DISNEY WORLD CHRISTMAS PARADE TAPING:
1) Schedule:
. . . usually the first weekend in December
. . . typically Friday and Saturday, with Sunday as a rain-day
. . . activities start at 7:00am, before park opening
. . . taping can take through about 1:00, and frequently 2:00-3:00pm
2) Tickets:
. . . taping tickets are usually open to Annual Pass and DVC members
. . . these are offered on their own website
. . . the next priority is for Cast Members
. . . lastly are general public
. . . these allow early entry into the park
. . . after tickets are gone, general public can get tickets
. . . other public access is done through normal admission
3) Viewing
. . . those with taping tickets get the better close-up viewing spaces
. . . however, when getting tickets, they must agree to be there for hours
. . . this makes for a very long day of standing in one place
. . . those without pre-arranged taping tickets get to fill-in
. . . unfortunately, fill-ins are usually third or fourth row from the front
. . . in this manner, shirts/gestures that may be offending are not visible on TV
4) Locations
. . . the majority of the filming is done on Main Street
. . . a VERY, VERY, VERY crowded Main Street
. . . other taping can be around the parks, but sporadically
. . . the taping does not usually interfere with ride times or ride lines
5) Expectations
. . . the parade, itself, is stopped several times and repeated for best shots
. . . at times, it can be very boring when the scenes are re-staged
. . . you can see some celebrities, but usually no photos nor autographs
6) Participation
. . . the families you see on TV cameras are usually pre-selected
. . . in many cases, the children are paid actors from the local area
. . . yes, some TV families are picked the day of, but most are pre-chosen
I rode the train over to Frontierland and it was still really crowded over there. So much so that it was hard to navigate through the people. If I had small children, I probably wouldn't have been able to handle it at all lol. I rode a few rides and then got fed up with the crowds and went to AK where it was empty lol. I came back that night when it had died down a little. I was standing in line for Space Mountain and a castmember came up from a side area and started talking to the castmember letting people on the ride. The ride castmember came over to us since we were next in line and told us we had to wait a little longer because they were bringing in a party. I just assumed it was a make a wish trip or something. 4 people walked up with the CM and one of the guys was not dressed like normal DW tourists lol. Black fuzzy hat, denim shorts, white socks up to his knees, and a short denim jacket and sunglasses. Knowing that Justin Bieber was there because he performed that morning I thought it was him incognito, but when he turned around it was Jaden Smith. The next day I saw a pic of him and Bieber at the park and he was wearing that same outfit. So it was definitely him. (Sorry for writing a book haha). I had fun watching the parade filming, and I would do it again. It's a neat experience minus the crazy crowds.
Stay away. Do yourselves a favor.
