Which fireworks shows to skip?

[zomama]

It's just not feasible to keep my 5 and 3 year olds up every night until after 10. So we'll probably pick 2 nights to stay out late to see the fireworks.
I'm guessing wishes is a must do. Is illuminations? Fantasmic?

 

[sahm2kaitlyne]

Definitely wishes, as you mentioned. We are big fans of fantasmic, and I have a 6 and 3 yr old. Some small kids do find parts of fantasmic frightening though-so maybe YouTube it to see what you think beforehand. We like illuminations as well, but if we had to pick 2, we'd leave it out. Gl!

 

[DisneyDanielle85]

Personally i'd skip Fantasmic. I think Illuminations is worth seeing and will entertain a 3 and 5 year old. Fantasmic for me personally is just okay. If i HAD to skip one and not be dissapointed it would be that one.

 

[VACamm]

ohhhh I couldnt pick one to miss...they are all equally amazing!

 

[budafam]

I would choose Fantasmic over Illuminations. Illuminations has some "big ones" but there's a bit of lull in the middle when they do the whole "Earth opening thing". We saw it on our first trip and have never been back. Fantasmic has recently become my favorite even over Wishes

 

[parkhopping]

My favorite nighttime entertainment at Disney is as follows:

1) Celebrate the Magic (castle projection show at MK that occurs in conjunction with Wishes)
2) Illuminations
3) Wishes
4) Fantasmic!

Note that depending on what time of year you are there, F! often has showings as early as 6:30. If you can catch an earlier show like this, it's definitely worth doing at least once, and you may not feel the need to compromise/skip anything at all. You will get some people on here telling you they don't like the show, but I think everyone should try it. If F! will only be showing later while you are there, I would consider skipping Illuminations. This is solely based on the fact that I think it would be the least interesting to kids of your ages.

 

[chipdale74]

Wishes and fantasmic!! My dd is 4 and I had her watch fantasmic on the Apple TV since we haven't been able to get to Disney yet. She LOVED it!'n

 

[theyoungs07]

Fantasmic is one of our favorites...we make sure to hit it when we're visiting. I think Illuminations would be my vote for the one to skip, but it'd be sad to. It's vacation, keep em up . My kids are normally in bed by 9, but on vacation all bets are off and they seem to hold up for 10 straight days of insanity, then they sleep most of the 20+ hour drive home .

You may be able to make it easier on them with Wishes if you go to the dessert party where they can sit and relax more, or watch it from the train station so you can get out right away.

Maybe naps in the afternoon? We usually go back to the house in the afternoon, even though the big kids don't sleep, I think it helps greatly with the later evenings.

 

[GreenCntryGirl]

Our pick would be Illuminations.

 

[stargazertechie]

I would pick Illuminations over Fantasmic, just because of the wait for F!

 

[ElCapitanAmerica]

Fireworks? Illuminations is the show to see ...

Fantasmic is a good show, but I don't think it compares, plus I like that Illuminations is open and you can watch it from so many parts of the parks, vs the cramped and crowded setup at Fantasmic.

BTW I was at Hollywood Studios last night and the lines were horrendous, the entrance to Fantasmic was packed like I've never seen before, had no desire to experience that at all ...

 

[minnie mum]

It's just not feasible to keep my 5 and 3 year olds up every night until after 10. So we'll probably pick 2 nights to stay out late to see the fireworks.
I'm guessing wishes is a must do. Is illuminations? Fantasmic?

Of course Wishes is a must do!! It's difficult to pick the second one. My favourite is Fantasmic, but many small children are afraid of the explosions that occur. It will be showing at 8:30 when you will be there (end of April, right?). We regularly skip Illuminations and dine while it is playing, but it's a bit easier to watch because the viewing options are so spread out, and it's not as scary for little ones.

BTW, if your kids are frightened of loud noises, be aware that they will likely run into this at a lot of attractions. You might want to consider something like the noise-cancelling headphones to help them deal (a lot easier for kids to tolerate than ear plugs).

 

[minnie mum]

BTW I was at Hollywood Studios last night and the lines were horrendous, the entrance to Fantasmic was packed like I've never seen before, had no desire to experience that at all ...

Yeah, the F. standby line on a long weekend/holiday is just one of the reasons why we always do the F. dining package.

 

[Jannephotog]

We skipped fanstasmic this trip since DBF and I aren't big fans of huge crowds and getting stuck in a spot with one entrance and one exit...

Wishes is the best, for sure. Really dug Illuminations when I've seen it before.

 

[firstwdw]

I was wondering the same and just viewed a little bit of Fantasmic on Youtube. Oh my word.....I can see that terrifying my DS. If you preview the shows on Youtube that might make it a very easy decision for you. I think we will do Wishes one night (it's playing at 9 two nights we are there instead of 10) and do the Main Street Electrical Parade at Magic Kingdom another night at 9. If we decide to do Epcot we may do Illuminations.

I agree....I will not keep my child up till all hours every night-I know it's vacation but being completely short on sleep is just asking for it! We plan to nap during the day too-I know I'll need to nap!

 

[cajunprincess]

As you can already tell, everyone has mixed opinions when it comes to Illuminations and F!

I would definitely suggest Wishes and my second choice would be Fantasmic! My family and I didn't care too much for Illuminations. For us, after seeing Wishes, it was a let down.

 

[pouncingpluto]

We're skipping Illuminations with our 2-year-old. It starts at 9 (versus 7:30 for Fantasmic), and it would be hard to get her positioned to see what's on the water. We're doing the F! dining package so we can skip some of the waiting.

 

[Sparkly]

I would see Wishes, Illuminations and Fantasmic. They're all awesome in their own way.

 

[Shelton123]

I would say, especially with kids that young, to see Wishes and IllumiNations and skip Fantasmic. If I could only see two, those would also be the two that I'd see. I think Wishes and IllumiNations are really entertaining while Fantasmic is not only potentially frightening but it relies too heavily on the projections, although the projections are really unique and interesting, I just never feel the need to see it again as much as Wishes or IllumiNations.

 

[ChristineOH]

We are planning our second trip for May, and I think we are going to skip Fantasmic a second time. It is a time suck, either eating a TS we wouldn't otherwise eat to get the reserved seating, or a long wait in line to be sure we get in. We did Wishes and Illuminations last trip. Just planning Wishes for this trip. We can do more nighttime stuff when the kids are older. I would say if you want to plan for two, plan for Illuminations, but it won't ruin your trip just to do Wishes. Or none, for that matter. Go with the flow and see how it goes. Have fun!