Miceage: Fastpass coming to Fantasmic!

Originally Posted By TP2000

The latest Miceage Update was posted very early on Election Day, but I didn't read it until this evening. <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://micechat.com/85860-miceage-update-bridge-to-nowhere/#comments">http://micechat.com/85860-mice...comments</a>

According to the latest from Miceage, Mary Niven wants to install Fastpass at Fantasmic! this winter, a la' World of Color. Fantasmic! will also go to a 7 night a week operation this winter while World of Color is closed for refurbishment. Fantasmic! has never operated seven nights a week in the off season before.

For the last ten years or so, I've been in the habit of sidling up to the back of a certain under-utilized viewing section that has an excellent view about five minutes before show time.

If adding Fastpass to Fantasmic! prevents me from doing that, I will be sad.

 

Originally Posted By FerretAfros

I agree that it will be a shame if this makes it harder to find a spot shortly before the show, especially if there is room available. Part of what's nice about WOC is how much space you have to move around (even if you have to stand to see the show); doing something similar for Fantasmic! would cause a huge reduction in capacity, and would likely encourage people to try and sneak under the ropes. Unlike WOC, which has a few controlled entrance/exit points, the entire backside of the F! viewing area backs up to the walkway; I have a feeling this is going to be very difficult to enforce, particularly on busy days

I'm also surprised that they're going to have nightly showings. In the past, if they needed a nightly spectacle they would used the fireworks (like Remember every night during the 50th), but I assume that the work for the new show would preclude this from happening. I don't know specifics, but I would imagine that F! is much more expensive to operate (especially for only 1 show a night on weekdays) than the fireworks would be. I vaguely recall them doing near-nightly off-season shows in the mid-00's; it may have been around the time of the half-@$$ed Twain refurb that Al Lutz/Darkbeer got quickly fixed due to the publicity? It will be interesting to see how this plays out

 

Originally Posted By FerretAfros

It's also interesting that (without putting it quite so bluntly) it sounds like several aspects of the MyMagic+ system are coming to DL in the relatively near future. With the electronic DAS passes and F! FPs that can be obtained from any FP location in the park, it sounds like they're starting to lay the groundwork for the new system. Interesting, considering how many times MiceAge has said "over my dead body!" regarding MM+ at DLR

 

Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt

Hopefully this means that the reign of the picnic blankets is soon ending. Also, please let this be a sign the MM+ is on the horizon for DLR.

 

Originally Posted By utahjosh

We'll find an insider place to catch it last minute either way.

 

Originally Posted By Yookeroo

"For the last ten years or so, I've been in the habit of sidling up to the back of a certain under-utilized viewing section that has an excellent view about five minutes before show time."

You mean right behind the center light tower?

 

Originally Posted By fkurucz

Does this mean that all those people who roll out their blankets midday to stake their turf will be gone?

 

Originally Posted By FerretAfros

Assuming they're coming, it will also be very interesting to see how Fantasmic! FPs will work next summer when the park will have 2 (or 3) shows of F!, new fireworks, a parade (probably twice nightly), and WOC crowds ebbing and flowing from DCA. It took them quite a while to get the current traffic flow (counterclockwise traffic flow around the hub, enter through Frontierland, exit through Adventureland) worked out, and that didn't have FPs, a parade, or DCA's crowd to take into consideration

Although I don't envy the people who have to design or implement the various solutions, I'll be really curious to see how that all works out! Change is certainly afoot!

 

Originally Posted By CuriousConstance

It appears my prayers have been answered!!!!

Maybe next trip I'll actually get to see the show for the first time ever.

 

Originally Posted By FerretAfros

>>Maybe next trip I'll actually get to see the show for the first time ever.<<

You've never seen Fantasmic!?!

 

Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt

"Assuming they're coming, it will also be very interesting to see how Fantasmic! FPs will work next summer when the park will have 2 (or 3) shows of F!, new fireworks, a parade (probably twice nightly), and WOC crowds ebbing and flowing from DCA"

I'm sure that the two guest flow corridors behind Main Street will help.

"You've never seen Fantasmic!?!"

I'm not surprised. Seeing the show is a hassle if you're short on time.

 

Originally Posted By Yookeroo

"You've never seen Fantasmic!?!"

And she calls herself a Disney fan. Feh.

 

Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt

You know what I've never seen? The Aristocats. Where do I turn in my Disney Fancard?

 

Originally Posted By CuriousConstance

"You've never seen Fantasmic!?! "

I may be a big Disney fan, but I'm not completely crazy.

I'm not waiting hours sitting on the ground waiting for a show when I've spent thousands of dollars to be at Disneyland for a few days. I've tried coming 30 minutes early a couple times, but ended up never being able to see a thing, so I gave up.

 

Originally Posted By FerretAfros

>>You know what I've never seen? The Aristocats.<<

Meh, don't bother. It's really not an especially good movie. If you feel the need to watch a forgotten Disney film from one of the studio's slumps, check out Make Mine Music instead. It's like a poor man's Fantasia, but it has a lot of really nice moments. Aristocats has...cats that sing jazz? A pointless plot? Recycled animation?

>>I've tried coming 30 minutes early a couple times, but ended up never being able to see a thing, so I gave up.<<

Did you ever have the chance to see the 2nd (or even 3rd) show? I know it can be tough at the end of a long day, especially with kids, but it's usually a lot easier to find a spot for that show. And since there are multiple water screens and everything is designed to be seen from various angles, you don't really need to be centered in the viewing area like you do for WOC

 

Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt

"I've tried coming 30 minutes early a couple times, but ended up never being able to see a thing, so I gave up."

On my last trip we strolled up about 10 minutes into the show and found decent spot to stand just over the NOS side of the bridge from Adventureland. I saw the new dragon for the first time. She's awesome.

 

Originally Posted By monorailblue

<<I've tried coming 30 minutes early a couple times, but ended up never being able to see a thing, so I gave up.>>

Then you didn't know what you were doing and never asked a single CM for any information. There is always, and I repeat it for emphasis: ALWAYS room 30 minutes before the second show. It is NEVER so full at that point there is no space to watch it. For anyone who even thinks of correcting my statement, don't bother. I'm not wrong. Near Haunted Mansion, there is always space during the second show. If the park adds a third show, there is ALWAYS room much closer 10 minutes before show time. This has been true for more than 20 years.

And the wonderful thing about Fantasmic! is that it is a great show even from the etreme edge (Haunted Mansion; the only thing you can't see from the extreme right and left sides is Pinocchio) and from the very back. In fact, the back tier is a rather good place to watch the show because you get a better appreciation for its enormity.

FP will create enormous challenges. I have no doubt it will be foisted on us, but policing the show area will be nearly impossible: there are active walkways along the entire show area with almost now exit/entry control at all (the back tiers have limited entrances / exits, but most of it does not. Moreover, people will still get there very, very early to sit in their preferred part of their section--which means they will be entering and exiting constantly along those unprotected spaces. The FP numbers will probably be lower than the current number of people who crowd in, as well, so viewing opportunities will be reduced.

Thankfully, I'm not of means to go frequently, so all this will be sorted out before I have to suffer through it.

 

Originally Posted By monorailblue

In case anyone misses a key aspect to what I just wrote, I'm talking about the second show of the night. When F! runs normally, there are 2 shows. Single-show nights will be on days with low crowds (or adverse weather), so there shouldn't be issues for anyone. On crowded days, don't every give a thought to the first showing and you'll do great. I have worked so many Fantasmic! Guest Control shifts I cannot count them, and have seen the show as a Guest easily 100+ times from the very first summer it ran before the viewing area was tiered and rebuilt. I absolutely know what I'm talking about.

 

Originally Posted By Yookeroo

"I've tried coming 30 minutes early a couple times, but ended up never being able to see a thing, so I gave up"

I've never waited more than a half hour and always get a good spot.

Grab a spot about a half hour before behind the central light tower. It's down low so people think the view is obstructed. But about 10 mins before showtime, it rises high into the sky, leaving you with a great view of the show.

 

Originally Posted By CuriousConstance

I should say that I've never tried the second showing because we're usually not at the parks that late. And I should also say I haven't tried very hard at the first showing. I gave it a whirl a couple times, didn't work out, I didn't know where to stand, etc. But I've never felt a huge need to do it. It's always so busy in that area of the park at that time of the night, I try to stay away, to be honest. I'm hoping fastpass will make it easier for people like me who can't be bothered/have youngerish kids and can't stay too late/ don't want to become experts in secret hiding spots to see the show.