star wars spectacular

[friendoffigment]

is this show worth staying to end of night. are fireworks comparable to magic kingdoms

 

[HydroGuy]

Its not the fireworks that are cool but the Star Wars light show. And yes, it is worth it.

 

[deedubb]

Worth it to stay? Yes. Comparable to MK fireworks? Not even close.

 

[DWillowBay]

I only stayed to see it because others in my party wanted to see it. I was blown away! Love this show.

 

[leiaorgana]

It's mainly a projection based show with a few fireworks incorporated and some flame effects. If you like Star Wars it's a must.

 

[CAS239]

It's absolutely worth staying for. It's tied up there with Happily Ever After.

 

[PetePanMan]

It is excellent - very close to HEA

 

[mamamelody2]

If you like Star Wars, it's definitely worth staying for.
I don't really think it's even comparable to HEA, though. They are different things.

 

[Haley R]

Is there a good spot to watch it from? We will be watching fantasmic and then heading over after for Star Wars.

 

[loves to dive]

Worth it is subjective, I'm in the school of thought that you should try everything once. Having said that, I've tried it twice. Tried is the key word there. I'm height challenged. Both times I got there plenty early, like a hour early. The first time I was solo and had staked out a spot. A CM came over to me and said let me take you to a better spot and then placed me in a perfect spot. There were a number of people around me, some with small children so we all agreed to kind of spread out and when it started the children would get in front of me so they could see. This worked until about 5 min. before time for the show to start when two very tall, very large men came and stood right in front of me. It was packed solid so there was no room for me to move anywhere else. All I saw was anything that happened in the sky, since most of the show is projection on the buildings, that wasn't much. Fast forward a year and I was there with my adult son. Normally, we don't wait around for shows but he is a Star Wars fan and we didn't have anything else to do so we decided to get a spot. We got a pretty good spot on the outside of the middle section so I would be on the end and could sort of lean out, we also got behind a row of wheel chairs so no way was someone getting in front of me. Again, about 5 min. before it started two tall men came and got in front of the wheel chairs, seriously in front of wheel chairs. The woman immediately in front of me was in a motorized one so she was able to stand and put her knee in her chair, I'm assuming it was her ankle that was hurt. So now, there are two men standing in front of a line of wheelchairs and woman in a wheel chair standing ( I don't blame her at all, how was she supposed to see) she just so happened to be a tall woman. So I saw what I could see on the left building by leaning out sort of over the line and not actually stepping over it. I saw nothing on the middle building or the right building. So worth it? Not to me and I won't try it again. I'll add I have the same problem with the new MK show, I've tried it twice with the same results both times, except one time it was a Dad putting his son up on his shoulders when the show started and then dancing around with him so that no matter what way I leaned he got in front of me (there were a number of people behind him shouting at him for it but he ignored them) and the second time I got in a spot that supposedly no one could get in front of me since it was a walkway and, of course, people stopped in front of me and the CMs didn't move them on. I don't blame the CM's because we were packed in there like sardines and I'm not sure they could have made their way over to move them. All I saw was the fireworks, which doesn't make much sense since it's synced with the castle projections. Never again on that one either.

 

[Haley R]

Worth it is subjective, I'm in the school of thought that you should try everything once. Having said that, I've tried it twice. Tried is the key word there. I'm height challenged. Both times I got there plenty early, like a hour early. The first time I was solo and had staked out a spot. A CM came over to me and said let me take you to a better spot and then placed me in a perfect spot. There were a number of people around me, some with small children so we all agreed to kind of spread out and when it started the children would get in front of me so they could see. This worked until about 5 min. before time for the show to start when two very tall, very large men came and stood right in front of me. It was packed solid so there was no room for me to move anywhere else. All I saw was anything that happened in the sky, since most of the show is projection on the buildings, that wasn't much. Fast forward a year and I was there with my adult son. Normally, we don't wait around for shows but he is a Star Wars fan and we didn't have anything else to do so we decided to get a spot. We got a pretty good spot on the outside of the middle section so I would be on the end and could sort of lean out, we also got behind a row of wheel chairs so no way was someone getting in front of me. Again, about 5 min. before it started two tall men came and got in front of the wheel chairs, seriously in front of wheel chairs. The woman immediately in front of me was in a motorized one so she was able to stand and put her knee in her chair, I'm assuming it was her ankle that was hurt. So now, there are two men standing in front of a line of wheelchairs and woman in a wheel chair standing ( I don't blame her at all, how was she supposed to see) she just so happened to be a tall woman. So I saw what I could see on the left building by leaning out sort of over the line and not actually stepping over it. I saw nothing on the middle building or the right building. So worth it? Not to me and I won't try it again. I'll add I have the same problem with the new MK show, I've tried it twice with the same results both times, except one time it was a Dad putting his son up on his shoulders when the show started and then dancing around with him so that no matter what way I leaned he got in front of me (there were a number of people behind him shouting at him for it but he ignored them) and the second time I got in a spot that supposedly no one could get in front of me since it was a walkway and, of course, people stopped in front of me and the CMs didn't move them on. I don't blame the CM's because we were packed in there like sardines and I'm not sure they could have made their way over to move them. All I saw was the fireworks, which doesn't make much sense since it's synced with the castle projections. Never again on that one either.

Just curious, but how tall are you?

 

[CAS239]

Is there a good spot to watch it from? We will be watching fantasmic and then heading over after for Star Wars.

You'll want to be close to the very middle of the park, near where the stage is at. If you're coming from Fantasmic though you'll be behind quite a few people. Just try to get a spot unobstructed from trees.

And double check the start times of the shows. Usually they set both shows so close together that guests have to choose which show to see. It's a way of splitting the crowds since a great view for Star wars is limited.

 

[Haley R]

You'll want to be close to the very middle of the park, near where the stage is at. If you're coming from Fantasmic though you'll be behind quite a few people. Just try to get a spot unobstructed from trees.

And double check the start times of the shows. Usually they set both shows so close together that guests have to choose which show to see. It's a way of splitting the crowds since a great view for Star wars is limited.

Right now it is saying fantasmic at 7 and Star Wars at 8:15. Hopefully that stays that way so we can see both. Thanks!

 

[CAS239]

Worth it is subjective, I'm in the school of thought that you should try everything once. Having said that, I've tried it twice. Tried is the key word there. I'm height challenged. Both times I got there plenty early, like a hour early. The first time I was solo and had staked out a spot. A CM came over to me and said let me take you to a better spot and then placed me in a perfect spot. There were a number of people around me, some with small children so we all agreed to kind of spread out and when it started the children would get in front of me so they could see. This worked until about 5 min. before time for the show to start when two very tall, very large men came and stood right in front of me. It was packed solid so there was no room for me to move anywhere else. All I saw was anything that happened in the sky, since most of the show is projection on the buildings, that wasn't much. Fast forward a year and I was there with my adult son. Normally, we don't wait around for shows but he is a Star Wars fan and we didn't have anything else to do so we decided to get a spot. We got a pretty good spot on the outside of the middle section so I would be on the end and could sort of lean out, we also got behind a row of wheel chairs so no way was someone getting in front of me. Again, about 5 min. before it started two tall men came and got in front of the wheel chairs, seriously in front of wheel chairs. The woman immediately in front of me was in a motorized one so she was able to stand and put her knee in her chair, I'm assuming it was her ankle that was hurt. So now, there are two men standing in front of a line of wheelchairs and woman in a wheel chair standing ( I don't blame her at all, how was she supposed to see) she just so happened to be a tall woman. So I saw what I could see on the left building by leaning out sort of over the line and not actually stepping over it. I saw nothing on the middle building or the right building. So worth it? Not to me and I won't try it again. I'll add I have the same problem with the new MK show, I've tried it twice with the same results both times, except one time it was a Dad putting his son up on his shoulders when the show started and then dancing around with him so that no matter what way I leaned he got in front of me (there were a number of people behind him shouting at him for it but he ignored them) and the second time I got in a spot that supposedly no one could get in front of me since it was a walkway and, of course, people stopped in front of me and the CMs didn't move them on. I don't blame the CM's because we were packed in there like sardines and I'm not sure they could have made their way over to move them. All I saw was the fireworks, which doesn't make much sense since it's synced with the castle projections. Never again on that one either.

For Star wars, we grab a spot right behind the tape on the ground closer to the two towers where they make a makeshift walkway. That way zero chance of anyone getting in front of us.

And for shows like Star Wars and HEA, no matter how early you get there and want to spread out or try to save room, guests will continue to file in and all space will be used up. So if you want to be in a prime viewing spot, you'll be surrounded by others. This is why it's a good idea to try to grab a spot with a walkway in front of you or a gate, fence, or anything. You tried with the wheelchairs but it's unfortunate other people stood in front of them.

 

[deedubb]

Worth it is subjective, I'm in the school of thought that you should try everything once. Having said that, I've tried it twice. Tried is the key word there. I'm height challenged. Both times I got there plenty early, like a hour early. The first time I was solo and had staked out a spot. A CM came over to me and said let me take you to a better spot and then placed me in a perfect spot. There were a number of people around me, some with small children so we all agreed to kind of spread out and when it started the children would get in front of me so they could see. This worked until about 5 min. before time for the show to start when two very tall, very large men came and stood right in front of me. It was packed solid so there was no room for me to move anywhere else. All I saw was anything that happened in the sky, since most of the show is projection on the buildings, that wasn't much. Fast forward a year and I was there with my adult son. Normally, we don't wait around for shows but he is a Star Wars fan and we didn't have anything else to do so we decided to get a spot. We got a pretty good spot on the outside of the middle section so I would be on the end and could sort of lean out, we also got behind a row of wheel chairs so no way was someone getting in front of me. Again, about 5 min. before it started two tall men came and got in front of the wheel chairs, seriously in front of wheel chairs. The woman immediately in front of me was in a motorized one so she was able to stand and put her knee in her chair, I'm assuming it was her ankle that was hurt. So now, there are two men standing in front of a line of wheelchairs and woman in a wheel chair standing ( I don't blame her at all, how was she supposed to see) she just so happened to be a tall woman. So I saw what I could see on the left building by leaning out sort of over the line and not actually stepping over it. I saw nothing on the middle building or the right building. So worth it? Not to me and I won't try it again. I'll add I have the same problem with the new MK show, I've tried it twice with the same results both times, except one time it was a Dad putting his son up on his shoulders when the show started and then dancing around with him so that no matter what way I leaned he got in front of me (there were a number of people behind him shouting at him for it but he ignored them) and the second time I got in a spot that supposedly no one could get in front of me since it was a walkway and, of course, people stopped in front of me and the CMs didn't move them on. I don't blame the CM's because we were packed in there like sardines and I'm not sure they could have made their way over to move them. All I saw was the fireworks, which doesn't make much sense since it's synced with the castle projections. Never again on that one either.

Don't give up as they are great shows. If your budget allows, do a dessert party. We did 2 of them for HEA over Xmas and we were able to sit to watch the show with unobstructed views. The Star Wars dessert party is a smaller area but we have still been able to get a great view. You won't have to worry about someone coming at the last minute and standing in front of you as they are reserved viewing areas.

 

[loves to dive]

Just curious, but how tall are you?

5' 2"

 

[loves to dive]

Don't give up as they are great shows. If your budget allows, do a dessert party. We did 2 of them for HEA over Xmas and we were able to sit to watch the show with unobstructed views. The Star Wars dessert party is a smaller area but we have still been able to get a great view. You won't have to worry about someone coming at the last minute and standing in front of you as they are reserved viewing areas.

Years ago my son, then DIL and I did the dessert party at MK, back when it was just in one spot and you had assigned tables. It was not worth the money even then for us. Our table happened to be right in front, which meant everybody and their brother came and stood in front of us and there was a big ole tree in front of the castle. I don't eat much sweets and even if I did, one or two desserts was enough. I can afford it but just think it's silly to have to pay for something I'm not really going to eat just to see a show that is supposed to be free. Back when HEA was mostly fireworks you could always find a spot to see them because they were in the sky. I'm not against paying for the special experiences, parties, early hours, etc. and probably would if there was food other than desserts at the MK or if they had assigned seating at HS like they do at the Epcot one so you don't have to fight people to get a table or have to wander around with food in your hands. When we did the dessert part at MK you still had to get in line early to get in even though they had assigned seats or the pitiful food got gone early. If I'm paying for it, I don't want to have to fight over it.

 

[loves to dive]

For Star wars, we grab a spot right behind the tape on the ground closer to the two towers where they make a makeshift walkway. That way zero chance of anyone getting in front of us.

I was actually right at the tape the first time at Star Wars when the two big guys got in front of me.

And for shows like Star Wars and HEA, no matter how early you get there and want to spread out or try to save room, guests will continue to file in and all space will be used up. So if you want to be in a prime viewing spot, you'll be surrounded by others. This is why it's a good idea to try to grab a spot with a walkway in front of you or a gate, fence, or anything. You tried with the wheelchairs but it's unfortunate other people stood in front of them.

Yep, there was a walkway in front of me at HEA the first time I tried it, that was when people stopped on the walkway and didn't move on. In their defense, it might have been too hard to actually move on that place gets so packed.

In every case I could have said something but if people are rude enough to get in front of someone, they probably aren't going to be polite enough to move. I'm certainly not going to start a fight over it, I'm on vacation and it's just not worth it in the grand scheme of things and I'm southern enough that being rude to someone just isn't in my genes. I'm normally the biggest Disney apologist that walks the face of the earth, I pretty much love the place and find very little wrong but the way they handle the night time shows and crowd control during and especially after is a fail for me. Thankfully, I don't feel my whole vacation is ruined if I don't see or do something so for us, nope, not worth it to fight the crowds, be punched or stepped on or to sit and wait for a couple of hours to see it. For others it is, that's why I said it was subjective.

 

[CeruleanMoon]

I'm really hoping to see the SW show when we go in April! I'm 5'0" though, so I'm nervous about being able to see. I'm considering doing the dessert package to help with that, but I'll be disappointed if paying for the reserved area still leaves me staring at people's backs. I'm hoping that with a smaller group of people to work around I'll have a better chance. This will be my very first Disney nighttime show!

 

[DisneyWishes14]

Worth it is subjective, I'm in the school of thought that you should try everything once. Having said that, I've tried it twice. Tried is the key word there. I'm height challenged. Both times I got there plenty early, like a hour early. The first time I was solo and had staked out a spot. A CM came over to me and said let me take you to a better spot and then placed me in a perfect spot. There were a number of people around me, some with small children so we all agreed to kind of spread out and when it started the children would get in front of me so they could see. This worked until about 5 min. before time for the show to start when two very tall, very large men came and stood right in front of me. It was packed solid so there was no room for me to move anywhere else. All I saw was anything that happened in the sky, since most of the show is projection on the buildings, that wasn't much. Fast forward a year and I was there with my adult son. Normally, we don't wait around for shows but he is a Star Wars fan and we didn't have anything else to do so we decided to get a spot. We got a pretty good spot on the outside of the middle section so I would be on the end and could sort of lean out, we also got behind a row of wheel chairs so no way was someone getting in front of me. Again, about 5 min. before it started two tall men came and got in front of the wheel chairs, seriously in front of wheel chairs. The woman immediately in front of me was in a motorized one so she was able to stand and put her knee in her chair, I'm assuming it was her ankle that was hurt. So now, there are two men standing in front of a line of wheelchairs and woman in a wheel chair standing ( I don't blame her at all, how was she supposed to see) she just so happened to be a tall woman. So I saw what I could see on the left building by leaning out sort of over the line and not actually stepping over it. I saw nothing on the middle building or the right building. So worth it? Not to me and I won't try it again. I'll add I have the same problem with the new MK show, I've tried it twice with the same results both times, except one time it was a Dad putting his son up on his shoulders when the show started and then dancing around with him so that no matter what way I leaned he got in front of me (there were a number of people behind him shouting at him for it but he ignored them) and the second time I got in a spot that supposedly no one could get in front of me since it was a walkway and, of course, people stopped in front of me and the CMs didn't move them on. I don't blame the CM's because we were packed in there like sardines and I'm not sure they could have made their way over to move them. All I saw was the fireworks, which doesn't make much sense since it's synced with the castle projections. Never again on that one either.

I'm 5'2" as well and had very similar experiences. My DS, who is shorter than me, waited a good hour to see the show (in the middle, in front of the projection towers). We thought we had a great spot until everyone stood up and moved forward. Then we were basically stuck in a crowd of people watching subpar fireworks set off to Star Wars music. We could barely see any projections. The next time we went, we sprang for the dessert party (we only went again because I wanted DH to see the show). The view was definitely better (we could basically see everything), but the sound was quite loud and distorted. If you aren't tall, aren't a die-hard Star Wars fan or not willing to spring for the dessert party, I don't know if I would attempt this show.

We had worse experiences with the MK fireworks (including a man putting his iPhone directly in my face to record the show), so we only see that with plaza garden dessert party viewing at this point. It's certainly not cheap to do these parties, but it's the only way, at this point, to almost guarantee we'll actually see the show.