FantaSea

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99 M3 Kamala Beach
Phuket, Thailand 83150
+66 (76) 385 000Website
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FantaSea Show

March 1, 2007
Rated 2 of 5 by sjmclaughlin from Pawtucket, Rhode Island

We booked the FantaSea show mainly because it was touted as the best tourist attraction in Phuket. After seeing the show, we didn’t quite agree with that.

The FantaSea village is a small area of restaurants and shops leading to the Palace of the Elephants theater where the show is performed. It is filled with lights and glitz and feels like a mini-Disney. Along the street are vendors, outdoor stage acts, elephant rides and carnival games. Our shuttle bus from the hotel arrived 2 hours before the show so we wandered around aimlessly and eventually ended up sitting at a bar watching a band dressed as the Flintstones play barely recognizable '80s music. This band was so bad that we were quite entertained.

We booked the FantaSea show through the Concierge Desk at our hotel. There is an option to purchase a Buffet Dinner and Show tickets but we had heard from other guests at our hotel that the food at the Kinaree Buffet Restaurant was only fair. So we bought just the Show tickets. They offer "Gold Seats" for an additional price (250 baht) which supposedly have a better view, but the theater is small enough that any seat is a good view. Transfers from and to the hotel by shuttle bus are included in the price of the ticket.

When you enter the theater, there is a Camera check area. We tried to hide our camera in a pocket - not so that we could take pictures at the show but because we didn’t feel comfortable leaving our camera with them. But we didn’t get away with that. They look through bags and pat down your pockets. However, it is a very efficient process with fast moving lines for checking the cameras and picking them up after the show. As we walked through the hall towards the theater, there are a few stops along the way where you can get your picture taken with a baby lion or elephant, for a fee of course. But I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the poor creatures.

It is a Las Vegas style show but tackier. There is a very large cast of singers, dancers, clowns, acrobats and over 30 elephants performing on an elaborate set design. A narrator speaking in English tells the story of the mythical Prince of Kamala interweaving Thai history and culture.

The show was bit boring, and hard to follow. And the glitzy dazzling FantaSea Village was just too cheesy and commercial. It isn’t a true representation of Thai life and culture. This is not something you need to put on your must-see list.

The park is open 5:30pm - 11:30pm but is closed on Thursdays. The show starts at 9pm and lasts just over an hour.
www.phuket-fantasea.com

From journal Honeymoon in Phuket