Navigating the Post-Parade Crowd Via the WDW R.R.: Is this "Do-able"?

[Weather_Lady]

The good news: I was able to score an Anna/Elsa FP+!
The bad news: The FP+ is for 3pm on a day when we had planned to watch the afternoon parade (there were no other times available), and getting to PFTH after the parade could be tricky. There is no other day that the parade works into our touring plan, so if we're going to see it, it has to be this particular day.

This is my tentative plan. Please tell me if you think it will work -- I'm nervous about it, since I haven't watched an afternoon parade at WDW since I was 10, and online estimates of how-long-it-takes vary widely. Will there still be spots to watch the 3:00pm parade from the Main Street train station (or thereabouts) if we arrive only 20-30 minutes prior to the parade (on Monday, 5/5 with a crowd level no higher than "moderate")? Have I under-estimated the time it will take for the parade to finish its route? Does the train begin operating immediately after the parade is over, or is there a lag time for which I should account? Thanks for your thoughts!

2:30pm-ish -- Arrive back at MK following afternoon naps at the hotel. Don't try to push through the crowds on Main Street -- walk up the stairs to the Main Street train station and find a spot to watch the 3:00pm parade.

3:35pm-ish -- Parade finishes. Board first train out of the station.

3:50pm-ish -- Get off the train at the Fantasyland depot and proceed to Princess Fairytale Hall.

3:55pm-ish -- Arrive at M&G with 5 minutes to spare (plus 15-minute grace period).

What do you think? Is this timeline realistic?

 

[mcurtiss]

don't they close the trains during the later part of the parade to let it into Frontierland? or am I just imagining that?

 

[Weather_Lady]

don't they close the trains during the later part of the parade to let it into Frontierland? or am I just imagining that?

This parade starts in Frontierland and ends on Main Street, so we'll be seeing it at the end of its route. I know they close down the trains during the parade, but we don't plan to try to get on the train until after the parade has ended.

 

[mcurtiss]

yeah, i was thinking of the Electrical Parade with my post. my bad.

 

[ratherbeinwdw]

It really will depend on the crowd. Lots of people go straight for the train. We've had to wait a very long time to get on one. They would say something like only 6 more minutes over and over. Just to be safe, I would go ahead and walk behind the crowd at least up to the Plaza. Watch from there, and then high tail it to the meet & greet. You may luck up and get a train right away, but you never know.

 

[ratherbeinwdw]

The good news: I was able to score an Anna/Elsa FP+!
The bad news: The FP+ is for 3pm on a day when we had planned to watch the afternoon parade (there were no other times available), and getting to PFTH after the parade could be tricky. There is no other day that the parade works into our touring plan, so if we're going to see it, it has to be this particular day.

This is my tentative plan. Please tell me if you think it will work -- I'm nervous about it, since I haven't watched an afternoon parade at WDW since I was 10, and online estimates of how-long-it-takes vary widely. Will there still be spots to watch the 3:00pm parade from the Main Street train station (or thereabouts) if we arrive only 20-30 minutes prior to the parade (on Monday, 5/5 with a crowd level no higher than "moderate")? Have I under-estimated the time it will take for the parade to finish its route? Does the train begin operating immediately after the parade is over, or is there a lag time for which I should account? Thanks for your thoughts!

2:30pm-ish -- Arrive back at MK following afternoon naps at the hotel. Don't try to push through the crowds on Main Street -- walk up the stairs to the Main Street train station and find a spot to watch the 3:00pm parade.

3:35pm-ish -- Parade finishes. Board first train out of the station.

3:50pm-ish -- Get off the train at the Fantasyland depot and proceed to Princess Fairytale Hall.

3:55pm-ish -- Arrive at M&G with 5 minutes to spare (plus 15-minute grace period).

What do you think? Is this timeline realistic?

I know you said that you were checking for the new coaster to come up for fastpass. If you see it, please let me know, and I'll do the same for you.

 

[Weather_Lady]

It really will depend on the crowd. Lots of people go straight for the train. We've had to wait a very long time to get on one. They would say something like only 6 more minutes over and over. Just to be safe, I would go ahead and walk behind the crowd at least up to the Plaza. Watch from there, and then high tail it to the meet & greet. You may luck up and get a train right away, but you never know.

I like the idea of watching in the neighborhood of the Plaza, but do you think we'll still be able to find a spot where we can see, say 20-30 minutes before the parade starts (and 30-40 minutes or so before it actually gets to Main Street)?

 

[ratherbeinwdw]

I like the idea of watching in the neighborhood of the Plaza, but do you think we'll still be able to find a spot where we can see, say 20 minutes before the parade starts (and 30 minutes or so before it actually gets to Main Street)?

I would say yes with no hesitation if it wasn't a new parade, but even when it's been really crowded, we were able to find a decent place to stand there when we arrived too late to get to our regular spot. I don't want to lead you wrong though. Our favorite place to watch is on the other side of the bridge on the left side of the castle close to Sleepy Hollow. That's a good point to get to anywhere in the park afterward and before the people on Main Street start moving. The only time we've actually arrived more than 30 minutes for any parade was the Christmas parade. However, with a new parade, you will have a whole lot more people watching.

 

[Weather_Lady]

I would say yes with no hesitation if it wasn't a new parade, but even when it's been really crowded, we were able to find a decent place to stand there when we arrived too late to get to our regular spot. I don't want to lead you wrong though. Our favorite place to watch is on the other side of the bridge on the left side of the castle close to Sleepy Hollow. That's a good point to get to anywhere in the park afterward and before the people on Main Street start moving. The only time we've actually arrived more than 30 minutes for any parade was the Christmas parade. However, with a new parade, you will have a whole lot more people watching.

Well, I suppose we can always just start walking up Main Street, and stop whenever we find a semi-decent spot (wherever that might be). I think your advice about avoiding a potential transportation crush/delay at the Main Street depot is well taken.

We're simply not willing to find a spot for the parade earlier than that, so we'll take what we can get and be happy with it.

 

[Worldlover71]

You could also watch the parade from Liberty Square which is less crowded than Main Street allowing you to get a good spot closer to the start time. This would also put you closer to PFTH and since you would be closer to where the parade starts, it ends earlier there.

 

[mcurtiss]

true, i've always had decent luck finding a good spot in LS.

 

[Rob562]

I doubt you'd find good spots on the train station platform only 30 minutes before the parade...

-Rob

 

[Disvillain63]

The parade didn't even reach Town Square until 3:30ish when we saw it in March. It was almost 4:00 when it ended.

 

[LucyK]

If the parade starts at 3PM, why don't you try to arrive between 2-2:30PM take the train to Frontierland and make your way around to Liberty Square to see the parade? That way you'd be closer to Fantasyland and the parade would pass you by around 3:30PM, giving you plenty of time to honor your FP+.

 

[Sandy Carroll]

This post reminded me of a question I have wanted to ask
If you watch the nighttime parade and do not want to stay for wishes, can you take the parade from frontier land to exit the park? Does it run after the parade before the fireworks?

 

[Rob562]

This post reminded me of a question I have wanted to ask
If you watch the nighttime parade and do not want to stay for wishes, can you take the parade from frontier land to exit the park? Does it run after the parade before the fireworks?

The train does not run during that time. (It might not even run at all after the fireworks. The stretch between Fronteirland and Storybook Circus runs right through the fallout zone for the fireworks. They won't run trains through there.

-Rob

 

[mcurtiss]

This post reminded me of a question I have wanted to ask
If you watch the nighttime parade and do not want to stay for wishes, can you take the parade from frontier land to exit the park? Does it run after the parade before the fireworks?

or best strategy for the electrical parade was to watch near the passageway from Frontierland to Adventureland and exit towards Main Street by way of the Crystal Palace.

 

[Weather_Lady]

This post reminded me of a question I have wanted to ask
If you watch the nighttime parade and do not want to stay for wishes, can you take the parade from frontier land to exit the park? Does it run after the parade before the fireworks?

I know you meant "take the railroad from Frontierland," and not "take the parade," but it reminds me of a happy memory. One time back in the mid-1980s, my parents, sister and I were trapped on the wrong side of the Electric Light Parade one evening and needed to cross to the other side of the park. My parents' solution was simply to step out of the crowd the moment the last float passed, and walk down the street directly behind it, screaming at us to follow their lead and wave wildly to the crowd as though we were in the parade! No one stopped us, and people even cheered as we passed, apparently thinking we were some specially-selected "parade finale family." So yes, if you do it with sufficient flair, you can "take the parade" from Frontierland!!!