Advice on evening activities with 24 month old

jacknsally19

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jun 12, 2013
Messages
753
Hi everyone,

I've planned most of the trip but I'm debating on two evening activities and would appreciate your input! TIA

My DD will be 24 months in December when we are visiting and while I've been plenty of times to Disney - I'm not sure how things will be appreciated by a 2 year old. Also, I'm bringing my MIL - she hasn't been in 30 years and is really leaving everything up to me since I've been many times. She probably won't be back any time sooner either so I'm trying to make sure we hit a lot of the best of Disney World

1. I booked a Fantasmic meal package at Mama Melrose for lunch. I'm starting to worry that she will be frightened by Fantasmic! and we'll have spent a lot of money for a meal, just to leave Fantastmic! as soon as gets loud. Should I cancel the meal and skip Fantasmic! ?

2. If I cancel Mama Melrose, I'm thinking of trying to get ADRs at Sci Fi Drive In. Do you think the unique dining set up will make it too difficult to eat with a toddler?

3. Arrival day - I have nothing planned. Possibilities: 1. Boat to Fort Wilderness to see Chip N' Dales' camp fire sing along and/or a sleigh ride to see decorations around the Fort 2. Check out Animal Kingdom Lodge holiday decor and savannah 3. Go to Downtown Disney...
Or some other option that I haven't though of....

Thank you so much !
 
1) When my DD was 2, she literally turned around and ran out of Fantasmic a few minutes after it started...literally, Mickey was still the only one on stage. At 4.5, she still refuses to watch it. DS, however, was never scared of Fantasmic and it's his favorite show, so each child is very individual. Having said that, I would not pay for the dining package, but maybe still plan to see the show. That way, you can easily leave if DD is afraid. We have never had the package and have never had a problem getting good seats.

2) I would do Ft. Wilderness and the sleigh ride, since you don't know if you will be back during the holidays again...DTD and AKL are always there.
 
Hi everyone,

I've planned most of the trip but I'm debating on two evening activities and would appreciate your input! TIA

My DD will be 24 months in December when we are visiting and while I've been plenty of times to Disney - I'm not sure how things will be appreciated by a 2 year old. Also, I'm bringing my MIL - she hasn't been in 30 years and is really leaving everything up to me since I've been many times. She probably won't be back any time sooner either so I'm trying to make sure we hit a lot of the best of Disney World

1. I booked a Fantasmic meal package at Mama Melrose for lunch. I'm starting to worry that she will be frightened by Fantasmic! and we'll have spent a lot of money for a meal, just to leave Fantastmic! as soon as gets loud. Should I cancel the meal and skip Fantasmic! ? I haven't done Fantasmic! yet, so I can't provide feedback on the experience, but I would hesitate to book anything at night with a 2 year old, in case she is overtired/overstimulated or just done. If she is feeling great and you want to try it, are you going early enough in December where the crowds aren't too hectic and you can wait in the regular line?

2. If I cancel Mama Melrose, I'm thinking of trying to get ADRs at Sci Fi Drive In. Do you think the unique dining set up will make it too difficult to eat with a toddler? I seem to recall my coworker skipping Sci-Fi with her 18M daughter because they wouldn't be able to book a car and have a high chair for her daughter. I'm sure they have booster seats, so I suppose that depends on whether she uses a full on high chair or just a booster. I best someone on here has the answer!

3. Arrival day - I have nothing planned. Possibilities: 1. Boat to Fort Wilderness to see Chip N' Dales' camp fire sing along and/or a sleigh ride to see decorations around the Fort 2. Check out Animal Kingdom Lodge holiday decor and savannah 3. Go to Downtown Disney...
Or some other option that I haven't though of....

Thank you so much !

.
 
According to the Touring Plans site, the Fantasmic! show is at 6:30 so I don't think she'll be too tired. She takes crazy long naps during the day (3-4 hrs) so she is usually up until 8:30 or 9. But I think it sounds like I should probably cancel the Fantasmic! package. I'm not really that keen on having a 3 course meal

Has anyone ever done the sleigh ride at Fort Wilderness?
 

BTW Happyjen - we always stay at the Contemporary. You are going to love being within walking distance to Magic Kingdom. So awesome with the kids!
 
The Chip and Dale campfire was a huge hit with my 18 month old. She also loved playing in the sand at the FortWilderness beach. If the timing is right and you can go over after the campfire, it is a great place to see the Magic Kingdom fireworks with a little one. They can see the pretty colors with out the loud "booms" and also they can have some room to play as they wait for them to start.
 
hi there. you should watch the fantasmic show on youtube and see it for yourself, i think it would be too scary for our DD2. There is a lot of fire and a huge scary dragon that has lights for eyes and they shine out at the audience. Also there is the villian part on the water and the whole theme of it is a bit scary as then Mickey saves the day and the end part is happy. If you do go, make sure you do not sit in or near the front. You will get wet and then hot from the fire.

As far as Sci Fi, it is a bit dark so feeding a toddler if you assisting would be hard, but maybe feed them ahead of time and just offer a snack that they can manage on their own while you eat.

Instead of the 6:30pm Fantasmic we are going to see the Osbourne Lights, which are amazing. I can't wait to see DD dancing and singing with all the lights and fake snow falling. That would be way more fun than sitting for Fantasmic.

The sleigh rides sound like fun. I'm going to look into it.

Enjoy the Contemporary! That does sound awesome to walk to the MK. We did that from MK to Chef Mickey's for breakfast once, but we have never stayed there.

Santa Goofy has his own booth to take pics with him in DTD, check the dates to see if he may be there. They have a carousel there too.
 
Thanks for the info on Santa Goofy! That sounds great :)

You know I've been to Disney World countless times and I've never seen Fantasmic b/c I never wanted to wait 45 minutes + to see a show. It sounds like it might be best to postpone Fantasmic! again. Maybe I'll let my husband and my MIL go see Fantasmic while I do something else with DD.

I really love WDW but I really, really hate trying to plan with a toddler months in advance. Its such a challenge - I'm a little nervous about where we will eat. The only option thats available is Sci -Fi at lunch or Brown Derby (lunch or dinner). And I hate the counter service at DHS..... I wonder if they will let me switch my fantasmic package to a regular meal at Mama Melrose.
 
I would skip Fantasmic and I would eat at 50's Prime Time Café instead of the Sci-Fi Diner. I think it would be more toddler-friendly. Plus the food is yummy. :)

Arrival day: the campfire sounds fun. I was hoping to do the sleigh ride, myself, but I think it will be over by the time we get there.
 
My DD was terrified by Fantasmic at 2yrs 3 mos. we are going back now, she's 6 but her twin sisters are 24 mos. So we won't be going this time.
 
Hi everyone,

I've planned most of the trip but I'm debating on two evening activities and would appreciate your input! TIA

My DD will be 24 months in December when we are visiting and while I've been plenty of times to Disney - I'm not sure how things will be appreciated by a 2 year old. Also, I'm bringing my MIL - she hasn't been in 30 years and is really leaving everything up to me since I've been many times. She probably won't be back any time sooner either so I'm trying to make sure we hit a lot of the best of Disney World

1. I booked a Fantasmic meal package at Mama Melrose for lunch. I'm starting to worry that she will be frightened by Fantasmic! and we'll have spent a lot of money for a meal, just to leave Fantastmic! as soon as gets loud. Should I cancel the meal and skip Fantasmic! ? I've never been to Fantasmic, but I'm also worried that my almost 3yr old will be frightened of the loud noises. But he did ok with 4th of July fireworks this year so I'm keeping our Mama Melrose package. Just bring earplugs if your little one will wear them, just in case. :thumbsup2

2. If I cancel Mama Melrose, I'm thinking of trying to get ADRs at Sci Fi Drive In. Do you think the unique dining set up will make it too difficult to eat with a toddler? I will report back after the 23rd of this month whether or not Mama Melrose is toddler approved. This will be our first time there. We did do Sci Fi. As long as you're comfortable helping a toddler in a regular booth table at other restaurants, this one is no different. Nothing there is really scary, however some of the monster movie clips that they show can be a little disturbing for little ones. I would also recommend Hollywood & Vine, especially if your little one enjoys Disney Jr. Breakfast is better than lunch, but mediocre food is worth dealing with to see your little one have so much fun with their favorite characters. :hyper:

3. Arrival day - I have nothing planned. Possibilities: 1. Boat to Fort Wilderness to see Chip N' Dales' camp fire sing along and/or a sleigh ride to see decorations around the Fort 2. Check out Animal Kingdom Lodge holiday decor and savannah 3. Go to Downtown Disney...
Or some other option that I haven't though of....
I wouldn't recommend too much time in DTD unless you're prepared to hear "Mommy, I want this!" every 2 minutes! :rotfl2: The other options, I have no experience with. But they seem great!
Thank you so much !
Whatever you all do, you will have a blast! It is Disney!
 
We took my daughter at 23 months. We didn't do fantasmic so I can't comment but we did do the hoop-de-do-revue and he loved all the singing and dancing. Just something to think about on arrival day.
 
I didn't even try Fantasmic with my son until he was 5.

Personally, we skip eating at DHS and head off to Downtown Disney for dinner that night. There is nothing there worth eating as far as I'm concerned. Do you think you need to be there at dinner time? I usually can find something I'll eat for lunch there (even though I think that's pretty poor, too, my son will always eat pizza).

Sci-Fi, I'd be concerned that my son wouldn't eat because he'd be too busy watching movies (and while I think they're mostly "safe" movies, I wouldn't want to risk scaring a 2 year old - at that age you never know what they're going to be afraid of).

Downtown Disney is always a hit with us. My son LOVES to window shop thought. The fountains are fun, too, but they may be off when you're visiting.

Good luck deciding!
 
I would skip Fantasmic with a young 2yo. It will likely be too scary.

As neat as Sci-Fi is with sitting in the cars, the movies and dark atmosphere may be scary as well. I think I'd plan that for a later trip as well.

On arrival day, I'd recommend AK. You can easily do everything a 2yo can do there in a few hours. We took our older kids at 2.5yo. They loved seeing the animals, the Lion King show and the DinoLand area.

Have fun!
 
I'd get her noise reduction ear phones...practice while you are still at home...play fireworks on your computer and turn the volume UP...That way she already knows what to expect for trip...(ear phones are about $25 on amazon)
 
We just got back from WDW with our 25 month old and we wound up skipping Fantasmic. I've never seen it in person, but I did check out a YouTube video of it and for my DD, I knew it would be too intense.

We also skipped Sci-Fi due to the movie clips. They're completely corny and funny to an adult, but for a child who can't understand that they are make-believe, they could be problematic so we decided to skip it.

I think your DD will love the campfire singalong and the carriage ride. As for other ideas, have you looked into Mickey's Backyard BBQ or the Very Merry Christmas Party?
 
Its not just the noise, its the content.

We skipped it when the kids were young.

I'd also be hesitant to book anything that requires a deposit in the evening. Kids who are good nappers sometimes refuse to nap at Disney - they are too wound up and excited. Kids who never nap suddenly wear themselves out and need naps. When you break a little kids pattern, there really isn't a good way to predict how they'll react, so you need to be able to play it by ear.

SciFi can also be scary - its dark (dark enough that its difficult to see your food).
 
We took dd last year when she was 19 months old - she liked Sci Fi - didn't find it scary at all. She sat in a booster seat between us in the car. At one point I did walk her through the restaurant to the bathroom and back just to stretch her legs - she did fine.

We didn't have time for Fantasmic but we watched Wishes from the MK and she wasn't afraid at all. I think the younger they are the better because at that point they don't know you are supposed to be afraid of noises or the dark kwim?
 
One of my boys loved Fantasmic at two, but the other was SCREAMING and had nightmares about it. And getting out of there in the dark wasn't fun.

The SciFi is great when they are older, but we went in with a sleeping almost two year old and it wasn't fun trying to park the stroller and then switch to a high chair (not really a good place to put either) when he woke up.

But the Chip and Dale Campfire and movie at Ft. Wilderness were HUGE hits with boy my boys at that age.

As was pretty much everything over at Pop Century (both kids) and Art of Animation (were there right after Little Mermaid section opened) resorts. I'd prefer to stay at a Ritz Carlton, but my kids love the seriously themed areas at these resorts. (I call it visual madness, but the trips are for the kids, right?) The AofA main pool area is just the best for little kids.
 





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