Any others not into parades?

[denanbob]

First off, let me say that we've never been to WDW before and our first family trip will be on May 6th. We are so so excited (especially my 6yr old DD). We all love thrill rides (but we're spoiled by Cedar Point), but I'm wondering if any of us will be into the parades very much. I can see my 2 DS's thinking they are boring. My daughter may like them, but after all the stuff I'm reading about the crowds and competitiveness surrounding these parades, I'm wondering if we'd be better off just to skip them. Especially since the recommendation is to arrive 60 minutes early to stake out a seat. Does anyone else skip the parades or are they a MUST SEE?

 

[karrit2000]

The parades are not a priority to me. If i'm in the right place at the right time OK, but I will not waste time staking out the perfect spot and sitting for over an hour waiting for the parade to arrive. There is so much more to do besides the parades. Note that at parade time it tends to be easier to get on some of the more popular rides since half the people in the park are just standing around waiting for the parade.

 

[ReninDetroit]

I've only camped out for a parade seat once, and it wasn't worth it. WDW has nice parades but I'd rather take advantage of everyone else's dormant state to ride some things that are a little more important to me. The lines don't get significantly shorter but the parades are a good time to ride some things that aren't on the path.

Just a tip: if you decide to skip the parades, look at the guidemaps for the routes and stay AWAY from anywhere with the little red dots. Pick lands and rides far from the 'action' so you're not tripping over people as you try to get to your next ride.

 

[sarahlovesmickey]

For me and my family, we enjoyed the parades. We didn't see all of them, but my kids really enjoyed seeing the different characters. We didn't get there 60 minutes before the parade though, but we still got a good seat. I can see when my kids get older us not doing the parades, but for now, we will watch them.

 

[Daryl]

There is no parade at WDW that I would call a must see, In fact parade time is a great time to try for a ride. The lines are usually shorter. The converse is also true. right after a parade the lines are longer. If there is not a parade your child is just dying to see I'd skip it. I will say this. after a long day if you happen to find a space on main street about 35min before the parade, getting your family seated on the ground up front, so the little ones can see, then going to get them some Ice cream (I know, potentially messy) can be fun, and a great way to end your day. Just stay seated til the crowd thins out and you'll be fine.

 

[Claudia Kellenberger]

The only parade I find *REALLY* worthy of waiting for is the night time parade called SpectroMagic. It is so wonderful that there definately is a tear in my eye. Any other parades - I would much rather take advantage of the shorter lines for the rides.

 

[grimley1968]

I agree that parades are a great time to find shorter attraction lines! We just can't be bothered to sit in the heat trying to catch a glimpse of a parade that we're not even interested in.

This WDW fan is definitely not into parades.

To be honest, even my little girls (6&2) aren't into them, either. If we see one passing by, we'll stop and look and my oldest DD usually will whine that we're not riding something. So I happily continue on to something we enjoy.

 

[Slapster]

We usually skip the parades and stay on the rides during them. If your kids aren't crazy for characters you could probably skip the daytime parade. However if you've never seen it, I would highly recommend the SpectoMagic parade. It really is a spectacle that shouldn't be missed.

 

[Priorityonecb]

You are not alone. We are not parade people either. The only one I want to see is Spectro....it brings back such good memories of seeing the Electric Light Parade at a child. We avoid all the others.

I'll confess another secret...and hope I don't get kicked off the DIS boards forever...we also are not a fan of the fireworks shows! Not just at Disney...but anywhere...it just doesn't do much for us.

 

[sarahlovesmickey]

I'll confess another secret...and hope I don't get kicked off the DIS boards forever...we also are not a fan of the fireworks shows! Not just at Disney...but anywhere...it just doesn't do much for us.

***GASP*** heehee...just kidding!