One of the best shows on Walt Disney World property is Fantasmic! located in Hollywood Studios. It is not just a nighttime fireworks spectacular, but it is a gorgeous show of music, characters, fireworks, and water. Fantasmic! Disney World is a must not miss show during your trip.
Fantasmic! Disney World
Fantasmic! is a 30-minute show at the end of the park day at Hollywood Studios in the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater. The show opened in 1998 after a great showing in Disneyland. The show is not the same one that is shown at Disneyland though.
Over the years it has gone through a few changes and updates. The main idea of the show has stayed the same throughout. The show focuses on the battle of Good versus Evil as Mickey Mouse and his friends go up against the Villians in the Disney universe.
The show begins when Mickey Mouse dreams “that he is a mighty sorcerer’s apprentice with the power to control water, color and magic.” In a turn of events the Disney Villains turn Mickey’s dream into a nightmare and he has to work to defeat the evil.
The show features characters from many different movies like:
- Moana
- Frozen 2
- Mulan
- Aladdin
- Pocahontas
- Beauty and the Beast
- The Little Mermaid
- The Lion King
At the end of the show, you even get to see a special appearance by Steamboat Willie and other rare Disney characters.
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Fantasmic! Disney World Show Times
As of now, there is only one showtime per day, 9:00 PM. When Disney has done two shows there has been a show at 8:00 PM and one at 9:30 PM. Always check the Entertainment Schedule to verify the times.
Disney rarely has two showings, except in special times, like when Fantasmic! came off the two and a half year hiatus after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, if this is a show you want to see, make sure you follow our tips to get the best seats for the show!
Because the show is outside, the weather can impact the show. We have missed shows a few times due to thunderstorms. Showings may be cut short, postponed or canceled altogether in the event of inclement weather. For the most up-to-date information, refer to the My Disney Experience app.
How to Get Seats for Fantasmic! Disney World
There are two main ways to get seats for the Fantasmic! Show. Guests can book a dining package to guarantee reserved seating or go through the stand-by queue.
The amphitheater opens 90 minutes before the show begins, and it is important to get there as early as you can because the area will fill up quickly. The theater can hold 11,000 guests, but we have seen it completely fill up at previous shows.
The amphitheater curves around the lagoon, so wherever you’re seated, you’re perfectly situated to experience the action. The bench seats are metal and don’t have backs, so keep this in mind when you go to sit at the performance.
Dining Packages
If you want to guarantee one of the better seats to watch Fantasmic, consider booking a dining package. The Fantasmic! Dining Experience includes a meal at one of the participating Disney’s Hollywood Studios restaurants and reserved seating in the Fantasmic! Amphitheater. Guests can book the dining package 60 days in advance of their park reservations.
When deciding to book your Fantasmic! Dining Experience, keep in mind that to dine at an in-park table-service restaurant, you need a confirmed dining reservation for the total number of guests. All guests attending must be on the dining reservation, have a theme park reservation and valid admission to the park. This means that you are not guaranteed park entry for your dining reservation for the Fantasmic! Dining Experience unless you have a park reservation (this includes park hopping).
There are currently 5 participating restaurants to book a dining package at. No matter which restaurant your party chooses, the dining package includes:
- Meal and a non- alcoholic beverage
- An entrée AND appetizer or dessert at select full-service restaurants
- OR
- one (1) full buffet (where applicable)
- One voucher for guaranteed seating at Fantasmic! in a reserved area
The following restaurants are currently available for booking.
50’s Prime Time Cafe
The Prime Time Cafe serves up classic American comfort food and 1950’s theming.
Lunch hours are from 10:45 AM to 3:55 PM and Dinner hours are 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM. It doesn’t matter when you have your reservation booked to receive the dining package. The lunch and dinner menus are the same!
At the 50’s Prime Time Cafe, guests will find classic appetizers such as onion rings, tomato soup, deviled eggs, and an iceberg lettuce wedge.
For Entrees, guests can order a Sampling Plate (Fried Chicken, Pot Roast, and Meatloaf with all the fixin’s), Fried Chicken, Salomon, Pot Roast, Chicken Pot Pie, and Meatloaf, true comforting classic meals with sides.
Desserts include Chocolate- Peanut Butter Layered Cake, Warm Apple Crisp, Lemon Meringue Pie, and a Pineapple Upside Down Cake. It is hard to choose between the appetizers and desserts here!
The kid’s meals have many of the same comfort food options. Appetizers include a garden salad, tomato soup, or a vegetable platter. For entrees kids have the choice of Salmon, Grilled Chicken, Sloppy Joe Sandwich, or Chicken Strips, all with two sides.
Pricing: $51.00 Adults; $22 Kids (9 and under)
Hollywood and Vine Breakfast
At breakfasts, guests get to experience the Disney Junior characters while eating at a full-buffet.
The buffet includes:
- Assorted Pastries
- Waffles
- Bananas Fosters French Toast
- Breakfast Potatoes
- Bacon and Sausage
- Seasonal Bread Pudding
- Plant-based Frittata with Tomato Jam
- Eggs Benedict
- Oatmeal
- Salmon and Bagel Casserole
- Omelets
- Cinnamon Buns
- Chicken and Waffles
- Yogurt Parfait
- AND MORE!
While dining for breakfasts the Disney Junior Characters like Fancy Nancy, Vampirina, Doc McStuffins, and Roadster Goofy are often your hosts. They will rotate through the dining room stopping for pictures and autographs. In addition, characters periodically put on a cute performance while you eat.
Pricing: $54.00 Adults; $36.00 Kids (9 and under)
Hollywood and Vine Lunch and Dinner
For Lunch and Dinner, Hollywood and Vine turns into Minnie and friends at seasonal dining parties.
The seasonal parties change throughout the year, but depending on when your dates are booked you could experience the Springtime Dine, Summertime Dine, Halloween Dine, and the Holiday Season’s Dine. No matter what time of the year you visit, Minnie and her friends Mickey, Goofy and Pluto will be there to entertain you.
The lunch and dinner service is buffet style. Lunch and Dinner selections include:
- Assorted Breads
- Shaved Fellen, Kale, and Seasonal Fruit Salad
- Beet Salad
- Artichoke Salad
- Peel-n-Eat Shrimp
- Sour Cream and Chive Whipped Potatoes
- Caramelized Brussels Sprouts
- Seared Salmon with Beurre Blanc
- Oven-Roasted Herb Chicken
- Roasted Mushroom Farro Risotto
- Crispy Tofu with Asian Glaze
- Roasted Pork with Spicy Mustard Sauce
- Macaroni and Cheese with Shrimp and Bacon
- Olive Oil Herb-Crushed Potatoes
- Roasted Beef Strip Loin with Horseradish Cream
Items can change and vary at any time, and if someone in your party has a food allergy, make sure to speak with a Cast Member about available options for enjoyment.
Pricing: $71.00 Adults; $47.00 Kids (9 and under)
Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano
Mama Melrose’s offers Italian food with a California flair. The restaurant is located on Grand Avenue behind Muppet Vision 3D.
For starters, guests can choose from Fried Fresh mozzarella, Crispy Calamari, House-made Italian Meatballs, Minestrone Soup, Caesar Salad, or a Margherita Flatbread.
Entrees are next. Guests have options like the Charred Strip Steak that comes with four-cheese macaroni with pancetta, aged balsamic-shallot butter, and Chianti wine reduction or the Shrimp Campanelle which is sauteed shrimp and Campanelle pasta tossed in a four-cheese sauce with cauliflower, sun dried tomatoes, fresh spinach, an sweet onions. Other options include the Italian Pasta (with shrimp or chicken), a Grilled Bone-In Pork Chop, Spaghetti and Meatballs, Oven-baked Chicken alla Parmigiana, or Sustainable Fish.
The dessert options are endless and delectable as well. Choices include Tiramisu, Gelato, Mini Cannoli Trio, Blueberry-Frangipane Tart, Cherry-Chocolate Cake, Lemon Sorbet and Cheesecake.
The Kid’s menu also begins with appetizer selections of a Garden Salad or Minestrone Soup. The more accessible kid menu entrees include: Spaghetti with meat sauce, grilled chicken breast, cheese pizza, Chicken Parmigiana over Spaghetti, or Pasta with meatballs. Each entree comes with two sides as well.
Dining reservations begin at lunch hours from 10:45 AM to 3:55 PM and dinner hours are 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM. It doesn’t matter when you have your reservation booked to receive the dining package. The lunch and dinner menus are the same!
Pricing: $54.00 Adults; $22.00 Kids (9 and under)
Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant
The Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant is dinner and a show with American cuisine and sci-fi movie clips.
The Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater Restaurant is an amazing experience if you have a small party as you get to dine in one of the ‘50s style automobiles. Depending on what time your reservation is and how large your dining party is, you may still get the ambiance of the restaurant at one of the picnic tables in the back but may not be able to sit in the themed cars to dine.
To begin the dining experience, guests may choose from appetizers such as crispy onion rings, fried pickles, spinach and artichoke dip (with cashew cheese), smoked wings, or a black garlic Caesar salad.
Entrees are truly American cuisine with options like the BBQ Burger, Chicken Salad Sandwich, Classic Burgers, Pork on Pork Burger, Pan-Seared Chicken or Salmon Pasta, and the Impossible Burger.
For dessert, guests can indulge themselves on Hot Fudge Sundaes, Fresh Fruit Salad, or a Cookie Shake. There are also two specialty themed desserts The Red Planet and Out-of-this-World. The Red Planet is white chocolate cheesecake with spiced blueberry compote on a graham cracker tart, matcha sponge, and candied almonds. The Out-of-this-World is a pineapple mousse with passion fruit cosmic swirl and a spice lime spaceship.
The kid’s menu begins with either a garden salad or chicken noodle soup. For entrees kids can choose one of the following, beef skewer, chicken bites, macaroni and cheese, or a hamburger, each with two sides.
This meal is going to be your typical American food and may provide some comfort if you have been more adventurous with your meals previously. You can begin lunch reservations as early as 10:30 AM and Dinner reservations can be booked as late as 9:00 PM.
Pricing: $49.00 Adults; $22.00 Kids (9 and under)
The Hollywood Brown Derby
The Hollywood Brown Derby is a restaurant located on Hollywood Boulevard. When you walk into this restaurant, you are walking into the Golden Age of Hollywood. This restaurant is a replica of the famous Brown Derby, a Tinseltown landmark steeped in glamor and glitz.
On the menu, guests will find appetizers such as Corn Bisque, Crab Louie, Heirloom Tomato and Burrata Salad, Charcuterie Board, Shrimp Cocktail, Escargot, and Roasted Bone Marrow.
Entrees for lunch and dinner selections are varied enough for anyone to find something to eat. Guests can order Filet Mignon, Sustainable Fish, Chicken and Dumplings, Grilled Pork, Seafood Cioppino (Shrimp, Sea Scallop, Seasonal Fish, Mussels, bread, and tomato broth), Shepherd’s Pie, or Lamb Shank. However, many guests opt for the Famous Cobb Salad (with Chicken or Shrimp).
Dessert is not to be left behind with Grapefruit Cake, Creme Brulee, Bruleed Champagne Sabayon, Chocolate Rose or a Decadent Chocolate Cake.
On the Kid’s menu, the appetizers are either chicken noodle soup or a chopped salad. For the meal, kids may order grilled chicken breast, grilled seasonal fish, grilled beef filet, hot dog, or macaroni and cheese as their main entree. Each entree comes with two sides.
Reservations are available from 11:00 AM to 6:30 PM. This restaurant does close earlier than the other ones on this list, but you still have plenty of time for a reservation and to see Fantasmic within the hours.
Pricing: $73.00 Adults; $29.00 Kids (9 and under)
Fantasmic! Disney World Dining Package
The Fantasmic! Dining Package is available on all Fantasmic! show days. In the event that the show has to be canceled, your dining reservations are not canceled. You will pick up your seating voucher for Fantasmic! at the time of your meal.
Guests can make reservations 60 days out. To make a reservation, visit the Walt Disney World Fantasmic! Dining Package website. Once on the website, click check availability, enter the restaurant of your choosing, time, and party size. Once you click search, availability will show for bookings.
To check in for the show, you will need to enter on Sunset Boulevard next to Beauty & The Beast Live on Stage. Guests can be seated as early as 90 minutes prior to Fantasmic!. All guests must arrive at least 25 minutes before showtime to be seated in the reserved section. Within the section, seats are not assigned; you will choose them from within the reserved section on a first-come, first-served basis.
Using Genie+ for Fantasmic! Disney World
While Fantasmic was part of the old Fastpass system, Fantasmic cannot be booked using Genie+ or the Individual Lightning Lane as of Summer of 2023. We don’t know if this will change for the future as Disney is always making adjustments. Instead try booking one of the dining packages previously mentioned if getting a good seat is important to your party.
Where to Watch Fantasmic! Disney World
Even though there isn’t necessarily a bad seat to view the show, there are a few things to keep in mind.
The closer you can get to the middle section the better the view will be. Many of these seats are typically reserved for those with the Fantasmic! Dining Package, but there are still plenty of seating options with a great view towards the middle.
The outer bands of sections in the arena are still able to see the show, but it may be a slightly distorted view of the main stage area. You can potentially miss the projections on the water screens and the music can be out of sync during certain scenes.
Sitting towards the middle of the rows in each section provides the best view of the entire show. Guests sitting in the first couple of rows may get wet during the performance, so you may not want to sit too close. We didn’t realize this one of the first times we viewed Fantasmic! There are also pyrotechnics that can get quite warm as well.
No matter where you are able to find a seat in the area, it is a show that you don’t want to miss, so if you can find a seat, no matter where, make sure to take it!
Disability Information Fanasmic!
Guests using wheelchairs or ECVs have the option of wheelchair seating on the bottom row or the top row of the theater. We have used this seating before and recommend the top rows. Sitting towards the top provides seats closer to snacks and the bathrooms while offering a slightly better view.
Child Disclaimer
The first thing to know if you are attending Fantasmic! with children is that you have to leave your stroller in the designated stroller area and not take it into the theater with you. This can be time consuming after the show to get the stroller. If you have very small children, bring some sort of wearable container to hold them in.
If you have small children that want to watch the show, it may be best to watch the show on YouTube ahead of time. There are some scenes that can be frightening to children who are watching the show for the first time, especially when the villains are on the stage.
The music for the show is pumped in through speakers and there are loud booms throughout, so if your child has a sensitivity to loud noises and fireworks, noise-canceling headphones may be a good option to have on hand just in case.
Most children seem to be fine if they are prepared ahead of time.
Shopping and Merchandise
There is a cart as you enter the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater that sells Fantasmic and Villains merchandise.
The light sticks are very popular with kids in the show, so if you don’t want to buy one for your kids and pay Disney prices, make sure to purchase one prior to coming to Disney.
Stickers, pins, postcards and other souvenirs are also available at these carts.
Leaving the Show
The worst part of Fantasmic! is the crowd leaving. This is not a quick or swift process. Cast members do open up backstage areas to help with the exit, but it is incredibly slow moving.
Be prepared to wait a long time to get out of the park and then a longer time leaving no matter which transportation option you are using. The ending of Fantasmic! causes a lot of people to leave one area at one time at the end of the night.
Fantasmic! Disney World Tips and Tricks
- If there are two show times offered, go to the second showing. It is much easier to get a seat at the second show.
- Get in line early if you want the best viewing for the best seats.
- Bring snacks with you. The wait time to get into the show followed by a 30 minute show can be a long time to wait to eat. There are concession stands located at the rear of the Fantasmic! Amphitheater. You can get snacks or even your dinner to eat while you wait.
- Use the bathroom ahead of time. There are bathrooms in the arena but they can be a walk depending on where you are sitting and the traffic you have to move through to get to them.
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