Block Party Bash

[wheredreamsbegin]

I have two questions regarding the Block Party Bash. (1) How long is the parade? (2) Where does it begin and end? I am trying to determine if my family will have enough time to watch the 3:00 parade and still make it to the Animal Kingdom in time for our early ADR. (5:15 p.m. at Rainforest Cafe)

I would also appreciate it if someone could tell me how long it might take to get from HS to AK using Disney transporation.

Thank you!

 

[mom2of2]

it's about 20-25 min and starts at the front of the park and ends by Star Tours.

It depends how long you have to wait for a bus to AK to give you a good time estimate but I would figure about 45 min to be safe.

If you watch the parade from the front of the park you should have no trouble making your ADR

 

[mountdew1]

It starts near the entrace/exit to DHS. And its not really a parade like you may be used to, but more a parade to set locations, then a small show, then a parade to their next location, and then another show. As such, you can only really see 1 of 3 parts of the Bash. Toy Story, Monsters Inc, or Bugs Life, not all 3. (Unless you position yourself near the hat and then you may be able to see Toy Story and Bugs Life. (Toy Story from stop 1, and then Bugs Life from stop 2)) If you watch it near the entrance (so see Bugs Life) then you should be able to scoot right out about 3:15 or so to get to AK. I'm sure Robo will post his wonderful map showing the route and viewing places. Unfortunately I have no idea how long it will take you to get to AK using Disney transport. But I would imagine you should make it in time.

 

[starbaby0103]

this parade is a little different..it's not a continuously moving one. it actually stops and does a mini show (i believe there are 3 stops along the route, with each one being the same). the "parade" is about 15 min long and then the performers pack up & move down the parade route....if you catch it at the beginning - on the sidewalk on the "street" leading out of the park, you can catch the first "show" and then head out for you ADR.

i always allow extra time when using the disney buses....you never know if they are just having a particularly off-schedule kind of day. on the safe side, i would estimate 30 min (includes time spent waiting for the bus).

 

[wheredreamsbegin]

Thank you to everyone who took the time to respond.

I think that we will try to view the "parade" from the entrance/exit and then make a quick departure to the busses. Thank you for that tip!

I am still a little confused. From the previous posts, I'm unclear as to whether it is possible to see all three "parts" or "mini-shows" from one location. Of the three "shows" that were mentioned, my kids are only familiar with Toy Story. (Of course, we'd love to see it all, but I know that the Toy Story characters would be the most anticipated.) Is it possible to see that "show" from the stop at the entrance/exit?

I'm sorry if I'm making this more complicated than it needs to be. Thanks again for your patience and your responses!

 

[starbaby0103]

in my experience, no, you will not be able to watch all 3 parts - the parade is too long! i believe that the toy story "stop" comes out first, followed by monsters inc, then a bug's life....so pick a spot closer to the hat! i still think you will have plenty of time to enjoy the parade & make your exit when your stop is over.

 

[wheredreamsbegin]

Great! Thanks!

 

[MinnieSummer]

After seeing BLock Party Bash for the first time on the 26th my advice would be to not even bother. I don't know if it was a shortened version or if they have changed things but we were seated in front of the hat and saw the first "performance" which was nothing more than a bunch of the guest kids playing with a parachute, down the road toward the entrance we could see performers on a trampoline, sort of, then the entire "parade" went right on by and we saw nothing else. Very dissappointing.

 

[starbaby0103]

it must have been a location issue...this parade is one of my faves. it works best when you are parked right in front of one of the character floats (like the ones the incredibles come out of). yes, the performers encourage audience participation, but it's really fun and more than just a few kids and some toys. there are great opportunities to interact with the characters and def an oppty to make memories - what's cooler than participating in a disney parade?

again, this is not a normal, ride-by and watch parade. location will really affect what you are able to see.

 

[MinnieSummer]

I had heard it was a great "parade" and was really excited to see it. I thought sitting in front of the hat would be a great place but it just didn't work out that way. As far as I could tell, the parade only stopped that one time so we only saw the group with the parachute and what little we could catch of the trampoline artists which was not much. The parade started up and went right on past us. I actually thought it was some kind of pre-parade entertainment when they opened up the parachute.

 

[starbaby0103]

next time try sitting on the curb on the DHS equivalent of main street! the hat seems to be in the middle of stop 1 & stop 2.....just enough to miss the good stuff! and even if you are in a "good" spot, you won't be able to see everything - but i def think that some spots are more enjoyable than others.

 

[Halloweenqueen]

As the posters noted, the parade stops in two locations on the route for a "party". We sat on the steps of the American Idol attraction last month. The parade stops just before the Hat and does a 10 minute set. Then they proceed to the second area. We were positioned in the middle of that area.

The parade is strictly Pixar themed. The first section of the parade is Toy Story Themed. The float, characters and CMs are all in that theme. Between the sections are either a trampoline float or a cones that carry scooters or unicycles, etc. The second section is Monster's Inc themed. This stopped in front of us. Each float is lead by a Green Army Man, that encourages the audience to participate. The Monster's Inc float had all the usual characters. They pulled out children for certain dances (YMCA, Celebration, ROCK in the USA, and the Marcerena, etc) The third section is Bug's Life. We could see that area by the Hat.

The finale brings out the characters of The Incredibles on the tops of floats, who dance along.

It would be easy to position yourself for a section if your children had a favorite. We were very pleased with the Monster's Inc crew. There was plenty of characters, but I noticed several young children being afraid of the large monsters.

At the end of the parade they throw nerf balls into the audience.

It was fun, but we wouldn't go out of our way to see it again.

 

[wheredreamsbegin]

As the posters noted, the parade stops in two locations on the route for a "party". We sat on the steps of the American Idol attraction last month. The parade stops just before the Hat and does a 10 minute set. Then they proceed to the second area. We were positioned in the middle of that area.

Where would you suggest we sit to see the Toy Story characters? Our children are not too familiar with the Pixar characters. They enjoy Toy Story, but seem to be a little scared by the monsters in Monsters, Inc. I would hate to make them wait for something that would scare them!

Thank you very much for your accurate description of this "parade".

 

[jsoren11]

I believe this thread would really benefit from a ROBO map!! you may throw his name in the title and see if he magically appears with his awesome visual aides!!!!

 

[ShannonMB]

Bumping for a Robo map.

 

[Robo]

Here is a map with the approximate locations of the "parade stops" for Block Party Bash.

The parade makes two stops in order for special "shows" to take place along the route.

If you stand at any of these numbered areas, you will see the "shows" mentioned on the list.

Thanks to jsoren11 for alerting me that you requested the map.

 

[MinnieSummer]

OK. When we saw it the parade only stopped one time -- but it is supposed to stop twice? They definitely didn't throw nerf balls or anything else out as the end of the parade rolled by -- just CM's walking behind the last float to keep the people away. Oh well, maybe I'll give it another chance and sit somehwere else..

 

[BabaGanoush]

Where would you suggest we sit to see the Toy Story characters? Our children are not too familiar with the Pixar characters. They enjoy Toy Story, but seem to be a little scared by the monsters in Monsters, Inc. I would hate to make them wait for something that would scare them!

Thank you very much for your accurate description of this "parade".

Because you want to make a quick getaway, you will want to watch the Block Party during its first show stop along Hollywood Blvd. Also, due to the desire to see the Toy Story characters, my suggestion would be to situate yourself close to the "Director" statue on the left hand side of the parade route (if you are facing the hat). An alternative to this spot (in case it is in the direct sun) would be across the street (near the tip board). Both of these locations are prime viewing spots though so you may want to arrive early if the park is moderately busy.

Also, the great thing about these spots is that they allow for relatively unblocked sight lines down the length of the Block Party so you can potentially see the other sections doing their routines as well (all of the routines are the same... just different characters).

One place I would NOT go is directly in front of the hat. It used to be a pretty good viewing spot for the Stars & Motorcars Parade but the way the show stops have worked themselves out, it usually creates disappointment for those that camp there.

Honestly, if you do this and leave after the Block Party moves on, you should have no problem getting to the resort for your ADR.

P.S. My favorite part of the parade is when the Incredibles come out to ROCK in the USA. Very cool to look down the street and see this happen.

 

[Robo]

OK. When we saw it the parade only stopped one time --

It can depend on WHERE you stand, whether (in front of YOU) it stops once or twice.

For instance, if you stand near the hat (#3 on the map) you will see two different "shows."

 

[BabaGanoush]

OK. When we saw it the parade only stopped one time -- but it is supposed to stop twice? They definitely didn't throw nerf balls or anything else out as the end of the parade rolled by -- just CM's walking behind the last float to keep the people away. Oh well, maybe I'll give it another chance and sit somehwere else..

Yes, during normal circumstances, the Block Party stops twice to perform the show. Having said that, there are certain circumstances where it may only stop once or not stop at all.

Case in point - if it has been raining and clears up just prior to the parade, they will only walk the route and will not stop at all due to the fact that the show is VERY high energy and would become unsafe for the acrobats and pixar pals (dancers).

Also, if something occurs during the first show stop that is considered unsafe, they may decide to forego the second show stop and roll right through. I could also foresee that if it is an extremely hot day, they may only do one show stop for performer safety. That is most likely what happened.