has anyone been to xmas day parade taping?

[jgperkin]

I was just wondering how this all works...is there set times for filming? How hard is it to get a "spot" to view it? Recommended time to get in that "spot"to etc... any advice would b great!!! First trip in december so trying to learn as much as I can now..

 

[rwdavis2]

From what I've read, the parade taping takes hours. Not sure how much you know about it but:
They start and stop it to make sure they get the correct camera shots. It's not a normal parade that they just film. It is completely staged.

 

[mm1971]

I was just wondering how this all works...is there set times for filming? How hard is it to get a "spot" to view it? Recommended time to get in that "spot"to etc... any advice would b great!!! First trip in december so trying to learn as much as I can now..

Once, by accident. It's crazy busy on Main Street. They actually provide alternate routes around the craziness. It takes a few hours to tape. After the taping is done, the park stays busy for most of the day. I would avoid it unless you are going just for that reason.

 

[Kristibo42]

One year we were there we saw Miley Cyrus perform then got the heck out of MK. There were thousands of kids there that day. Thank goodness for hopper passes.

For the parade I think you have to buy tickets. Or at least that is what I heard.

 

[BlueStarryHat]

I've been once, in 2006. Ugh, never again. It took hours and hours, with so many stops and starts. I finally bailed when Beyonce struck up Silent Night for the 1000th time. I'll be in WDW while they're doing it this year, and plan on being at another park during the taping. I'm no Grinch, but it was *so* boring, and really took away the magic for me. I don't even watch it on TV anymore.

 

[Kristibo42]

Does anyone know the date?

 

[BlueStarryHat]

Does anyone know the date?

I heard December 6-7.

 

[mesaboy2]

I heard December 6-7.

It pretty much has to be this weekend. The weekend prior is Thanksgiving weekend.

 

[eeyore29]

Do they announce the performers ahead of time? If so, how far in advance & where do you find that info?

 

[chartle]

Do they announce the performers ahead of time? If so, how far in advance & where do you find that info?

It depends but some time its only rumors until the week or so before the shoot.

 

[kris4360]

One year we were there we saw Miley Cyrus perform then got the heck out of MK. There were thousands of kids there that day. Thank goodness for hopper passes.

For the parade I think you have to buy tickets. Or at least that is what I heard.

You can watch the parade but it takes so long. They have to stop and redo multiple times. We stopped and watched for 1/2 hour and then went on rides. The rest of the park wasn't too busy. I think the big stars perform early morning before park opens and that is when you probably need a special ticket.

 

[goofy4tink]

In the past, we have seen Disney offering tickets for the parade taping to CMs and their families, to AP holders. And even then, the AP people had to sign up and were then given time/date to be there. The parade viewing slots went very quickly...then the other requests were put into the act taping slots.
We have also seen Disney allow people in, general public, to stand along the route. But I think those spots are pretty much the spots towards the back and along less desirable spots.
The parade taping is somewhat boring, and lengthy. It can take over 3 hrs!!! The parade will get to your 'spot', then go back again, and repeat...until they get the 'perfect' shot!! And you are expected to, on demand, show great enthusiasm.
I have done the Castle forecourt show tapings several times now. I doubt I would do it again unless it was an act I really loved!!! You get there early, you stand around for hours. People try to shove past you to get closer to the front. I actually got to watch as a 'pageant mom' pushed her girls forward..about 50'!!! She kept saying...'Oh, these are pageant winners. They should be up front since they are sooooo pretty. The camera will love them!!!' And people actually allowed them to do that!!! Sure they were cute little girls but there were plenty of cute little girls way back in the crowd. Sadly, those little girls had polite parents!!
The funny thing was that at the end of my 3.5 hr stint, I headed out of MK. As I left, I could hear them looking for more people to fill in the crowd in front of the Castle...our first group had left a ton of empty spots!!! But, the knees got a bit sore after standing in that one place for over 3 hrs...all for about 20 actual minutes of performance time!!!

Then, I've headed to MK on that Saturday, despite knowing it was a bad idea, in late afternoon. We got there, walked around for about 30 mins and practically ran out of MK!! It was mobbed. Add the taping people to the regular Saturday crowds and you have a nightmare!!

 

[DOOM1001]

I went into MK on a Sunday morning around 10:00 am and the filming was still going on because it had rained on the two previous days.Apparently they didn't have enough people for the filming since they asked everyone coming in if they wanted to see the filming.From then on it was about 3 hours of them trying to get the Jonas brothers crazy summertime song in.The producers kept telling the crowd to move over since they had too many empty spaces,apparently from all the rain the previous days they didn't have enough of the people with the tickets who were there strictly for the taping and knew all the choreography and everything.After they were done with the Jonas brothers part they told everyone to move to Main Street for the parade taping,we stuck around another hour or so then went to ride some rides because we got tired of seeing cheerleaders and other performers standing around for 10-15 minutes waiting for their turn to come down Main Street for their filming.We left the park at around 4:30 and the filming was still going on.I had never done it before and it was worth doing as you get to see on Christmas morning what you saw being filmed.I even saw myself for two seconds.

 

[DebbieB]

I went into MK on a Sunday morning around 10:00 am and the filming was still going on because it had rained on the two previous days.Apparently they didn't have enough people for the filming since they asked everyone coming in if they wanted to see the filming.From then on it was about 3 hours of them trying to get the Jonas brothers crazy summertime song in.The producers kept telling the crowd to move over since they had too many empty spaces,apparently from all the rain the previous days they didn't have enough of the people with the tickets who were there strictly for the taping and knew all the choreography and everything.After they were done with the Jonas brothers part they told everyone to move to Main Street for the parade taping,we stuck around another hour or so then went to ride some rides because we got tired of seeing cheerleaders and other performers standing around for 10-15 minutes waiting for their turn to come down Main Street for their filming.We left the park at around 4:30 and the filming was still going on.I had never done it before and it was worth doing as you get to see on Christmas morning what you saw being filmed.I even saw myself for two seconds.

I was there that day! A friend & I were walking through Tomorrowland when a couple of cm's came up to us and asked us if we wanted to fill in the crowd for Jonas Brothers. We said OK and went to the hub. It was at least a 30 min wait until they decided the sunlight was "perfect". Then they came out, the crowd went crazy. Considering we are old enough to be their mothers, we didn't get too excited. We were on the edge by the Fantasyland Bridge, we slipped out after one song to do the rides before it got crowded. We later saw the parade lining up in Liberty Square, poor Santa was sitting in his sleigh there for a long time. Later we saw Kelly Ripa in Town Square.

It's a long drawn out process, not what you see on Christmas morning.

 

[Missytara]

Do they announce the performers ahead of time? If so, how far in advance & where do you find that info?

I was there on a solo trip a few years ago when Disney did everything to keep it under wraps about the performer for the parade.

Unfortunately, Justin Beiber tweeted the night before he was on a private plane headed for that reason. Within two hours, we heard at the lounge at POR, people were literally camping out in the parking lot at MK. Security, could obviously, be compromised. Since then I do not remember them announcing more than a day or so ahead.....it is also a no-brainer it is a disney or abc performer.

In addition, I realize how the average person thinks how easy this is, but one only has to remember the year Celine Dion performed and it utterly poured. The efforts that went into restructuring her entire performance into the GF, upstaging dining ressies, etc.

I can picture one person standing on Main Street complaining in the pouring rain, no one told them they moved the taping. The less info, the less complaining.

 

[eeyore29]

Does the filming in any way hinder reservations or opening time for BBB or dining at the castle? I'm also hoping to get a super-early reservation for both on Sunday (the "rain day") and have that semi-alone time on Main Street to snap a few pics of my little princess.

 

[Postal68]

Avoid it at all costs. Unless you are staying for a lengthy period of time and have absolutely nothing to do and tons of time to kill. Even then, it is soooooo boring.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Does the filming in any way hinder reservations or opening time for BBB or dining at the castle? I'm also hoping to get a super-early reservation for both on Sunday (the "rain day") and have that semi-alone time on Main Street to snap a few pics of my little princess.

Semi-alone time on Main Street? Really??

 

[chartle]

Does the filming in any way hinder reservations or opening time for BBB or dining at the castle? I'm also hoping to get a super-early reservation for both on Sunday (the "rain day") and have that semi-alone time on Main Street to snap a few pics of my little princess.

Semi-alone time on Main Street? Really??

There will only be a problem if the TV taping on Saturday is delayed due to rain. Otherwise its a normal Sunday in early December.

If they do move it, there will be less people on Main Street on Sunday vs Saturday, but its going to be a ton of people setting up stuff, guests waiting for the parade and will probably look like a movie set.

 

[raven69david]

We've done the Christmas taping twice. You really don't need tickets to it as you can join in the crowd. You got to be there early to get the front row. Just be prepared to be there a good 3 to 6 hours to be in other parts of the taping. If you have young kids, it may be tough on them to stick it out that long. We did, as well as others, and it was a challenge to all of us with young kids.