Fantasmic or star wars fireworks?

[Cz1992]

I love WDW's Fantasmic!, but that is coming from a place of nostalgia. That is something that we would see every trip when I was younger and went with family. Because of this, Fantasmic! is a "must-do" for me every trip I take. I do enjoy the show (even though DL's is much better). Still, I do enjoy the fireworks, soundtrack, and performances from the DHS version. The finale is always magical for me as well. If you've never seen it before, I would recommend it. I'm sure your children would enjoy it as well. My siblings and I always quote Fantasmic! till this day (20 years later) because of how much we enjoyed it when we were children.

 

[mrsap]

I prefer SW. I was never really into Fantasmic. Good luck deciding!

 

[DanieB]

It depends on what you like. If the kids are huge SW fans and not big character fans, then SW is probably better.

The SW show is movie images projected onto the theater set to music, with some lasers, and with a very few very small fireworks. To get a good view you’d need to get there at least 30mn early. To get a view on non-insane nights (probably from the street) you can just show up a few minutes beforehand but with short kids you’ll probably want to show up a bit earlier.

Since your group does not consist of die-hard DL Fantasmic people who have seen the show dozens of times, you’ll probably enjoy ours if you like DL’s. The seating is a huge plus. There are a few scenes that are different. What used to be a Peter Pan scene and is now Pirates at DL is a Pocahantus scene here. The show boat is a let down compared to DL, but it is still an excellent show. It’s usually pretty easy to grab a fp in the early evening for it, in which case you need to be at the tap point between 25-40 minutes before showtime. You are not guaranteed a seat if you tap in late. It takes a few minutes to get to the tap point after entering the walkway by the Beauty and the Beast theatre. If you’re doing standby, I would arrive at the entrance to the long walk to the theater 30 minutes early at the latest; sooner if it seems to be a crowded day.

Thanks for all the info!

 

[DanieB]

I think in June the shows could be an hour apart. Which would mean it is easy to see both, though you won't get that great a viewing spot.

We prefer F! by far. Projection shows only do so much for us, and lasers and a few fireworks aren't enough. Plus the waiting in a good viewing spot is hard as you are in the middle of a concrete plaza with nothing to sit on but the floor. Also harder to save spots for snack restroom trips.

F! has seating which makes waiting and snack/ restroom seat saving easy.

That’s a good point about seating. With little kids sometimes we like something more just because it ends up being “easier” lol

 

[DanieB]

Leaving the park after SW fireworks may be a LOT easier than exiting from F! as well. We have done both SW fireworks and F! at DHS and like both. Also we did a dessert party for F! and got pretty decent seating with that. I'd probably preview both on Youtube and see what you like better.

That’s good advice I should watch on YouTube! Ugh I hadn’t thought about the crazy escape through the sea if people. I think I’ve been in denial bc that part stresses me out!

 

[DanieB]

We watched SW in January 2018 and have walked past it since. For us it was just a projection show of some Star Wars scenes with lasers and a few fireworks thrown in. Picking up the sound from the SW scenes was very dependant on where you were standing in relation to the speakers. We aren't great SW fans and in comparison with other projection show elsewhere on property (MK for example) it lacked the wow factor for us and was certainly not worth standing and waiting for. The music, live action, projections, lasers and fireworks of Fantasmic (not to mention the amphitheatre with good sound and seating) make it a must see for us every visit.

Mrs TT

Thanks for sharing all the specifics. That helps!

 

[starry_solo]

Both. I would go two days and do both!

I love DLR fantasmic so it is a little weird to see the WDW version.

 

[JayDubs]

I'd recommend Fantasmic!

The Star Wars show is REALLY heavy on projections... it's like watching a powerpoint show of star wars pics and clips with a couple of fireworks and a gratuitous amount of that gas-fire effect. Wasn't terrible, but even for a group of Star Wars fans, it wasn't worth missing out on Fantasmic! for...

I really wish they would bring back the temporary show that they were doing before this, Symphony in the Stars: A Galactic Spectacular. Now THAT show was amazing! We actually left Magic Kingdom to park-hop to HS JUST to see that show multiple times that year. Awesome...

 

[DanieB]

Both. I would go two days and do both!

I love DLR fantasmic so it is a little weird to see the WDW version.

I wish we had that much time! There’s just so much to see in wdw!

 

[DanieB]

I'd recommend Fantasmic!

The Star Wars show is REALLY heavy on projections... it's like watching a powerpoint show of star wars pics and clips with a couple of fireworks and a gratuitous amount of that gas-fire effect. Wasn't terrible, but even for a group of Star Wars fans, it wasn't worth missing out on Fantasmic! for...

I really wish they would bring back the temporary show that they were doing before this, Symphony in the Stars: A Galactic Spectacular. Now THAT show was amazing! We actually left Magic Kingdom to park-hop to HS JUST to see that show multiple times that year. Awesome...

I didn’t realize the show was so projection focused. I knew they used the projections but I just assumed it was more of a fireworks show. Thanks for the info!

 

[dynastyyanks]

Fantasmic was my favorite nighttime show at Disney World for a long time. While it's lost a little luster (it's probably number 3 for me now), it's more of a tentpole nighttime spectacular in my view. The Star Wars show feels more like a cool extra, but I would prefer Fantasmic.