$80 for Fantasmic??

[ajwomic]

Here is my dilemma. I have a fantasmic dinner scheduled for one night of our trip. It is a short trip and we cannot do MGM except to hop over that night. It is the only day that we planned to hop and we won't arrive at MGM until 5:00. So should skip fantasmic to not get park hoppers or is it worth the extra to hoppers for that night only? Or should I skip AK and do MGM all day? I have 2 sons, age 4 and 6 and a 10 month old. Thanks!
Alicia

 

[Skylarr29]

I think it is worth it to hop. When will you be there?? Maybe you could not do the dinner and just see the show and maybe an attraction or two. At AK there is Kilimanjaro safari which your boys would probably like and the festival of the lion king is great as well so I dont think you would want to miss it entirely. It probably will only take about a half a day to get through AK so you could probably get to MGM earlier than anticipated. Thats just my .02. Depending on the time of year you are going will depend on how much you can get done in one day.

 

[scm200]

i would say it depends on what time of year it is. we like animal kingdom but to take in all the shows it takes most of the day - if it is summertime ak can be very hot, very very hot...mgm has the wonderful new stuntcar show, and a number of other good things for younger children. i don't know if i think fantasmic alone is worth paying for a hopper. ak can take a lot out of you - as there are less indoor places to cool down and you might find that you little ones are tired and cranky by the time fantasmic starts (after dark).
sharon

 

[sconnell]

Ok. My question is this: How long will it be before you go back?
I'm asking this because, I have found with my children, that we enjoy a trip more when we do not everything, but we take time to enjoy the things that we do. I mean, we try to do a lot. We don't spend a lot of time at the pool, we can do that at home. But what I'm saying is, this trip do "this and this" next trip do "that and that." You know? I mean that is if you will be back, say next year. But if you will only get to go every now and then, like every 5 or more years, cram it in. Seriously. I'd try to do it in that case.

 

[barr]

I would choose Animal Kingdom and forget about MGM. This is only because of the ages of your children. My children have more to do in Animal Kingdom. Because of their ages, they cannot do Rockin'Roller Coaster or Tower of Terror. Save the money. Have fun

 

[Skroops]

I would stick to your plans and hop over to MGM. I wouldn't miss AK, and MGM has some cool things for toddlers. My DS(2), loves Playhouse Disney with Bear, and he loves the Little Mermaid show. On busier days, the Fantasmic dinner package is a great way to get good seats for the show. If you can get the earliest dinner seating, you'll get in faster for dinner and you'll have enough time to hit those attractions before you have to get to Fantasmic. If you want to see more of MGM, you could skip the dinner package, grab something fast to eat, and show up right before showtime at Fantasmic. Seats in the back aren't so bad, since you'll be first out too.
Personally, we like to have a sit down dinner after going fast all day. We'd rather see less attractions and slow it down!
Have a great time!

 

[Partridge4ever]

I think I'd skip AK and do MGM instead.

At AK, your kids are too short for Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, Primeval Whirl, and I think maybe even Kali River Rapids, which isn't all that fun to me and drenches you. Tough to Be a Bug terrifies my kids. That leaves the Triceratop Spin, which is Dumbo w/dinosaurs instead of elephants, the Boneyard playground and the animal exhibits, which are great, but even though their commercial says it's "notazoo," well, it's a zoo. The Pocahontas show is OK and the bird show is good, but again, you can probably see a bird show at the zoo. The Lion King show is amazing, but not worth missing Fantasmic for.

At MGM, the only rides your kids are too short for are Rock and Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, and maybe Star Tours. There's Playhouse Disney that they are the perfect ages for. There's also a parade. And you can meet Buzz and Woody.

Also, depending on when you're going and whether you really want to eat at the restaurant, we didn't find the Fantasmic dinner package to be worth it for us. So you might also consider skipping the dinner package and using that money to buy hoppers.

 

[ajwomic]

Well we are going the 1st week of April, specifically April 6th.

April 3- Epcot
April 4 - MK
April 5 - Rest day / DTD
April 6 - AK/ MGM?
April 7 - MK until lunch time and then depart for home.

We won't go back for maybe 4 years or so. We have 4 day tickets, but 2 of DH and mine are hoppers from a previous trip. So we would be getting hoppers for the boys. I still don't know what to do!
Alicia

 

[sconnell]

Well, I guess it really depends on your boys. Do they really like animals? Then go to AK. Do they really like Playhouse Disney and tv? Then do MGM.
AK is so much more than a zoo. (But I will agree that there are lots of zoo aspects to it.) I've never been to a zoo that had Disney Themeing and characters (Camp Mickey Minnie!) I've never been to a zoo that had a "safari ride." I've never been to a zoo, with shows that were the quality of Festival of the Lion King. I've never even done the trails at AK (going to in April.)
MGM has a few things that are great for kids. You can't get that close to the Playhouse Disney Characters anywhere else! Voyage of the little mermaid is something my DD Loves!
I might think about a half a day at each! (With a rest in between!)

 

[skiingwife]

Another option is to do AK on Wednesday. I know that is your rest day, but if you get to the park at opening, you might be able to see everything you want to see and leave by 1:00 or 2:00, giving you the rest of the day off. Or take the morning and early afternoon off, and go to AK Wednesday afternoon, maybe around 2 or 3. Many people will be leaving by that time.

When I took my boys (the youngest is 7) we had the best time at MGM. We spent two days there. I think MGM has more to do for your young ones than Epcot. (Playhouse disney, muppets, Little Mermaid, Power Rangers, LMA, Indy, Beauty & Beast.) I think MGM is worth a whole day and that way you can see Fantasmic.

 

[Partridge4ever]

sorry!

 

[Partridge4ever]

AK is so much more than a zoo. (But I will agree that there are lots of zoo aspects to it.) I've never been to a zoo that had Disney Themeing and characters (Camp Mickey Minnie!) I've never been to a zoo that had a "safari ride." I've never been to a zoo, with shows that were the quality of Festival of the Lion King. I've never even done the trails at AK (going to in April.)[/QUOTE]

I didn't mean to imply that AK is "just" a zoo. I'm just saying that once you take out all the rides, which this family will have to do because the kids don't meet the height requirements, what you're left with can be done at a zoo. Maybe not as impressively, but still. Meeting Disney characters in their safari outfits is cool, but the same characters can be found elsewhere. And I do agree the safari is unique and the Lion King is spectacular, but if I had to choose between those two things and everything that MGM has to offer, I'd go w/MGM. Now if I had hopper passes anyway, I'd do AK for sure, but I'm not sure I could justify the added expense of hoppers.

 

[Puffy2]

I've done disney many times - often with kids in tow, and I suggest either skipping AK and just do MGM (which is a better park with more to do, and less walking) OR forget the Fantasmic show - it is not worth the extra $$$ and more importantly, the hassle of dragging the kids over there just for a couple of hours .

It's ok to leave an event or two to do next time even if next time won't be for years to come.