Anyone been to the AK parade?

[pam66]

We have never seen the Animal Kingdom parade and I was wondering if it was worth trying to stay longer in the park to see it? I know nothing about this parade so I was hoping anyone on the boards who has seen it could tell me a little about it. My DD loves parades but I'm thinking it may be too hot to hang around and give up an afternoon break. She is 4 yrs old and we are going in the middle of July. Thanks

 

[laceemouse]

We saw the AK parade in late March and our family really enjoyed it. The music is great and the characters really interact with the crowd. My youngest is 6 and she really loved it. I would say play it by ear and see how your daughter is doing that day. It was not hot when we went last time, but we have been in summer many times and we never take breaks. I just can not get my kids to walk out of a park when there is so much left to do and see!!! AK closes so early, you could just leave after the parade and go back for a swim and dinner, ect.

 

[babby]

That's a tough question. If it were us I would stay,( We did this with our 7 yr and 19mth olds in early June and boy it was HOT this day) but hard to say about your family. It's a nice parade to see once. Have you ever seen stars and motor cars?- It's similar to that. The have cars that the characters ride in- Minnie at the beginning and mickey at the end. There are CM's and some characters (chip and dale, pluto, ....) dancing in the streets in between the cars. Also similar to the Tapestry of Nations/Dreams parade they have large birds, or a frog, or other animals controlled by a cast member with poles etc.... It's a short, fun parade. The park pretty much empties out after it, we have seen and been among the large masses of people to leave right after the parade. If you want to do this I suggest you watch the parade as close to the Tree of Lift as you can. This would make for an eaiser exit as soon as the parade passed you. Hope this helps.

 

[jpd3]

It's a great parade. With the tighter confines of the walkways in AK you can get a little more up close and personal with the CM's and floats. My kids loved it however we say it in February. Not as hot at 4:00 as July will be though. I'd play it by ear. The parade is great but not worth your sanity!

 

[mrp4352]

The parade is great, but the music is fabulous!! It's one of my favorite CDs to play (over and over as my coworkers would probably tell you). No matter how bad your day has been, Goofy saying "Mas Que Nada" just makes you grin!

 

[Simba's Mom]

I saw the AK parade and really enjoyed it. Weather was much cooler however, and I don't know if I'd stay in the summer-but I hate the heat! If you do decide to stay, keep my tip in mind: I watched it from the cement bench outside the Restrooms in Africa (near Tusker House). The parade starts back there, so you get to see it twice, near the beginning and then the end. You also get to sit and still be close enough for interaction. And what was nice also was that after the parade was done, I just hopped over to KS.

 

[wannabee princess]

Well, it is hard for me to say just skip the parade if you have never seen it. I agree that the interaction of the characters is one of the neatest for a parade - you are right there close-up. The music is so upbeat and it's hard not to get energized, even if you have been at the park all day! I agree that I would play it by ear with a younger child used to afternoon breaks! Maybe take the time to do a relaxing meal around lunchtime to help with the resting? You could go down to RFC at the entrance, and sit in air-conditioned comfort for an hour.

One thing nice about the parade is that it circles back around to Africa. Last Dec. we went to the KS to relax and enjoy the animals as everyone else was heading to stake out a spot for the parade. As we exited the ride, the area around Africa was very bare. However, the parade was heading back to the entrance/exit, so we got to watch the parade with no one around! The extra nice thing was that the park was almost emptied as we headed back to the exit! No fighting the crowds at all!