Dear Anne,
Thank you so much for stopping by to visit us here at the Disney Parks Moms Panel with your great question about planning your upcoming Walt Disney World Resort vacation!
Fantasmic! is one of my absolutely favorite experiences at
Disney's Hollywood Studios, and we make sure never to miss at least one viewing of the show on each vacation! I am a pretty relaxed person when it comes to this particular show, because the theater itself is quite large and can accommodate so many people! My family typically arrives about a half an hour before showtime. They load the theater in sections, front to back, so arriving earlier doesn't guarantee you a close seat. If the seats that you are directed to are not to your liking, there are often open seats around you in other areas and once you sit down you can take a look around to see what might work for you (aside from the reserved sections). We love to sit right down front and many times those first couple of rows are surprisingly sparse because many people like to get seats a bit further up. It's truly a personal choice.
One other thing I will say about Fantasmic! is that there is truly no bad seat in the house. The view is fantastic from absolutely everywhere! The production relies on boats, floats, and lots of pyrotechnics and water projection, so it is extremely visible from everywhere in the theater!
Hope that helps you with your magical planning!
- Jan K.