Fantasmic Dining Package Discussion Thread

[KelleyH]

Maybe we will see you! Ours is at 4:50. I agree that it's much better than RBT. I had zero interest in that one. Hoping there are no high winds and everythjng goes off fine.

I promise we're not stalking you, but our reservations are at 4:50 too!
I'm really hoping for fireworks as well. I love the fireworks shows, and the last three times we've been to see them this summer they were cancelled. Once we got to the park and it was windy, so we asked a CM if she thought they'd happen or if we'd be better of going and doing other stuff. She said if it were her she'd do other stuff. Of course that night they happened. I told my husband we're going every single Saturday until I see some fireworks from Main Street. Since we're not parking on Main Street for the perfect view, I'm sure they'll happen tonight.

 

[KelleyH]

Last night we did the Cafe Orleans package. The seating was good, we were seated in the area in front of Pirates. Both our area and the Blue Bayou area were sitting only. Next to us in the BB area there were a few people in ECVs. They were in the back of the area. Everyone was able to see. The show was good, although I still much prefer the Peter Pan sequence over Pirates.

The food was....well, all I can say is we weren't hungry after eating. I had the steak and potatoes with the salad as an appetizer. I was going to go for the Monte Cristo, but after seeing how long it was taking just to place our order I decided against it. I've had it in the past when the waitstaff was slow bringing it to the table and it was kinda soggy instead of having that yummy crunch so I figured I'd go with something that could sit a few minutes and still be ok. My husband had the gumbo as an appetizer and the honey bourbon chicken. Pommes Frites were not listed as an option for the package. I ordered my steak medium rare, and the server said it was all cooked to medium. That should have been my first hint this wasn't going to go well. It took us at least thirty minutes from the time we placed our order to get our appetizers. It's a freaking salad and gumbo, people. Most kitchens have that stuff premade. Our server told us because it was a new menu the kitchen was behind. I could understand that with the entrees, but not for appetizers. My poor husband was about to break out a granola bar he was so hungry. Our appetizers finally arrived and before we had finished them the entrees arrived. Not good timing. The "steak" was roast beef, already chopped up. The sauce was good, which is the only positive thing I have to say about the whole meal. The brussels sprouts were bland and pointless. My husband said his chicken was bland as well. We both had coconut cake for dessert, which was also bland. I love coconut cake, but the coconut cake from Ralph's is better. This had no coconut flavor to it, it was just very milky. I usually love Cafe Orleans and I was thrilled to be able to combine my favorite show and my favorite restaurant. This was a huge disappointment.

 

[disneymum58]

I would love to see a copy of the menu. I have reservations for October, so I would hope the service due to a new menu would be improved. But not having the pommes frites! That's a deal breaker.

 

[tiffjoy]

We just got back home from our weekend trip to Disneyland.

We did the Cafe Orleans F! package. Our food was good. I wouldn't say great and I wouldn't say bad. Just good. I am sorry but I didn't get photos. I was so tired, and I thought of it too late.

The menu apps were a salad or the gumbo. No frites. We both had gumbo, and it was good.

My girls both got a small veggie app as it was the only "choice" on the kids menu. It was really tiny, but they liked it.

My husband was thinking to order the steak, but our server didn't know the cut, so he went with the fresh fish, which was salmon. I got the lobster salad. Both were ok. The salmon was cooked more than my DH prefers it. I cook fish more medium than well done, which this salmon definitely was. The edges were slightly dry.

My DD8 ordered the steak, and DD5 ordered the salmon. Both were again ok. They ate everything. The steak was as mentioned more of a roast beef. I thought the portions were very tiny, and I'm actually a proponent of smaller food portions. But these were small. I don't think a kid much older than DD8 would be ok with it.

Dessert for the kids was beignets. Again, no choice. Neither of my girls like them, so the we parents ordered the Malificient dessert and switched with them. It's a really dumb idea to have a super cute dessert and not offer it (even at a slight upcharge) on the kids menu. There was no way my DH and I were going to get to keep our desserts.

But... turned out all of us thought it was actually just ok. Not bad. Not great. And neither kid finished it. It was a little overly sweet and without the sauces, very one note.

Seating was nice. We arrived almost at 8:00 so ended up walking in line almost at the end but were four rows back. Kids had to sit on our laps to see still. Seems to be there's never any escaping that no matter what. I think they let in either FP or hungry Bear after a while because the area filled in.

I was so disappointed in the new F! I absolutely loved the old one and drove my DH (who doesn't like shows at DLR or WDW) nuts waiting to see it or buying the dessert package. Afterwards, I told my DH he would be happy to hear I will never bother him again to see it. It was all special effects- they took out the story. The Pirates scene was stupid, and I do like Pirates. Just the scene made no sense. It was completely disjointed, and I only knew what was going on since I've seen it before. I hated the Princess song with whoever was signing it instead of the original voices. I usually get so emotional with this show, but not at all last night. It was a total mush mash of scenes. Sorry... I am such a downer. So many people like it (including both my kids) so it's probably just me being picky. I love the story telling aspect of Disney, and that was just totally missing. But if you like special effects, those are genuinely very good. It was a pretty show with "wow" moments.

 

[Geemo]

We just got back home from our weekend trip to Disneyland.

We did the Cafe Orleans F! package. Our food was good. I wouldn't say great and I wouldn't say bad. Just good. I am sorry but I didn't get photos. I was so tired, and I thought of it too late.

The menu apps were a salad or the gumbo. No frites. We both had gumbo, and it was good.

My girls both got a small veggie app as it was the only "choice" on the kids menu. It was really tiny, but they liked it.

My husband was thinking to order the steak, but our server didn't know the cut, so he went with the fresh fish, which was salmon. I got the lobster salad. Both were ok. The salmon was cooked more than my DH prefers it. I cook fish more medium than well done, which this salmon definitely was. The edges were slightly dry.

My DD8 ordered the steak, and DD5 ordered the salmon. Both were again ok. They ate everything. The steak was as mentioned more of a roast beef. I thought the portions were very tiny, and I'm actually a proponent of smaller food portions. But these were small. I don't think a kid much older than DD8 would be ok with it.

Dessert for the kids was beignets. Again, no choice. Neither of my girls like them, so the we parents ordered the Malificient dessert and switched with them. It's a really dumb idea to have a super cute dessert and not offer it (even at a slight upcharge) on the kids menu. There was no way my DH and I were going to get to keep our desserts.

But... turned out all of us thought it was actually just ok. Not bad. Not great. And neither kid finished it. It was a little overly sweet and without the sauces, very one note.

Seating was nice. We arrived almost at 8:00 so ended up walking in line almost at the end but were four rows back. Kids had to sit on our laps to see still. Seems to be there's never any escaping that no matter what. I think they let in either FP or hungry Bear after a while because the area filled in.

I was so disappointed in the new F! I absolutely loved the old one and drove my DH (who doesn't like shows at DLR or WDW) nuts waiting to see it or buying the dessert package. Afterwards, I told my DH he would be happy to hear I will never bother him again to see it. It was all special effects- they took out the story. The Pirates scene was stupid, and I do like Pirates. Just the scene made no sense. It was completely disjointed, and I only knew what was going on since I've seen it before. I hated the Princess song with whoever was signing it instead of the original voices. I usually get so emotional with this show, but not at all last night. It was a total mush mash of scenes. Sorry... I am such a downer. So many people like it (including both my kids) so it's probably just me being picky. I love the story telling aspect of Disney, and that was just totally missing. But if you like special effects, those are genuinely very good. It was a pretty show with "wow" moments.

Thank you for your review.
We will miss it on our upcoming trip. We arrive Monday early am and our flight home is Saturday at 7pm.
Past years Disney has had at least one showing of F! through the week, the first week of October.
When I booked flights, I had hoped for it to show once through the week but it's not.
Oh well, it will be one less thing to deal with on our trip.

Geemo

 

[LacyBelle]

Yes, it's stand by. So far the only FP area is the area along the waterfront next to the Mark Twain dock. There are little to no people with experience with stand by viewing here so you'll have to play it by the ear on your visit.

Thanks, Curlyxz.
On the upside, one less FP to have to secure.
We're not going until next month, but will try and report back on our experience for others who may be interested in this viewing area.

 

[Angrose]

Does anyone know if the Hungry Bear section is seated? I've read that it is supposed to be standing, but in practice, people are usually seated. Most accounts I've read say that the crowd is seated, but one report said that they were initially seated and then made everyone stand for the show. Any other observations?

 

[Curlyxz]

Does anyone know if the Hungry Bear section is seated? I've read that it is supposed to be standing, but in practice, people are usually seated. Most accounts I've read say that the crowd is seated, but one report said that they were initially seated and then made everyone stand for the show. Any other observations?

I've used the Hungry Bear package twice, and both times we remained seated. The second time was for the first showing on a Sunday, and it was packed in but we were not made to stand. I have heard rumors about it turning to standing only depending on the crowd size but I have not read any actual reports from anyone witnessing that.

 

[jewdmeister]

We did our Blue Bayou F! package last night and despite a few letdowns, it was a pretty good experience. I made reservations a little more than a month ago for our (dating) anniversary and ended up calling the dining line a few days afterwards to have a notation placed on the reservation regarding that. I wasn't expecting anything special to be done for us, but thought they might wite something cute on a plate for the occasion.

Our reservation was for 8:40 followed by the second show of F! but we weren't seated until closer to 9 or 9:10. I forgot to mention the celebration at the host stand when checking in and they didn't ask the usual "are we celebrating anything today?" either so it kinda slipped my mind. By the time I remembered, we were already eating and I figured it was no big deal anyway. Our food was very good and by the time we got to dessert, I was extremely full. I had the Surf & Turf and the Sorcerer Mickey dessert while my boyfriend enjoyed the Bouillabaisse and Creme Brulee. Everything was well seasoned and brought out promptly.

Once we were ready to pay, the waitress mentioned that they were completely out of seat cushions and if I came back tomorrow with my receipt I could pick them up. At this point we already were prepared to not get a good place to sit because our dinner was late but to not get a cushion was a downer. I know I probably sound silly for being disappointed but I was tired from a full (busy) day at the park and I was a little cranky. Coming back to the park isn't a huge deal for us because we're AP Holders but if I was visiting from far away and that was my last night, I would probably be a little more ticked off.

The second show was less full in the designated dining package area but there was no separation - we were told to sit anywhere we could find a spot since the show was going to start in 15 minutes. The front and center was full and what I assumed would be designated for Blue Bayou, so we ended up sitting on the far left side of the area. We still saw everything clearly and could sit and rest after a long day so no complaints there! Overall it was a great experience but I'm not sure we would do it again.

 

[Kender]

I ordered my steak medium rare, and the server said it was all cooked to medium. That should have been my first hint this wasn't going to go well. It took us at least thirty minutes from the time we placed our order to get our appetizers. It's a freaking salad and gumbo, people. Most kitchens have that stuff premade. Our server told us because it was a new menu the kitchen was behind. I could understand that with the entrees, but not for appetizers. My poor husband was about to break out a granola bar he was so hungry. Our appetizers finally arrived and before we had finished them the entrees arrived. Not good timing. The "steak" was roast beef, already chopped up. The sauce was good, which is the only positive thing I have to say about the whole meal. The brussels sprouts were bland and pointless. My husband said his chicken was bland as well. We both had coconut cake for dessert, which was also bland. I love coconut cake, but the coconut cake from Ralph's is better. This had no coconut flavor to it, it was just very milky. I usually love Cafe Orleans and I was thrilled to be able to combine my favorite show and my favorite restaurant. This was a huge disappointment.

I'm glad I read this. I cannot eat beef cooked any more than medium rare and even that's a little too cooked for my stomach to digest. I have to have it rare. That's disappointing it has to be cooked to medium. Also disappointing it's actually already cut up roast beef which is an entirely different texture than I would have expected from something described as steak (and not one I'd have liked as I dislike roast beef).

Was the chicken breast meat or that half chicken thing? I'm hoping for the former (especially since "bland" was used to describe it) because that would be my only other food option if I ever did this dining package. I actually like my food quite bland, haha! But I can't stomach more than breast meat (although this I like cooked a lot more than I do my beef, of course).

 

[Angrose]

I've used the Hungry Bear package twice, and both times we remained seated. The second time was for the first showing on a Sunday, and it was packed in but we were not made to stand. I have heard rumors about it turning to standing only depending on the crowd size but I have not read any actual reports from anyone witnessing that.

Thanks for this confirmation. It's just me and DS9. He's pretty short so it would be a bummer if we had to stand. I'm still torn about it. I do have CO booked for 6pm, but now we are thinking it would be fun to run over to Cars Land to see the Halloween decorations lit up at night. It wouldn't give us much time to get back over for F! by 8pm for our seating. It will be our only night to do both. I also booked HB for 4pm which would give us plenty of time for Cars Land. We will be there on a Sunday so it sounds like our chances are pretty good for seating in the HB section. Darn it, I wish I had booked the CO lunch instead! Everything else is booked up. I'll keep checking though.

 

[Curlyxz]

Wanted to add my observations in regards to the HB seating being made to stand, there is also stand by viewing area right to the left of the Hungry Bear section. These people are allowed to be seated when the sections are first opened, but are then directed to stand as more people fill in(similar to what World of Color does). This section may be getting mixed up with the Hungry Bear section.

Thanks for this confirmation. It's just me and DS9. He's pretty short so it would be a bummer if we had to stand. I'm still torn about it. I do have CO booked for 6pm, but now we are thinking it would be fun to run over to Cars Land to see the Halloween decorations lit up at night. It wouldn't give us much time to get back over for F! by 8pm for our seating. It will be our only night to do both. I also booked HB for 4pm which would give us plenty of time for Cars Land. We will be there on a Sunday so it sounds like our chances are pretty good for seating in the HB section. Darn it, I wish I had booked the CO lunch instead! Everything else is booked up. I'll keep checking though.

Definitely keep checking! I've managed to score reservations as close as a day before.

 

[Avery's mom]

Thanks for this confirmation. It's just me and DS9. He's pretty short so it would be a bummer if we had to stand. I'm still torn about it. I do have CO booked for 6pm, but now we are thinking it would be fun to run over to Cars Land to see the Halloween decorations lit up at night. It wouldn't give us much time to get back over for F! by 8pm for our seating. It will be our only night to do both. I also booked HB for 4pm which would give us plenty of time for Cars Land. We will be there on a Sunday so it sounds like our chances are pretty good for seating in the HB section. Darn it, I wish I had booked the CO lunch instead! Everything else is booked up. I'll keep checking though.

I can second that the Hungry Bear section was seating as well for us this past Friday. We did go to the second show, but I peeked at the first show and the same section was seated as well. Considering they had is wait in line for 30 minutes before we were let in, I was very pleased to be able to sit for the show.

 

[Angrose]

I can second that the Hungry Bear section was seating as well for us this past Friday. We did go to the second show, but I peeked at the first show and the same section was seated as well. Considering they had is wait in line for 30 minutes before we were let in, I was very pleased to be able to sit for the show.

Oh this is good to hear. Thank you so much!

 

[KelleyH]

I'm glad I read this. I cannot eat beef cooked any more than medium rare and even that's a little too cooked for my stomach to digest. I have to have it rare. That's disappointing it has to be cooked to medium. Also disappointing it's actually already cut up roast beef which is an entirely different texture than I would have expected from something described as steak (and not one I'd have liked as I dislike roast beef).

Was the chicken breast meat or that half chicken thing? I'm hoping for the former (especially since "bland" was used to describe it) because that would be my only other food option if I ever did this dining package. I actually like my food quite bland, haha! But I can't stomach more than breast meat (although this I like cooked a lot more than I do my beef, of course).

The chicken was just a chicken breast served with hopping john (black eyed peas and rice) and vegetables.

 

[millie0312]

So it sounds like all the dining sections are seated together for the second show? Any tips on when to get in line for that show? I like the lower crowd levels of the second show, but I also like to be able to stay and sit and watch the fw from there too... hmmm....

 

[Kender]

The chicken was just a chicken breast served with hopping john (black eyed peas and rice) and vegetables.

Thanks for the info!

 

[GrizzlyGirl]

Would anyone know the vegetarian option at Cafe Orleans and Blue Bayou? Thanks!

 

[onlyoneash]

Last night we did the Cafe Orleans package. The seating was good, we were seated in the area in front of Pirates. Both our area and the Blue Bayou area were sitting only. Next to us in the BB area there were a few people in ECVs. They were in the back of the area. Everyone was able to see. The show was good, although I still much prefer the Peter Pan sequence over Pirates.

The food was....well, all I can say is we weren't hungry after eating. I had the steak and potatoes with the salad as an appetizer. I was going to go for the Monte Cristo, but after seeing how long it was taking just to place our order I decided against it. I've had it in the past when the waitstaff was slow bringing it to the table and it was kinda soggy instead of having that yummy crunch so I figured I'd go with something that could sit a few minutes and still be ok. My husband had the gumbo as an appetizer and the honey bourbon chicken. Pommes Frites were not listed as an option for the package. I ordered my steak medium rare, and the server said it was all cooked to medium. That should have been my first hint this wasn't going to go well. It took us at least thirty minutes from the time we placed our order to get our appetizers. It's a freaking salad and gumbo, people. Most kitchens have that stuff premade. Our server told us because it was a new menu the kitchen was behind. I could understand that with the entrees, but not for appetizers. My poor husband was about to break out a granola bar he was so hungry. Our appetizers finally arrived and before we had finished them the entrees arrived. Not good timing. The "steak" was roast beef, already chopped up. The sauce was good, which is the only positive thing I have to say about the whole meal. The brussels sprouts were bland and pointless. My husband said his chicken was bland as well. We both had coconut cake for dessert, which was also bland. I love coconut cake, but the coconut cake from Ralph's is better. This had no coconut flavor to it, it was just very milky. I usually love Cafe Orleans and I was thrilled to be able to combine my favorite show and my favorite restaurant. This was a huge disappointment.

Completely agree with this review. Had the same experience. I did get the Monte Cristo and it was ok. My kids loved the beignets, so I didn't have to share my malificient dessert (which was the highlight of the meal). The gumbo was served in the smallest teacup ever.

It was a very ehhh experience.

Calling roast beef "steak" is false marketing imho. I couldn't believe we paid $45 for a small portion of roast beef. That meal should have been $25 max even with the F! Tickets.

 

[emzben25]

So it sounds like all the dining sections are seated together for the second show? Any tips on when to get in line for that show? I like the lower crowd levels of the second show, but I also like to be able to stay and sit and watch the fw from there too... hmmm....

Interested to know this too. I've read mixed things about combined seating for the second show. Planning to do a BB dining package next month since I've never eaten there before and wanted to try it.