Problem with Afternoon Parades

[LarryBoy]

Does anyone else have a problem with the time of the afternoon parades? We almost always miss them because we love to take our mid-day break. I am a firm believer that a afternoon siesta or pool break really makes WDW more enjoyable. One of the only draw backs to this is that we almost never see the afternoon parades. Have they ever considered doing it earlier? Not every day, but occasionally. Maybe at 1:00 or 2:00? Does anybody else have this problem? What do you think?

[Main Street Jim]

The only times I've ever known MK to change the parade times is during the holiday week, when we run the Christmas parades at 12:30 and 3:30-4:00. Other than that, as long as I can remember, the afternoon parade is *always* at 3pm.

Studios and AK parade times are variable. I know when we saw JJP at AK it was at like 3:45 some days, 3:30...same thing with the parades at the Studios.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

I had to chuckle at your post...we have the same problem!

In the 3 times we've been to the World, we've never seen a parade :( We've seen bits of them as we've been coming or going to or from a park, but the timing of the afternoon parades just never fits with the rest of our schedule.

It is one thing we've committed to finally doing this trip!

[ThanxForNoticin]

It's the good and bad of time at Disney. They usually have several great options for you to enjoy during the day, and sometimes they overlap. I also love the afternoon break back at the resort, but perhaps one day you can schedule your time to stay a little longer if you want to see the parade! Choices, choices, choices! Hope you get to see the parade!

[#1donaldfan]

NO WAY !! Sorry. We just catch a nightly show / parade. We either take advantage of shorter lines during the afternoon parade, or are swimming / napping.......:thumbsup:

[mickey&missy]

We try to see the afternoon parades but it doesn't always work out that way because we need a break. We saw Jammin Jungle Parade our first trip because it was about to start as we were leaving the. Last trip we saw the Dreams Come True Parade at MK and Stars and and Motor Cars Parade at DHS.

We haven't seen Spectromagic yet. I WILL NOT leave WDW next trip unless I've seen it!

Maybe you can re-plan a day or two and get a later start, see the parade and then take a later break.

[kathiep]

Absolutely! I don't think we've seen an afternoon parade since we've been bringing our kids with us.

That afternoon break is required for us. A little swim in the pool and some down time and we're all refreshed and ready to go to dinner.

The only way I can imagine staying for a parade would be if we would go back to the hotel afterwards and stay in for the night.

I guess that's not such a bad idea after all. Maybe I should plan a day like this for our next trip. Spend the late afternoon in the pool and have a quiet dinner at our resort.

[wedway76]

Yes that can be a problem, but I recommend for a lest a couple of days of your vacation forgo the siesta and maybe on those days make it an earlier night, and see the afternoon parade. Our DS is 14 now and has no interest in parades anymore. I kinda miss watching parades with him and seeing the magic in his eyes. So while your kids are young try to squeeze the parades in sometime.

[NewmanFamily6]

The one I have never seen is at AK. I completely intend on seeing it next year!:mickey: So far one of the kiddies has always gotten tired right when it was time for that one:blush:

[TheRustyScupper]

1) I know scheduling a break can be tough.
2) But, look at it another way
. . . 11:00am - "We just got here and it is parade time already"
. . . Noon/1:00pm - "We need to eat lunch, so we miss the parade"
. . . 3:00pm - "We need an afternoon swim and break, and miss the parade"
. . . 5:00pm - We need dinner, so we miss the parade"
3) Actually, 3:00pm splits the differences.
4) It inconveniences the least amount of people.
5) It also doesn't interfere with restaurant revenues.

[LarryBoy]

I'm sure there are very good reasons for the parade times being what they are, but for us the break is more important. Now we've seen the night time parades, and I've always liked them more anyway. One of the reasons we always take our afternoon breaks is that I absolutely love the parks at night. If possible WDW gets even more magical after dark.

[Main Street Jim]

One more thing I'd like to add:

At MK, the DCT parade is DONE at the end of Main Street no later than 3:20-3:30pm, barring any delays. If you catch the parade at the Main Street/Town Square end of the parade route - which is more than usually NOT very crowded at all - you can then get right out of the park. Head back to the resort, relax, might not make it "nap time", but an hour or so to get in the pool or just chill out for a bit. Head back to the park around an hour and a half before Spectro/fireworks and still get a great spot.

Just my opinions ;)

[DisFan01]

Yes, this can be a problem, but I'll agree, the evening parades are much better (with lights, ect...). :thumbsup: