How busy is the Pixar Play Parade these days?

[SeiterClan]

Wondering if we need to do the dining package for it or if we can find good spots up front an hour or so before? My kids missed out on seeing the MSEP on our last trip because of rain & I'm still bitter so hoping to see both PPP & PTN. Any advice is appreciated! TIA

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Personally, I don't think a dining package is necessary for either parade. It would be a nice luxury, but not a necessity. There is good viewing for both parades without having to camp out for hours. For PPP, we don't like being in the very front (warning: risk of being squirted!), so we usually walk up half an hour or so before the start time and find spots in the second row. With an hour or a bit more, you could probably get good spots for your whole group. PTN has a very long parade route -- with an hour or so wait time, you can find good spots on a curb or maybe even a bench. With a group the size of yours, any dining package is a major investment. In this case, I think the money is better spent on F! where you will really need the reserved viewing. For the parades, as long as a few of the kids can wait with you to hold all the spots, you'll be fine without a dining package.

 

[SeiterClan]

Personally, I don't think a dining package is necessary for either parade. It would be a nice luxury, but not a necessity. There is good viewing for both parades without having to camp out for hours. For PPP, we don't like being in the very front (warning: risk of being squirted!), so we usually walk up half an hour or so before the start time and find spots in the second row. With an hour or a bit more, you could probably get good spots for your whole group. PTN has a very long parade route -- with an hour or so wait time, you can find good spots on a curb or maybe even a bench. With a group the size of yours, any dining package is a major investment. In this case, I think the money is better spent on F! where you will really need the reserved viewing. For the parades, as long as a few of the kids can wait with you to hold all the spots, you'll be fine without a dining package.

Perfect! This is what I was hoping to hear. We are planning to do Fantasmic with the HB on the go reserved dining so we could sit with my 6 kids & see but hoping to just find spots on the curb an hour or so before & eat dinner /snacks/treats while waiting for PPP & PTN. Thanks for the reassurance!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

... hoping to just find spots on the curb an hour or so before & eat dinner /snacks/treats while waiting for PPP ...

Plaza Inn will let you take the fried chicken meals to go (just ask for the meals to be packed to go). If you sit on the curb and eat fried chicken, maybe it can be like your own PPP Dining Package!
Also. if you don't see the parades the first day, take note of the time you start seeing people waiting on the curb. That will help with your timing on the day you do see the parades. If you see the parades on your first day, ask CMs along the parade route what time they start seeing/allowing guests on the curb.

 

[SeiterClan]

Plaza Inn will let you take the fried chicken meals to go (just ask for the meals to be packed to go). If you sit on the curb and eat fried chicken, maybe it can be like your own PPP Dining Package!
Also. if you don't see the parades the first day, take note of the time you start seeing people waiting on the curb. That will help with your timing on the day you do see the parades. If you see the parades on your first day, ask CMs along the parade route what time they start seeing/allowing guests on the curb.

I like the way you think! Thinking of doing the PPP our first DL day on Thursday, August 2nd & maybe fireworks if we can last that long! We are coming early that day from Oceanside & checking into the PPH for 2 nights so will have EMH for those 3 days so hoping to be able to make it to EMH on Friday, Aug. 3rd at DCA & do everything there including PTN. Then our final day on Saturday, August 4th we will spend at DL & want to do first show of F! with the HB dining package then watch fireworks if they show them since it's our last night. We plan to use EMH every day with Max Pass but will NOT have PH's. Does this plan sound OK to you?

 

[Skyegirl1999]

I've watched it twice lately by City Hall and there have been spots available honestly up until the parade is starting. It's been very surprising to me. I don't know if it's a fluke or not, but people aren't taking up the spot across from City Hall or lining up at the last-minute rope area in front of the firehouse for this parade the way that they usually do...

Now, you'll be coming in the height of summer with a higher population of tourists who make sure to watch parades, so I wouldn't expect walk-up, but it's definitely not something worth investing in a dining package for! I think you can get good spots with 30 minutes or less.

 

[SeiterClan]

I've watched it twice lately by City Hall and there have been spots available honestly up until the parade is starting. It's been very surprising to me. I don't know if it's a fluke or not, but people aren't taking up the spot across from City Hall or lining up at the last-minute rope area in front of the firehouse for this parade the way that they usually do...

Now, you'll be coming in the height of summer with a higher population of tourists who make sure to watch parades, so I wouldn't expect walk-up, but it's definitely not something worth investing in a dining package for! I think you can get good spots with 30 minutes or less.

Thank you for this advice! I'm feeling much better about just taking our chances on finding a decent spot without the dining package. We are a group of 10(4 adults & 6 kids ages 4-16) so I know that if we want want curb space we will have to wait longer than two people but just want to avoid the madness that was PTN or MSEP at DL in previous years!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Definitely try to see fireworks your first night (Main Street is a great location -- around the Penny Arcade so you have a good view of the buildings on both sides of the street). If the show gets cancelled, you'll still have your last day to view from the F! viewing area. If the show goes on, then, lucky you!, you'll get to see the show from two different vantage points. Since you'll be trying to view PTN on a Friday night, give yourself a bit more than an hour to find the front row spots you want. And remember that the parade route is almost a mile long -- so scout the route earlier in the day and decide where you'd like to be, then head there as soon as you see people starting to hold spots. You can have half your group hold spots while the rest of you go get corn dogs or something from Pacific Wharf for dinner to bring back for everyone. You don't have to have park hoppers for DLR, but upgrading to hoppers will let you get the most out of MP. You'll be able to move so easily between the two parks (so close together!), get FPs for one park while you're in the other one, and your older kids will be able to ride their favorites over and over (especially if they can grab cancelled MP FPs). Hopping isn't a must, but it really brings out the best benefits of MP and allows you to maneuver around the peak crowds during the day.

 

[SeiterClan]

Definitely try to see fireworks your first night (Main Street is a great location -- around the Penny Arcade so you have a good view of the buildings on both sides of the street). If the show gets cancelled, you'll still have your last day to view from the F! viewing area. If the show goes on, then, lucky you!, you'll get to see the show from two different vantage points. Since you'll be trying to view PTN on a Friday night, give yourself a bit more than an hour to find the front row spots you want. And remember that the parade route is almost a mile long -- so scout the route earlier in the day and decide where you'd like to be, then head there as soon as you see people starting to hold spots. You can have half your group hold spots while the rest of you go get corn dogs or something from Pacific Wharf for dinner to bring back for everyone. You don't have to have park hoppers for DLR, but upgrading to hoppers will let you get the most out of MP. You'll be able to move so easily between the two parks (so close together!), get FPs for one park while you're in the other one, and your older kids will be able to ride their favorites over and over (especially if they can grab cancelled MP FPs). Hopping isn't a must, but it really brings out the best benefits of MP and allows you to maneuver around the peak crowds during the day.

Thank you for these tips! I wish we could get PH's but I won a local radio station contest that included the Disney hotel stay plus four 3 day 1 park/day tickets but we can't upgrade them to PH's so we have to make the best of it.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Congratulations on your win! Since hopping isn't an option, look over the park maps and have a few areas in mind for when the parks get crowded. For example, afternoon heat + crowds = good time to do Launch Bay in TL! The M&Gs with the SW characters are so much fun! And with a large group, photo time could take enough time to give you all a nice a/c break. TSI is another good break spot, especially for little legs that need to run around. In DCA, the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail is great for stretching legs. Animation Academy is a great break, too -- plus you'll have wonderful souvenirs to take home at the end of your session! Paradise Gardens is a great spot to watch the band (right now it's the Pixar Palharmonic) and grab a cool drink and a snack. And in both parks, there are lots of places to enjoy the live music -- great breaks! Most are listed on the printed entertainment schedule and also on the app.

 

[SeiterClan]

Congratulations on your win! Since hopping isn't an option, look over the park maps and have a few areas in mind for when the parks get crowded. For example, afternoon heat + crowds = good time to do Launch Bay in TL! The M&Gs with the SW characters are so much fun! And with a large group, photo time could take enough time to give you all a nice a/c break. TSI is another good break spot, especially for little legs that need to run around. In DCA, the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail is great for stretching legs. Animation Academy is a great break, too -- plus you'll have wonderful souvenirs to take home at the end of your session! Paradise Gardens is a great spot to watch the band (right now it's the Pixar Palharmonic) and grab a cool drink and a snack. And in both parks, there are lots of places to enjoy the live music -- great breaks! Most are listed on the printed entertainment schedule and also on the app.

Thank you! Yes we are hoping to do shows during the busy & hot afternoon times like Frozen at DCA and Mickey & the Magical Map because we have never seen either one. How early do we need to line up the Frozen show these days?

 

[becks59]

Thank you! Yes we are hoping to do shows during the busy & hot afternoon times like Frozen at DCA and Mickey & the Magical Map because we have never seen either one. How early do we need to line up the Frozen show these days?

We saw frozen yesterday and we arrived about 10-15 minutes before it started for the 5pm show and made it in. We were on the mezzanine level towards the top side. It was still a great view. Other views are probably better, but we thoroughly enjoyed it.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

On not super crowded days, we been giving the Frozen show about 30 minutes, give or take, for the orchestra section. If for some reason that looks too full, we just head for the next section that looks less crowded. There is good viewing throughout the Hyperion -- that theater is rather large. Since the OP's group is big and there are little ones who need a good view, I would expect to wait at least 30+ minutes -- again, ask the CMs at the Hyperion waiting area how long they estimate you'll need for a group that large. If you want to be up front in the orchestra, give (much) more time to make sure you get up front and center. If the mezzanine will be fine (and there is great viewing from up there), then you won't need as much time.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

On not super crowded days, we been giving the Frozen show about 30 minutes, give or take, for the orchestra section. If for some reason that looks too full, we just head for the next section that looks less crowded. There is good viewing throughout the Hyperion -- that theater is rather large. Since the OP's group is big and there are little ones who need a good view, I would expect to wait at least 30+ minutes -- again, ask the CMs at the Hyperion waiting area how long they estimate you'll need for a group that large. If you want to be up front in the orchestra, give (much) more time to make sure you get up front and center. If the mezzanine will be fine (and there is great viewing from up there), then you won't need as much time.

I'd also suggest about 30 minutes - we've done about 15-20 minutes for the last few shows and gotten nice seats in the mezzanine (which I prefer to the orchestra, honestly). We always walk all the way across the top when you get inside so you're on the left side (facing the stage), because there are less people over there, and we can usually grab 4-5 seats together in the center section (a few rows up), or sometimes we grab aisle seats on the left.

For a group of 10, I'd go a little sooner, so maybe a little before 30 minutes, and probably split into two rows instead of trying to get a stretch of 10 seats. If you want to be seriously front, center in the mezzanine (or have good orchestra seats), then you'll have to invest more time. Keep in mind that you can't really save seats in there and that there aren't restrooms in the theater, so take the kids to the restroom before you head in!

 

[SeiterClan]

I'd also suggest about 30 minutes - we've done about 15-20 minutes for the last few shows and gotten nice seats in the mezzanine (which I prefer to the orchestra, honestly). We always walk all the way across the top when you get inside so you're on the left side (facing the stage), because there are less people over there, and we can usually grab 4-5 seats together in the center section (a few rows up), or sometimes we grab aisle seats on the left.

For a group of 10, I'd go a little sooner, so maybe a little before 30 minutes, and probably split into two rows instead of trying to get a stretch of 10 seats. If you want to be seriously front, center in the mezzanine (or have good orchestra seats), then you'll have to invest more time. Keep in mind that you can't really save seats in there and that there aren't restrooms in the theater, so take the kids to the restroom before you head in!

Thank you @theluckyrabbit & @Skyegirl1999 These are helpful tips! Do you think the 3pm or 5pm show will be less busy? Probably going to split into 2 rows & will get a ice cream treat while we wait in line! Can you get out of line to go to the rest room & come back in?

 

[Winnowill]

Thank you @theluckyrabbit & @Skyegirl1999 These are helpful tips! Do you think the 3pm or 5pm show will be less busy? Probably going to split into 2 rows & will get a ice cream treat while we wait in line! Can you get out of line to go to the rest room & come back in?

Yes. You have to leave someone there, and you have to notify a CM, who will give you a pass to get back into the line.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Thank you @theluckyrabbit & @Skyegirl1999 These are helpful tips! Do you think the 3pm or 5pm show will be less busy? Probably going to split into 2 rows & will get a ice cream treat while we wait in line! Can you get out of line to go to the rest room & come back in?

As noted by PP, you can (you can also leave once inside the theater if you get a bathroom pass from a CM), but it's a hassle getting in and out of the line area. One of those, "there's a way to do it if you have to, but it's not the way I would plan to do it" situations that one encounters so often at DL!