Leaving Magic Kingdom during/right after FoF parade?

[Maine_Belle]

If my family and I wanted to leave Magic Kingdom right about the time the Festival of Fantasy parade is going, how does that work?

It might not even come up, but my rough itinerary for our last day we're in Magic Kingdom and I have us watching the parade from Adventureland or Liberty Sq and then potentially leaving (back to the hotel to drop stroller/get bags).

But I'm not sure how that would work since Main Street will be packed with people and floats!?

 

[Missyrose]

If my family and I wanted to leave Magic Kingdom right about the time the Festival of Fantasy parade is going, how does that work?

It might not even come up, but my rough itinerary for our last day we're in Magic Kingdom and I have us watching the parade from Adventureland or Liberty Sq and then potentially leaving (back to the hotel to drop stroller/get bags).

But I'm not sure how that would work since Main Street will be packed with people and floats!?

Come toward the hub via the Adventureland bridge. Hang a right in the new outer part of the hub. Head into the Emporium via Casey's and walk all the way up through the Emporium to the front gate, bypassing Main Street entirely.

 

[Missyrose]

They also will keep walkways clear on both sides of Main Street. It's not as hard to get out as you'd think.

 

[starsweeper]

Come toward the hub via the Adventureland bridge. Hang a right in the new outer part of the hub. Head into the Emporium via Casey's and walk all the way up through the Emporium to the front gate, bypassing Main Street entirely.

We often arrive at rope drop and leave after the FoF, and this is what we do to avoid the crowd.

 

[mrzrich]

Watch the parade in frontierland near Splash Mountain. Take the train from next to Splash Mountain. It will bring you around to the front of the park.

 

[Maine_Belle]

Excellent! Thanks all- good to know we can get out if we choose. I love the idea of taking the train too!

 

[Cynthiab]

We got stuck trying to leave last year during the parade and ended up (somehow) in the grass circle right in front of the exit, watching the whole darn thing go by. It was a great location but really we just wanted to leave!

 

[Klayfish]

If you're trying to leave during the parade, you do NOT want to be on the Emporium side of Main Street. You need to be on the Goofy's candy shop side. This happened to us just a few weeks ago. My wife was on the Emporium side, while I was on the other side in Goofy's with the kids (my wife was buying a present for the kids). My kids and I were able to walk down the sidewalk past the Town Theatre and out the exit. My wife got stuck at the end of the Emporium. As the parade is crossing there, you cannot cross that side of the roadway (the side near Guest Relations and the Fire Station). You have to wait for the parade to clear. Kids and I wound up just having to wait and watch the parade from just in front of the exit area, waiting for my wife. Other option is the train, which will take you around all of it.

 

[sharonabe]

Watch the parade in frontierland near Splash Mountain. Take the train from next to Splash Mountain. It will bring you around to the front of the park.

I thought the train didn't run during the parade? Has that changed?

 

[mrzrich]

I thought the train didn't run during the parade? Has that changed?

The Op is talking about the day time parade. The train stops running before the night time parade

 

[disneyfav4ever]

The Op is talking about the day time parade. The train stops running before the night time parade

I thought it didn't run during the day parade either.

 

[katt789]

We usually watch FoF twice by watchin in Frontierland & at barber shop, so it's definitely do-able!
-Watch from a little bit deeper in Frontierland, somewhere around Country Bears/the dvc booth, there's underpasses into Adventureland there, cut through one, through Adventureland, and then enter the Casey's dining area, and cut through the shops. You can keep an eye on the parade/hear the music to know how fast you need to go and it's more than easy to beat it to Main Street, cross the street and exit before they block off the road!

 

[Baklava]

I thought it didn't run during the day parade either.

Sort of. We got stuck back near the circus on a 20 minute hold due to the (day time) parade but by the time we got going and got to Main Street, we were just in time to see the parade come through there. The train does get stopped for the parade to go past/across/over/whatever but it starts up once it's clear while the parade is still running elsewhere.