Daughter offered to cheer in Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade...So many questions...

[Mersmom98]

Has anyone else had a child participate? I don't even know where to begin. The deposit is due Thursday so I need to make some decisions fast. We are thinking of making it a girl's trip with me, dd17 (cheerleader), and dd15. I doubt I would do the spectator package for my dd15 & me (very expensive) but not sure where we would stay on a budget. DD17 would be staying at the Hilton New York near Times Square. Would love to hear from anyone who has been given this opportunity and what advice you have!

 

[kydisneyfans]

We attended the parade in 2011.

That is a fantastic opportunity, I would strongly recommend that you take that, regardless of cost.

As for rooms, plan of $250/night and up(maybe $600) anywhere near the parade route. Thanksgiving weekend is somewhat slow around Wall Street so you might get lower there and take the subway to the parade route. You can also stay in Jersey and commute in, but traffic is heavy.

Stalk the hotel sites, Expedia, Priceline, etc. We had booked a room in NJ for $129 a night and had planned on commuting over. The Crowne Plaza Times Square popped up on a package through Priceline about 90 days out for $209 a night including breakfast, that was unbelievable.

For a parade spot, we went out just before 6:00 AM and had front row seats near 46th St. The further north, the better the chance of a good seat, except for the very start of the route.

It was a fantastic trip, find out a way to make it happen for your daughter, the family will never forget it.