Fantasmic or Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular

[chuff88]

This question might be moot, because there are currently no SW:AGS shows scheduled in September, but I have a hypothetical: If forced to choose between Fantastmic! and SW:AGS, which would you choose?

Some background: I'm traveling to Disney World with my mom in September/October for my 30th birthday. We're only doing one HS studios day (and it's sort of a partial day), and we don't have time to Park Hop over to HS for another evening. It currently looks as though the two nighttime shows will be too close to each other to make it to both, so we're going to have to choose. My mom and I are both big Disney fans AND big Star Wars fans, though I'm probably the bigger Star Wars fan. If we did Fantasmic, we would do the dining package at HBD (using DDP entitlements). If we did SW, we'd still have dinner at HBD, but we'd probably do the dessert party as well (obviously paying OOP). I'd just love to hear people's opinions of one show over the other.

Thanks!

 

[sharonabe]

For a Star Wars fan, SWS is pretty cool and it's very well done, IMHO. But if you've never seen F!, I can't imagine skipping that either. This would be a difficult decision for me.

F! you get to sit down in an outside theater. It's longer than SWS and it tells a story. SWS you have to stand and they quickly show tons of clips from all the movies up on the big walls surrounding the Chinese theater and end with some fireworks.

If they end up scheduled close together and if F! is shown first, I think I would find a seat near the top of the theater near the exit, so I could get out quickly. Make my way back to the Chinese theater area and catch at least a portion of SWS. It won't be as good as seeing it all, but you'd at least get a taste and get to see the fireworks at the end.

 

[720L]

I love Star Wars, the music is amazing. But Fantasmic is the best nighttime show at Disney, imo. You really don't need a dining package to see it either ( in case you didn't know) , there is plenty of seating. There is a concession stand with food so you could still eat, but you'd be sitting in the bleachers eating.

 

[sharonabe]

Agree with 720L...don't do the dining package, especially if you're going to try to get out quickly to catch part of SWS. It would be a wasted expense. It's really easy to get a 4th FP for F! and then you can sit anywhere in the theater except in the dining package area.

 

[100AcreWood]

If you're a Star Wars fan, you do not want to miss the fireworks. I love Fantasmic but those Star Wars fireworks were the highlight of our last trip.

 

[Haley R]

We were able to get front row seats at fantasmic, ran over to toy story after, and still saw fireworks from the star wars show. We ended up not liking it much so we left to avoid crowds.

 

[Robo]

We were able to get front row seats at fantasmic, ran over to toy story after, and still saw fireworks from the star wars show. We ended up not liking it much so we left to avoid crowds.

Yup. Just the "fireworks" part of the Star Wars show can be underwhelming.

The fireworks are just one part of a much more complex presentation.
And, the viewing area that provides the best view of all is very small.
(Poor design by Disney.)

 

[evilqueenmindy]

I'm very "meh" on Fantasmic. I feel it's really not worth all the hassle of getting there so early, waiting so long and the crowd getting out. I'm a big star wars fan and the fireworks are pretty easy to grab a decent spot for, even about 30 min or so before showtime (and if they do the other projection show before it, that is very cool as well.)

 

[JerseyJanice]

Fantasmic is a must-see for every Disney fan IMO. I personally love it.

Star Wars is probably a must-see for people who are fans of those movies. But I haven’t seen much of it and I’m not really much of a Star Wars fan.

 

[kwdw]

As a Star Wars fan - the SW fireworks is a must-do for me (and the rest of the family). We make an effort to get ourselves centered on the Chinese theater for a good view. The fireworks themselves are one piece - you need the music and other visuals for the entire storyline of the show. We find we only need to gather 20-30 minutes in advance to find a good spot.

Fantasmic, on the other hand, we find to be a dark show that doesn't thrill us.

IN BOTH CASES - I don't think the dining package or the dessert party for SW are worth it. The dessert party viewing area is slightly off center. It's not BAD - but its not great either. And we didn't find the desserts that interesting - it just wasn't a good selection.

Now - if the timing is right - yes - sometimes you can manage to hit both shows. But exiting Fantasmic is slow.

 

[chuff88]

Thanks for everyone's feedback! I think we will probably skip Fantasmic (I watched some clips online and while I know it would be better in real life, I just don't think it'll appeal to two adults as much) and see the SW fireworks. We might still do the dessert party (it might be an extra expense and not "worth it" in terms of food, but for us it'll be worth it to not have to stress over finding a viewing spot), but obvious not the Fantasmic dining package.

Thanks a lot! This was super helpful.

 

[mikejuliestl]

Planning for our mid-August trip and noticed zero mention of SW:AGS during that timeframe. Does anyone know if they do this show year round? Do they wait to schedule them or is it just certain times of the year?

 

[Delirium]

Standing among a mass of people in a small area with no guaranty of a good view on a humid night in September

vs.


Sitting among a mass of people in a large area with a pretty good guarantee of having a good view on a humid night in September.


Fantasmic! would win the battle for me.

 

[chuff88]

Standing among a mass of people in a small area with no guaranty of a good view on a humid night in September

vs.


Sitting among a mass of people in a large area with a pretty good guarantee of having a good view on a humid night in September.


Fantasmic! would win the battle for me.

We're looking at doing the dessert party for the Star Wars fireworks, which is what I have ultimately decided we'd prefer.

 

[chuff88]

Planning for our mid-August trip and noticed zero mention of SW:AGS during that timeframe. Does anyone know if they do this show year round? Do they wait to schedule them or is it just certain times of the year?

In the Star Wars events thread a poster who I strongly suspect is a CM has reassured people that there should be SW fireworks beyond July, the schedule just hasn't been released yet.

 

[CAS239]

Planning for our mid-August trip and noticed zero mention of SW:AGS during that timeframe. Does anyone know if they do this show year round? Do they wait to schedule them or is it just certain times of the year?

It's done every night. December will be the only time that it might be away for a little for Jingle Bell Jingle Bam