Watching the FoF parade with toddlers, is Chef Mickey lunch a bad idea?

[Isabelle12345]

I am in the process of planning our February 2020 trip. I am trying to fit a FoF parade watching for our next trip with our kids who will be 2 and 5. The older one does not usually take naps but the 2 year old does much better when she does.

We are doing two MK days, one will be a morning-noon, then afternoon break at the resort, then evening/HEA fireworks so no parade that day.
I am trying to fit watching the parade on the second day, but was also considering chef Mickey for lunch or dinner. We will likely rope drop (9AM opening) and do as many rides as possible until 11:30. I was thinking of a 12:00 lunch reservation at Chef Mickey and then do a monorail loop for my youngest to hopefully fall asleep, heading back to MK around 14:15 to grab a spot on the back of Main Street for the parade.
Is that a viable plan?
Or should we take a break outside the park around noon (maybe hop on a monorail resort and lunch at Capt Cooks), then go back for the parade and then chef Mickey early dinner (16:30-17:00?)
What do you think?

 

[EsseG]

Pushing a stroller is about a 20 minute walk from MK to the Contemporary so as long as you're out the gate by 11:30, a noon reservation will work. The first floor of the Contemporary near the check-in desks has lots of comfy quiet seating, some with TVs playing Disney cartoons, so think about that for nap time. You'll all be able to relax without the starts/stops/people in/people out of a monorail ride.

A great place to watch the parade is its start point in Adventureland (second page in link) https://cdn1.parksmedia.wdprapps.di...c-kingdom/mk-0519-en-os-web.pdf?1562090088063 The crowd clears out much quicker than on Main Street; everyone on Main Street is trying to get up or down the same street while Adventureland has many exit routes away from the viewing areas. You can get to the Adventureland or Frontierland attractions easily when the cast members take the ropes down after the parade passes.

When my kiddos were small, we learned to make plans for morning to mid-afternoon and to be flexible within those plans. Evening plans, especially on vacation, were often cancelled due to exhausted children and/or parents and there was the added stress throughout the day of wondering if/when we should cancel. Consider your family's high and low energy points and make your reservations accordingly.

We love Chef Mickey and have breakfast there every time we visit. Some complain about the food, but how can you go wrong with fresh OJ, waffles, bacon, sausage, fruit, pastries, and RC treats. The characters are delightful, the servers are attentive, and we've never waited more than 20 minutes after our reservation time to be seated.

 

[Isabelle12345]

Pushing a stroller is about a 20 minute walk from MK to the Contemporary so as long as you're out the gate by 11:30, a noon reservation will work. The first floor of the Contemporary near the check-in desks has lots of comfy quiet seating, some with TVs playing Disney cartoons, so think about that for nap time. You'll all be able to relax without the starts/stops/people in/people out of a monorail ride.

A great place to watch the parade is its start point in Adventureland (second page in link) https://cdn1.parksmedia.wdprapps.di...c-kingdom/mk-0519-en-os-web.pdf?1562090088063 The crowd clears out much quicker than on Main Street; everyone on Main Street is trying to get up or down the same street while Adventureland has many exit routes away from the viewing areas. You can get to the Adventureland or Frontierland attractions easily when the cast members take the ropes down after the parade passes.

When my kiddos were small, we learned to make plans for morning to mid-afternoon and to be flexible within those plans. Evening plans, especially on vacation, were often cancelled due to exhausted children and/or parents and there was the added stress throughout the day of wondering if/when we should cancel. Consider your family's high and low energy points and make your reservations accordingly.

We love Chef Mickey and have breakfast there every time we visit. Some complain about the food, but how can you go wrong with fresh OJ, waffles, bacon, sausage, fruit, pastries, and RC treats. The characters are delightful, the servers are attentive, and we've never waited more than 20 minutes after our reservation time to be seated.

Thank you so much that is very helpful!
The reason I was thinking of watching the parade on main st is it would be easier to exit?
But I like the idea of Adventureland! I will definitely look that up!
And thanks about the tip for the lobby at the contemporary we will probably go check that out!