Cirque Du Soleil for young children?

[mannatee]

I'd like any experiences or advice on taking a 4yo to see this show.
He has had no problems with any attractions (rides, fireworks, shows, etc) at any WDW park and has ridden anything and everything for which he's qualified (41 inches ) .
What should we expect or prepare him for? Or might the show be too long for a 4 yo attention span?
Thanks for your responses.

 

[crisi]

We took our six and seven year olds, they enjoyed it. Not nearly as much as we did, but they enjoyed it.

Here is the thing with Cirque and little kids.

Its pretty expensive. If the idea of paying $50 or whatever for your kid to see a show is OK with you, consider going. I was too cheap to pay that until this year.

Although one of the least abstract and conceptual shows Cirque does, its still sort of abstract and conceptual. Probably won't make a difference because its colorful enough and filled with enough action for a kid.

Watch potty breaks. I'd make sure my kid was going to sit 90 minutes without a potty break before I did Cirque. Too expensive and too good to miss because "I haffa go!" This was the big reason we didn't do Cirque until this year. I've missed five minutes out of lots of movies due to potty breaks, and when you are watching a stupid movie for $6, that's ok. (I can't remember if La Nouba has a "no reseating if you leave" policy. That is common for Cirque shows, but La Nouba is a little different because of the number of small kids).

It isn't scary, my kids weren't impressed because at six and seven they had no idea how difficult the things done were to do, no real understanding of the strength and flexibility the performers were showing. They did enjoy the show though. The other thing to be aware of is that it might give certain kids ideas (probably ones older than four) for dangerous stunts to try on bikes or trampolines.

They do expect small kids and even provide booster pads so you little one will be able to see!

(We, on the other hand, were blown away - as is typical with a Cirque show).

 

[GEM]

I took my little guy in December. He was 20 months old. He was enthralled. I don't think he so much as breathed or blinked the entire show. I had seen it before, so I thought he woud like it. Still, I figured I'd have to take him out halfway through or something. Nope. He didn't make a peep or a wiggle. Just sat there in awe and clapped like a maniac at the end. I would think a four year old would LOVE it!

 

[jig]

We did this when our kids were 3 and 5. They loved the show, but my only suggestion is that you make a nap earlier in the day mandatory. After doing Disney all day and expecting them to stay awake for a long show, although it's interesting and entertaining, little ones tend to fall asleep. I wouldn't want to pay the price for the ticket and the kids sleep through 3/4 of it just bacause they had a place to rest their weary bones.

 

[mannatee]

Thanks everybody for the advice...
And the nap is mandatory every day for all the EMH nights, right?
We may need to limit all the gallons of Gatorade that afternoon in preparation for a 90 minute show.
Thanks again!

 

[crisi]

My kids never napped at WDW - too excited. At 2 and 3 we would do the transportation cat nap - bus or boat or train or monorail, they would conk out when we started, so we rode the MK train or whatever in circles for an hour. It wasn't the best nap. We never stayed out late (another problem with Cirque when they were smaller - although the 6:00 show isn't bad). If your kids do nap, yep, naps are encouraged. The fireworks we saw when the kids were little were anything we could see with jammie covered children from our own hotel. (I suspect most kids nap at WDW better than mine, but I'm not the only one with a story of going back to the hotel for a nap to spend an hour watching kids bouce off the walls.)

EMH nights can apparently be quite crowded. I've never done one, but a lot of people who have don't bother after the first. EMH mornings are still a deal though.