Did I Allow Enough Time to Eat and See the Parade?

[lebeau]

We have ADRs for Crystal Palace at 5:50. The parade starts at 7:00. We have never been the type to claim a spot for the parade early. We'll make due with whatever viewing area we can find right before the parade starts. But is an hour enough time to eat and make it out in time for the parade?

Any feedback is appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[coltow]

I would say no. I have rarely been seated at the exact time of my ADR. I also think any character meal takes about an hour so I think that you may not be done with dinner until after parade starts

 

[OswaldTheRabbit]

I think that will be really close even if you get sat right away. We usually have to wait 10-15 min to be sat it seems at most places. We usually go during low times but I think that would help us out vs mke the wait longer.

 

[C.FERNIE]

think your cutting it close in our experiance! but we often go early for these things and get seated early so maybe just try going super early! doesnt always work but it is worth a try! also it depends how fast you eat and how long you want to spend with the charachters!

 

[lebeau]

Yeah, I know I'm cutting it close. It didn't dawn on me how close until just recently.

A little additional info:

This is Nov 5, so I expect the crowd to be relatively light. Although Crystal Palace is booked solid, so even if the park isn't busy, that may not help us.

I will definitely show up early in hopes of being seated on time.

The character interactions are of minimal importance to us. There's no Pooh fans in our house. My wife actually has an irrational hatred towards Pooh.

So it's really a matter of, can we be seated and eat at a the buffet in an hour? I'm thinking it's doable but we may feel rushed.

 

[dreamfinder]

If you show up early, don't care about the characters, and ask for your bill early, it's definitely possible. In my experience the thing that takes the longest at Crystal Palace is tracking down your server. Since they always seem to have a lot of tables, it can take them a while before they get back to you with what you need. Some people even recommend asking for the bill as soon as they bring back your drinks.

 

[lebeau]

If you show up early, don't care about the characters, and ask for your bill early, it's definitely possible. In my experience the thing that takes the longest at Crystal Palace is tracking down your server. Since they always seem to have a lot of tables, it can take them a while before they get back to you with what you need. Some people even recommend asking for the bill as soon as they bring back your drinks.

That sounds like a good idea. No reason not to get the bill taken care of up front.

I'm considering switching to an earlier reservation. I can get LTT at 5:15. But CP seems more kid-friendly and Josie prefers buffets since she's a picky eater and likes choices. So we may stick with CP and just rush it. If we do, I'll definitely ask for the bill ASAP so we can just dash to the parade route as soon as we're done.

 

[coltow]

LTT is a place my 8yo asks to go back to. He likes the food there and that it's "American" aka Red White and Blue. We like the food there just fine. It's Thanksgiving and who doesn't like a nice turkey dinner? You also have the food brought to you so no need to wait in buffet line.

 

[lebeau]

LTT is a place my 8yo asks to go back to. He likes the food there and that it's "American" aka Red White and Blue. We like the food there just fine. It's Thanksgiving and who doesn't like a nice turkey dinner? You also have the food brought to you so no need to wait in buffet line.

Unfortunately, my oldest daughter hates Thanksgiving dinner. She generally just eats rolls. I am not sure she would eat much at LTT. It would depend largely on her mood.

 

[DisneyDebNJ]

Yeah, I know I'm cutting it close. It didn't dawn on me how close until just recently.

A little additional info:

This is Nov 5, so I expect the crowd to be relatively light. Although Crystal Palace is booked solid, so even if the park isn't busy, that may not help us.

I will definitely show up early in hopes of being seated on time.

The character interactions are of minimal importance to us. There's no Pooh fans in our house. My wife actually has an irrational hatred towards Pooh.

So it's really a matter of, can we be seated and eat at a the buffet in an hour? I'm thinking it's doable but we may feel rushed.

If you didn't care much about character interaction, you can do it in an hour, but like you said, will feel rushed. However, Im sure, by 7:30 or so, you should be good to go. I agree with your thinking, go a wee bit early (November is touch and go, I know Jersey week falls around that time, which can be why the parks are a little busier), it can't hurt to show up around 5ish, put your name in, and go from there. Worse case scenario is you will finish dinner, in time to see the parade, but not get a perfect viewing spot. Good Luck and enjoy your trip!!

 

[Pooh Lover]

No, you didn't allow enough time to eat AND stake out a good spot. But like you said, show up early and hope for the best. Your only other option (besides changing restaurants and times) would be to have one of you eat quickly and head out to stake out a spot. Seems like alot of effort and not very vacation-like.

 

[bubbles1812]

Yeah, I know I'm cutting it close. It didn't dawn on me how close until just recently.

A little additional info:

This is Nov 5, so I expect the crowd to be relatively light. Although Crystal Palace is booked solid, so even if the park isn't busy, that may not help us.

I will definitely show up early in hopes of being seated on time.

The character interactions are of minimal importance to us. There's no Pooh fans in our house. My wife actually has an irrational hatred towards Pooh.

So it's really a matter of, can we be seated and eat at a the buffet in an hour? I'm thinking it's doable but we may feel rushed.

While I don't really know if you'll be rushed or not that sentence about your wife cracked me up. I have an irrational hatred of Clint Eastwood. I have no good reason to dislike him and yet...I do...

 

[Susan Savia]

It's not enough time. If you want to be on the curb with no one in front of you, you need to stake out a spot at the very least l/2 before the parade begins.

 

[Pooh Lover]

It's not enough time. If you want to be on the curb with no one in front of you, you need to stake out a spot at the very least l/2 before the parade begins.

For us it was one hour. We decided to stake out a spot right outside LTT and have dinner there immediately after the parade. As soon as we took a spot on the rock ledge directly across from LTT, people were starting to sit right at our feet. By the time the parade began, we were lucky to be able to see ourselves due to the amount of people in front of us.