Aug 08 Trip Report-Go During Busy Season & Wait No More Than 10 Mins for Any Ride!

[PrincessVal]

I hope everyone had a great Labor Day Weekend!


Day 5 was our Animal Kingdom day. We arrived before park opening again today.

Once we went through the gate we watched the official park opening show from a distance. This was our first time seeing the opening characters come out.

My first goal was to head over to Expedition Everest and pick up some FPs.

I then met the rest of my group at Primevil Whirl. This is what Ridemax told us to do first. I think this is because Primevil Whirl has a very slow moving line. I love this ride. For some reason I laugh the entire time, I don't know why its just so funny. It's way too short but still lots of fun.

Next on the list was Dinosaur. Another ride I think is really fun.

Afterwards it was back to Asia for Kali River Rapids. This ride is good but too short also. It is a however a must do on such an extremely hot day. It was so warm out that even though we all got wet were were dry really fast.

Next was a quick walk over to Everest. This is another really great, but short ride. What is it with AK and its rides that are too short? I wanted to wait for the front but since we had such a big group I decided to not bother and we ended up with the back, which was good. Some day I'll have to try the front.

After Everest we had to trudge all the way over to Africa to FP Kilimajaro Safaris.

I had It's Tough to be a Bug on the itinerary but we decided to pass on this one for today. We have seen it many times and although it's cute we were so hot I knew if we could bump up our show times for Lion King and Nemo it would be much better.

It was about 10:30 AM when we finished everything above and was time for lunch. Since we were ahead of schedule our lunch destination, Pizzafari, was completely empty - very nice. I have always wanted to try Flame Tree BBQ because I heard it has good food however when its so hot and Flame Tree is not only out of the way but outside we always end up passing on that option. We had the usual pizza, breadstick, Italian sandwiches at Pizzafari and tried to cool off a bit.

Since we were ahead of schedule I noticed there was an 11:30 AM Lion King before the scheduled 12:30 PM show. We headed that way to see if we could make it in - no problem. We got our usual "Lion Section" seats near the front and waited for the show to start. This show is always one of our favorites. Every time I go I forget how good it actually is.

Today was DS22's last day of work so she had to leave AK and drive over to EPCOT. We were happy she at least got to do most of AK with us.

 

[PrincessVal]

Since we were so far ahead of schedule we ended up heading over towards Nemo and making it to the 1:45 PM instead of 3:15 PM. When we arrived we were so happy to find out that we only had to wait a few minutes outside in the heat then they let us inside. Seeing as we had over an hour this would have been pretty tough. We were close to the front of the line so we ended up getting great seats in the front of the back, middle section. I heard the back section is better than the front.

This was our First Time seeing the Finding Nemo musical. I'm a little biased because the Tarzan Rocks show (the one that was closed and Nemo put in its place) was my absolute favorite show at Disney. I love the Phil Collins music from Tarzan, it absolutely made the show. Nemo is of course completely different and quite good. I still however like the Lion King and Tarzan better because I like the music better than the new Nemo music.

We had to wait so long for the show to start some of us started to doze off.

Last on our list was to use our Safari FPs. It was a L-O-N-G H-O-T walk back to Africa. The safari used to be one of my favorite rides and I still like it however I really noticed a difference. The animals were all hot also so they were hiding in the shade. They were far away from the vehicles and it was difficult to get good pics. This is a good tip for anyone who is really looking forward to this ride, if you are going during a hot time of the year do your best to ride in the morning. Of course in the morning that day it wasn't much cooler so I don't know how much of it difference it would have made.

These are pictures from this - very hot - safari ride.

And these are picture from when we went during December...big difference.

After the Safari we stopped at a few stores on the way out. Then it was back to the hotel to cool off before we headed to Downtown Disney.

Next up - Downtown Disney evening then tomorrow back to EPCOT with the best meal of our trip and the suprise I planned for my family.

 

[whogirl'smom]

I'm still enjoying your report, just got a little behind! I'm glad someone else dozed off in Nemo besides me; I'm with you, the Lion King is the best!

 

[PrincessVal]

We went with our usual plan of going to AK in the morning and DTD in the evening. After cooling off, relaxing, and eating dinner at the room we headed out. My original plan had us going to Earl of Sandwich for dinner. I...correction...DH discovered this place a few years back. We had put in our name for Rainforest Cafe and it was going to be something like 17 hours before we were seated so we decided to wander around and DH stumbled across Earl of Sandwich. It ended up being super yummy, what a great find! Well unfortunately eating lunch at 10:30 this morning forced us to eat at the hotel before we left or we would have all starved.

The biggest thing I remember about this evening was it was still incredibly hot. So much for that 2nd shower I took before we left.

We met up with my cousin who had just had baby number 2. She lives outside Orlando so she drove in to meet us at DTD.

The boys played with the legos at the LEGO Imagination Center while we visited. Apparently DH built our house out of legos but some little kid came by and destroyed it before I could see it.

Here is a picture of the new T-Rex restaurant that will be opening soon.

We came across a recycling version of PUSH (the talking trash can). I think its name is Pipa. I had never seen one at DTD before, very cool.

We spent most of the time sitting around and people watching with ice cold smoothies. I visited Pin Traders and got a couple of pins to add to my collection. I started this tradition a few years ago. We peeked in a few other stores.

Before we headed home for the evening we stopped by Goofy's Candy Co for some yummy treats for later. This is a must for my family.

Tomorrow its back to EPCOT. We all started to get sad because we knew we only had 2 days of our Disney vacation left. You know that feeling.

 

[Villainess]

I just read your entire trip report!

My exDH and I did the Keys to the Kingdom Tour - I loved it and recommend it highly. Yes, there is lots of walking but the guide stops a few times for bathroom breaks and there is about 45 minutes or so for lunch (we ate at Columbia Harbor House). I had no problems with it (I was 6 mos pregnant and it was late June). I'm convincing my parents to do it on our next trip.

My exDH also did the Epcot Segway tour and he really enjoyed it; I couldn't as I was pregnant but used the time to take pics and saw him on the tour - the group really seemed to be enjoying themselves and he said he would definately do it again.

 

[PrincessVal]

I just read your entire trip report!

My exDH and I did the Keys to the Kingdom Tour - I loved it and recommend it highly. Yes, there is lots of walking but the guide stops a few times for bathroom breaks and there is about 45 minutes or so for lunch (we ate at Columbia Harbor House). I had no problems with it (I was 6 mos pregnant and it was late June). I'm convincing my parents to do it on our next trip.

My exDH also did the Epcot Segway tour and he really enjoyed it; I couldn't as I was pregnant but used the time to take pics and saw him on the tour - the group really seemed to be enjoying themselves and he said he would definately do it again.

Thanks for all your advice! I will definitely add those 2 tours to my list. Now I'm wondering why I didn't take any of these tours sooner.

 

[eugeniuss]

just read your report so far.... entertaining read....

 

[PrincessVal]

It was finally here...the day of my big surprise. And guess what it was supposed to rain. No this could ruin all my plans. Oh well hopefully it will clear up.

I made a deal with everyone, IF they were content on not doing Soarin' for a 3rd time we could sleep in and show up to the park around 10 AM instead of 9. It was agreed and off we went around 9:30.

First on the list was to FP Test Track then head over to Mission Space. Since we had an even 8 people and 4 of them wanted to do the "intense" orange mission and 3 wanted to do the green less intense I went with the green group. This was my first time doing the less intense version and it actually was better than I thought it would be. It kept you from getting motion sick but still wasn't too boring.

After saying bye to Gary Sinise we played in the fountains for a minute then headed over to the lengthy Universe of Energy. No offense, I love Ellen, but there is only so many times I can go on that ride. It's only really good for a mid afternoon snooze.

Then it was back to Figment. If you remembered from the first day, everyone else went on it while DH and I we were on the Behind the Seeds tour. Figment has been my favorite since I was a little girl and even though its a different ride now its a must for me.

After Figment DM and DS22 went over to Soarin' for FPs, yes yes I know I said we wouldn't have time but we were already over there and could get another FP so we figured hey why not. We got some soft pretzels while they went into the Land. We then had to make a mad dash for the cover between Character Connection and Innoventions because a major storm just blew in.

We snacked on our pretzels and decided what to do next. Since we had some time and it was still raining we went over to the EPCOT Museum. This was our First Time going into it, actually I never knew it even existed until recently. DH loves stuff to read so he enjoyed himself while reading all about the history of EPCOT. I wouldn't recommend it for little kids, but for adults its quite interesting.

After the rain let up we attempted to use our Test Track FPs but it still wasn't back up and running from the rain. So instead we decided to head back to the hotel. We wanted time to rest, shower, and change before our Soarin' FPs and ADR at Le Cellier. YUMM-O!!!

 

[PrincessVal]

Sorry for the delay...I've been sick.

Once back at the resort we cleaned up and got ready to head back to EPCOT. I was feeling a little stressed because the sky looked like it wanted to rain. I really needed it to cooperate tonight or my surprise would be ruined.

We parked over at the Yacht and Beach club since that is where the surprise would take place later. We had gotten the extra Soarin' FPs which gave us a whole lot more walking, but anything for Soarin' right. We should have walked from the Y&B to EPCOT because it turns out we just missed the boat. Either way we ended up waiting and taking some pics.

After the boat ride we hurried over to FW for our last Soarin' ride.

We then headed back over towards Canada. We had just enough time to see the new O'Canada show. This was our First Time seeing the show old or new. It wasn't too bad, I'm sure the updated Martin Short version is more entertaining then it use to be.

We then checked in to Le Cellier for our First Time eating here. I took some pics of the beautiful Canada gardens while we waited.

The host told us to wait outside because there wasn't any room inside to wait. Our ADR was at 5:40 and we had to be at the surprise area near Y&B at 8:00. I figured that gave us enough time right. Well wrong if someone else takes your reservation! We waited and waited and waited and waited some more. They told us there was waiting room inside so we moved inside. I was started to get scared. They kept going up and down calling another party of 8, I think the name was Watson. Those people never came and never came. Well after awhile we figured out that Watson stole our ADR, probably not on purpose but still. They called our name while we were outside and the other group sat down in our spot. Well shortly after they figured out what happened we were seated, I think it was after 7 at that point. I was still sad that we would have to rush our wonderful dinner in order to make it back over to Y&B.

Our server was so good that even though we were all frustrated with the situation we shortly forgot about it and were able to enjoy our meal.

DS22 got the glowtini. I got the cheddar cheese soup, and even though it was hot out it was very good. I shared the pork tenderloin with DB. DH had the filet, I'm not a steak person but the filet was the most tender thing ever. It was fabulous. For dessert I had the maple crème brulee and DS17 and DSbf shared the chocolate cake. The crème brulee was good but not as good as I expected. Next time I think I'll try the smores, they look so cute.

Le Cellier was very very yummy, everyone in our group loved it. Regardless of our seating experience it was well worth it. Same as the Plaza at MK its a small restaurant and hard to get in, especially for big groups so make ADRs early!

Le Cellier
Service - 10 (fabulous waiter negated the seating problem)
Atmosphere - 9
Food - 10
Overall - 10/10

Next its time to run over to Y&B, we're going to be late!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[PrincessVal]

Once we got out of Le Cellier I was happy to see that it had already rained and we had missed it. It was now time to run back over to Yacht and Beach, I believe we had about 7 minutes to get there. We caught a rainbow on the way back out of EPCOT.

This time instead of waiting for the boat we ran around the to the Y&B specialty cruise dock. We ended up only being a minute or two late which wasn't a big deal because although we had to be there at 8 we didn't leave until 8:30. All day everyone had tried to take guesses on what the surprise was. I knew DS17 knew what we were doing, she thinks too much like me. Once our captain showed up it was kind of obvious we were going on a private boat ride, but I didn't let them know we were heading towards a prime seat for Illuminations until we were there. This was our First Time going on an Illuminations Cruise.

On the cruise they provided complimentary sodas and chips. You can also order other food to be catered but I knew that we were having dinner minutes before and that wouldn't be necessary.

First we motored over towards the Studios. Our captain, I forget her name, told us all kinds of interesting information about the area/hotels. For instance the Swan and Dolphin hotels were supposed to be switched. The Dolphin and Swans on top were put on the wrong hotels and they were so behind schedule they had to leave them and just rename the hotels. We then headed back around the boardwalk and back towards EPCOT. We took some pics along the way.

We pulled up to EPCOT and parked near a couple other cruises under the bridge between UK and France. Our captain then gave us the story behind Illuminations and what all the stages mean. That part was great, we had seen it dozens of times and had no idea what everything meant. We then took some more pics and sat back and watched Illuminations with a great view.

I had debated on whether to do the Wishes or Illuminations cruise. I had heard the Wishes was further away, more remote and romantic, while the Illuminations is more right in the action but near other boats and not as romantic. I figured the Illuminations would be more up my family’s alley. The only good thing that I think Wishes would of had over Illuminations for us is that Wishes is even harder to get a good spot because of the limited area of viewing.


Overall I think it was a good experience. The captain was fabulous. It was very relaxing and something new to experience. I think it was worth doing once but at the price, around $300, I don't think its not worth doing frequently. If you have a small party you can find other parties to split the cost between using the boards. I think that would work out well. The boat can hold up to 10 people, but there are 6 prime spots at the front of the boat.

Everyone really enjoyed themselves and it was the favorite part of most everyones trip. I used the cruise as a belated anniversary gift for my parents. I think its a great idea for a special occasion.

Tomorrow is our last day before we head home. Its an MK day and ends up being one of my favorite days of the trip.

 

[iluvuwdw]

Great pictures and love your trip report hope to read more ....

 

[PrincessVal]

Every time DH begs to go to Tom Sawyers Island and every time we never end up going. It’s a fun place to run around but in the summer it can be brutally hot. Well this time I promised him we would go. I found out about the paintbrush hunt and that seemed like a great idea for our group. I had just found out recently that every morning the CMs hide paintbrushes (I think 5 total) on the island and if you find one and bring it back to the CM they give you a FP for Splash or Big Thunder. Well this was our mission for this morning.

We got up in time to get to MK around opening. We actually were so excited for todays adventure we weren't paying attention to where we were going and ended up entering and exciting WDW property and missing the MK turn...oops

Anyway when we arrived DM and DD headed towards Space for FPs. They were going to pass on the TSI adventure. We wandered our way to Frontierland, we knew we had some extra time since it didn't open until an hour after the park. We got there around 9:40 and we were first in line. This was our First Time looking for paintbrushes.

On the way over the CP didn't announce the paintbrush hunt, I think sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. We hoped they were still doing it. If not we were going to be on a wild goose chase.

We ended up spliting into 3 teams of 2, DH and DB, DS17 and DSBF, and DS22 and myself. We headed off into different directions as soon as we docked.

DS22 and I ran towards Aunt Pollys and the fence that Tom had to paint. I ended up spotting one right near by.

We then met up with DS17 and DSBF. They too had already found a paintbrush.

We then called DH and DB and found them as well. They of course had found a third paintbrush.

Knowing that our mission was complete we ran around and explored the island.

In doing so I ran across yet another paintbrush. We ended up finding 4 in all. We knew that it was only 1 per family so we put 2 of them down for others to find. I started to realize since they weren't telling anyone about the paintbrushes no one was looking for them so I gave my extra one to a little boy passing by and told him what he needed to do. I wanted someone else to be able to get the FP as well.

After about 45 mins of exploring we saw DM and DD were waiting across the water so we boarded a boat back.

We turned in our paintbrush and got our magical moment FP. I highly suggest doing the paintbrush hunt. It was one of my favorite parts of the trip. Just make sure you are over on the island first thing in the morning. They are not hidden too hard. Mostly just lying along the paths on different things. The ones we saw were red, green and 2 blue.

While we took our FP to Splash, DM FPed Big Thunder for us.

I ended up with a wet bottom since I sat in the front.

Up next my 2 favorite things at Disney...Dole Whips and Sweet Cream Cheese Pretzels.

 

[dkmjgal]

I am really enjoying your trip report! I had no idea about the paintbrushes. I'll have to remember that for next time!!!

Kelly

 

[PrincessVal]

After Splash we headed over to Pirates for a 2nd go round. The wait was less than 5 mins. I love quick loading rides.

DB reenacted our trip last year where DD ran into the pillar in line which we happened to catch on video. He got too excited explaining which side was port and which was starboard.

When we came out of Pirates they were having the Pirate Tutorial. Since it was just starting up we were able to get great spots where we could actually see so we stayed to watch.

After Pirates we FPed Jungle Cruise since we were nearby and hadn't ridden in awhile. We then continued on through Adventureland and got Dole Whips for everyone. This was our First Time trying out the Dole Whip float. I'd have to say its pretty darn yummy and very refreshing on a hot day. I however am weird and don't really like any type of juice so I think next time I would get just the ice cream and not the float.

Next we dance our way back over to Tomorrowland for a ride on my all time favorite...the TTA.

Afterwards we noticed it getting awfully dark. We got some sweet cream cheese pretzels at the Lunching Pad, picked up a FP for Buzz, and made a mad dash for the Tomorrowland Noodle Station. Here we ate our pretzels and watched the rain come down. If you have never tried these pretzels please do, they are to die for.

After awhile the girls got restless and decided to run over to the shops on Main St. We knew it wasn't that far and since it was our last day it was time to stock up on Disney stuff.

I ended up buying a picture frame, for the future photopass pic I would order and a Minnie garden decoration thingy.

DM bought a bunch of presents for friends and family but I didn't get a pic.

And DS22 bought out the entire store. Never fear everyone Disney will remain in business for at least one more year thanks to her purchases.

After the boys finally dragged us out of the stores and the rain had let up we headed back to the hotel for some resting up before our final night. It was almost time to say goodbye to Mickey.

 

[PrincessVal]

Our original plan was to eat an early dinner at 1900 Park Fare and head back for sleeping before our long drive tomorrow. The 2nd plan was to eat a late dinner at Kona Cafe and watch Wishes from the Poly beach. Both of those ideas were vetoed by DS22 and DS17 because both wanted to watch Wishes from the park.

Knowing we wouldn't be able to top our fabulous dinner at Le Cellier the night before we ate a quick dinner at the resort. Afterwards we headed back to MK with a couple FPs in hand.

We headed to Tomorrowland and used our FPs for SM and Buzz. We also did Monsters Inc with only a few minute wait. This was a lot of fun because both DH and I got our jokes read during the show. DH was especially excited because it was his favorite joke as a kid.

We passed through Fantasyland where I got another sweet cream cheese pretzel at Skuttles Landing.

We then used our FPs for Jungle Cruise and Big Thunder.

By the time we got off Big Thunder I knew the first Spectro was about to start. Our plan was to get a table at the edge of the Noodle Terrace for Wishes. Well we rushed back over and across Main St nearly missing the parade and being stuck on the other side.

All the outside tables were taken at the Noodle Station so instead we got a table in front of the Plaza which wasn't a bad spot either. We watched Spectro go by from our table then a couple of us went for snacks while the rest saved the table.

I went to the bakery and brought back some water along with a cinnamon roll, banana bread pudding, a caramel apple with nuts, and cotton candy. I had always heard good things about the cinnamon rolls and I had to wait for it to come out of the oven so it was fresh. It however wasn't quite as good as I expected, it was your typical cinnamon roll. I guess I'm just partial to Cinnabon. The bread pudding however was really tasty, I think DD would back me up.

Shortly after we finished eating Wishes started. Our view was pretty good considering we got to stay seated and didn't have to push our way through any crowds.

Afterwards we stayed in our seats for awhile to let some of the crowds go by. Then we said one last goodbye to Cinderella's Castle and headed on our way.

We are all sad our trip is over but we had a great time. I will be adding one last entry of things I learned from this trip.

 

[dkmjgal]

I've really enjoyed your report and I look forwarding to your "list of things learned".

Kelly

ps - I'm curious about the crowds while you were there. Were they as bad as you expected?

 

[PrincessVal]

I've really enjoyed your report and I look forwarding to your "list of things learned".

Kelly

ps - I'm curious about the crowds while you were there. Were they as bad as you expected?

The crowds were about what I expected. The worst being getting to TSM in the morning. Based on the wait times they were long but nothing like holiday time. Average wait for your typical big attraction was around 60 to up around 75 mins. As long as you FP the big ones and went to the others at less crowded times of the day you were fine. It seemed slightly less crowded then maybe July but if we were able to wait a couple more weeks and go towards the end of Aug when kids are back in school it would have been better.

Thanks for reading.

 

[JaxJags08]

How was your view of Spectro from your table? We are going to the MK in December and I want a good view, but also want to be as comfortable as possible. We'll have DD1 in a stroller with us, so I want her to be able to see Spectro.

 

[PrincessVal]

I've put together a list of things we learned from this trip. Hopefully I will remember for next time.

1. Afternoon breaks - key during the hot summer months. We had never really taken the time to leave the parks in the afternoon but it was SO MUCH BETTER. Going at park opening and getting the major attractions out of the way while its cooler and the crowds are lighter, taking a mid afternoon break for napping or swimming when its the hottest and most crowded, and then heading back in the evening for dinning and/or more attractions is definitely the way to go. We were all much less exhausted and more pleasant.

2. Touring Plans - whether you use TouringPlans.com, the Unofficial Guide, RideMax or whatever I suggest making some sort of a touring plan before you leave. I had never used these before. I had a general plan in my head based on experience, but using other sources of information I learned helped even more. Then once I got to the park there was no worrying about what to do when. I simply followed the plan I printed out.

3. FP, FP, FP - I know this is an obvious one but its important. You must FP at least the major attractions. Unless you are there first thing in the morning FPs will make your wait time so much lower.

4. Take your time - usually we spend our time running around trying to do all of our favorites multiple times. This time we still did some repeats but we took our time with it. One morning we did half of FW in EPCOT and another morning we did the other half. Instead of the usually trying to do the whole thing both days.

5. Try new things - if you have been to WDW many times try different restaurants, taking a tour, ride an attraction you usually skip. Trying different things can make the trip special and more exciting. We tried all new restaurants this time and found some great ones. Doing the drawing part of the Animation Tour was lots of fun and we got a free souvenir. Looking for the paint brush on TSI was one of my favorite parts and you get a free FP. The Behind the Seeds tour was great. I'm putting other tours on our list for next time, maybe the EPCOT Segway one.

6. Breakfast reservations - they don't always have to waste your precious morning time. I usually reserve all mornings for attractions however scheduling a late breakfast can be a great way to dine while still getting in some rides in the morning. Going to Chef Mickey's was one of my favorite parts of the trip. We were all hungry enough by the time our reservation came around to eat enough for breakfast and lunch so we really got our moneys worth. Plus the character interaction was great. Next time we will have to try this with another location, perhaps Tusker House.

7. Illuminations Cruise - a great treat for a special occasion. Its great for something new to do however is quite pricey. I would reserve it for a special occasion or if I had a smaller group I would try to share a boat. I may try the Wishes one at some point, but will wait for another occasion to come around.

8. Le Cellier - fabulous. Le Cellier was our best meal not only this trip but probably ever at Disney. I will definitely go back, but maybe not next time. I want to try something new. I heard Boma is another great one.

9. Splitting up - can work out great. Splitting our group for Beauty and the Beast/Light Motor Action was a great idea. We got 2 things done at once and didn't have to necessarily sit through something we weren't thrilled about seeing again. DM and DH don't really like RnR but love ToT so they split from the rest of us and got to ride it twice instead of just waiting outside.

10. Get everyone's opinion - make sure there is something for everyone. DH isn't a Disney fanatic like me so I did some things to make sure he had a great time as well. For instance doing the Behind the Seeds tour, the paint brush hunt on Tom Sawyers Island, and eating/drinking in Germany were all things I knew he would enjoy. I knew DM and DD would love the Illuminations Cruise. Try to get a feel for what everyone in your groups wants to do and let them have some input on the planning or even surprise them while you are there.

 

[PrincessVal]

How was your view of Spectro from your table? We are going to the MK in December and I want a good view, but also want to be as comfortable as possible. We'll have DD1 in a stroller with us, so I want her to be able to see Spectro.

I should have taken a picture. We could see about the top half of the Spectro floats because of the other guests standing to watch. This was fine with us because we knew if we wanted to get a good view we would have had to be waiting on the Main St curb for at least an hour. There are better/easier places to see Spectro from Frontierland however by the time you headed to the castle for Wishes it will be standing room only.

For Wishes if you look at the pictures we can see the fireworks fine, but we could only see part of the castle because there were some trees. A nice CM came by and put down our umbrella that was on the table which would have blocked more of our view. If you do get one of those tables you might want to ask someone to take it down before the fireworks start. The table was also great because once Wishes started people crowded behind us but since we were in chairs it didn't feel as though we were getting pushed around like you would if you were standing.

There are also tables at the edge of the Noodle Station you can see Wishes from which was our original plan. I have never sat there but heard its a pretty good view. I know you have to be on the outside edge however or you are blocked by the roof.

My suggestion would be if you have someone else with you, maybe send them to save you a table at either place while you sneak up to the parade with DD. She probably won't enjoy it as much if she isn't up close to see the characters. From our spot in a stroller she probably wouldn't be able to see much of anything.

Depending on when you go in Dec, the beginning less crowded or the end very crowded, would determine how far in advance you need to be there for a Spectro spot and a table.

I hope this helps and you have a great trip.