order. We had to give credit card, were charged at that time and told the $$ was non refundable. We were seated on the balcony in first come, first seated order. All seats appeared fine. My 8 year old said he could see everything from the second row, behind adults.

MsYumiBr
03-30-2006, 04:55 AM
The first time we got balcony seats, we got first show and one of the last 4 tickets! I was just happy to get them so wherever we sat was fine with me. The second time we decided to get Riverside. I was hugely annoyed, unhappy with where they sat us, I couldn't see very well, but it was better than sitting in the masses. It was uncomfortable, the servers weren't serving but kind of supervising the buffet table. Also, getting seated was annoying too. We arrived, lined up, had our names taken down after a while, told to come back, came back to another line, got seated in order of second arrival!!!! Never again. That was just too annoying. Then, I wanted balcony again for my birthday. I got tickets 10-13. The tickets said seated in order of purchase. We picked up the tickets about 9:00 because it took a while to get our act together that morning. We were first to arrive at the gallery for the second show. They weren't letting people up yet so I knew we were first. We checked in. Then were seated, again in the second row. Then I find out it may have been in the order of tickets picked up! The second row is fine with me, I don't really care. We've seen the show hundreds of times before and already from the balcony. But my husband wanted front row. Interestingly, the same two older women with hand made knit hats that we saw the last time were sitting in the same spots in front of us!!! It was wierd. We'll try again but through vacation planning and pick the tickets up when the window opens in addition to getting there early. If we still get the same spot, I'll write a letter.

Malcon10t
03-30-2006, 05:36 AM
We picked up the tickets about 9:00 because it took a while to get our act together that morning. We were first to arrive at the gallery for the second show. They weren't letting people up yet so I knew we were first. We checked in. Then were seated, again in the second row. Then I find out it may have been in the order of tickets picked up! The second row is fine with me, I don't really care. We've seen the show hundreds of times before and already from the balcony. But my husband wanted front row. Interestingly, the same two older women with hand made knit hats that we saw the last time were sitting in the same spots in front of us!!! It was wierd. We'll try again but through vacation planning and pick the tickets up when the window opens in addition to getting there early. If we still get the same spot, I'll write a letter.
Balcony seating is based on the order of PURCHASE of the tickets. Vacation planning supposdly gets the first seats. So when you call, you can ask what seats you are and they can tell you. Seats 1-12 are front and 13-24 are back row.

stan4d_steph
03-30-2006, 06:12 AM
Balcony seating is based on the order of PURCHASE of the tickets. Vacation planning supposdly gets the first seats. So when you call, you can ask what seats you are and they can tell you. Seats 1-12 are front and 13-24 are back row.I thought this policy had changed back from order of purchase to the order of arrival at the event recently?

TrueRomance
03-30-2006, 07:21 AM
Do you specify riverside or balcony when you make your reservation? Are they both the same price? What are the pro's and con's of each?

Thanks.

disneyhound
03-30-2006, 07:39 AM
This might be over-the-top, but here is how I got our balcony fantasmic tickets for early January this year:

I knew, from information on this website, that I had to: 1. Call on the 6th of December to get tickets for the 6th of January. 2. Be one of the first callers at 8:00AM on that day. 3. Use the same credit card that I would have with me when I picked the tickets up at the park.

So, on my computer I brought up this website: http://www.time.gov/timezone.cgi?Pacific/d/-8

About a week before, I called the ticket office mid-morning, making sure I had the correct number, and I asked about ticket availability and the whole process. The operator was real helpful, she said I needed to call just as the office opens; they sell the balcony tickets within the first 5-10 calls.

On a couple days before I wanted the tickets, I started calling about 7:55AM. I kept hitting the redial as soon as I got the recording. When I got a live body, I noted the time from the aforementioned website. Both days I got a live body just after 8:00AM. Since it was too early to purchase tickets, I hung up to let the operator take another call.

On my purchase date, I start calling just before 8:00AM and got a live body about the same time as previous dry-runs. I immediately said to the CM, "I would like two Fantasmic Balcony tickets for the 9:30 show on January 6th". I smiled knowing my daughter would be so surprised!

Malcon10t
03-30-2006, 08:12 AM
I thought this policy had changed back from order of purchase to the order of arrival at the event recently?
Thats what had previously been posted, but according to friends who went recently, they were seated in the order that they purchased the tickets (ie, first to check in, yet back row seats.)

Malcon10t
03-30-2006, 08:16 AM
Do you specify riverside or balcony when you make your reservation? Are they both the same price? What are the pro's and con's of each?

Thanks.
The price for adults is the same at both locations. Everyone pays $59 in the balcony. Riverside, children under 11 are $53.

Balcony - Higher view, cheese and crackers, with cakes, more romantic setting. Cons: very limited space, claustraphobic situation for my daughter.

Riverside - Closer to the show, better fire effects, more room to move around, much more conducive to children, cookies and cakes (and great staff) Cons: not as high up and not as centered.

yankeemom
03-30-2006, 09:53 AM
As I noted, we were just there on March 11. there was no assigned seating prior to arrival at the balcony. Actually when we got there (a party of 5) there weren't even 5 seats toghether so they just rearranged the chairs for us. Personally from up there I don't think there's much difference unless its a very small child behind an adult.

disneyhound
03-30-2006, 09:54 AM
Thats what had previously been posted, but according to friends who went recently, they were seated in the order that they purchased the tickets (ie, first to check in, yet back row seats.)

We were the second group to arrive. We were not the second group to be seated, but we still had front row, last two seats on the left...

MsYumiBr
03-30-2006, 10:46 AM
On the ticket itself it is written, seating is in order of purchase. Okay. But when approached about this, they say they don't charge your card until you pick the ticket up? I don't buy that either because they tell you over the phone it is non-refundable, but then again you don't sign for the card until you get there to pick the tickets up. Has anyone here ever been seated first?

Oh, and Malcon, we had tickets 10-13 and they put us in the back row. Technically we should have been seated on the end. Nope. They seated us in the back left center, right in front of the buffet table, again. I thought, "Oh yay, we have 10-11 so maybe some of us will be up front." NO. Is there a definitive answer?

Riverside works differently. It is order of arrival and they make you arrive twice.

Balcony switches back and forth between arrival and purchase order. I think they just put you wherever and "tell" you whatever just to keep you happy. JMHO

disneyhound
03-30-2006, 12:53 PM
...they say they don't charge your card until you pick the ticket up?...
My credit card was charged the day I called the ticket office and got my fantasmic tickets. Also, they charged my card the same day I called and got our 50th tour tickets! (I just checked my credit card statement from last Decemeber)

If you fail to show-up and get your tickets, you are not going to get a refund! If you call back and try to cancel, you are not going to get a refund! I don't blame them, these tickets are a hot commodity!

JDBlair
03-30-2006, 03:17 PM
[QUOTE=MsYumiBr]The second time we decided to get Riverside. I was hugely annoyed, unhappy with where they sat us, I couldn't see very well, but it was better than sitting in the masses. QUOTE] Did you inform a CM you couldn't see very well? We did Riverside March 18th and overheard a couple complain they couldn't see very well. The CM was very nice and said, "We will fix that!" And they did!!

MsYumiBr
03-30-2006, 03:30 PM
There were 6 of us and it was my daughter who couldn't see so I switched places with her and then I couldn't see but like I said, I've seen the show over 100 times and it was not a big deal. I will definitely say something the next time. I really just wanted to drink my cocoa and relax. lol

I was mostly annoyed about the check-in process. We got there, checked in, were told to come back later, we come back and can't find the line because it was behind the ropes and on the other side of the line to the churro cart. Then we get into "line" and check in again. Then they start to call the parties which we were something like 17! How did that happen! We were the 3rd party to get there in the first place before being sent away! I think maybe I'll skip Fantasmic! and go to the Spa at GCH. ; )

MsYumiBr
03-30-2006, 03:36 PM
My credit card was charged the day I called the ticket office and got my fantasmic tickets. Also, they charged my card the same day I called and got our 50th tour tickets! (I just checked my credit card statement from last Decemeber)

This is good to know. So their explanation falls flat again. How do you get the first seats? I should have asked the ladies with the hand knit hats sitting in front of us.

Juniper
03-30-2006, 04:26 PM
This is good to know. So their explanation falls flat again. How do you get the first seats? I should have asked the ladies with the hand knit hats sitting in front of us.

what do the hat ladies look like, ages, anything you can say so I can tell if they are there when we go, I think it would be very funny if they were. maybe they have season tickets, LOL. That would be awesome, how much do you think that would cost!!!

Malcon10t
03-30-2006, 05:10 PM
This is good to know. So their explanation falls flat again. How do you get the first seats? I should have asked the ladies with the hand knit hats sitting in front of us.It is my understanding, Vacation Planning gets the first tickets. They are generally always in the first row. And you are not always seated by seat number. If your party is 6 people and are numbers 10-15, they will seat you together and not in seperate rows generally. If I have time when we are there next week, I will ask the checkin person how the order is determined.

sierranevada
03-30-2006, 08:03 PM
It is my understanding, Vacation Planning gets the first tickets. They are generally always in the first row.

The last two times we have gotten our tickets from vacation planning. While they are absolutely fabulous, they no longer get priority on F! tickets. I was talking with the CM and he said they use to be able to fill their orders on a priority basis but now they just have to dial with the rest - granted, they are probably calling on an "inside" line. Both times, we did not get our first choice - the 9pm Balcony- but did get our second choice and each time we needed a large group of tickets, 11 in November and 7 in December which I am sure effected our chances. In Dec, our first choice was the 9 pm Balcony on Fri 12/16 (with Riverfront the same time as our second choice). The vacation planning CM said that they had over 75 requests for F! - including both locations and times for that night!