Worth upgrading pass to see Fantasmic and Fireworks??

[nikib808]

We fly in from HI on Sunday, May 20 at around 4pm and will be staying at the GCH for 5 nights. (We head to San Diego Friday morning.) We have 4 day park hopper passes and intended for Monday to be our first day at the parks. BUT it seems I planned poorly. Fantasmic and the fireworks show are not scheduled for the days we are at the parks (mon thru thurs). Should I upgrade to a 5 day pass so our kids (ages 3 and 5) can see the shows on Sunday - the day we arrive? This is their first Disneyland trip

 

[Disney Dreams]

Yes.

And not just for your kids.

- Dreams

 

[HydroGuy]

It is really hard to say. Fantasmic is an intense show and some young children do not handle it well. So it depends on your children. Plus you have to stay out late. Fireworks will be cool but also late.

If your kids were older I might say yes, add a day. But at 3 and 5 you are probably fine to leave Fantasmic and fireworks for a future trip.

You should be able to catch WOC one evening so you have at least one evening show. Plan to see Aladdin and the SoundSational parade and that may be enough shows.

 

[DSNY4ever]

Take into consideration what Hydroguy said about the intensity/loud noises/darkness etc. If you think your kids can handle it then YES! I generally think these two shows are definitely some of the best experiences in the parks. I couldn't imagine you being disappointed.

And yes it is annoying that Disneyland posts their park info/show times/hours so late and that they don't offer these on a rotating basis during the weekdays

 

[Eeee-va]

The cost to add a fifth day is relatively small, compared to the cost of each of the 4 days already on your hopper. Normally I'd be a bit more on the fence because of the age of your kids and jetlag (though I think I'd still recommend it)...but coming from Hawaii, your kids will probably be wanting to stay up later anyway. So you might as well make the most of it.

Since you are staying on-site, you should get Magic Mornings Tuesday and Thursday. So you'll have PLENTY of time to do Fantasyland and Tomorrowland (if you want) on those two days. You can sleep in a bit on Monday (if you want or need to) to try to ease your transition to the parks. I think I'd plan to see the fireworks and/or Fantasmic! on Sunday, then think about starting the day at DCA on Tuesday...I believe it opens at 10, so that will be early for Hawaii time but is really sleeping in for Anaheim time. Staying at the GCH your family can also easily take naps if needed, though with the relatively short hours, you might be able to do open til close on a few days with just an in-park rest every day.

If you think your kids might be scared, you might just stick with fireworks (you probably know if they like those or not), or show them a video of Fantasmic! to get them used to it first. Or if you want to just be in the park without seeing the shows Sunday evening, I see nothing wrong with that...again, your kids may not feel like it's late at all.

Have a great trip!

 

[starshine514]

We're going the week before you (May 13 - 17) and will be driving from Arizona most of the day and then going into the parks Sunday night for fireworks and maybe Fantasmic (I'll let the girls decide whether we want to battle the crowds for it). They have seen it before; once we saw it with my friend's kids (ages 3 & 4) also and none of the kids got scared. Kids' reactions vary, though.

If fireworks are part of what the kids are hoping to see at Disneyland, I'd upgrade and do the extra day if I could still get the pre-purchase price (I'm not sure that I would upgrade if I had to go up to the gate price to do it. I might just watch them from the esplanade or something if the price was too steep).

 

[Isatricia]

We had the same situation and I decided to add the extra day - it was only $11 per person, so we decided it was worth it. I also recently found out that the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail in DCA will be closing for refurbishment on Monday, so we will be able to do that tomorrow as well as the fireworks.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

It would be a "nice to have" but, honestly, if you decide not to do it, I would NOT give it a second thought. Our DD at age 4 was very frightened at Fantasmic -- we had paid a lot of money to do the Dessert Package back in the day when it was up on the balcony, she buried her head in Daddy's chest and wanted to leave!

Honestly, I think your kids will be just as happy to swim in the hotel pool or go into the expansive Disney store in DTD.

Our family doesn't do "part of the day park entries" any longer....what I mean is, we don't go to the park on our arrival day. We really like going into the park when it first opens in the morning and we have a fresh start. It's just how we roll, but I realize not everyone shares that same desire.

Good luck and have fun!!

 

[fctiger]

I was going to just say YES without a doubt before I even clicked on the thread! They are both amazing shows and truly is a very important part of the Disneyland experience.

But when I read you want to see it for your kids and they are basically toddlers, I wouldnt worry much about it. As people said, at that age it can either go way. They can love it or scared to death of it lol. I would say if you do it, fine, but probably when they are older will be a more lasting experience anyway!

 

[DBMC]

My kids LOVED fantasmic. They were 2, 3 and 6 at the time. They still talk about it a year later. If it were me, I would definitely upgrade.

 

[Liat]

My kids were in bed and asleep by the time the fireworks happened every night but one the last trip we went. We stayed up late that night and they enjoyed it but were miserable little kiddos the next morning.

I wouldn't do it if its just for the kids. But I always like popping into the parks on arrival day (my kids need to burn off energy that they've held in from sitting on a plane and a shuttle for hours).

 

[nikib808]

Thanks for all the thoughtful responses! Seems we have a lot to consider especially considering their ages. We're almost a month away from our first family Disney vacation.