Fantasmic!

I must confess. It took us six trips to the Walt Disney World Resort before we saw the Fantasmic! show at Disney's Hollywood Studios. I can only offer excuses as to why. . . the boy not staying up late, us not being at Studios on a night of the show, the chaos and confusion around the reserved seating, the intimidating 90 minute wait just to get in the amphitheater, etc. So, this last trip, after hearing good news return to the process of reserved seating, we gave it a shot.

First, we looked at the projected calendar for show nights. . . Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays. Next, we planned to be in Hollywood Studios on a Tuesday and made an ADR for the restaurant Hollywood and Vine for their Fantasmic Dinner Package. This means that for the cost of dinner for the three of us, we also got a special pass for reserved seating in the amphitheater. OK, the 90 minute wait just went away. YEAH! Then, all we had to do was show up for dinner.

With our special pass in hand for reserved seating, we waited until about 7:45 pm for the 8:30 pm show to make our way through the "back way." The reserved seating section was mid to far right of the set, but as you can see in the photo below, we had an excellent view. Tip: If you take advantage of the reserved seating option, keep your little pass with you when getting snacks or using the restroom, as you will need to show it upon returning the section, at least until shortly before the show starts and the rope is taken down.

Here's our reserved seating section. The non-reserved seating was packed at this point, but as you can see, we had plenty of seats to choose from. Tip: Studios has now started to offer a Fantasmic Lunch Package. You get lunch at select restaurants and reserved seating at Fantasmic!

OK, now for the show. . . it is hard to describe except to say that air, land, and water are all incorporated into the show. Arching water sprays become the screens for animated clips that help tell the story as well as pyrotechnics, music, and characters. The story. . . Mickey battles evil in his imagination/dreams and triumphs for good. Well, that's the short version. Insert pilgrims, snakes, evil queens, and dragons and you have a more complete version.

I must say that the show uses all levels of the multi-level land/mountain very well. For me, the favorite were the water features with canoes, special boats with characters, and the end SPOILER ALERT--DO NOT READ IF YOU WANT TO BE SURPRISED

The end, when good triumphs over evil and the paddle boat with all the good characters come into view with none other than Steamboat Willie at the helm. The husband loved this part as Steamboat Willie is one of his favorite characters. Well, we must remember that this was all started because of a mouse. You can catch a glimpse of Steamboat Willie in the photo above.

Here we are after the 25 minute Fantasmic! stopping for a night photo at Studios before exiting the park. I stopped to use the restrooms just to the right of the exit gates before heading to the bus stop. Good thing as I did, as the line to the bus was incredibly long. At one point there were 3 buses loading simultaneously to take us all back to the resort. I overheard one guest say that no wonder, our resort was the largest resort. I hadn't thought of that. Anyway, the bus adventure no way detracted from the show and great day at the park. It was however a conversation at the pool the next afternoon.

Fantasmic! Music, story, effects, and theming make for an incredible experience. Will we do it again? Definitely! Who knows, this time we might try the lunch package.