Do you really take the time out...

[preschoolmom]

My husband LOVES parades... And before I had kids, I was a child of parents that never stopped to watch a parade in my life

On our first trip, we watched the 3:00 parade in the Magic Kingdom, and it was great - all the characters, my kids really enjoyed it (and so did I!). The parades with all the characters are one of the things that makes Disney Disney, IMO.

On our second trip, we didn't see any parades, because we were always back at the resort swimming at that time, LOL.

 

[nanni]

Absolutely. I love the parades. I'll watch the 3pm and MSEP at MK and Jammin' Jungle at AK. I haven't seen the DHS one yet. The parades definitely have the Disney magic to me so I try not to miss them. In fact, I try to time it so I can arrive to see the 3:00 parade at MK on my first day.

 

[DopeysGal82]

The parades are absolute magic! DH and I specifically plan our rights around all of the nighttime entertainment, so we MUST see Wishes and MSEP/Spectro, Fantasmic! and IllumiNAtions. it'sa MUST. We also make sure we see the 3pm parade at MK at least once. Especially with kids. ALL of the characters are there, there's a lot of interaction. I'm not a person to stake out a spot hours in advance, but even that isn't so bad. You send someone to go get lunch at cosmic ray's or a mickey bar and you wait. There are cast members setting up hula hoop contests and throwing balls to the kids so they stay entertained. It's lots of fun,

As PP have stated, NEVER miss a hard ticket parade. Those are absolutely wonderful. The BEST!

 

[pepe of ohio]

Maybe back in the late 70's and 80's we did some of the parades when our children were small but after that....no....we're usually out of the parks by 1pm....hottest part of the day, crowds have thickened and we're not ones to stake out a claim on a spot 45 minutes before hand...we do like MK's Electrical Parade but it's an evening parade but we just gawk at it as it passes us by...nothing planned for in the way of parades for us....anymore..

 

[katt789]

Personally, I would never actually sit down and claim a spot to watch the parade (with the exception of Boo to You) but I've managed to now seeymost of them. I'd say the AK Jamin Jungle parade would be worth it to see, there's lots of cool stuff thats not in the other parades.

-MSEP (that's the right abbr. right?) the night-time one at MK, I'd say watch it, as it is a little different that other parades.

-DHS 3pm parade is a lot of pixar characters, so if your kids like the pixar, I'd say do it.

-Move it Shake it Celebrate it (hub dance party @ MK) is a lot of fun, lots of interaction and you actually get to go out into the street to dance with them

-As for the 3pm parade at MK I can't comment as it's the one I haven't actually seen.

I hope that that can help you decide if you want to claim a space of curb to watch them. I'd say, keep an eye on time, and if you happen to be near a space while the parade is around, watch it. It's a nice break from standing/walking, depending on if you've found a shady or sunny spot to sit in, and there is lots of entertaining stuff. If you've got enough time to see everything in the park that you want to, then by all means, take he time to see them!

 

[kaligal]

Not usually. I'll stop for that "Celebrate You" thing because I like the music, but I don't make a point of it. If it's going and I'm close, I'll stop. Wish they'd sell that music. When Spectro comes back, I'll watch that again.

The rest of them I watch maybe once every 4 years or so.

The MK parade is always my favorite. Spectro is great and MSEP is worth a watch.

I adore the music now played during Mickey's Jammin Jungle, but the parade isn't the best.

I haven't seen the DHS parade in I don't know how long.