1/2 Day in AK - Finding Nemo - The Musical - Is it worth seeing?

[MrInfinity]

Never saw this...we have adult children...19, 25 and 27 traveling with us...would they be interested???

I would say... probly not. But, would they go to say, a Disney on Ice production without kids? Probly not, right? So.... doesn't hurt to go. And then they can say they went and it was really corny or whatever. It's Disney World so it's ok for them to be doing kid-stuff.

Then again, I recommend ppl go on the Carousel of Progress! Not cuz it's great, but cuz it won't be there forever and then you've seen it and you get the jokes when ppl talk about it. So if you have better things to do, do them but if you have an hour free at the AK there is no harm in taking in the Nemo show even for adults.

If there's any show I'd not go to as adults, it's the Dis Jr show at DHS. That really is for toddler-age kids and an adult would get little out of it.

 

[JimmyV]

I am just the opposite. I loved loved Nemo. FOLK was just alright. Too long in my opinion.

Our family loved the Nemo show at AK-- we liked it better than the Lion King. We loved Lion King on Broadway-- so disappointed with the Lion King at AK. We felt that the Nemo show was musical theater worthy- the actors are amazing carrying the wooden puppets and singing- talking- and making facial expressions. They were amazing.

I'm the complete opposite of many here! I LOVE Nemo, but I'm just "meh" on FOTLK.

I am solidly in this camp as well. I love the theatrical style of Nemo far more than the tumbling of FoTLK. The performers are really talented. And if you don't find yourself singing or humming "Go With The Flooow-oh-oh-oooh-oh-oh-oooh-oh-oh-oooh" the rest of the day, then you have no soul!

 

[rootbeerkid]

Our family really enjoys Nemo. But we probably enjoy FOTLK a little more.

In watching Nemo, I find myself going back and forth between watching the puppets and watching the faces of the puppeteers. IMO both add to the experience because the puppeteers will emote their puppet's "feelings". I like it.

It's a musical and the voices are pretty good and the overall message is good. See it at least once.

 

[lucyem]

We didn't care for the show, so it's an easy skip. One time was enough for us Festival of lion king is a lot better.

The puppets were cool, the seats super duper hard, and it is the movie in puppet form so you know the story. By the mid point the kids were antsy. We have never gone back.

FOTLK is IMO one of the, if not the best show on property. We never miss it.

The flights of wonder show is another not to be missed show.

 

[DaisyNY]

Thanks for the advice...yeah, I think we'll skip NEMO this time...don't have the full day at AK and thinking it might be a bit out of our adult children's league for now! And I would recommend Carousel of Progress as well...It's an iconic piece of Disney history!

 

[goofy4tink]

It's really interesting to read the varying opinions here. I've been going to WDW, at least once a year (and usually 2 or 3 times) since '99. I've seen all the shows, most more than once. FOTLK is food, I like it. But, I tend to see it every few years. But....Finding Nemo is a must do every trip. And sometimes more than once a trip! Yes, there are people holding up puppets. And those performers have some pretty incredible expressions! This kind of theatre isn't for everyone, but that doesn't mean it's not good..after seeing how much work and rehearsal time my dd's college theatre dept put into Avenue Q, I am in awe of these puppeteers.
We actually have favorite performers in each part! It's always so exciting to get there and find that our favorite Crush is performing! It's fun to compare each actors performance with others playing the same part, at a different performance. But. Dd and I are both theatre lovers. It's type performance can be hard for some to get into. And the kids usually have an easier time adjusting to people holding puppets than their parents do!

 

[L&Lfan]

Big musical theater fan here but I don't care for Finding Nemo The Musical. Just don't find the songs memorable and it was difficult for me to understand all the lyrics. I've seen the show at least 3 times now and have no plans to return unless I'm with someone who wants to see it. I prefer Festival of the Lion King but even that show isn't a must-do for me every visit.

 

[lustergirl]

I have to say... If you are going to walk some trails, the tree of life trail are not the top ones to pick. The ones in Asia with with the bat house, tigers, and bird house are our favorites. The gorilla trail in Africa is also great. Then comes the tree of life trails, which are definitely not to be missed, but the Asia trails are totally awesome.

The tigers are awesome. I love catching them sleeping all spread out. Reminds me of my two cats at home. Also it seems like the big gorilla poses for you because he knows you are taking pictures and he is the big kahoona

 

[mare1203]

I like the show and try to see it every once in a while, but it's definitely not a must-do for every trip. I feel that way about 99% of the shows at Disney, though. I think everyone should see it at least once to determine for themselves if they like it or not. I find the music very good and it was done by the Frozen team of Robert Lopez & Kristen Anderson-Lopez. I would go just for that.

Also, Mickey & Minnie meet is at Discovery Island (unless they've moved recently) and FOTLK is now in Africa, right next to Tusker, so you might rethink your touring order.

For us, if we do a "get in, get out" Animal Kingdom day that means we'd hit Safari, Everest, Dinosaur, Everest, Flame Tree, and FOTLK and we might be out of there at 1. No nature walks, no meet & greets, no time to stop and listen to the bands or see Di-vine... In order to see and appreciate Animal Kingdom, for us it's more than a 1/2 day park.

 

[SunnyDey]

Finding Nemo is my daughter's #1 favorite thing to do at AK. We even have the cd in the car, and we have listened to it continuously for two years now! She never gets tired of it. She refuses to sit through Lion King. We tried it again last year, and she kept asking to leave. So, for our family, Finding Nemo is the show to see in AK.

 

[wdwjeffc37]

Finding Nemo is a Broadway style musical. The songs are top notch and the performers are great. We see it almost every trip. FOTLK was OK. There is really no story to the show. The music was OK but the show left us wanting more substance. I'd go for Nemo every time.

 

[JimmyV]

Big musical theater fan here but I don't care for Finding Nemo The Musical. Just don't find the songs memorable and it was difficult for me to understand all the lyrics.

Interesting, given the pedigree:

There are 14 original songs composed by Robert Lopez, who won the Tony Award for Avenue Q, and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, who wrote the a cappella musical Along the Way.

Of course, we know what they added to their resumes since then.

 

[Aurora86]

I personally loved it and ended up buying the soundtrack right after. I'm really glad we went when we went down.

That being said if you aren't into musicals and if you think seeing both the puppeteers/actors and puppets at the same time would bother you then skip it. I'm sure you'll have fun with whatever you decide to do

 

[BlondeAppetit]

Thanks everyone!

I truly did not mean to offend anyone by stating that we were going for a 1/2 day to AK. I never stated that it was a 1/2 park only. In our original plan, we were going to AK for a full day and then to AKL for dinner and exploring.

However, we have a five day park pass and one night we will be going to MNSSHP. With the advent of the Frozen activities at HS, we decided to add HS to our plan. We have a 5 year old little girl. So, I added another park day (from 4 to 5) and decided to do AK the morning of MNSSHP. AK has a crowd rating of ONE on the day we are going and is the most recommended park.

The reason that I want to leave in the mid-afternoon, is so that my daughter can unwind and rest a bit before MNSSHP.

I did not realize that this would become such a POPULAR post! I had a few questions!

Isn't the Festival of the Lion King a 30 min. show?

Could we not do the following?

9am - Safari with FP to ensure that we get the first ride
10am - Festival of the Lion King (it is now next to Tusker)
10:45am - Tusker House
12-12:30p - Tree of Life area and maybe Meet Minnie with a FP (me and DD)
12:45pm-ish - Kali River Rapids with FP
1:30pm-ish - EE - w/ FP for DH only

Head back to the Contemporary to relax before MNSSHP.

I think that the trails and Flights of Wonder look great but we will be eating dinner at the AKL on another night and can explore some there, as well as just having done the safari. Also, Flights of Wonder looks great but the times are not working out. We have a nationally recognized zoo in our hometown and she visits it weekly. I would like to try some things that will be more unique to her - like the safari and the rapids. Don't shoot me with that comment - I simply mean that while I know that this is Disney caliber stuff, she has seen exotic birds and tigers, etc. many, many times before!

I will leave the Nemo show for next time. It will give us something to look forward to on our next trip!

We do not visit Disney often but will be back in a couple of years when our youngest gets a little bigger! Maybe we will even stay at the AKL bc the atmosphere and the food is very appealing to me.

I greatly appreciate everyone's advice!

 

[Kellykins1218]

It's absolutely a must-do for us and we only ever do a 1/2 day at AK. We did a full day once & realized we wasted 1/2 a day because there is very little there that we liked. We hit Nemo, Lion King, the safari & Kali. Some trips we skip Lion King & do Nemo twice. Our kids are 7 & 8 and Nemo is their favorite part of our whole trip.

 

[Baptist]

We are only doing a 1/2 day at AK on our December trip (although we could stay a full day, we are going for less days than usual).

Finding Nemo is a nice show. It's unique how they use the puppets. I would see this show instead of the Lion King.

 

[BlondeAppetit]

Just watched this video. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sUR-U3OCL30. So. Cute.

 

[BlondeAppetit]

I added it into our plans!

 

[jon18uk]

12-12:30p - Tree of Life area and maybe Meet Minnie with a FP (me and DD)

I think that the trails and Flights of Wonder look great but we will be eating dinner at the AKL on another night and can explore some there, as well as just having done the safari. Also, Flights of Wonder looks great but the times are not working out. We have a nationally recognized zoo in our hometown and she visits it weekly. I would like to try some things that will be more unique to her - like the safari and the rapids. Don't shoot me with that comment - I simply mean that while I know that this is Disney caliber stuff, she has seen exotic birds and tigers, etc. many, many times before!

Again, I don't want to labour the same point but the trails around Africa or Asia are much better than the AKL viewing areas. From the hotel you will be able to see Giraffe, Zebra & Antelope and you should also see these species from the Kilamanjaro Safari. I would recommend trying to walk one of the trails as the Gorillas and/or tigers are worth seeing and the habitats Disney have created are beautiful.

 

[DisneyConvert]

Finding Nemo is an essential stop when we visit WDW (haven't gone recently).
My son called it "Daddy Cry Show" since he was 4.