Help me get (my kids) to the 3pm parade

[DIS_AWC]

I'm planning our family's first ever trip to WDW over the first week of September. It's a short trip and our 4-day park plan is MK, Epcot, MK, HS. Magic Kingdom is the priority park for us since we have two girls aged 5.5 and almost 3. Our plan is to do early mornings each park day, then heading back to the resort around 1-3 pm for rest and pool time and then a relaxed dinner.

Our first MK visit is going to be an early half-day in the park (rope drop arrival), back to the resort for rest/pool, then the Cinderella dinner at 1900 PF in the evening. This is the only day that we are planning a scheduled TS dinner. We're planning to spend the entire time that morning in Fantasyland to try and focus on characters and the few rides my girls are interested in.

We all really want to see the parade at 3, so we're planning that for the 2nd MK day, which we're aiming to spend touring the other lands (some of the adults want to go on the more popular rides). The problem is that we have a pre-park breakfast at BOG planned, so it's going to be an early start and I'm a little concerned about everyone staying awake (or not melting down completely...) until the 3 pm time of the parade. I'm thinking scheduling a character lunch around noon at Chef Mickey's or Crystal Palace could be a nice break between morning park time and the parade. I'd love to hear other suggestions for rides or attractions or just places to go that would give everyone a chance to cool down and relax a bit and keep us all going up to parade time. We are definitely calling it a day after the parade - heading back to our resort and just planning to do QS dinner when people are hungry, so we aren't going to have an active evening on that day.

Thank you for your advice and ideas!

 

[kwdw]

So - since you are doing the early breakfast - at BOG - I'd plan a "snack break" at 10-11 am and TS around 1:00-1:30. I wouldn't do a character meal mid-day - just something like LTT, Tony's, or the Plaza. Character meal is TOO exciting, and you need a break. Plan on some quieter things, sitting things - Tiki Room, Mickey's Philharmonic, Country Bears, People Mover. I'd also plan some "free time" - Tom Sawyer's Island or the Treehouse - these are places they can run around and just be kids - not politely waiting in line. And for the parade - I'd watch it by the train station so you can make the quick exit.

This was roughly our plan when I went with my 5 yo niece this past spring - and she made the early morning through parade just fine (as a walker). We even went to the pool that day, dinner at resort. She also survived this long as a 3.5 yo with a stroller, no problem. Just make sure they get to bed at a decent hour the night before.

 

[scrappinginontario]

For us, it totally depended on my dd's schedule that day. To be honest, she was 'at' the MK parade 5 times before she actually saw it! If your child is one who needs to sleep at that time you might be hard pressed to make sure she's awake to see it. My thought was always, we'll go and if she's awake in her stroller she'll enjoy it and if she's sleeping the rest of us will enjoy it.

A preppark breakfast at BoG will mean an EARLY morning. If you're staying on Disney property I normally plan 75-90 minutes transportation time if it's before park opening. (ie. we have an 8:00am coming up in September and plan to leave our room around 6:30am.....which means getting my dd up around 6am)

You'll know best how your children will be if they've been up since early morning how they will be by lunch and then 3:00pm for the parade.

You might want to try something like Carousel of Progress around noon or 1:00. It's a cool, quiet place that is great for enticing naps and your DD might nod off there and be raring to go for the 3pm parade. Just a thought.

 

[ofcabbagesandkings]

If our son (3.5) is still napping for our next trip, my plan is to break MK into two days as you have, one that goes EMH RD to 1pm and one that goes 2:30pm to Wishes with a TS dinner. Our guy was overstimulated and actually asked to go back to the hotel at 1pm last trip (at age 3) so I know he couldn't make it straight through or would likely have a meltdown if we tried. If your kids can nap in strollers, then your plan could work.

 

[Wosmama6]

same dilemma here. i know my DS would love the 3pm parade but also know that he gets overstimulated easily and needs his nap. he usually naps from 1-330ish, so we are going to try to take it really easy one day and go back to the park late at night for MSEP instead. he is much more likely to stay awake until 9 or 930 than to make it to 3pm without being a totally miserable kiddo. pain to go back to the parks, but worth a shot. our plan is just like yours. AM in the parks, nap, pool, dinner.

 

[Wosmama6]

So, what i meant to say is, instead of the 3pm parade, maybe try MSEP and have dinner in the park that night?

 

[Happyinwonerland]

I would skip the BOG breakfast, sleep in a bit, and do the 3 pm parade instead of leaving for a rest break.

And honestly, when I was planning our first trip, I read all the advice about taking mid day breaks for naps and such. DD was just shy of 2 years old, and my niece was 7. I planned to break our first day. And then we got to MK and nobody wanted to leave. There is so much to see and do. You might be surprised at the second wind your child gets. We found that she slept in the stroller just fine.

For a young child, the 3pm parade is much more exciting than a breakfast at BOG. It's pretty inside, but ultimately, to a kid, it's just another restaurant.

 

[baseballnut]

Do they not do the parade at noon anymore?! Argh, it was my plan to see it at noon because we break at the hotel for naps, too.

 

[Wosmama6]

I don't see it on the schedule for late October at least

 

[ammag]

We used a rental divlE stroller and both of our kids took naps in there, we stayed all day.

 

[mandis77]

We have always been so full from TS breakfasts that we don't really get hungry until around 1-2pm. So my suggestion is to get a CS lunch then start making your way over to the parade route. Pick out a nice spot early and relax until then! The FoF parade is wonderful, you don't want to miss it.

 

[disneypolybride2008]

skip the early breakfast so that you can sleep longer, or atleast get a slower start. go for a late character meal that day for breakfast, then have pool time, and start your day at the park late like noon.