Night Time Parades/Fireworks

VTdisneytravel

VTdisneytravel

Member
Original Poster
I was wondering what experiences you Mom's with 5-6 year old's have had going to the park from open until 12-1. Then 3-4 hour break. Returning from 4-9 for the night time events?

What I am specifically questioning is if going back to the park until 9-10 is a good idea? However, I don't want my kiddo to miss out on the night time parades & the fireworks.

My current plans is that I will do:
Day 1: a night time show at Hollywood Studios (half day b/c we are flying in) @ 9pm
Day 2: the fourth of July fireworks show at MK @ 9pm
Day 3: day at animal kingdom ending at 3
Day 4: night time electrical parade at MK @ 9pm
Day 5: night time show at Epcot on day 5 @ 9pm

Is there a particular night time parade/fireworks event that you guys think a 5-6 yr old could live without?
 
CAPTAIN HOOK

CAPTAIN HOOK

Well-Known Member
VTdisneytravel said:
I was wondering what experiences you Mom's with 5-6 year old's
Click to expand...
Is there another thread where you ask the same question to fathers of 5-6yr olds ??
VTdisneytravel said:
Is there a particular night time parade/fireworks event that you guys think a 5-6 yr old could live without?
Click to expand...
Any kid in their right mind would want to see all of them - providing they can stay awake. Sounds like the afternoon break should be utilised for a nap before returning to the parks in the evening
 
MotherofaPrincessLover

MotherofaPrincessLover

Well-Known Member
It just depends on the individual child. I think my daughter would be perfectly fine. We went to MK in December (just at the parks for 1 day), and my daughter spent 17 hours straight in the park. Obviously she couldn't do that everyday, but with breaks midday she can stay up pretty late and be fine.
 
DizneyPryncess

DizneyPryncess

Well-Known Member
My daughter was 2.5 when we went, so younger than the age you're asking about. But I wanted to chime in because our schedule was similar to what you outlined. We arrive at park open, and leave mid-day for a break at the resort. This is an absolute must for our daughter to nap. Then we go back in, and she does fine for the evening shows. Without the long nap, the evening shows wouldn't happen. Going back when she is 4, and we have the same game plan.

As for shows, we did them all and decided we could live without Fantasmic for a while. Our daughter was a little bit scared of the dragon & villains anyways. She loves Wishes, MSEP & IllumiNations, and did well at them. Had she been too tired, or melting down, we would have skipped them and just gone on her schedule. :)
 
ToTBellHop

ToTBellHop

Well-Known Member
DizneyPryncess said:
My daughter was 2.5 when we went, so younger than the age you're asking about. But I wanted to chime in because our schedule was similar to what you outlined. We arrive at park open, and leave mid-day for a break at the resort. This is an absolute must for our daughter to nap. Then we go back in, and she does fine for the evening shows. Without the long nap, the evening shows wouldn't happen. Going back when she is 4, and we have the same game plan.

As for shows, we did them all and decided we could live without Fantasmic for a while. Our daughter was a little bit scared of the dragon & villains anyways. She loves Wishes, MSEP & IllumiNations, and did well at them. Had she been too tired, or melting down, we would have skipped them and just gone on her schedule. :)
Click to expand...
Agreed on Fantasmic! It's just too much of a hastle with little kids, whereas the fireworks are doable. And if your child is young enough that they need a stroller, they can always fall asleep there if they just can't stay up for the fireworks. I think it is a good idea to avoid doing this on consecutive nights, however. On our trip next week, we plan to try IllumiNations on Wednesday, Wishes on Friday, and Star Wars fireworks on Sunday.
 
HouCuseChickie

HouCuseChickie

Well-Known Member
We did stuff like this all the time when our kids were younger. We'd leave the parks between 1 and 3 and not return until dinner time (which was typically a little later than avg). We always stayed for fireworks, etc. and had several times we kept them in the parks until 1am. The girls were 2 and 4 the first time we did this with them. By ages 5-6 they were pretty good at going at least some of the days without any breaks and staying in the parks past fireworks, but again...this is "every kid is different" territory. Still, our girls were 7 and 4 (almost 5) on our last trip with them...they went stroller free the whole time and were out until around midnight each night - no breaks/naps. Whatever you do...have a plan B just in case.
 
popcenturylover

popcenturylover

Well-Known Member
I agree that it depends on the child. On our trip last week my younger DD6 & DGS2 were with us. We had a few days where we were up early & ended the day early & we had a couple of all day in the parks days. My DGS could nap in his stroller but, my DD walked the whole time. So, when she was feeling tired we would just go to a show or take a snack/drink break & sit for a bit. She did really good! Got to see MSEP & Wishes on 2 separate nights. Didn't do Fantasmic or Illuminations this trip.
 

Register on WDWMAGIC. This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.

Back
Top Bottom