Do you really take the time out...

[nnjamison]

to sit through any of the parades? My DH and I are taking our DDs (11 & 6) to WDW for their 1st trip! And I am curious how many people actually take the time to sit sit through the parades and if so which ones?

TIA!!!

 

[stargazertechie]

Absolutely without question!

I NEVER miss MSEP
I also take the time to watch the 3PM parade and the parade at DHS if we've got a few minutes to spare.

 

[scion5220]

LOTS of people sit/stand and watch the entire parade. The Disney parades are very entertaining and the performers interact with the crowd.

 

[figment_jii]

For me, it depends on the parade. My family (all adults) rarely stops to watch the afternoon parade in MK, but we really like MSEP. We've seen the AK parade as well, and it was cute, but I don't think we'd make a point of seeing it again.

When we go to the hard ticket events (like MNSSHP and MVMCP) we always make a point of watching the parade (sometimes both times it runs).

 

[civileng68]

We never did until we had our child, now we definately do.

If I can make a suggestion, take your time. Let me provide an example:

My cousin just visited WDW for the first time in years for a week. They went every single day, from opening until close, without any days off. Now, they did occassionally go to the pool to get a rest, but really they never stopped in the parks and took the time to really get the "feel" of the "magic".

I went at the same time with my family, we slept in, went in later, stayed late, took our time, walked leisurely, watched shows/parades.

In that time span, their child was just too exhausted to enjoy it all while mine was always leaving the park with a smile on his face.

I cant stress enough the importance of taking your time to take it all in and not "overdoing it".

 

[thej]

We've seen most of them once, but we always make time for the Main Street Electrical Parade or Spectromagic. They are not to be missed. If you're not parade people, they might not be worth the time but a lit-up nighttime parade with music is just hard to pass up!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Only the evening parade at Magic Kingdom.

We never sit through the afternoon parades. Too hot, too crowded, and, in my opinion, pretty boring.

I have stopped to watch the WDW marching band on Main Street, though.

 

[HadesTX]

Not anymore, except for the Boo to You parade at MNSSHP.

 

[polymerpig]

I think it's cool that you can go to WDW for one or more days, never go on a ride if you don't want to, and still be totally entertained the whole time. The parades, shows, etc are what make Disney parks so unique - there is something for everyone.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

For our kids first trips, we did.

But for the past few years, the kids and husband say they are done with parades and would rather hit the rides. So that's what we do.

I save the parades for my solo trips now. I like the evening one at MK the best out of the normal ones. And I watch the MVMCP or MNSSHP parades if I'm lucky enough to go to those parties.

 

[Chelle's Belles]

I am not a parade fan... except at Disney.

The evening MK parades and the special "party" parades are well worth it.

 

[t_catt11]

For a first trip? My goodness, at least do ONE of the parades!

We always hit the Animal Kingdom parade, and usually do the Magic Kingdom one, as well. We didn't getthe normal magic kingdom parade this time, but we did get the Halloween version and the electrical parade.

I can't imagine doing Disney without parades.

 

[katrina1122]

DH fought me big time on parades and fireworks, but I made him watch one, after that he kept bugging me when the next show was. We NEVER miss them.

 

[MisWal]

On our first trip last year, we purposely avoided parades. I didn't want to "waste" time when we could be riding rides. This time, we're going to take the time to watch a parade, although I'm not sure which one.

 

[princessbrulee]

We stop to watch every parade that comes our way. My youngest would probably disown us if we didn't. She loves parades so much that last time we watched both the 9:00 MSEP and the 11:00!

 

[Eljay]

to sit through any of the parades? My DH and I are taking our DDs (11 & 6) to WDW for their 1st trip! And I am curious how many people actually take the time to sit sit through the parades and if so which ones?

TIA!!!

Honestly, they're not that long.
If your kids like characters, it's a must!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Si8ajgv2B3U&feature=related

What's not to like? The music gets under your skin and the characters are so upbeat and interactive with the crowd!

 

[delaneyc52]

Funny...I just answered a thread about rope drops which we don't do either. I love the Parades (all very cool) but I refuse to sit and hold a place for an hour or more with (a-hem) some arrogant or pushy people.... it spoils my moments. Even way back when my children were children we were not thrilled with that concept of sit and wait either. So we'd walk thru the crowds, catch glimpses of parades and continue the rides. Woo Hoooo! We are obviously all A-type personalities. Impatient.

 

[sukhakuli]

I can't imagine why you'd only watch part of the parade? It's a few minutes, how hard is it to finish it? lol I don't get people leaving a show early so they can beat the crowd out, either, though, lol.

 

[Micca]

I am not a parade fan... except at Disney.

The evening MK parades and the special "party" parades are well worth it.

ITA! The downside is the waiting involved to get a viewing spot and that the curbs aren't especially comfortable to sit on for any period of time.

 

[21hearts]

We've only see the parade at Hollywood Studios and that was only because we were going to Play House Disney from the Star Wars area and saw everyone lined up so we figured why not?

Our kids love the parades but we just never remember them until its 5 minutes until it starts. On our next trip we promised the kids we would see the parade at Magic Kingdom.