I know years ago it was first come to be part of the parade. Does anyone know if that is still the case? I thought I read somewhere now you have to have a special ticket for it
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:
. . . the first priority is for Cast Members
. . . taping tickets are then usually open to Annual Pass and DVC members
. . . these are offered on their own website
. . . 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) Celebrities
. . . usually tape celebs on Fridays
. . . usually the parade is on Saturday
. . . they can use Saturday or Sunday as rain-days
4) 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
5) 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
6) 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
7) 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