Early Main Street Electric Parade & Dinner

[amylevan]

What does everyone do for dinner when the Main Street Electrical Parade is at 7pm and Wishes is at 8? We'll have Preschoolers with us, so eating afterwards is not an option. We're not too fond of the MK's TS options (although we've never eaten at LTT or Tonys). I guess we could do CS, but we prefer dinner TS.

If we make reservations for 5pm at a monorail resort, will we have time to find a parade seat?

This is for early February, so crowds should be relatively light.

 

[OKW Lover]

With preschoolers, I'd guess you would want to eat around 5:00. Even so, that doesn't leave much time to eat anyplace outside the MK and get back in time for MSEP. LTT is a pretty good TS, as is the Plaza restaurant. Probably the best CS is at Columbia Harbor House.

 

[Nadjalu]

There really isn't a resort close enough for you to eat at, get back to MK and get a good spot for the parade...with little ones anyway.

Your best bet if you wish to eat dinner at a TS is to do Crystal Palace. Since it is a buffet there is plenty of variety for everyone.

That is the way I would go. (infact that is what we are doing for our MNSSHP day).

 

[Quin]

You would not have a primo viewing spot for the parade, but.....how early does 1900 PF open? It's the shortest monorail ride back to the park. Check in way early too, so you're one of the first seated.

Alternative would be to do a large late TS lunch and then CS/snack your way through the wait for the Parade on Main Street.

 

[crabbygal902]

I agree with the PPs. There probably isn't time to get back to the MK from a resort restaurant unless you had a 4 pm ADR or earlier...and I don't know if that exists except for holidays and during free dining.

I agree with you that the MK TS are kinda 'meh'. I have eaten at LTT and the food was plentiful, hot, basic, and tasty. Did I mention basic? Now that they no longer have characters, we will probably not return because there are so many other great options around WDW.

If it were my family, I'd skip TS that evening and save it for another time.

Columbia Harbor House is a cut above other CS restaurants with a nice menu and a lovely upstairs seating area. Pinnochio Village Haus has some tables with a great view of IASW.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Of course a lot depends on your kids and when you choose to nap, but when we took our preschool age girls back in December we did a mid afternoon snack, late nap, came back for MSEP & Wishes (had a few small snacks in my bag for this time), and TS meal outside of the park after Wishes. The girls did really well and were still OK to get up early the next morning for a pre-park opening TS breakfast.

This trip, since DD2 wants Pooh- we're going to nap earlier ...then doing an early TS meal at Crystal Palace and then MSEP & Wishes.