Which Walt Disney World shows are worth your time?
So you’ve finally done it! You’ve booked your trip! Now it’s time to really dig into the details and figure out your perfect itinerary so you can get everything you love done with the limited time you have.
But how do you possibly balance all the things you could possibly do at each of the Walt Disney World parks? There’s rides to ride, food to eat, and shows to watch! Can you really do everything you want to do??
Well, if you’re feeling a little overwhelmed over which shows you should make time to wait for and watch, here’s my personal ranking of all the Walt Disney World shows I watched and whether or not I think they’re worth your time.
1. Happily Ever After
A MUST-WATCH. You absolutely cannot miss this show if it’s playing at Magic Kingdom.
Yes, I’m totally biased because I LOVE fireworks shows and will almost always recommend any given show, but I think Happily Ever After is TOTALLY worth every second.
The Happily Ever After song is so beautiful and gives me chills whenever I listen to it, so seeing it alongside the really awesome projections and fireworks makes it EVEN more awesome! This is hands down my favorite show of all the Walt Disney World shows I saw on my trip. It’s a VERY close second to California Disneyland’s Wondrous Journeys fireworks show, which is my all-time favorite show of all!
If you want the perfect, clearest view of the castle, you’ll probably have to wait at least 2 hours before the show starts to save your spot. And while I think that would be really cool, I don't think you necessarily need to do that. What’s really awesome about this show is how HUGE the fireworks are - they literally feel like they take up the whole sky. So I think you can have a pretty good chance of getting a good view if you start looking for a spot around 15-30 minutes before the show.
Of course, if you want the best view, the earlier you can wait to scope out a spot, the better. The closer you get to showtime, the more you’re leaving up to chance. I possibly just got lucky with a great spot 15 minutes before the show.
2. Fantasmic!
This show is so much fun and so entertaining!
What I actually love the most about this show is that it’s held in a huge amphitheater which is great for a large crowd and allows practically everyone to have a good view! That feels so rare at a theme park, and especially as someone who rarely gets a good view of things because I’m so short, I really appreciate that. It really made the experience all the more better because I could actually see everything!
The acrobatics and stunts were really cool, I loved seeing Mickey and all the fireworks around him during the finale - it was really fantastic!
I also loved the Elsa part and the Elsa dress transformation was so mind blowing! The floats with the princesses and princes were really beautiful as well!
As a fan of the Disneyland show, I did feel like they didn’t have something quite as cool as the Pirates of the Caribbean scene, but I did like that the island area was so large that all the characters could be on it!
Fantasmic! has two showings, so you have a couple of options for showtimes! I definitely wouldn’t want to miss this show!
3. Luminous The Symphony of Us
This show is quite incredible, and I was actually surprised because I didn’t know what to expect from this show at all! I went in with expectations that it would be similar to World of Color (simply by being a water and lights show), but it was actually so cool because of the integration with the fireworks!
There’s this part in the show toward the end where fireworks shoot out of the contraption and they spray onto the lagoon and actually BOUNCE off the top of the water like skipping rocks! It was so cool!
The music in this one was touching and moving which I really loved about it too! I always love a good show that puts you in your feels.
And the finale with the huge fireworks explosions is really something to behold!
If you want to make sure you get a good view, I’d recommend trying to grab a spot around 30 minutes before the show starts. We didn’t get to the waterfront until around 5 minutes ahead of the show, so we took what we could get. The fireworks were easy enough to see, but most of the water elements weren’t as visible to me since there were people in front.
On the plus side, because the show is held in the World Showcase lagoon, anywhere along the waterfront affords a good view!
4. Wonderful World of Animation
Animation and fireworks is always a good combination in my book, and this show is no exception!
I love that the show is one big tribute to the rich history of animation at Disney. From seeing old nostalgic favorites to all the new pieces of art, it’s really beautiful and gives you all the warm and fuzzies, especially if you love animation!
The panoramic view of the projections across the different buildings too is also really cool to see and is a cool show to watch from a technical perspective as well.
I love how wide open the area is too and lots of people sit down to watch the show - and even if they don’t you can still have a great open view of the projections! It’s not a super popular show even though people do still watch it, but it makes for a nice spacious area with no crowding which is also a plus for me since the experience is also very comfortable while being a really nice show.
Because of the smaller crowd, you also don’t have to be there as early to get a good spot - you could pretty much just show up shortly before the show starts! So definitely a great watch, and I would highly recommend!
5. Festival of the Lion King
This is a really fun and beautiful show and tribute to The Lion King!
The floats come out in several different directions between the sections of seatings, and a lot of the acrobatics that are done on the floats are really impressive!
The performances and singing are really incredible!
I would say this show leans more family-with-small-children friendly since the acting is a lot more animated, but the calibre of the performance is something anyone in the crowd can enjoy!
As a plus, the show is located indoors with air conditioning, so if you need a nice chill place to get out of the heat and want to enjoy a show while you’re at it, this is a perfect thing to do!
There are lots of showings throughout the day and the venue is pretty large so a lot of people can fit. We got in line around 10-15 minutes before the show started and had no issues getting a seat before the show reached capacity.
6. Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire
This is a really cute show that’s in front of the castle!
I love that they have characters from different stories interacting with Mickey & Friends like Princess & the Frog, Tangled, and Frozen. Storyline-wise, I don’t think I was following it all that closely, but seeing all the characters together and dancing was really cute!
I especially love that they shoot fireworks in the sky during the day which was so cool!
The show is quite long - longer than I was expecting actually at around 20 minutes long. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t expecting it to be this long but it almost felt a bit too long? It could also be because the show is in the middle of the day under the sun, so you can really feel every minute of the sun beating down on you.
What’s nice is that there are multiple showings throughout the day, so you can find a timeslot that works best for you. Also, since it’s out in the open in front of the castle, you don’t necessarily need to save a spot ahead of time and can just stroll on by.
As cute a show as it was, I’m not entirely sure I would necessarily make the effort to see it again, but I’d still try to catch a glimpse if I was walking by!
7. Festival of Fantasy Parade
A super cute parade that goes through Magic Kingdom!
My favorite floats were the Maleficent dragon float (because it breathes fire!!) and the last balloon float with Mickey and Minnie.
The parade is very cute and because the parade route is pretty long, there are lots of area you can find to be able to watch it.
Of all the Disney parks parades, however, I wouldn’t say it’s totally my favorite or super memorable (Magic Happens is a really tough act to follow), so while it’s a fun parade, if I’m pressed for time, I wouldn’t necessarily mind missing this one.
8. Tree of Life lighting
Animal Kingdom doesn’t have a ton of shows, so if you’re looking to enjoy some entertainment, then you might want to catch this one!
The lighting show happens after sunset and is a series of projections displayed on the Tree of Life in the center of the park. It doesn’t have a set time that it starts every night, but you can expect it to happen shortly after sunset
I will say I felt like this one was a bit anticlimactic and not the most interesting, so I wouldn’t necessarily make the effort to stick around just for the show, but I’d love to catch it if the timing worked out!
They also run the show a couple times between sunset and park closure, so if you’re lucky you might be able to catch it on another run if you missed the first one!
So there you have it! My ranking of Walt Disney World shows and whether or not I think they’re something you should prioritize. Have you seen any of these shows before? If so, what’s your personal ranking?
