How to best avoid afternoon parade when entering MK?

[Lupeix]

For our upcoming trip, we have a 3:30 reservation for the pirate's league on our first MK day. We will be coming directly from the resort, since we are sleeping in that morning (jet lag). It dawned on me that the festival of fantasy parade starts at 3 (which we have planned for another MK day). Should I just try to get there before the parade starts, or is there a way to get to the pirate's league that does not overlap with the parade route?

 

[allysetraskos]

You could take the train from the enterance to frontier land, it might just be ending over in that area, otherwise I would plan on leaving early.

 

[mom2rtk]

I believe the parade comes from Frontierland to Main Street, so you have smidge more time than you think. You're probably supposed to check in a bit early at PL anyway. Yes, the sidewalks will be packed, but they keep a path clear behind the parade crowds. And you might have access to the street part of that time still. If you don't, then head for the shops on the Adventureland side of Main Street and exit down by Casey's. I don't think it will be as hard as you think.

 

[MisterPat]

I don't think the train will run at that time, as the tracks cross the backstage part of the parade route. I agree with mom2rtk. The Emporium shops are all connected, so walk straight through and then take a left by Crystal palace. No parade conflicts with that route.

 

[davkata]

Yes it definitely starts in Frontier Land, because of this, we missed most of it on our last day when we were planning on catching it. We had ridden the train from Fantasy Land to Frontier Land and it broke down in between for over 20 minutes! Our FP window ended at 3:20 and we didn't get there until 3, so we had to ride BTMRR and hope the parade started on Main St. and we would catch it ending in Frontier Land. Well, it did not, it started in Frontier Land, so we missed the majority of it, although we caught up with a lot of it by walking along the boardwalk toward the river boat.

 

[PACVII]

All the more reason they need to complete the Main Street bypass. It would bring you out near tomorrow land but beats fighting the parade crowd on Main Street.

 

[mom2rtk]

All the more reason they need to complete the Main Street bypass. It would bring you out near tomorrow land but beats fighting the parade crowd on Main Street.

Is the Main Street bypass going to be on both sides of Main Street? Because if it's just on the Tomorrowland side (which is what I was picturing for some reason) it would not help the OP who is heading to Adventureland.

Still, point taken. There are plenty of other guests who would benefit.

 

[PACVII]

Just one side, and point taken with what the OP was looking for, just more of a statement of need. They do open from time to time when crowd levels are high. They do close when raining as the run off in the area can cause a bit of a flood situation back there. It's more construction that takes way to long to complete. They are in a bad need of a bypass. But if disney can funnel you through gift shops that bypass will never get completed.

 

[disnut8]

We have entered Magic Kingdom just before a parade was about to start and we just went through the shops. Not everything comes to a complete stand still during a parade.

 

[Lupeix]

Thanks, glad to hear it won't be a big issue. Going through the shops is what I will do. I will have a stroller with me, and I don't want to leave it parked on the train station.

 

[EastYorkDisneyFan]

I'd go through the gift shops as well just make sure you are on the left side of the park and you should be fine all the way to the bridge to adventure land plus it's possible some of the new paths around the hub will be opening soon so you may be able to use one of thsoe

 

[DisneyFansInNYC]

The main street bypass was opened when we were there Presidents week. So even if it is only on one side it did make main street not as crowded. We have been there when it was scary because you couldn't move at all. This time it was great. No problem getting around and the park was extremely crowded.

 

[FFMickey]

Go through the Emporium and take a left towards the Crystal Palace. The parade shouldn't be by the hub until you are a already at pirates league.

 

[Robo]

Thanks, glad to hear it won't be a big issue. Going through the shops is what I will do. I will have a stroller with me, and I don't want to leave it parked on the train station.

If it's you own stroller, you take it (folded) with you on the train.
If it's a Disney stroller, you leave it at the boarding station and pick up another one when you exit the train at your stopping point.

 

[Robo]

Yes it definitely starts in Frontier Land, because of this, we missed most of it on our last day when we were planning on catching it. We had ridden the train from Fantasy Land to Frontier Land and it broke down in between for over 20 minutes! Our FP window ended at 3:20 and we didn't get there until 3, so we had to ride BTMRR and hope the parade started on Main St. and we would catch it ending in Frontier Land. Well, it did not, it started in Frontier Land, so we missed the majority of it, although we caught up with a lot of it by walking along the boardwalk toward the river boat.

If you had walked through Adventureland and then through the Emporium-connected shops, you could have seen the whole parade
from near the front of MK. It does not reach Town Square until about 3:30.

 

[davkata]

If you had walked through Adventureland and then through the Emporium-connected shops, you could have seen the whole parade
from near the front of MK. It does not reach Town Square until about 3:30.

They weren't letting us cross, so we had to take the boardwalk route. The lack of allowing crossing happened during one of the MSEP one night too, but not another, so I don't get that inconsistency...Anyway, since 7DMT was down all day we got a recovery email letting us swap our FP and we chose Space Mtn. so we had to head that direction anyway for our final ride before having to leave the park by 4 ish for the DME. We were bummed, we waited until the last possible minute we could to see if mine train came back on line, but it didn't until we were back at our resort boarding our DME.

 

[davkata]

The main street bypass was opened when we were there Presidents week. So even if it is only on one side it did make main street not as crowded. We have been there when it was scary because you couldn't move at all. This time it was great. No problem getting around and the park was extremely crowded.

We were there same week and it was only open to exit park not enter. At least not when we needed it to be.

 

[davkata]

I'd go through the gift shops as well just make sure you are on the left side of the park and you should be fine all the way to the bridge to adventure land plus it's possible some of the new paths around the hub will be opening soon so you may be able to use one of thsoe

We used the gift shop route as well, but once getting out of there, near Crystal Palace, it was packed and they were trying to make you go the opposite way we wanted (toward park exit only). I finally asked a CM "What if we don't want to go that way and don't want to see the parade, we just want to get to the rides?" her response was "If what I'm saying doesn't apply to you, ignore it" LOL! This was after the 9 pm MSEP had ended and people were trying to line up for Wishes.