Fantasmic and toddlers?

[Lupeix]

Hi,
I am planning our 2015 vacation, DS will be 4 then and we will be celebrating his Bday (a little late).
I was thinking this time do fantasmic for the first time. Since neither DH nor DS will wait in line for 60 minutes or more, I was planning on getting ADR for a Fantasmic dining package and I've heard you have to do it at the 180 mark if you want to have dinner at a reasonable time.

I am starting to have doubts now as to whether the show will be appropriate for a 4 year old. Would love people to share their experiences with fantasmic and toddlers, is it scary for little ones?
should I try to book the ADR or leave fantasmic for a future visit?
Thanks

 

[jess1662]

A lot of people have no issue at all, but it scared my son when he was 6. Of course, he is a total chicken, so who knows?

 

[Crl1817]

Ds was scared at age seven. He's pretty easily scared though. He and dh left the show early.

 

[kohlby]

My youngest fell asleep during the show at 2.5. I have no idea how he managed that one. He's not a napper and never fell asleep in the parks - except for that one night at Fantasmic. He's normally scared of loud noises, so that fixed that issue. My middle child was 5 and eldest 8 and they both enjoyed it. The eldest had seen it at 6 as well and really liked it. (The younger two hadn't due to needing to get to bed!)

We went during the non-busy season and had zero issues getting seats. We went on a recommended day with one showing. We didn't wait in line for an hour - or at all. Our plan was to get there 30 minutes before but it ended up being less. Only the middle third was full then! There were even seats right before the show started still. The other time - when it was my husband and eldest - the line was crazy. They were at EMH and decided to wait and do the second show. It was much less crowded and the line was no an issue at all then.

It won't help with the lights, but we brought ear plugs just in case for the noise. Our next trip will include the noise reduction earmuffs for my youngest. (He has sensory issues, so though we'll likely skip Fantasmic due to the timing, we need the headphones if we hope to get him through any fireworks).

 

[MSSANDRA]

Our little guy loved it at that age but we have seen kids that age get really scared. Maybe sit toward the back as that seems a bit less scary.

When DS was a preschooler, we liked doing a late lunch time ARD for the package and them going back to the room to chill a couple hours and returning just in time for the show.

 

[Lincolnshire]

We are planning to take our son when he is 28 months. I am hoping it will be physically possible to leave early if he gets scared. We don't really know what to expect - he has enjoyed things like the circus and has no issues with loud noises. It seems like it just depends on the kid.

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

Having the same dilemma. My DS is pretty fearless at 3, loves fireworks so I'm hoping the noise doesn't bother him, but the content is what has me worried. Never know what could freak them out at that age.

Some advice I've been given is to show him the show on youtube so he's prepared for it.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

DD9 hates anything "creepy". At 6, she cried almost all the way through Fantasmic.

 

[asmit4]

I am in the minority- but I'm an adults and didn't get it at all. It was all very dark and I didn't follow the story line. Guess I am just out of touch. LOL!

With that said- NO, I would not take a 4yo- it's a very dark show.

 

[DopeyDame]

It's not the noise or lights that scared DS, but the actual show. There are a lot of scary moments. Mickey wins in the end, of course, but it's not a show designed for toddlers. We won't be going this upcoming trip.

 

[jacknsally19]

So I think it really depends on your child. My DD loved it when she was two. Not scared in the least.... She isn't a very nervous / scared child though so it may have been part of it. Also, she LOVES Mickey Mouse. She couldn't stop talking about Mickey's hat after Fantasmic! I'm feeling a little guilty that we are going to skip Fantasmic on our next trip.

Personally, I wouldn't necessarily do the Fantasmic package - I would just go to HS when there are 2 shows and see the 2nd show. Then, if you have to leave bc your little one gets scared - you won't mind (as much)

 

[DopeyDame]

So I think it really depends on your child. My DD loved it when she was two. Not scared in the least.... She isn't a very nervous / scared child though so it may have been part of it. Also, she LOVES Mickey Mouse. She couldn't stop talking about Mickey's hat after Fantasmic! I'm feeling a little guilty that we are going to skip Fantasmic on our next trip.

Personally, I wouldn't necessarily do the Fantasmic package - I would just go to HS when there are 2 shows and see the 2nd show. Then, if you have to leave bc your little one gets scared - you won't mind (as much)

I think it depends on the child and also on the age. My DS was FAR braver at 2 than he is now at 5 for things like this. I think he probably wouldn't have minded Fantasmic at 2. It was at 3/4/5 when they start understanding things a little more and having some context for the scary "bad guys" that he started to get scared.

As another example, on his first trip at 16 months, DS would run up to characters - any and all of them - happily. We were recently at an event with Darth Vader and DS was scared out of his mind. (Despite the fact that this particular Darth Vader was a sweet heart and tried to high five him )

 

[rachael95]

I think it depends on the child and also on the age. My DS was FAR braver at 2 than he is now at 5 for things like this. I think he probably wouldn't have minded Fantasmic at 2. It was at 3/4/5 when they start understanding things a little more and having some context for the scary "bad guys" that he started to get scared.

This.

Yes, it's loud. There is a lot of fire and heat. There's a lot of water splashing up. People in the first few rows will experience both. I've sat close enough where the heat was actually uncomfortable and a bit scary - think getting too close to a campfire hot.

But of the kids that I've seen who get really scared of the show, it's that Mickey is in danger and they're afraid. The story is that Mickey is having a nightmare. Malificent as the dragon is the main enemy. So imagine a little one who has seen The Sorcerer's Apprentice see something that starts out like that turn into a nightmare with a giant dragon trying to hurt Mickey. That would scare anyone, but especially a child who hasn't quite learned the difference between "pretend" and "for real". Fantasmic is my favorite show on property, we are debating taking our son when he's 2.5 this September. If we decide to do it, we're going to definitely sit near the exit and in the back.

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

I haven't seen Fantasmic! in 5 years and last time I did, lil' guy was nowhere on the radar, so I probably didn't remember how this could freak kids out. Took my own advice watching the youtube video aaaaand


NOPE!

Not happening. My son is just at the age of understanding the concept of scary things and wow does this deliver. First 15 minutes are great (slight dicey moment if you don't want your kid to see gunfighting at 10 minute point) however I HIGHLY suggest checking out at least everything between minutes 15:25 with Snow Witch and Mirror through 22:20 when Mickey wins and each villain screams their defeat cry. The worst:
16:16 Huge snake vs. scared Mickey
20:00 Huge dragon
22:00 Mickey's win and montage of screams of agony.

Too bad because it's my favorite too, but not gonna risk ruining what should be his best park day thanks to DisJr and Buzz/Woody with him being terrified. Maybe we can standby on TSMM while my folks watch it (never have)

Here's the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8H8pxhpZLw