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

[Pixie Princess]

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?

You missed nothing. We went to see it for the first time in 2008 after a co-worker told me how great it was. In his words, "best night time show at Disney." We lined up 45 minutes in advance, which wasn't really necessary, and got seats in the center section. Left underwhelmed. Its a fine enough show, but not as good as Illuminations or Wishes to me. And certainly nothing I would stand in line 45 minutes, or more, for again.

In 2011 we decided to give it another shot. I figured I went in with some pretty high expectations based on what my co-worker said, so I might enjoy it more on the second viewing. Nope. We did sit over to one side as I wasn't going to wait in line, but I don't think the seating had anything to do with it. It is still a fine enough view. It just isn't that great of a show to me.

 

[VACamm]

I love love love Fantasmic!!! The Pocahontas scene is my favorite... But then again I am a huge fan of Pocahontas

 

[karmutt]

To me, coming from Disneyland, if feels sort of like the disappointment of riding Pirates of the Caribbean at MK. The DL Pirates and Fantasmic have an amazing sense of atmosphere that are lost with the WDW versions, and some of the best pieces are missing.

...Still prefer it over all the other nighttime shows. Wouldn't wait for it more than 10 minutes, though.

 

[Maggie Lizer]

I watched it on Youtube and wasn't interested in waiting in line to see it IRL, to be honest. Having said that, I knew DH would NOT be interested (he is not into characters, and frankly neither am I), but I wonder if DSon would be interested. He was totally ape-nuts for the MSEP (which, I must admit, brought back some awesome memories for me), so I think we might consider giving Fantasmic a try the next time we go.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

The water movie stuff is just extra for me.

The enormous wing spreading fire breathing dragon that lights the whole lagoon on fire is pretty amazing.

And the character boats are excellent, especially the one at the end with everybody on it.

 

[LekiaHall]

It's just "ok" for me, but it's still probably something I'll keep doing because it's just the way we like to end our DHS day.

 

[Waddler]

It's a little cheesy and dated for my taste, but I think it's great for families. The effects are clever.

We usually don't make it to F! until the end of our trip, and I think that dampens the "wow" factor for me. After a week of thrill rides, fireballs, nightly fireworks, etc., I'm less easily impressed.

 

[jgh]

I loved Fantasmic! We saw it for the first time in FOREVER on our last trip in October. My only suggestion is not to sit near the very front. We were blinded by mist coming off of the spraying water and couldn't see anything while those were up...so we couldn't really see the projections very well. We were also apparently sitting downwind (though the wind was minimal if anything)...BOO.

I think that you should do it!

 

[katt789]

I saw it in DLR in 97, and it absolutely blew me away, but then again, I was only 7 years old.

Seeing it again in WDW in 2011 and I thought "that was okay" and skipped it for the next couple of trips. Now, Sept 2012 I watched it again and it absolutely blew me away and I can't get through the last few minutes of the show without tearing up.

I think it's all about the experience you're having too, if you're/your group are in a bad mood, or kinda grumpy, then it's not going to be as magical. Don't stress about it, and just focus on the show

 

[DisneyGuy758]

We are planning our big Family vacation (25 of us in all )

Well god bless you for that.



Personally, it's been a few years since I've seen Fantasmic...but I highly enjoyed it.

It's a great story, and a great show.

 

[sandgrace]

I agree with those that said that DLR is so much better, it just seems so much more magical to me...the set up stage at WDW takes away the "magic" IMO.

 

[DebbieB]

I like the beginning and the end, the middle is boring. The part that makes me mad is I love the moment when the boat comes around the corner with the characters and the spinning fireworks and at that moment many people get up and leave to make an early exit and you can't see.

 

[estherhead]

I love DHS Fantasmic. We always go about 30-45 minutes ahead of time and walk straight down the center to the wet zone. It's always got empty seats and is fantastic and doesn't really get that wet. And I like it better than DL. Disneyland perhaps has the better show but I found the whole sitting/standing in the center of the walkway very stressful both there and at WoC. I prefer to have a theater and real seats. I love it. Our coming trip we are thinking about going twice.

 

[Leona Fishback]

I also found it meh, not great but not terrible. And I also wondered if it was because my expectations were too high -- I'd read the unofficial disney book, which at that time was calling it one of the best things at Disney. Not sure if they've dialed that down, but I went in expecting fantastic, but it was just fantasmic. What a difference a letter makes.

 

[MikeandReneePlus5]

and I can't get through the last few minutes of the show without tearing up.

ya -

the ending moment when Mickey pops back out in that dashing tux and says "some imagination huh?" is one of those iconic WDW vacation moments.

Sort of encapsulates the entirety of "Disney" in 3 words.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I thought Fantasmic at Disney World was great - especially when the snake is actually moving around.

And then I saw Fantasmic in Disneyland - that blew the one at Disney World out of the water.
Now I think the one in Disney World is just ok.

As far as seating goes, I didn't realize you would get wet if you sat too close to the water the first time I went. So it was a cold February evening and we ended up wet and shivering because of it.

I like sitting near the top now.

 

[redrosesix]

We loved it the first time we saw it -- got our food and ate in the seats while waiting for the first show. Good seats about half way up

We saw it a few years later with the group we were traveling with -- they insisted on waiting in line for about an hour and seeing the 2nd show. I felt like the show was just ok.

So for us I'd say a lot of how we feel about something is determined by the wait -- we're experienced wdw travelers and avoid lines when we can. There are a lot of attractions I enjoy that others hate, but part of enjoying them is being able to walk right in.

 

[Jennasis]

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.

That wasn't the case when we were there last. Good news though...now if only I had a trip planned that included DHS. Alas, our next big trip is 2014. Going to WDW in March but only to MK andEpcot for a quickie!

 

[mrjef]

We saw it for the first time in 2011. I am glad that we saw it, but I don't really want to see it again. I thought that it was slow and did not hold my or the kids attention. In my opinion the time is better spent in the park. We did not revisit in 2012 while at DHS. I am sure that we will visit it again sometime as our youngest were two at the time, so when they can remember it we will likely go one more time.

 

[P00H1010]

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!!

Everyone has their own likes and dislikes in life...maybe Fantasmic is just not for you. We have seen it from different locations....the center seating is a bit "better" per say but I wouldn't say it really changed my experience. We love the show and have to see it once a trip. However I hate that line...we normally go in July and packed in like sardines for a long period of time in the heat is not my idea of a good time. Last year we did the dining package...we enjoyed our experience...we had a great meal at Mama Melrose and didn't have to deal with that awful line.