HS Fantasmic-Never Seen it...Is it worth it? (and to give up OGA's?)

[holden]

You asked it it's "worth it."

IMHO, there are no shows that are "worth it." I'd much rather use the time to ride attractions with low wait times than sit and watch a show.

I've seen the fireworks at MK, DHS and EP. I don't need to watch them again either. In fact, during the MK fireworks is the best time to ride!

We go to shows if our kids want to, otherwise, we skip them altogether.

 

[bobbiwoz]

The new Fantasmic was one and done for me, but I think you should see it for yourself. I hope there’s a second show for you.

 

[Genie+]

Fantasmic is something that grew on me over the years. After I truly understood the storyline, it totally transports me and puts a huge smiley face on my heart.

As a matter of fact… we just decided on a short last minute trip and needed to cut one park. I love AK and it was an excruciating choice, but HS won over AK with a major point being Fantasmic!

 

[SpykeYs]

You seriously want to skip Fantasmic for Ogas ? Seriously ?

 

[mickeyluv'r]

Never understood the appeal of Fantasmic. I’ve sat through it twice, the second time because I thought I missed the point of it the first time.

Both my wife and I agree it’s a waste of time.

We feel the same, but to be fair, it seems to rain all the times we've seen it.

One of the more recent times, it was a pop up storm that came out of nowhere. I remember that I found the palm trees more entertaining, but the wind was blowing so hard they were completely bending over. On top of that, whenever the wind gusted, not only was there rain, but the water from the show was getting blown onto much of the audience. It was pretty crazy.

Even still, since Fantasmic is part of admission, and Oga's costs extra, I advise seeing Fantasmic. Lots of people really love the show, and you have to see it for yourself to decide how you feel. We have been to Oga's, and it was cute, worth seeing once, but see Fantasmic!

 

[zebrastreyepz]

We've been to Oga's once and I found it expensive, crowded, and kind of boring.

Fantasmic, OTOH, never fails to bring me joy.

 

[elvispursley]

If we were talking DL’s version…definitely skip Oga’s! But HS? Meh DH and I can’t see what the fuss is about. But it clears up ride queues! Hopefully there is a 2nd showing

 

[leebee]

I'd find another time for Oga's or skip it. We've been twice, and... very crowded, very noisy, you are almost guaranteed to be standing while you are there (no bar stools, no stools at the tables, a very few tables with seats and you'll be sharing the table with others if your party doesn't fill it up). The drinks are limited, pre-mixed, and stupidly expensive. I was hoping for an atmosphere similar to the one in the movie, but IMO it's not even close. We were hugely disappointed. While I am not a huge Fantasmic! fan, I'd choose it over Oga's, hands down.

 

[kathy884]

I'm not a huge fan of fireworks and night time shows personally -- These are very well done at Disney, but not my thing. On the other hand in my family, DS loves these and absolutely loved Fantasmic -- true highlight, must do for him, enjoyed it so much. So if it were me personally, in case someone in your party really ends up enjoying Fantasmic, I'd personally go for that. I would try for another time for Olgas, picking Fantasmic over that, thinking of it as the more unique experience to try of the two.

How fun, though, to have these cool things planned! -- I love first world dilemmas (picking between fun unique experiences to do).

 

[Mango7100]

Never understood the appeal of Fantasmic. I’ve sat through it twice, the second time because I thought I missed the point of it the first time.

Both my wife and I agree it’s a waste of time.

We saw it for the first time in January and it was good but I was not blown away as I thought I would be. Definitely wouldn’t spend money on the dining package for it. I found the water made it harder to see the projections and live actors (and I know water is an integral part of it, but it was a detractor for me).

 

[NashvilleMama]

Just saw Fantasmic for the first time last weekend and both my 12yo daughter and I loved it. Do I need to see it again? Probably not. But it was 100% worth experiencing one time! I would also happily pay for the dining package again just to skip the madness of the standby herding process into the show.

 

[lovethattink]

Because of my plantar fasciitis, I’d choose sitting at F! over possibly standing at Oga’s.

If you enjoy seeing characters, then F! is for you! Exiting F! is frustrating and the only part I don’t enjoy.

 

[Carolynleanne]

I really love the new updated version! Absolutely worth seeing.

 

[gatormom2tots]

Oga's was a one and done. It was cool, but would not waste park time again.

Fantasmic is a whole other story. Easily my all-time favorite show (even edging out Wishes and HEA) at Disney. I can hardly wait to see it again. Its a family favorite and we have so many memories tied to it as all 4 of my kids grew up at Disney and Fantasmic was a must-do!

 

[snikki]

I would keep looking for a different Oga's time and do both. Another time will pop up especially with the two hour window.

We had to miss Oga's because our HBD lounge meal took FOREVER. Another time popped up for our next DHS day without much searching.

We LOVE Fantasmic and watched it twice last trip. If I had to pick I would choose Fantasmic. Oga's was fun but we had to stand and were done in 20-30 minutes.

 

[mlbrv]

Unless you are a huge fan of the night time shows in general and feel the need to "see them all" to check them off your list, I'd skip it. We saw it once about 4 years ago - family agreed we wouldn't see it again. I will say we do not prioritize the shows in general though and my kids are teens so they really don't care....your time is probably better spent an anything Star Wars related as that's what will likely interest you more.

 

[NashvilleMama]

Because of my plantar fasciitis, I’d choose sitting at F! over possibly standing at Oga’s.

If you enjoy seeing characters, then F! is for you! Exiting F! is frustrating and the only part I don’t enjoy.

this is an important note - thanks to what we'd read here about the exiting crowds, we bounced out with a few minutes left and beat all the crowds, and went straight to RnRC and ToT on G+ that I'd stacked earlier to end the night. LOVED this strategy (thanks DISers.)

 

[onegai]

Fantasmic is hands down my favorite disney show of all time. But everyone's got different taste. But If there isn't a 9:30pm showing the night you're at HS, I'd look at seeing if you can move the Oga's reservation to a different time.

 

[elaine amj]

Do u like night shows in general? We choose the night shows over rides every time - they are a huge part of what we love most about WDW. Fantasmic is a fun mix of live action, water projections, a character parade, and fireworks. AND you get seats. Huge favourite for us.

But as u can see here, many would rather do rides/sit at a bar.

 

[dcrunner]

This is a very personal question depending on what you like? Do you tend to love bars? I know you said you have a little Force- but are you the type that wants to tune into every detail at Galaxy's Edge? And for Fantasmic - do you like night shows? Do you like characters? Do you like things that are most traditionally Disney?

If it were me - I'd choose Fantasmic every time. Oga's is fun, but you can get good themed drinks everywhere. I would argue that a place like Trader Sams is a better themed drinking experience on property. It's totally possible to get a great Galaxy's Edge experience without it - I have - and I consider myself a medium Star Wars fan. Things like Falcon, ROTR, just walking around the land do it for me. You can even go to non-Disney star wars bars, depending on where you live. Fantasmic though is a quintessential experience at Hollywood Studios and WDW overall - there is no show like it that merges the best of characters and nighttime performances.