Fantasmic! is back again at Disneyland and, as in previous years, all the prime spots for the show are in reserved viewing areas that require pay-for-play vouchers from 2024 Fantasmic! Dining Package. Although there are FOUR different ways to score a great spot to see the show, we’re pretty confident that the $55 per person River Belle Terrace Standard Package is our favorite way to enjoy the show.

Our full review of dinner below includes our thoughts, trips and tricks on the food, the views, and overall process for the 2024 River Belle Terrace Standard Fantasmic! Dining Package. Is it worth it? Let’s take a closer look!

EDITOR’S NOTE: This review is based on a visit from May 25, 2024.

The Cost

There’s a fixed price for dinner or brunch (see our review of the brunch menu experience). Tax and gratuity are not included. Magic Key discounts ARE allowed for the River Belle Terrace Standard Fantasmic! Dining Package so don’t forget to let the Cast Member know when you’re paying!

The View

The view for this Standard Dining Package flanks the center-most viewing area, typically to the right of center. It’s important to note, exact seating areas are subject to change. There is waterside seating in this area and it offers a fantastic seated view that is slightly-off center.

On some nights, better views closer to the centermost Premium Dining Package area MAY open to allow more guests. This will tend to be more likely during the second showing when there’s usually less people. Although the show is great from just about any vantage point, there’s a special magic in seeing all the projections, lighting, and choreography perfectly aligned from where it was staged to be optimally viewed!

You can see full video of the show taken from right near the water’s edge in the River Belle Terrace Standard Fantasmic! Dining Package viewing area.

The Food

There is a special menu created specifically for the River Belle Terrace Standard Fantasmic! Dining Package and there is a separate brunch menu (11:00 AM – 1:55 PM) plus a separate menu available for both lunch and dinner (2:00 PM – 7:50 PM).

For both meal periods, the menus are nearly identical to the restaurant’s regular menu however we did ask and unfortunately you are NOT allowed to substitute items from the regular menu as part of the Fantasmic! Dining Package. Still, it never hurts to ask if you have a particular accommodation you’d like to discuss on-site. However, you are still fee to make any additional purchases from the regular menu that you’d like at regular menu price.

Check out our review video below taking a look at all the food items including some peeks of our view of the show from the reserved viewing area.

The Menu

Here’s a complete look the menus available for the River Belle Terrace Standard Fantasmic! Dining Package for adults and kids. For this review, we had the chance to review the lunch/dinner menu.

The Starters

All three starters were big hits at our table. The Deviled Meatball Skillet is surprisingly great and a hearty portion — the plant-based meatballs are tender and flavorful and the grits are very well seasoned with the pepper and onion providing a perfect complement. The Chicken Pot Pie Soup is thick and creamy and the biscuit on top is a perfect complement. The Farmhouse Salad was fairly standard issue with white BBQ ranch and house-made croutons and avocado.

The Entrees

The Big Belle Sandwich is definitely the money-maker if you’ve got a huge appetite. It’s three pieces of thick-cut toast layered with smokey and creamy burnt ends mac & cheese and crispy Nashville hot chicken and served a great side of house-made slaw, cornichon pickle, and marinated onions.

The BBQ Burnt Ends Pasta was also a winner featuring pappardelle pasta, caramelized onions and wild mushrooms making for an irresistible choice that will not disappoint.

The Blackened Sustainable Fish was good but outshone by its costars including a pickled veggie salad that was fantastic and house fries that are top-notch. The thick-cut Pork Chop was completely suitable, if unremarkable, with buttery mashed potatoes, seasonal vegetables, and Bourbon-apple sauce on the side.

Dessert

While the starters and entrees were all winners for us, both of the dessert options are so mediocre that we’d almost advise skipping — even though they’re included in the cost.

The House-made Pudding features a tart/bitter yellow pudding base with a topping of blue raspberry pudding on top. Neither was particularly good and saved only by the sour cherry compote at the bottom and the pirouette on top. If there were popping candy in this dish as advertised, we were hard pressed to find any.

Meanwhile, the only noteworthy thing about the Cherry Oat Cobbler A La Mode is the awesome vegan vanilla ice cream that’s served on top. The toasted oat streusel seemed light on the streusel and the hot cherries that drowned the skillet otherwise didn’t do the dish any favors.

We decided to pay extra to get one of the desserts from the regular menu and the 15-layer Red Velvet Cake is what you’d expect and very tasty. The praline drizzle and pecans on the side were a nice unexpected icing on the cake — literally.

Thoughts and Tips

The River Belle Terrace Standard Fantasmic! Dining Package is a Goldilocks package of sorts — it’s not the cheapest and it’s not the most expensive — it’s just right. While the $55 price tag is hardly a bargain, it is the mid-range price point of all options available and still gets you access to some of the best seats in the house which makes it an easy choice if you want a special experience to enjoy a good meal and get a great view of one of Disneyland’s most popular nighttime spectaculars.

Getting Your Reservation

Reservations are available from 11:00 AM to 1:55 PM for brunch and 2:00 PM to 7:50 PM for dinner.  You can reserve this dining package up to 60 days in advance at the link below. It’s important to note that a regular dining reservation is NOT the same thing as the Fantasmic! Dining Package reservation.

While day-of upgrades to a Fantasmic! Dining Package MAY be available for guests with a regular dining reservation, it’s strongly recommended to book in advance to guarantee your spot. If you do have a regular reservation and want to try for a day-of Fantasmic! Dining Package opening, you should aim to check at the restaurant podium as soon as the location opens (generally 11am most days but check the Disneyland app for most accurate times) to make a note on your reservation that you want the dining package.

MORE INFO: Reserve a spot on the Fantasmic! Dining Package official site

Getting Your Viewing Area Voucher

After your meal, you will be presented with your vouchers to enter the reserved viewing area for the Fantasmic! Dining Package. Different packages have access to different viewing areas but this middle-tier package definitely offers a great spot.

Different packages have access to different viewing areas and this one offers some of the best seats in the house. This package can be booked for either the first or second show (normally 9:00 PM and 10:30 PM, respectively) and we strongly recommend the latter viewing as it tends to be less crowded, making it easier to score a prime spot.

Getting Into the Viewing Area

Once you have your vouchers, you will check in with a Cast Member near the Harbour Galley (close to the Haunted Mansion exit) to gain access to the reserved viewing area. There will be three separate queue/waiting areas setup for each of the three Dining Packages offered and they are seated in order from stage left to stage right. This means Rancho del Zocalo are seated first, then Blue Bayou, and River Belle Terrace last.

If you see guests are already seated in the viewing areas, you can talk to a Cast Member at the ropes for your section for instruction on where best to go — they might let you in from where you are talking to them if the queue process has already completed.

The viewing areas are (ground) sitting only although there are also accommodations for guests in wheelchairs and ECVs who may remain in their transports at the back of the viewing area. If you need to stand, Cast Members will either let you stand at the back of the section along the ropes or direct you to seated viewing on the docks near Harbour Galley. Note that the section near Harbour Galley is very far off to the side.

See it for Yourself

Fantasmic Dining Packages are available now for booking. Space is limited so you might not find your preferred time or date but always keep checking back for cancellations, especially in the days leading up to your visit date as people cancel to avoid penalty.

MORE INFO:  See all of MouseInfo’s Fantasmic! coverage

Hungry for More?

The Fantasmic! Dining Packages are available in several different price points and we’ve reviewed a few of them below.

• REVIEW: 2024 River Belle Terrace Fantasmic! Dining Package (Standard) for brunch 
• REVIEW: 2024 Rancho del Zocalo Fantasmic! Dining Package (Standard)
• DETAILS: Closer look at ALL menus for the 2024 Fantasmic! Dining Package