WOC with toddler

[kellygirlmay12]

I tried searching for this info, but came up short.

We are taking our son to Disneyland for his 3rd birthday. We are trying to sketch out our days there, and are wondering about WOC. Has anyone taken a toddler/preschooler and can you tell me your experience? We would definitely do a dinner and get fast passes. But I'm not sure we should even try to go, because a lot of what I read says that you still have to line up an hour before. That won't really work with a squirrely little boy. And will he even be able to see anything over people's heads?

The only reason we are even considering doing a table service restaurant in California Adventure is because of WOC, so we will for-go it if the whole experience will be too crazy with a toddler-ish

 

[Mysteryincorp]

We tried for my daughters 3rd birthday. It was a hot, long day. My daughter goes to bed at 7., I think the show started at 8 or 9. We did the dining package and got there about 30 minutes early. We had no problem seeing but it was brutal. I did not enjoy the show at all. My daughter was miserable but I felt obligated to stay because we had spent the money on the dining package. I was also just generally not impressed with the show.

This year we did the 9pm Fantasmic show right before they went to the fastpass system. My daughter was almost 5 and was able to stay up later. Seeing her face watching that show was worth every single penny I have ever spent at Disneyland. Seriously.

 

[figment_jii]

Whenever I've taken a small child, it's a balancing act between getting there early enough to get a good spot and not making the kiddo wait a really long time. Ultimately it depends on the child and if you think they will like the show. One thing to consider is how badly do you want to see the show? My group decided that we wanted the kids to see the show, but it was less of a priority for the adults (well two of us anyway) to see the show. So we got spots in the back of our section and then at showtime, hoisted the kids up onto shoulders so they could see. The kids got a good(ish) view and we did our best to minimize the impacts to those around us (the top of the kids' head were about level with the taller adults in our section). Otherwise, the only way kids (or short adults) will get a good view is get there very early and secure a railing spot.

 

[pirate_smiles]

We did WOC with 3 toddlers 3,4,5! I got the fast pass and lined up early while my husband took them on a few rides while I was waiting. He came back about 20 minutes before the show started. We had a really great view. My kids got fidgety during the show from sitting and waiting for so long. My middle child (4) did not like it at all, and him and I left early before the show was over while my husband stayed with the other 2 kids. My middle child is very noise sensitive and did not like how loud it was. So I guess it depends on the child as every child is different and you know your child best

 

[Congo Queen]

There may be people out there with angelic, high-stamina three year olds who can tell stories of how it all worked out fine, but I would not do it with a child of that age. I think the odds for it being stressful are too high. For my kids (who are now teens but I remember well) it would have been a triumph to get them to sit through a full table service dinner let alone ask them to subsequently wait and wait for a show that starts well after their bedtime and which you must stand to see. When my kids were 3 and 4 yrs old we took nap breaks in the middle of the day but still were back at the hotel room by 8pm as they were just wasted.

 

[Chiomaca]

We had a similar experience to Pirate_smiles. My older nephew (now 5 and 7) loved the early scenes, but freaked out when things got scary. His younger brother is super noise sensitive to the point where everyone in the family carries ear plugs for him, and he hated the whole show. Last year we didn't even bother because the waiting and the noise were still too much for both boys.

As far as stamina, we could have done it, but carefully. We tend to do the parks in the morning, head back to the hotel for a nap and hit the pool for a sensory break, then dinner and back for the fireworks or WOC. I don't think we'd last if we stayed in the parks all day. Make sure you have things to make the wait bearable, preferably something that he hasn't seen that day and will be excited about. The last time we did WOC, we bought the light sabers in the park and that occupied them completely.

I haven't had a bad TS meal at DCA, it's worth it even without the WOC package.

 

[Lauren in NC]

How many days will you be there? When my son was almost 2, we wandered into the area while WOC was happening and were able to watch some of it from a non-FP viewing area near the Little Mermaid ride. He enjoyed watching it for about 5 minutes and then was bored and wanted to keep moving. So, perhaps you could try that out a few nights before the WOC dinner package and see if he likes it, and then cancel it if it seems it wouldn't work out?

 

[sophies*mom]

My DD was 3 when we saw it last, and she was scared-although she was easily scared by almost everything in the parks at that time, but the show can be intense. She buried her head for most of it, although peeked out when she heard some of her favorite songs.
Parts are loud and the Pirates scene has fire, so those are things to take into consideration.

 

[Aussie Princess]

We have done WOC with my now 3 yr old we did the WOC dining at lunch then went back to hotel for rest and then came back in the evening for WOC

We kept him in the pram during the show but have been lucky enough twice to get at the fence so he can see perfectly and have managed to entertain him for the time before the show beginning