Fantasmic Dinner Packages

Call or check ahead to visit on a day when you can see the after-dark Fantasmic! show, with its 30 powerful minutes of Disney characters, special effects, fireworks, flames, fountains, and even animation sequences projected onto water screens. If you're not crazy about the idea of arriving at the huge Hollywood Hills Amphitheater more than an hour ahead of showtime for a good seat, it's worth booking a Fantasmic! lunch or dinner package.

You get a prix-fixe meal at buffet-style Hollywood & Vine or a full table-service lunch or dinner at Hollywood Brown Derby or Mama Melrose's, along with a preferred-entry pass to the VIP seating area at the Fantasmic! show. Each dinner includes appetizer, entrée, dessert (the Brown Derby's grapefruit cake is a sweet-tart wonder), and a nonalcoholic beverage.

There's a small catch (well, actually, there are three):

If you choose to book dinner, allow plenty of time between your dining time and your arrival for showtime. (Disney recommends that you show up at the theater 30 or more minutes ahead of time to choose your seat.)

The dinner package is offered only for the first show on peak nights when Fantasmic! is performed twice.

If it rains, Fantasmic! might be canceled. You still get dinner, but you lose out on seeing the show with preferred seating.

The cost is $44 to $63 for adults, $18 to $36 for children. It's best to reserve the package 180 days or at least several months in advance. You'll have to provide a credit-card number and, if you cancel 48 hours or less before the show, your card will be charged $10 per person.

Sound like too much? Consider the Fantasmic! Dessert and VIP Viewing Experience. You'll receive a plate of unique tasty treats inspired by the show, adults will receive a specialty cocktail, and children will love their make-your-own worms and dirt pudding. Then your party will be led to a private viewing section of the show. The price is $39 for adults and $19 for children.