Is Fantasmic really worth it?

[Mickey1976]

This decision is causing me so much grief! Here's the situation...going in August with our DD who will be 2 1/2. She's a really good child but I obviously can't know how she'll react to the show. Also, seeing as it's late and our goal is to hit the parks early in the a.m., I don't want to throw off her schedule too much. We'd definitely do the dinner package if we can get ADRs to shorten the wait. We had decided to not do it this time but then spoke to a colleague at work who basically called me a dummy for wanting to keep a schedule, "It's Disney, loosen up" was what he said...saying it is totally worth it to see, amazed him and he's not one to get amazed by anything.

So for all of you who travelled to WDW with toddler's, is it worth it??? Or should we skip it, saving it for another future visit, and have a nice dinner somewhere else instead?

Thank you for taking the time to respond...I'm going to try to figure out how to attach a poll to this too.

 

[2trips06Mom]

We have taken my young great-niece and she enjoyed it, but some smaller children may find parts of it scary. I personally LOVE Fantasmic - I love the music, the water, the show itself. However, that being said, I also know that you cannot do and see everything on every trip to Disney World, so if you do plan on going back sometime when your 2 1/2 is older, then that might be time to see it. You can always go and if your little one is fussy, leave early too. Good luck -it is a tough decision trying to figure out what is a "must see"!

 

[danny1649]

It is a great show and I think your family we really enjoy Fantasmic.That said you are the best judge if it might be to long of a day for you or DD.If it just doent seem to be able to do it this trip,hey that's what second or third or fourth trips are for.Hoping you have a magical vacation.

 

[jb01]

I would say no due to her age. At 2.5 there are many other things that she will find enjoyable. Save it for another trip.

 

[Mickey1976]

Thank you so much for your replies! On that day we'll probably hit DHS in the a.m., back to the resort after lunch for a nap and a rest...then head back for dinner and the show. The length of the day should be just fine for her, knowing what she's like, she's a trooper when it comes to stuff like this. Deep down I think she'll be just fine but I just don't know if it's worth it, never having seen the show, to do all the waiting and such. Thanks for voting, keep them coming!!

 

[kadesha]

I took my kids to see it when they were 2 and 3 and they were really scared.

However, now I'd say that it isn't worth it because they have cut the shows and the waits/crowds are terrible! I'm sure that my girls would enjoy it now that they are older but it's not worth the hassle now!

 

[tessiesevin]

At that age I say skip it. It is a pretty timely show. I don't think it would hold a 2.5 year olds attention for that long.

But for older ones its definately a must.

 

[randomDisneyFan3000]

To long of a wait, scary. With it being cut, it adds long lines to all attractions in the day. Go to DHS on a day it's not on.

 

[PurpleTurtle]

Hi there - My kids are scared to death of this show (except my oldest who is 10 and now ok with it). HTH.

 

[JerseyJanice]

When my son was 4 and we went to see it, he fell asleep after we were seated and before the show began. You can't have your stroller with you, so DH and I took turns holding him on a hot, sweaty night. The show is great, but we didn't enjoy it as much that night.

 

[DaveStroem]

We saw F! this last March. I am betting it will be the one an only time we do. While my kids are older and not scared, none of us were impressed with the show. I feel that because of the limited showing that alone is causing the hype for F!. IMO it is not worth the wait, and barely worth seeing if it was a walk on.

 

[drichey25]

On our first trip we did it with my then 2 1/2 year old. She wasn't scared, but it really didn't hold her attention either. We also noticed she was way more tired the second day even with the mid day nap. My then 5 year old really didn't enjoy it either. We are planning on missing it this next time and trying to focus on things that we know they will like.

 

[Hunbun]

I would skip it this time. It's crowded, hot, and extremely LOUD. We had 2 Seniors, two 30 somethings, a 6, 4, and a baby. The 4 yr. old and the seniors wore earplugs as it was painfully loud. No one was scared, but the kids weren't all that interested. They like the light up stick they got, but that was about it.

It took us at least two hours to make our way back to the resort after.

And the park was shoulder to shoulder all day also.

 

[g-dad66]

I agree with everyone else. It might be best to save Fantasmic for a future trip when your daughter is a bit older.

I think it's a great show, but I don't think it's probably worth the hassle at her current age.

 

[MHSweb79]

Fantasmic is an awesome show, but it does feature Mickey battling lots of villains, with smoke, fire, a dragon, explosions and other scary, in-your-face, larger-than-life stuff. Plus the people down front get wet.
But the scariest part of Fantasmic is fighting the massive crowd to get in, and, even worse, fighting the massive crowd to get out. (Maybe Mickey could do something about THAT? )
I'm afraid that having the dinner package doesn't really get you that much, other than a designated seating area. I believe they now funnel you in with everyone else through the main entrance, and you still have to get there at least 45-60 minutes early.
I don't think it's a must-do with a toddler, so I voted no. (When I voted, it was split 50-50. Hope we are helping you with your dilemma! )

 

[Mickey1976]

Thank you everyone for your votes and replies! LOL, at almost a 50/50 split, I can tell it's not going to be an easy decision! I have until May 10 to decide...that's the day I can call to make my ADRs...between that and when they release the August hours, it may help my decision based on what my plan is so far. Thanks again!

 

[g-dad66]

Thank you everyone for your votes and replies! LOL, at almost a 50/50 split, I can tell it's not going to be an easy decision! I have until May 10 to decide...that's the day I can call to make my ADRs...between that and when they release the August hours, it may help my decision based on what my plan is so far. Thanks again!

Not to try to tip the scales or anything...

But I notice that every single posting made was either a "Not worth it" (or was somewhat leaning that way). That's why I said I agreed with everyone. It came as something of a shock to see that the poll was 50/50.

Just an observation. Take it for what it's worth.

 

[DaveStroem]

Considering the general positive Disney bias to the Disboards (not complaining) a 50/50 tie is actually overwhelmingly against.

 

[Doc CW]

Its an amazing show but the crowd of people can be overwhelming, I would definitely do it but after the show kinda wait for the crowds to leave and slowly saunter out to the buses or your car. Thats how we do it and it works every time.

 

[MeLaNie9]

We saw it in Dec 2007 with our boys 1 and 3 at the time. We would never wait in that huge line forever for this show and only did it with the F! dinner package (which then let you in a separate entrance to a separate seating area). Both kids were scared by the show and insist that they do not want to see it again. We booked the F! dinner package again in Dec 2008 and found out at the dinner that they no longer use the separate entrance and were recommending going to wait in the line an hour before the show. We decided "no way" esp since the kids didn't even want to do it!