Is Fantasmic just "OK" or is it just me?

[camtheriot]

We are planning our big Family vacation (25 of us in all ), and I am trying to decide whether or not it's worth it to stand in line again for the Fantasmic show. We did get to see it a few years ago, but... I was a little dissappointed. Is it just me, or is the show just "Ok"? Of course, we were ALLLLL the way to the Left of the stage... Maybe if we get better seats near center? Has anyone ever seen it from 2 different seating spots and it made a big difference in the experience? I just don't want to use up our precious time if it's not going to be AMAZING....

Thanks!!

 

[principessa0ox]

We have only been once but I think we are skipping it in October. My brother loved it and that's why we went, he kept saying how awesome it was. We just weren't wowed by it. In fact, I think we are completely avoiding HS on the Thursday we are there. LOL

 

[TangledMama]

I saw it in 2003 and thought it was AMAZING. But we didn't have to wait in line for long to get seats. In 2005 I went, and I think we ended up in some standing only section and decided to leave before the show (the show wasn't starting for probably another hour).

Then in 2009 I went again with my parents, DS, grandma, and great aunt. My family wasn't very impressed with the show, and it wasn't as great as I had remembered it. I skipped it on my last trip, and probably will be skipping it again. It's nice to see if you can get a seat a few minutes before show time, but I don't think it's worth waiting a long time for.

 

[camtheriot]

I saw it in 2003 and thought it was AMAZING. But we didn't have to wait in line for long to get seats. In 2005 I went, and I think we ended up in some standing only section and decided to leave before the show (the show wasn't starting for probably another hour).

Then in 2009 I went again with my parents, DS, grandma, and great aunt. My family wasn't very impressed with the show, and it wasn't as great as I had remembered it. I skipped it on my last trip, and probably will be skipping it again. It's nice to see if you can get a seat a few minutes before show time, but I don't think it's worth waiting a long time for.

That's what I'm thinking... I just can't imagine why soooo many people wait in line for sooooo long. I just thought that I MUST have missed something sitting on the sidelines... maybe not, huh?

 

[abekennedy]

I think it's heavy on the water show, just shy of action. If that was flipped and there was more live action than watching movies on water I'd love it more
Maybe that's just impossible but I always leave feeling a little let down.

 

[parkhopping]

Personally, I love F! It's obvious that the show is a little dated and it's not my favorite nighttime entertainment, but I still really enjoy it. However, I would not stand in line forever for it. Both times I have been in recent months, I have gone to the first showing. I arrived about an hour before showtime, grabbed a Mickey pretzel for my supper, and gotten a good seat in one of the center sections. 30 minutes before showtime, they do some preshow activities that are really fun. It makes the wait time very manageable.

You will hear from plenty of people who love the show and plenty of others who are happy to skip it. I would recommend giving it another shot and either doing the dinner package to minimize your wait time or trying a strategy similar to the one I use for the first showing. After that, if you are underwhelmed, you can pass it up on future visits knowing you're not missing out on anything

 

[Jennasis]

I love Fantasmic! It's my favorite of the nighttime shows. Unfortunately we haven't been able to see it since 2010 as the shortened viewing schedule has made it very hard to fit into our trips.

 

[ginny_lynn]

I LOVE Fantasmic! We saw it in August, we didn't wait in line, we walked in and ended up front and center, we did wait about 45 minutes for the show to start but we were in our seats watching the trivia and things they did.

We were row 1 and got WET! I wouldn't even think of skipping it on our trip in September!

But it is personal preference really, I wasn't really wow'd by illuminations. I will give it another try from a differetn viewing spot though.

 

[DRDISNEYMD]

I think it's heavy on the water show, just shy of action. If that was flipped and there was more live action than watching movies on water I'd love it more
Maybe that's just impossible but I always leave feeling a little let down.

~I thought the water part would never end. It took us three vacations to finally see F! because of technical difficulties & we have no desire to go back. The best time we've ever had at DHS was when we skipped F!, altogether. We'll continue to do so from now on. Have fun!

 

[Ash20]

I think it's heavy on the water show, just shy of action. If that was flipped and there was more live action than watching movies on water I'd love it more
Maybe that's just impossible but I always leave feeling a little let down.

This is a good point and I feel the same. I have seen the show twice as it was pouring with rain during my first attempt and I thought maybe this had clouded my opinion. However, I tried it again on a sunny day and I was still left feeling dissapointed. The show wasn't as impressive as I thought it would be, but maybe my expectations were too high.

 

[PAGAS]

Fantasmic in DLR is so much better than the one in HS. We don't wait in line for it in HS, if we can get in without waiting, we do it. If not, we pass.

 

[Robo]

I love Fantasmic! It's my favorite of the nighttime shows. Unfortunately we haven't been able to see it since 2010 as the shortened viewing schedule has made it very hard to fit into our trips.

There is no longer any shortened viewing schedule.
Except for a short period of time (for refurb) at the beginning of 2012,
the show has returned to its regular nightly schedule.

Sometimes 2 (or 3) shows per evening.

 

[NHKristy76]

I've seen it a handful of times but have always left thinking, "Am I missing something?"

 

[ErinsMommy]

DH is very excited to see this. Me and DD not so much. So when we get back we'll be happy to report our opinions.

 

[lugnut33]

I was left wondering the same thing the first time I saw it, but now that I've seen it 3 or 4 more times I'm beginning to like it more and more. I'd definitely go back to see it as long as I don't have to wait in line.

 

[ChattaAlley]

We waited for over an hour and a half for F!. I did like it a lot but not to wait that long. I will never do that again. I would go if it is almost time for it to start and it wasn't crowded.

 

[Aura of Foreboding]

Fantasmic in DLR is so much better than the one in HS. We don't wait in line for it in HS, if we can get in without waiting, we do it. If not, we pass.

Agreed - we LOVE Fantasmic at Disneyland - you are so close to the action and the Peter Pan/Captain Hook fight can't be beat. We were really disappointed with the DHS version - it seemed slow and cold compared to what we were used to.

We won't go again until our two year old is old enough to enjoy it - and probably then only once.

 

[DisneyDanielle85]

DH and I went for the first time in October 2012 for our honeymoon and we weren't very impressed. At first it was neat with the water projections and the colors but the show it self wasn't spectacular. It's not something we'll go out of our way again to see. I was kind of disapointed because I listen to some of the Disney radio stations and they play fantasmic music all the time and I really liked the music! Ah well. I'm sure we'll go again if we eat one of the Fantasmic Dining Package places but I wouldn't stand in line to get a seat.

 

[TDC Nala]

Fantasmic is fun, but I wouldn't want to wait around an hour or more to see it.

 

[DisneyFive]

It's just you.

Naw, seriously I can see how some may not like it.

It's one of our absolute favorites though. I like that it's cooler in the evening, it's dark and I love the part where they set the water on fire.

Dan