If you could attend just one nighttime show, which would you choose?

Thank you everyone for the replies!



Depends on a few points. Have you attended any before? Is this a one and done trip for you and you can only choose one?

Personally, I've seen them all more than once and here is my order and why.

ROL - controversial I know but here goes. This will be why some of the others aren't up there high as well. I'm height challenged, HEA and Star Wars rely heavily on laser projections on buildings. Unless you are taller than, let's say 5' 6" or so or get there at least a hour before or pay for a dessert party, you will have a hard time seeing anything except the fireworks part. At ROL you are seated, it is entirely laser projections but they are water based and pretty easy to see. Yes, the benches are hard but I've seen it 3 times, twice with FPs that I got about a half hour before the show and once just walking up and have never had a bad seat.

Fantasmic - Another one where you are seated so it's easier to see. You can do it with either a FP or stand by and still be able to see pretty much all of the show. It's fun and has a pretty good story.

HEA and Star Wars are tied for me - again I'm height challenged. I've tried both twice and both times got there early enough to get a good spot, almost guaranteed no one was going to get in front of me. Nope, out of 4 times (2 at each) I've yet to see the entire projection.

My first time at Star Wars I was solo and didn't really have anything to do so about a hour before the show I just sat down at what looked like a pretty good spot. A very friendly CM came along and told me to come with him, he had a better spot for me and moved me smack dab in the middle night on in the very front. Cool, as people came in a couple of families with small children were around me so we agreed the kids would be in front of me when the show started and the adults would gather around, meanwhile we were just sitting and standing and leaving room around ourselves. Worked great until about 3 min. before time for the show to start when two very large, very tall men came and squeezed themselves in front of me, they had to have had their toes right on the line. So I could kind of lean out to one of side of them and see part of the projections but every time I leaned one way,the man would shift right in front of me. The second time I tried I was with my adult son. We got a spot on the edge of the outside line, that way I could lean over since there was a walkway and people weren't allowed to stand there. We got behind a row of wheel chairs thinking this is good because they are wheelchairs and these people can't stand. Again, about 3 min. before the show two tall men squeezed themselves in front of the wheel chair in front of me (it was actually a scooter) They woman was able to kind of stand and lean her bad leg on the seat but I couldn't see over her or them. I could lean out the side and see one side of the projection but that was all.

HEA - my son and I got a pretty good spot right in front of a tape line so no one could get in front of us. Again, just before the show started a family that was sort of beside us but had their strollers in front of us decided that the kids didn't need to be in strollers, they needed to be held and the parent holding them had to stand where the strollers were. This was not bad enough, they decided they needed to shift from side to side so not matter what side I shifted to in order to see around them, they shifted in front of me. Second time, again I got a good spot and the father in front of me decided his kid needed to be on his shoulders and not only did he need to be on his shoulder's he needed to dance around with him and wave the kid's arms around. The kid was not happy about this and kept asking dad to stop but it didn't help.

Illuminations - I just don't get this show. There are plenty of easy to view spots and you don't really have to be there very early but I just don't get the show. You do need to be in just the right spot to see the projections on the earth and the whole show is just kind of boring to me.


Thank you!!!

Yes this is a one and done for a while anyway. We haven't been in 6 years and are going to celebrate our anniversary. We are local to the Disneyland Resort and go weekly.

I am short too, 5'1". I am leaning most against F! as we have it at DL. I know its different in some parts but pretty similar.
 

Just not our experience. There are a lot of people but we usually arrive 20-30 minutes before and find a place in the garden area in front of Casey's. Has not failed us yet, even at Christmas/New Years' time...NYE excluded, of course.
Yes, I've had similar experiences. Showing up and finding a spot in the hub about 20 minutes before and being able to sit on the ground until about 5 minutes before.

As to the question, HEA is far and away the best show IMO. I went to Disney for 2 days a few weeks ago and saw HEA the first night. I had full intentions on seeing either Illuminations or Star Wars/Fantasmic the 2nd night, but I decided to go back to MK to see HEA again because it's that good.
 
Although I extremely miss symphony in the stars which imo blew away everything I’ve ever seen firework wise at Disney.
Agreed! So glad I got to see SitS before it changed. Epic fireworks!

To answer the question, I guess HEA, though I have a real soft spot for IllumiNations myself. Going to see ROL for the first time in a few weeks. It's been 20 years since I've seen F! and I have yet to see the Galactic Spectacular.

Have to add in that Jingle Bell Jingle Bam is pretty fun, and the Holiday Wishes is awesome with the perimeter fireworks.

I love fireworks. Period.
 
Thanks for all the input. I have narrowed it down HEA and Star Wars fireworks. I think I know the answer.

We are going to see RoL as DH chimed in.

So if you could see any two shows.....
 
HEA, but after reading all the votes for Star Wars I'm thinking I need to prioritize this show on my next trip.
 
Happily Ever After, or if you prefer seated then Fantasmic.

I would vote for Star Wars but the projections-heavy current version just isn't as great as the previous fireworks version.
 
Yes, I've had similar experiences. Showing up and finding a spot in the hub about 20 minutes before and being able to sit on the ground until about 5 minutes before.

That was not my experience at all. By 20 minutes before the show they weren't even letting people into the hub because it was too crowded. Another time we got a spot about an hour ahead of time and were sitting for a while, but had to stand about 30 minutes out because we were getting trampled. It was horrendous compared to the crowds I was used to for Wishes.
 
My order:

1) Happily Ever After
2) Illuminations
3) Fantasmic
4) Star Wars Fireworks
5) Rivers of Light
 
HEA is tied with Star wars for me. HEA because it's pure Disney and my kids love it. Star Wars because I'm a big SW nerd.
 
By 20 minutes before the show they weren't even letting people into the hub because it was too crowded
That's what I read in another thread dedicated to the crowds at HEA. with two small children it was enough to make us decide to skip it.

The speculation there was that the lack of a nighttime parade affected this. Plus if course you have to be in front of the castle for the projections.

All those people responding about claustrophobic level crowds (not exaggerating the responses people had) make me wonder if the people saying "plenty of good spaces 20 minutes before the show" based their experiences before the nighttime parade was eliminated.
 
Illuminations, for sure. We may even do this twice on our 7 day trip in the fall.

Then Happily Ever After, Fantasmic!, Star Wars. Rivers of Light is definitely last, probably a one and done for us, but maybe we just caught it on a bad night for the mists, as a lot of the projections were not clear. I'm still a fireworks gal though.

My top choice would be Holiday Wishes, but that's seasonal and requires an extra ticket.
 
If I had to choose just one, I would go with Star Wars. That said, we have also have a RoL dinner reservation set for our upcoming trip.
 


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