Are the parades worth it?

[sharon lewis]

We are going to WDW on 1st April taking our 4 year old DD. I was thinking of seeing some parades and my DH is not bothered. But I have been reading threads about people pushing in when you have been waiting for hours, people being abusive etc. Is it worth waiting in an early spot and risking the stress of someone trying to push in or is it better to watch from afar without the hassle?

I really can't be doing with curb rage!

 

[minnie29uk]

It is well worth it.The parades are brilliant and my 1 and 3 year old loved them.Yes ,peple will push.But chill.Please everybody stress less.You can see soo much of it whether you are in 1st ,2nd or 3rd row.
You will enjoy it.We went in September and Magic ingdom was so empty there really was a difference in atmosphere when watching parade.

You will all love it,
Lynn

 

[sunny04]

I would say, it depends on the parade. However, I think EVERY parade at WDW is worth seeing at least once. For a first trip, yes they are worth the wait. In the future, you can choose which ones you like the most that are still worth the wait for you. Spectromagic and Share a Dream Come True at MK to me are definitely worth it.

 

[TXMommy]

ITA - all the parades are worth seeing at least once. If I had to pick one that was totally worth it and I would never miss it would be Spectro. My DH hates parades, but he LOVES Spectro!

 

[sharonW]

Disneys parades are not to be missed. Their Wonderful!!
Share a Dream Parade(characters in hugh globes) is great
as is Spectro Magic. Both are in MK. They are the best disney
has to offer! Unfortunately you may have to deal with rude people,
get your spot curbside at least an hour before starting time and enjoy!
You won't be sorry! ps: I have hubby hold our spots while I shop
main street!

 

[Terk-1]

Spectro is a definte must see. The best place I found was on the 2nd level of the train station on Main Street. I'd get there early and have a snack while you wait. It's also a great place to see Wishes. The parade at MGM & AK is cute, but not necessarily something I'd wait a long time to see.

 

[sharon lewis]

Cunning plan as my DH hates shopping. The only thing is that he is so soft that if someone sat in our places whilst me and DD were shopping he would not say anything!

 

[stacy6552]

We use the time, about 45 minutes to an hour, before the parade to chill. We grab some curb and sit down with some ice cream. On our last trip we hung out in front of the castle and had a great time when the CM's brought out balls for the kids to play with.

 

[sharonW]

Here's what my hubby does..puts his backpack along side him. It
saves my seat and have never had anyone rude enough to try and get
the seat! It has worked numerous times for us.

 

[Camping Griswalds]

We just wait until maybe 10-15 minutes before the parade, and see it from a little bit behind all of the curb sitters. Sometimes even that way we end up close. We have a 17 mo this trip and we will just hold her in our arms so she can get a better view from the back. I would not wait an hour for a parade. Too much time away from rides etc in our opinion. But that's just us.

 

[UKDEB]

I think it depends on you. The fact that you are even asking the question suggests that you are probably like me and will stress at the waiting/pushing/rudeness.

For the MK parades, we have found that sitting on the rocking chairs outside Liberty Tree Tavern is our best bet. You do need to arrive well in advance (an hour and a half, probably) and make sure you move the chairs to the front edge of the verrandah so that no-one can sit in front of you. Just chill and do some people-watching while you wait!

For the AK parade (currently the best at WDW IMHO), arrive an hour before the start and grab a spot in Africa. We always sit on the wall outside the restrooms opposite Tusker House - the parade starts and finishes here, so you can see it twice if you wait. If you arrive early enough, you can sit on the front edge of the wall and no-one can sit in front of you.

The MGM parade is also surprisingly good. Again, get there an hour before and stake out a place right where it begins near Star Wars. You will see bronze markers on the floor. We usually wait in a small area outside the fast food eaterie there. People will keep coming and standing in front of you, but a CM will just keep coming and moving them on! Just arrive early and ask a CM where you need to stand.

 

[disneymom225]

I've been going to WDW since 1990 and I've never seen a parade. I'd rather use that time to ride the rides, get a bite to eat, or just walk around with less crowds. Neither my DH nor I have any interest in them (although I do like to watch on TV!) It just doesn't seem that a worthwhile use of my time in the World.

 

[mainewmn]

I am so not a parade person so we skipped them all except for the Spectro parade which I tought was well worth it.

 

[KimR]

I have only ever waited once for a parade and we staked out a spot about 20 minutes ahead of time on the corner across from City Hall. It was right at the end of the parade route and we had no problems with people pushing and shoving. The rest of the time we just walk up about 5 minutes prior to the start of the parade and we've been able to see fine without having to deal with rude behavior. We don't get a curbside view but I actually prefer being in the back because I don't handle crowds well.

 

[julielovestigger]

On NYE, I got a curb spot 2 hours before the Spectro parade. Understand that this was our 10th day at Disney and we were content to just sit and people watch for a while. Spectro is the best parade. My second favorite parade was the Animal Kingdom parade. For that we sat down about 25 minutes early. We really enjoyed that parade, too!

 

[loriandmatt]

simply put.....it depends.

it depends on a lot of factors.

is this your first trip? and is it likely to be your last for a few years? if yes to either of these, then it is worth it to play the parade game.

is anyone (especially the kiddies) not a night person at all? - if they are going to be miserable at that hour of the evening, it isn't worth hanging for the parade.

is the parade an absolute must for anyone in your party. if so, you might want to take any naps and make any allowances in your schedule to make sure you catch it.

Spectro is good and i am sure i will play the parade game again someday, but for now, i can miss it.

NOW - if they were bringing back the Main Street Electrical Parade, i would be picking out my spot right now for that one. but that is just my opinion.

my DH would not join me and the kiddies in our giddy antisipation of the MSEP, but he would line up days ahead for the now defunct Tapestry of Dreams parade (he liked it better as the Tapestry of Nations - but that is another thread.)

- lori

 

[nluvwithmickey]

They are soooo worth it!


Especially with this being your first trip, you don't want to miss them. They are pretty impressive (especially Spectromagic).

The only parade I would skip is the parade at AK, a little less magical but really well themed for the Animal Kingdom.