Honest opinions-Fantasmic....

[meredith1]

Would Fantasmic interest a five year old and two 3.5 year olds or should we wait for our next visit when they will be 7 and 5.5 years old? I just don't know. None of us have ever seen it? So, see it this trip or wait until they're a little older?

 

[nansmama]

Fantasmic is just about my favorite thing at Disney World, but it's a long wait and a loud show--you might be better off saving it for when the kids are older and have more patience. I think most of the show would be lost on a 3.5 year old as you're pretty far away from the action (not like a parade where you're right up close). I suppose it depends on the kid, though.

 

[megan10310]

Would Fantasmic interest a five year old and two 3.5 year olds or should we wait for our next visit when they will be 7 and 5.5 years old? I just don't know. None of us have ever seen it? So, see it this trip or wait until they're a little older?

Yes!

It is can't miss for my kids. Landon is six and Liz is 4. They have both seen it twice now. Your younger one may be frightened at one point. The "scary" part is less than 10% of the show and then Mickey saves the day. The fireworks and water are so cool!

 

[Nebraska_Disney]

I would do it. You get to sit, there is a lot of action and you see a lot of the characters. We took a video of it and my kids want to watch it at home (they were 9 and 6 our last trip).

 

[Winue]

We just did it for the first time Friday night with a 4 and 7 year old. We all loved it and thought it was worth it!

 

[MHSweb79]

Are they bad at waiting? Like 60-90 minutes?
Are they afraid of loud noises? Afraid of villains?

If yes to any of the above, I would wait. I do love the show but it's not worth the hassle for very young ones.

Also, it's nice to leave some things for "next time." It makes for a much more relaxing trip and gives you more to look forward to.

 

[LSUfan4444]

My daughter is three and absolutely loves Mickeytasmic (thats what she calls it). I have David Hanson's version on my iPhone and she asks to watch it constantly.

"Daddy, thats the bad guys. Don't worry, Mickey will get em"

 

[disneydad78]

Please do me a favor. DONT MISS IT! We love Fantasmic, A MUST!

 

[MEF92]

My son (almost 3) LOVED it!!! And it was one of my FAVORITE shows at Disney!

 

[dburg30]

As others have said, it will depend on how your kids do on the items listed as to if you should do it this trip or not.. As far as I'm concerned though, it is my 2nd place for nighttime spectaculars, behind wishes.. I dont care for Illuminations - at all..

 

[megan10310]

If you are worried about the wait, get food and then wait in line. Or get in line and send your husband for food.

Once, I sent Jon to get food and he brought back 2 turkey legs for us and the kids. The kids were 5,3,&11 months old...what a mess!!! It was so funny. We ended up feeding them like little baby birds and using half a pack of baby wipes. Very amusing for those in line with us.

 

[wahoostampingirl]

The first time we took our kids, they were 6. We ended up in the Standing Room Only section and of course, it was hard for any of us to see anything. They liked it, but weren't wowed by it.

The next year, we waited for an hour in the huge line (mob) and got good seats and they loved it. But, waiting in that line was hard for them.

Another thing to consider is when Fantasmic is being shown that night. Conventional wisdom is to see the second show (if there is one) because it is much less crowded. My kids are not late night types and my dd10 was getting pretty tired by the time the second show rolled around last year. This was in summer, so the 2nd show was starting fairly late. Luckily, for the second show you really don't have to wait in line. We got an ice cream over at Scoops and just relaxed until the CMs started letting people into the ampitheater. Then we slowly meandered up the hill into the show. That's a good option if your kids will stay up late and there is a second show.

 

[RedHeadedFairy]

My DD loved this show at age 4! I agree that the patience/waiting is the hardest part.

 

[Caseheidi]

My DD3 loved it at 2. She played with other kids while waiting in the seats, and it was a nice change of pace. I would go if I were you. A couple suggestions for waiting: bring a fun toy, bring some bubbles if they like them, buy those cheep glow bracelets (Target has them 15 for $1) and let them pass out to other kids to make some friends. I think waiting was as much fun for her as watching the show. Oh, and bring something soft to sit on, those benches are a killer after a while. I was very happy we had a few baby blankets in our stroller!

 

[PinballFamily]

Maybe it is just me - I was underwhelmed with Fantasmic. Had REALLY been looking forward to doing it - but never managed to fit it in with our WDW trips and *finally* got to do it with a dining package. So, we had decent seats, but still had to get there very early - and...surprise! - meh.

I found the show long and kinda disjointed, and the bleacher crowds VERY close - there are frequent "keep moving together, people, smoosh towards the center of the arena, leave no empty spaces.." announcements and it is packed. The effects are cool, but giving up such a big chunk of time...

Good luck with whatever you decide!

 

[mmay60046]

Book a Fantasmic! dining package. Then you won't have to wait as long as everyone else and can sit in a reserved section of the theater for those who purchased the Fantasmic! dining package.

 

[meredith1]

Maybe it is just me - I was underwhelmed with Fantasmic. Had REALLY been looking forward to doing it - but never managed to fit it in with our WDW trips and *finally* got to do it with a dining package. So, we had decent seats, but still had to get there very early - and...surprise! - meh.

I found the show long and kinda disjointed, and the bleacher crowds VERY close - there are frequent "keep moving together, people, smoosh towards the center of the arena, leave no empty spaces.." announcements and it is packed. The effects are cool, but giving up such a big chunk of time...

Good luck with whatever you decide!

This is what is worrying me. Thank you so much for the thoughts. I'm still not sure....

 

[*pixie*dust*]

I would wait till they are a little older. It is a long time to wait at the end of a long day. And honestly, I was expecting to LOVE it the way everyone raved. It was just ok. Certainly not worth the wait with little ones and scary for many little ones if they are sensitive to loud noises, dragons and "bad guys" in general. Wait. You'll be glad you did-- this is one of those things that really doenst live up to the hype for little ones.

 

[Suellen]

My kids are 7 and 5 and don't like it. They never have. I think it is blah. I would see it if we can walk in at start time and get a seat - but that is about it.

 

[PinballFamily]

This is what is worrying me. Thank you so much for the thoughts. I'm still not sure....

I really wanted - and expected - to love the show. And, obviously, lots of folks do. But, there are lots of other attractions at HS our family enjoys more. I am glad that we finally did it, though.

And...given how squeezy close everyone sits together, if a kid near me had bubbles and was blowing them all over me for an hour or more, I would have totally lost it! Light sticks, snacks, little handheld gizmos (our kids had their Nintendo DSs, I think) - all are great distractions to eat up the pre-show waiting time, but bubbles...eek!

Have a great trip!