Hi Calvin!
Welcome to planDisney! Thank you so much for sending this Disneyland Resort planning question to us hEAR. I'm happy to be your planEAR today!
I love
Fantasmic! It's my live-action favorite show in the whole resort, and I'm so glad that it's back. I think the Disneyland version is so much better than the Walt Disney World Resort version for so many reasons, but mainly because of how special the riverboat scene is; I love that it uses the actual
Mark Twain Riverboat that you can cruise on during the day and that Walt and his family sailed on many, many times.
There are a few different
Fantasmic! dining packages found at various restaurants in Frontierland,
New Orleans Square, and
Critter Country to choose from. The seating option at
River Belle Terrace is actually more of an add-on purchase to a regular meal (kind of like buying a drink in a souvenEAR cup) than it is a standard dining package like at the other locations. What you'll do is book a lunch or dinner
dining reservation at any time you'd like for that specific
Disneyland Park day, and at check-in, you'll mention that you'd like to add this option to your bill. (I'd also mention it to your server, just to be double-sure.) Then, when the meal is over, you'll receive a paper ticket with a return time for seats in the Terrace area. On nights with two showings of
Fantasmic! you'll even be able to request which show time you'd like to see! The restaurant will not be open for either show, but you're more than welcome to bring in food and drinks from other locations.
Pro Tip: You'll have a 30-minute return window to come back and claim your seats before the show starts; I recommend arriving right at the opening of that time slot so you can pick the perfect (and closest) table.
Bonus Pro Tip: If your dining reservation is later in the day, you should be able to swing by
River Belle Terrace about half an hour before it opens for its lunch service to request the dining package add-on early; this way you'll be sure to save some seats!
I hope that this helped to better plan your upcoming Disney days, Calvin! And I hope that you and your family enjoy
Fantasmic! as much as I do! Be sure to follow the
official planDisney Instagram account where we're sharing all kinds of tips and tricks. And if you have any more Disneyland Resort planning questions, We're All Ears!
~Kristen