3 yr old at Fantasmic?

[Hollie in NH]

Can anyone share with me any experiences with a pre-schooler at Fantasmic? I have a 3yr old son, not sure how he will do.


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Hollie

 

[nativetxn]

I've never experienced Fantasmic with a three year old, so I have no experiences to share.

Have you asked this question on our Disney for Families board? I think you would get a lot of advice over there.

Katholyn

 

[Pirate Mickey]

We took our 3yr old dd to Fantasmic and had no problems. She had a blast. As a reference, she does not like fast rides and was scared on Splash Mtn, but did not get scared in Hounted Mansion after we told her everything was for fun and not really scary.

You will have to gauge your son on how easily scared he gets. My dd is not very timid.

 

[welovedis]

We took DS to WDW for the 1st time when he was 3 years, 8 months and he saw Fantasmic 2xs. However, he was afraid of very little and rode ToT and Haunted Mansion, plus anything else he was allowed to (height wise). If you plan on attending I would try to sit closer to the top of a section rather than down front as the great pryotechnics can be a little intense--just my .02!

 

[Synonymous]

We have had bad experiences both times we took DD, at ages 4 and 5. The show is very intense, with very large, confused projections of just about every Disney villain, talking about how they're going to do things to Mickey. Mickey is stalked by Jafar as a giant snake and the dragon from Sleeping Beauty, both in larger-than-life size up on the "stage" In addition, the show is extremely loud, which makes it harder for little ones to take it in stride. There's also alot of fire, close enough that you can feel the heat.

My suggestion is, if possible, to see it yourself first. If not, be prepared for a quick exit if it turns out to be too much.

 

[DisneyKidds]

It was too scary for our preschooler .

 

[ToyStory Fan]

My DS was 3 1/2 and was terrified. Someone once mentioned that they stepped away to purchase one of those flashlight spinning things for their toddler, and explained to them that they saw Mickey and that Mickey said if they got scared to hold the flashlight way up high and he would come to rescue them. Seemed to work...I'm actually prepping my DS for our next trip with that same approach..we'll see how it goes.

 

[ZachnElli]

My kids are not known for being brave and my son will be 8 this time we go and I'm still trying to talk him into riding Space Mountain! Anyway, we've taken the kids at ages 1 and 4 1/2, then again at 6 and 2 1/2 and neither one was scared either time. My 4 year old is already telling me no scary rides for her. But I'll take her to Fantasmic!

 

[sm4987]

My DD had just turned 3 (April we went in June) and she loved it. She kept asking to see it over and over again. She loved watching the bad guys get it from Mickey and then the best part to her was waiting for the boat with all the characters to come by. I will say know your son. Maybe watching Snow White, Cinderella and the other movies with him will help so that he can see that the bad guys get it in the end.

 

[mom_rules]

Our DF took her timid DD (4) in October and like sm4789 loved to see the bad guys get it from Mickey-wanted to go over and over. I think it depends on your child's personality and how they are feeling at the time. She said if she had taken her when she was tired, she would have been absolutely terrified.

 

[DancingBear]

Our brave 2yo son took had no problem at all at Fantasmic last December---but he is not really afraid of the dark or loud noises. It might actually be scarier for kids who can follow the storyline (Mickey's dream turns into a nightmare).

 

[disney1990]

I was at Disney Presidents' Day week with my 2 granddaughters (age 3 and 4-1/2). Both girls loved Fantasmic, even though just last summer the 3 year old really disliked the 4th of July fireworks. In addition, both girls loved Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Carribean. The 4-1/2 year old also road and loved Big Thunder Railroad and Splash Mountain.

 

[3MouseMom]

Just took my 2 going on 3 year old. She does not like loud noises at all. But we really explained what would happen before the show. The key was taking her little "blankie." She watched the beginning, which is nice. When it got intense with villians in the middle, she put her head down on my shoulder, covered by the blankie. When Mickey "wins," she came right back out to see the great stuff at the end.

...it all depends on your child. The villian stuff, imo, is a bit intense. It is like every scary part of each movie but put all together at one time. But if your son knows what's coming and has a place to "take a break", maybe he'll do ok. It really is a neat show.

Oh, and maybe sit toward the back. The heat from the fire may be a bit less intense.

 

[raidermatt]

Upon turning 2, DS was somewhat afraid, but he just sat in our laps and hid his head through parts. No crying, and fine afterwards. Loved listening to the music after that.

At almost 3 at DL, and then at 3 1/2 at WDW again, he was fine, and enjoyed Fantasmic very much.

As somebody else said, you might want to sit close to the top for the first time, and try to sit near the end, if you think your kid might lose it.

Also, something that sometimes helps is to let them listen to the music before they actually see it, and explain some of what is going to happen. That way, there's an element of familiarity, which sometimes helps kids handle things.

 

[Hollie in NH]

Thanks for sharing everyone! Lots of great ideas.

 

[*123JOANNA123*]

We took our 3 year old and our 1 year old last year. The 3 yo is normally fairly timid, but really enjoyed it, my 1 yo (who is afraid of nothing) fell asleep just as the show started and slept through the whole thing(fireworks and all).

Reading this thread reminded me, try and buy that spin around flashlight thing before you go in (they sell them at the little shop at the park entrance). We never got one for my 3yo and he spent the whole wait for the show to start asking for one! It's likely you can get them inside, but I didn't see anyone selling them and as it was pretty crowded, we didn't want to leave and look for one.

Enjoy- we have most of fantasmic recorded on video (I'd send it to you, but I live in Ireland and it likely wouldn't work on your TV). Someone else here might have it and you could watch it beforehand to gauge your son's reaction.