Is there anyone here who HASN'T thought that Wishes (m)

[bajanswife]

and Fantasmic were wonderful?? I've never seen either one, but I'm not that into lightshows/fireworks etc. unless they are so spectacular that I am left in awe. I wonder just how awesome they really are, and should we really put them on our "must-see" list?

We will see Illuminations for sure, because we plan to spend a whole day at Epcot. How do Wishes and Fantasmic compare? What about Spectromagic?

 

[JESW]

Haven't seen Fantasmic..yet, but Wishes just may be the show that has you leave in awe. It really is a spectacular production.

Illuminations is also a great show. Try to have a seat where you can also view the land part of it. Check out the globe - it took me a couple of times before I realized they were showing pictures on it - Reflections of Earth.

Jill

 

[AimeeM]

For my family, they are all must see's... Wishes was SOO AWESOME when we saw it in January. We love Fantasmic and Illuminations is great too!!! My kids love spectomagic, but if I HAD to miss something, that would be what I would pick first to miss. We always plan our days around the evening shows/fireworks/specto so we see them all. We are actually going to try and see Fantasmic twice this trip in November and I would like to see Wishes more than once too. I dont think you will be disappointed with any of them.

 

[miasmom]

I haven't been to Disney in 20 yrs. I'm taking my DD in two days. What are the light/firework shows that are mentioned here as must-sees? (Fantasmic, Wishes, etc) Which parks are they at?

 

[zakatak]

Wishes is at Magic Kingdom

Illuminations: Reflections of Earth is at EPCOT

Fanstasmic is at MGM Studios

All are winners! Wishes is my new favorite with Illuminations coming in a close second.

 

[Eljay]

They are all awesome & spectacular, but all different. Fantasmic has very few actual fireworks, but other amazing effects with lights, water, fire, lasers, holograms, etc. It also features live actors, performers & characters.
All 3 are must-see for all ages. If you asked me to pick a favorite, I wouldn't be able to.

 

[DVC Jen]

Fantasmic is my least favorite. The firs time we saw it we sat right up from and the water mist coming right at us was not pleasant. It left us feeling dirty/oily. I couldn't wait to take a shower.


The next time we saw it (for our kids) I enjoyed it more..but wasn't blown away.

 

[ncbyrne]

Fantasmic didn't do much for DH and I either. We picked up some portable food and headed 90 minutes early to stake out a perfect spot on those hard backless benches to be sure we'd get a good view. Maybe we were expecting too much, but it was ok at best. Once was enough for us (UNLESS we're bringing our granddaughters - it seems to appeal more to the younger set). However, Wishes and Illuminations are MUST sees for us. Truly my favorites in all of WDW.

 

[Aimeedyan]

I enjoyed Fantasmic at DisneyLand more than at MGM, but its still a great show. It isn't a normal fireworks show, as it has the characters and stuff like that. And the movie on the water is awesome!!!

My hubby, who isnt taken by the characters at all, really enjoyed Illuminations more... it has great fireworks, special effects, etc but no Disney characters and stuff. That same visit, in regards to the parades, he LOVED the Tapesty of Nation parade but loathed the MK parade with the characters.

So they're really different... and diff strokes for diff folks.

I am going to see Wishes for the first time in May! I'm excited!

 

[donnajon]

I guess this just goes to show that different people like different things. I hated the new illuminations. I loved the old one with the great music lighting up the different nationsbut I thought this one was long and boring. I kept thinking, when are they going to "illuminate the nations?" It just looked like a big fire on a lake top me. At first I thought a mishap had occured and something blew up. It didn't seem to have any purpose other than a big fire and seemed to take the ball forever to get around. It was neat to look at for a few minutes but it just took way too long. I will definitely skip this one next time. But, other people loved it. Maybe I just saw it on an off night. Now Fantasmic I thought was incredible and I can't wait to see it again. It was an amazing show will all kinds of neat special effects that I've never seen before. And I always enjoy the MK nighttime shows.

 

[SnackyStacky]

I'm always in the minority, but I'm not a big Fantasmic fan.

I'm like you, and don't much care for the light/laser/fireworks shows. I haven't seen Wishes, so I can't comment on it, but I LOVE LOVE LOVE Illuminations. That's truly something to behold.

But Fantasmic? Meh. I'd see it again, but I would NEVER sit in line for 2 hours, or whatever ungodly length of time people wait, for it. If you can see it without a wait, it's worth seeing once.

Have a fantastic trip!

 

[laceemouse]

I have to say Fantasmic is our family favorite hands down!!! I recommend doing the dinner package so you don't have to sit and wait soooo loooong. We have done it both ways and it is hard to sit with kids. We just got home on Sunday, and this trip we saw Illuminations for the first time since 1999. I agree, I miss the part where they lit up the nations, but it was still good. We enjoyed Spectromagic, and Wishes was FANTASTIC!!!! Still, Fantasmic is just so unique, like when they show the images on water, we just love it. Don't sit too close if you don't want to get wet or feel the heat!

 

[dmonroe]

We like them all, with Fantasmic being our least favorite--no one gets bent out of shape if we skip it to go do something else. We love IllumiNations, but it was Wishes that gave us all chills!

 

[CamColt]

Im probably in the minority but I think both Wishes & Fantasmic are way better than Illuminations.
IMO, Illuminations was a nice fireworks show. I wouldnt go out of my way to see it again. Fantasmic sort of tells a story, with music from Disney movies, characters, plus the effects. Wishes is a beautiful fireworks display over the castle, and like Fantasmic, it has that Disney touch to it(voices & music). I guess what I miss in Illuminations is the Disney part of it.

 

[slp87]

Wishes is amazing!! It is the best fireworks show. The music and timing are wonderful. I love watching the video from the DIS.

 

[DebbieB]

Fantasmic is my least favorite of the three. You have to sit a long time to wait for it, it's easier to grab a last minute spot for Illumintions or Wishes. I like the beginning of Fantasmic, the princess barge section and the end, but the rest I think is boring (especially the Pocohontas section). I could see Illuminations & Wishes over and over again.

 

[720L]

Illuminations was the BEST fireworks show I've ever seen....brought tears to my eyes it was so DISNEY!! I get like that a lot at Disney though......

 

[GarrettJD]

I absolutely LOVED Illuminatons last year. I bought the CD, and I listen to it ALL the time. It's a powerful, amazing show.

Fantasmic I missed last year, unfortunately. I did see Spectromagic, though. How much did I like it? Well, I'm thinking of burning an extra day of our park hoppers on our arrival day to make SURE we see it. I bought that CD too, and I play it all the time, too. Havent seen Wishes yet (Fantasy in the Sky was still running) but it's a top priority for us in June.

 

[Stepharoonie!]

I didn't care for Fantasmic...was a little bored by it. I love Wishes though.

 

[Steffy]

I love, love, love Illuminations. I can't wait to see Wishes.

I rescheduled my trip so that I would be able to see Spectromagic. It was so utterally awesome. I sat on the curb and was in absolute heaven. I watched the last parade. I almost cried when we got to the MK too late for the first parade.

A nice Cm told me they had added another parade and then I let my family live.

Fantasmic. I loved the poster who wrote about the hard backless cold seats. Ah yes. And then to sit upon it for 90 minutes. With a three year old. Didn't like it. DGD LOVED it.

So the last time we were there, we went again. Got to the stadium 30 minutes before, got a seat all the way to the left and loved it. If we do it in December, we will be bringing our stadium seats!!!! or SOMETHING to put between buns and backless hard cement.