Disneyland’s Blue Bayou Fantasmic! Dining Package Review
Join us for dinner as we take you through what an experience of the Blue Bayou Fantasmic! dining package looks like. This dining package comes with a high price tag so check out our review to see if it's worth the price for your family or group.
If you haven't heard of the Blue Bayou restaurant, you should know about it before considering this package. The Blue Bayou was once (and still is high on the list) the fanciest restaurant in Disneyland. When it first opened in 1967, it was common to see patrons dressed in their finest before dining in this establishment.
No need to worry about a dress code today- it is common for people to come wearing their regular ‘park clothes' and feel right at home. I always, personally, think it's more fun to dress up a bit more for this experience but it's not required at all. Come with us as we walk you through what our experience of this dining package was like!
Blue Bayou Now Serves Alcohol!
Blue Bayou now serves alcoholic beverages! Up until this point guests could only purchase alcohol from Oga's Cantina in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge or the exclusive private Club 33.
The new drink additions include beverages such as wine, beer and a specialty Hurricane Cocktail. The alcohol is limited to the restaurant and guests are limited in their consumption the same way they are at Oga's Cantina.
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The Basics
One of the things that makes the Blue Bayou restaurant so spectacular is the atmosphere. This restaurant is located inside the popular Pirates of the Caribbean ride so while you dine you can watch the boats float by. Enjoy the sounds of crickets and frogs, the glow of the fireflies, and the peaceful night-time setting of a Louisiana bayou. The atmosphere truly transports you to another place.
The Blue Bayou Fantasmic! dining package works like many of the other dining packages at Disneyland. You will enjoy a three course meal and afterwards you will be given ticket vouchers to the Fantasmic! reserved seating for that same evening.
The Blue Bayou Fantasmic! dining packages offers the best seating for the Fantasmic! show which seats guests front and center of the show. This package also includes a Fantasmic! themed cushion (as seen below) to sit on during the show which you can keep as a souvenir.
The cushions
The pricing for this package for lunch and dinner is $89 per adult and $35 per child. Disney considers child pricing to include kids aged 3-9. If you have a child younger than three, they are allowed to eat off your plate. You may want to include their count in your dining reservation though so they give you enough chairs. Pricing does not include tax or gratuity.
I highly recommend making this reservation in advance due to its popularity and likely chance it will sell out. However, it doesn't hurt to ask at check-in if they've had cancellations either. You can make a dining reservation up to 60 days in advance.
Tables for this dining package are available starting at 11:30 AM for lunch and 4:00 PM for dinner—space is limited. Same-day reservations based on availability. Book online or call (714) 781-DINE or (714) 781-3463 between 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM Pacific Time daily.
Fantasmic! Blue Bayou Dining Review
When you arrive for your dining experience, I recommend getting there 20 minutes early and asking for a water side table. Sitting next to the water will you give you a view like the one above and it's well worth the wait.
We arrived 10 minutes early but I knew since we were in a large group of six the chances of getting a waterside table were slim and since we were all hungry I didn't request one for this visit. We do this experience each year and I also wanted to come back to see if anything has changed from our experience last August (which you can read below) and was happy to find that everything is still as fantastic as usual.
Here is the pre-fix menu from our visit:
NOTE: The pre-fix menu changes often, be sure to check Disneyland's website prior to your visit for the most current options.
The menu is pretty much the same from last year with a few small differences like the change in desserts and appetizers.
We all decided to get a Mint Julep as our drink which is included if you so desire! If you've never had one before, I highly recommend it. It's a Disneyland staple and it's a nice perk to be able to get it as your drink here.
Mint Julep
Your table will also get unlimited bread and butter to start with and to keep enjoying throughout your meal. My son always jokes that the bread is his favorite part! Bread service at Blue Bayou is currently suspended for all dining options, we really hope it returns SOON!
The best bread in the bayou!
Next we ordered our appetizers and as always, they did not disappoint.
Fried Calamari
Seafood Hush Puppies
French Onion Soup
The child's meal starter is a vegetable crudité with ranch dressing.
Everyone enjoyed their appetizers but the group favorite (even among one of the kids in our group!) was the Fried Calamari. The kids, however, were not overly thrilled by their vegetable crudite and it was left pretty untouched by both the kids in our group.
The service was great, they were extremely attentive to filling up all our Mint Juleps quickly. Since I'm a vegetarian and I don't like mushrooms, they were able to put together a simple pasta with cheese for me that I enjoyed on our last visit. It's never an issue to request something off the pre-fix menu for allergies or other dining restrictions, just make sure to note it on your reservation.
Next it was time for the main course!
Roasted Chicken Maison
Herb-crusted Rack of Lamb
Surf and Turf
My plain marina, noodles, and cheese dish.
Everyone enjoyed their food, the carnivores in our group were happy with all of their choices and said it was one of the best meals of our stay. But hands down, the atmosphere is what really makes this a great experience.
The dessert menu was changed a bit from our last visit which was exciting!
Vanilla Crème Brûlée
Maleficent
Kids meal option- Fondant Chocolate Cake
The kids in our group were not overly thrilled with the Fondant Chocolate Cake. Both of them said it was too sweet. I typically end up swapping desserts with my son since he's not a big chocolate fan. I always enjoy the Fondant Chocolate Cake but it is quite sweet. Be prepared for your kids to be eyeing up your cool dessert especially if you pick the Maleficent option. It's surrounded by cotton candy so I easily handed off that to my son and we split it. The Maleficent decoration on top is made of white chocolate. It was delicious!
To be honest, my favorite part of eating here for this dining package is the dessert. Make sure to save room!
We timed our dinner reservation so when we'd be done it'd be time to head over to the reserved viewing area. Same as on our last visit we were given the Blue Bayou cushions for the show and the ticket to the reserved viewing area.
I recommend lining up at 8PM. People will already be lining up by this point!
We were able to get front row spots in front of the rail just like we did last year! The front row view of Fantasmic! is the best way to watch it, in my opinion. As always, I recommend this experience and we had an excellent time!
Dining Review- August 2018
When you arrive for your dining experience, I recommend getting there 15 minutes early and asking for a water side table. Sitting next to the water will you give you a view like the one above and it's well worth the wait.
Take a look at our most recent dining experience at the Blue Bayou on August 10th, 2018.
The menu for the Fantasmic! dining package.
Each table is lit with a small lantern.
You can chose to order a Mint Julep as your drink, if you like.
Every table gets (unlimited) bread and butter.
I chose salad for my starter with the house dressing. It was very good!
The child's meal starter is a vegetable crudité with ranch dressing.
My son chose Mickey's Cheesy Macaroni for his entrée. It came with grapes and broccoli- he loved it.
Since I am a vegetarian, I chose an alternative option (Disney is great at doing substitutions for allergies or other dietary needs like vegans/vegetarians, etc.) to the menu which was simply noodles with marinara sauce and cheese. It was delicious! They gave me a gigantic portion.
The Sorcerer Mickey dessert was to die for.
The child's option for dessert, the Fondant Chocolate Cake, was also heavenly.
Overall, I felt we received great food in large portions for the price we paid which helped justify the cost in my mind. My only regret is not saving more room for dessert! Make sure to save room at the end- the dessert is so good. The bread they served at the table was warm and delicious- they kept it coming too! The service was excellent, as it usually is at most table service restaurants in Disneyland.
When you make your dining reservation, the website or app will tell you which Fantasmic! show you will get reserved seating for. Make sure you pay attention to this so you get the seating for the show you want!
I always recommend the earliest showing so you can stay put in your reserved viewing location to watch the fireworks after Fantasmic!
We ate dinner at 5:45 and we took our time so it was around 7PM when we finished. That left us an hour to ride a few close by attractions before heading to our reserved seating area.
Fantasmic! Viewing Location
Our view from the Blue Blue Fantasmic! reserved viewing location.
After dinner you will be given your Fantasmic! themed cushions and your Fantasmic! reserved viewing tickets. DO NOT lose these tickets- this is how you will be admitted to your viewing location. They look like this:
Don't lose this!
Notice how the pass says to come back between 8-9PM. I recommend getting to your reserved viewing location right at 8PM or even ten minutes earlier. People will be lining up right at 8PM or sooner. Your ticket guarantees you a spot in this section but if you're like me and want front row viewing- show up early. Buy some snacks to enjoy while you wait to keep you busy. Enjoy the time to rest your legs a bit.
You can find the reserved viewing entrance near the Haunted Mansion- ask a cast member if you're unsure where to go and make sure you get in the correct line for the Blue Bayou Fantasmic! reserved viewing.
We arrived at 7:50PM and there was already about 15 people ahead of us in line. The cast members let us in the reserved area right at 8PM and we sat in the second row of people. Last year we sat in the first row and the railing obstructed our view a bit, the second row helps alleviate that problem.
Here's our view of the stage area from our Blue Bayou Fantasmic! reserved viewing:
Our view from the reserved viewing location.
The show will start promptly at 9PM for the first showing. Be courteous of those behind you and remain seated. No flash photography either!
Here's a few images from the show taken from our spot in the Blue Bayou Fantasmic! reserved viewing area.
Beginning of the show- notice the rail in the bottom of the photo I mentioned before.
Look at how close we are to the boats!
My favorite.
Almost close enough to touch. So cool.
The pirate scene is really neat this close up. You can really see the action.
My son's favorite part.
My favorite part!
Here you can watch two smaller clips from our Blue Bayou Fantasmic! viewing location:
As you can see, we had a great spot.
Overall, I highly recommend this experience if Fantasmic! is at the top of your list for your visit. The food and atmosphere at the Blue Bayou is well worth the high price tag. The reserved viewing location is great, even if you're not in the first or second row, you're going to have awesome views. I believe it was worth every penny. I always factor this dining experience into our trip planning costs now because I always enjoy it so much.
Bonus for First Fantasmic! Shows: Fireworks
I highly recommend you watch the first Fantasmic! performance at 9PM so you can watch the fireworks afterwards. When Fantasmic! ends, you will be instructed to stand for the fireworks before they start. You will then be able to watch the projections on a water screen directly in front of you while the fireworks go off to your right. This is absolutely one of my favorite places to watch the fireworks. Enjoy!
If there are high winds (which happens often) and the fireworks are cancelled they will still show projections on the water screen in front of you. It's always worth watching so stay tuned for that.
Enjoy our video above of the finale for the Pixar Fest “Together Forever” fireworks and book your dining package for your next trip! I hope you enjoy it as much as we always do.
Ready to Enjoy the Blue Bayou Fantasmic! Experience?
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Is the menu the same for the lunch version of the package?
They are very similar, you could call Disney Dining directly (714) 781-DINE) to find out the exact differences. From what I know they’re not too different.
IS THE SEATING TIERED, OR IS IT A FLAT AREA?
The seating is a flat area but you’ll have a good view regardless of where you’re seated in the viewing area. If you want to get first choice of your seat- line up 30 minutes early.
This was so helpful. We are going in July and taking my niece for the first time. We are definitely getting this reservation.
Have a good time! This is definitely my favorite way to watch Fantasmic!
Your site has great info! I’m an AP holder in Nor-Cal and drive up every couple months. There’s so many new things to experience all the time, we love it!
Question, Do they always give out the seat cushions for the Fantasmic shows? I don’t see anything anywhere about them on Disneyland’s website. I know your visit was in 2018, but have you been there since and know if they still given these out?
I’m going tomorrow (Jun 8 2019) for a week, and already have reservations at Blue Bayou. But I’m gonna look into the Fantasmic package since reading this!
Thanks!
Jessica
Thank you for reading! Yes, I believe they are still given out. Every time we’ve done this dining package (usually once a year) we always receive cushions. You could always call Disney and ask just to confirm.
What time did you make your Blue Bayou dinner reservation for?
We made it for 6PM which gave us enough time to eat slowly and have plenty of time to go get our spots.
You always get the cushion. We have seen it so many times that we give our cushions and tickets away- we just really LOVE the special meal……. sometimes we go to show but it is really hard on our backs to sit there….. so even if we happen to watch show we still pay it forward with our cushions……. but usually it’s both.
That’s awesome, Robin! We have quite a large collection of cushions at this point so next show we see we’ll be giving them to someone who wants them when we’re done. 🙂
Do you still get the reserved seats for Fantasmic if you do the lunch package? Thank you.
Yes you do, if it’s the dining package!
According to the Disneyland website all Fantasmic dining packages reserved areas are standing room only. It also states if the show is cancelled, there are no refunds! We were so looking forward to booking the package at Blue Bayou. Your experience sounded wonderful. Do you think this is a new policy for 2020?
The disclaimer there is likely just for extraordinary circumstances when the parks might get so crowded that cast members will ask those in the dining package areas to stand. However, this is extremely rare and having done this dining package many times I’ve never been asked to stand. In fact I can’t even think of a recent instance where this happened so I’d feel confident that you shouldn’t be asked to stand during the show.
Just called Disneyland Guest Services and they said there are no seats for the Blue Bayou Fantasmic Dining Package. They give you the cushions so you can sit on the ground! I thought sitting meant on a chair, bench, etc. With older people in our party this will not work. I’m disappointed.
This is correct, it’s only ever been sitting space only- on the ground. The only provided seating with table/chairs is for the Upgraded option for the River Belle Terrace.
This may be repetitive, but is there a drink included with the dining package or its it extra? Also are the desserts from the lunch and dinner menu interchangeable (i.e. the vanilla creme brulee instead of the gingerbread on the lunch menu)?
Yes, a drink is included- you can even get a mint julep! As far as I know, you can’t swap out desserts for ones that aren’t present on the menu for when you dine but it can’t hurt to ask.
Can’t seem to get Dining Packages other than Hungry Bear for Fantasmic!
Any ideas?
Dining becomes available 60 days prior to your park date and post to the Disneyland website by 6AM PT. To have the best chance of securing the dining packages, you will need to be ready to book your day the day dining opens up. If you’re past that date, your best bet is to just keep checking daily! Hungry Bear is a good option with a great viewing area, if you decide to go that route!
Purchased the Fantasmic package from the Blue Bayou and the cushion is not included in the package.
We hope they bring it back one day… along with the bread!
If there are NO cushions, do you have to stand or sit on the ground?
Does the Lunch package give you the best chance of getting the Fantastic ticket for the evening?
If there are NO cushions, do you have to stand or sit on the ground?
Does the Lunch package give you the best chance of getting the Fantastic ticket for the evening? Is a fantistic ticket guaranteed if you get the Lunch Package?
Yes, you will need to sit on the ground throughout the duration of the show. Either the lunch or dinner package will offer the Fantasmic! dining package at Bue Bayou.