How to keep little ones occupied while waiting for FoF Parade

[Skywalker]

Using bubbles while walking and moving or briefly stopped or whatever is fine. But using them in a confined space with people captive around you? And there are actually parents who think "suck it up because Junior's joy outweighs yours" and / or "Suck it up because without the bubbles Junior will be a raving brat who will annoy you even more"? Really?

I always wondered why companies put stupid obvious warnings on their products, I guess it's for people who have no common sense. Disney will have to start printing it right on their bottles "Not to be used directly on other guests" lol.

(Edit to add - I wonder if this would fly as an excuse in a criminal case. E.g. But Officer, they sell firecrackers at the store, so of course I thought it would be okay to launch one at my neighbour's house. If not, they wouldn't sell them lol)

 

[DisneyMom2000000]

Seeing kids with bubbles and laughter on their faces? Awesome.

Having bubbles in my face, blown into my hair because the child is blowing them right at me? Not Awesome.

And no a queue isn't the place for bubbles because of enclosed space with others so it's much appreciative to those who wouldn't have bubble machines or whatnot while waiting in a queue.

Whatever activity you do just have awareness of those around you. That concept is ridiculously easy to get some just choose not to utilize that concept.

As for other activities I'd try and look at what you do normally at home when you need to occupy their time-within reason of course. Do you play games with them, do you bring a book they like, do you bring an activity book, do you go for snack time. This was a long time ago but my mom used to bring the Brain Quest trivia deck version with her when we would go to places like restaurants and whanot where waiting would occur. They have workbooks nowadays (I saw them at Costco a while back too). That's more of a cerebral time occupation though.

Awareness of others around you, YES!!!

 

[VandVsmama]

This thread has gone from "How to keep little ones occupied while waiting for a parade" to "BUBBLE WARS 2018!"

 

[maxiesmom]

This thread has gone from "How to keep little ones occupied while waiting for a parade" to "BUBBLE WARS 2018!"

It is ridiculous isn't it that you have to try to explain to an adult that there is such a thing as being courteous to others around you. And they fight you about it!!!

 

[VandVsmama]

We want to stake out a nice shady spot with a good view for Festival of Fantasy Parade, so I'm guessing we need to be in position an hour in advance. I'm trying to imagine how I'm going to get a 3 and 5 year old to stay put in Disney World for an hour! Any good ideas out there?

So getting back to the original topic...
When we took our kids to their first Disney park, it was to Disneyland and the kids were just about to turn 4 and 6 yr old. We rented a stroller on that trip (BEST decision ever!), the kids took turns riding in the stroller and if the other kid was super tired, she would ride on the running board on the back. It was great. That also came in handy when it was time to wait for the afternoon parade (which was at 4-4:30-ish, not 3 pm-ish like at WDW). Stuff that we did while waiting for the parade on that trip:

• drew some pictures. I only had ball point pens with me, no crayons. I wasn't quite that organized that time.
• played tic-tac-toe
• took the kids to the bathroom
• took turns getting the kids a snack
• DH took the kids on a ride while I held our spot (we were down near Fantasyland, so I think he took them on It's A Small World or the Mad Tea Party...both of which had pretty short wait times that day)
• ate the snack
• talked about our favorite stuff that we'd done so far that day - some of it was really great like "Mama, I liked the part where the worker person helped the mama duck get all of her baby duckies in the water near the haunted house."
• talked about the neat characters we'd seen (at Disneyland, there's a lot of characters just roaming around and there's no FP to meet them. In Fantasyland in the morning, you literally can just run into Peter Pan or Captain Hook or the Mad Hatter).
• talked about what we were looking forward to the most for the next day

 

[robinb]

This thread has gone from "How to keep little ones occupied while waiting for a parade" to "BUBBLE WARS 2018!"

I'm not even sure why there is a war. The thread is about how to entertain kids while waiting for a parade. CMs walk up and down the parade route selling bubble blowers. I do sincerely feel sorry for people who are allergic, but there should be an expectation of bubbles at a parade.

 

[NYCgrrl]

I just want to point out that the OP is only looking to spend an hour of free time before the parade.

With children of those ages a half an hour of reading would be entertaining followed by 15 minutes of sticker time (buy some related to the book you have read them if possible) and 15 minutes of observing and discussing their surroundings in preparation for the parade.

The end.

 

[MomOTwins]

I'm not even sure why there is a war. The thread is about how to entertain kids while waiting for a parade. CMs walk up and down the parade route selling bubble blowers. I do sincerely feel sorry for people who are allergic, but there should be an expectation of bubbles at a parade.

This is really baffling to me. I really don't understand where people are getting the idea that Disney secretly expects you to not use the bubble blowers in the places they sell them to you, and to instead relocate to use them in "uncrowded" areas of the parks (if such a place even exists, which I am skeptical about). I also don't understand how bubbles are "obviously" rude if used in proximity to other human beings. Comparing a few bubbles to shooting fireworks at someone is laughable. This feels like an incredibly arbitrary definition of "common courtesy" and "common sense" that is not at all common, and not at all intuitive to a lot of us who think it is no big deal and they are just bubbles. Bubble blowers are featured at almost every birthday or block party in our area; and it never occurred to me to think the hosts are rude for exposing their guests to bubbles. I'll admit I had not thought about allergies, but that does not seem to be what is motivating most of the complainers here, and as a person with allergies of my own I am well aware that no crowded environment is going to be free of allergens and I do not expect it to be.

At bottom, I think Disney has the final word on this and has not in any way restricted and in fact encourages bubble use in the parks, so the debate here does not matter one bit. This reminds me of a debate I saw on the Disney cruise board, about the fact that Disney CMs tell guests when they enter the cruise buffet that there are no lines, and they should feel free to walk up to whatever food station they want, and yet some guests still feel it is extremely rude not to form a single line that goes in one direction across the buffet stations. I recognize that Disney's policy is contrary to conventions in other buffet restaurants, but I firmly believe this is Disney's decision to make, and it is not rude to follow the expectations that Disney sets for conduct in its parks and on its ships.

The last thing I will say (and this is definitely my last post on this) is that I notice a disproportionate amount of hostility toward small children on this board, along with the belief that children should be completely "controlled" by their parents at all times at a children's theme park. I appreciate that Disney's CMs are a little more forgiving of children being children than you lot seem to be.

 

[piccolopat]

I actually do believe that Disney World is the one place where a child's joy is more important than an adult's discomfort. You all obviously disagree, but Disney World would not sell bubbles if it expected children to refrain from using them at a parade route, outdoor show, outdoor ride queue or other crowded area (which covers pretty much EVERYWHERE at MK by the way). So if you want to advocate for Disney to stop selling the things, go ahead, but I really don't think it's correct to criticize parents for purchasing products that Disney enticingly promotes to kids ever 50 feet, and that are intended to be used in its crowded parks, and that are designed to spread a large number of bubbles in every which direction. I don't believe nor have I seen any evidence there is an epidemic of small children walking up to adults and pointing bubbles wands directly in their faces, but I do see quite a few adults angrily sniping at families with bubble blowers that are just distributing ambient bubbles that are then picked up by the wind and blown at the adults, through no intent of the child's.

More to the point, no matter what is said about them on this board, there are going to be thousands of people who don't read this board and use the bubbles at parks, so I think it is something everyone has to accept as an inevitable annoyance that we are all powerless to change, like drunk people in world showcase.

No one is saying not to buy bubbles. I think most are just asking that you monitor your children and make sure their use of the bubbles in any confined space, including waiting for a parade or show, is not annoying other people. That's the considerate thing to do and a lifelong lesson I hope all parents teach their children.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

children's theme park

It's not a children's theme park. It's a theme park for all ages. Children will of course be very much present but it is a theme park for all to enjoy.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

I promised myself I wouldn’t enter the bubbles debate, yet here we are ...

-My kids did get bubble wands on the last trip.
-They were not allowed to point them at others and were only allowed to use them when I said so. This was usually when we were moving and not in a tightly packed crowd.
-My 3 year old basically shot them straight ahead of her in the stroller and the only person they got all over was her
-I would not let them use the wands while waiting for the parade in a stationary position with a crowd around.

It is possible to be respectful while using the bubble wands. As a parent, it is very easy for me to be aware of the situation and determine if the bubbles are appropriate or not.

One of the places the kids loved playing with the bubble wands most was at the resort. This was the main reason I gave in and bought them. It was tough to get pool time in with the inclement weather during our trip but it was easy for us to find an open space with no one around to play with the bubbles for short periods of time between rain showers during a couple resort breaks.

I do think that people who have real issues with the bubbles should contact Disney about it. When we purchased ours, the CM opened them, filled them up and tested them in the store to be sure they worked. They in no way indicated that it is not an item that should be used in the park - in fact, they completely set it up for us to use. I think the assumption is that people should use common sense about using them but unfortunately many people aren’t self aware enough or simply don’t care.

Back to the OP ... parade waiting time is “time consuming special Disney snack” time for us. Popcorn or lollipop, etc. On more than one occasion, one of my kids has fallen asleep in the stroller waiting for the parade to start

 

[maxiesmom]

I promised myself I wouldn’t enter the bubbles debate, yet here we are ...

-My kids did get bubble wands on the last trip.
-They were not allowed to point them at others and were only allowed to use them when I said so. This was usually when we were moving and not in a tightly packed crowd.
-My 3 year old basically shot them straight ahead of her in the stroller and the only person they got all over was her
-I would not let them use the wands while waiting for the parade in a stationary position with a crowd around.

It is possible to be respectful while using the bubble wands. As a parent, it is very easy for me to be aware of the situation and determine if the bubbles are appropriate or not.

And that is all anybody expects. That you are respectful of others, which it sounds like you are. I haven't seen anyone saying Disney should ban them. But like anything else they sell in the parks, balloons, water fans, twirling lights, be courteous when using them. It is the Suck it Up people that make the rest of us cringe.

 

[DisneyOma]

I'm not even sure why there is a war. The thread is about how to entertain kids while waiting for a parade. CMs walk up and down the parade route selling bubble blowers. I do sincerely feel sorry for people who are allergic, but there should be an expectation of bubbles at a parade.

My daughter was allergic to bubble solution when she was a child. If we were sitting at the parade, and a CM walked by blowing bubbles, I'd have time to shield her from the few random bubbles that came our way. If a family sat down next to us and a kid was blowing bubbles the entire time? I'd ask them to stop, or move, if we were there first. If they didn't, we'd have to move, even if we were there first and the place was getting crowded. We've yet to sit next to any jerks who won't stop the bubbles.

 

[robinb]

My daughter was allergic to bubble solution when she was a child. If we were sitting at the parade, and a CM walked by blowing bubbles, I'd have time to shield her from the few random bubbles that came our way. If a family sat down next to us and a kid was blowing bubbles the entire time? I'd ask them to stop, or move, if we were there first. If they didn't, we'd have to move, even if we were there first and the place was getting crowded. We've yet to sit next to any jerks who won't stop the bubbles.

That's good, right? That the bubble blowers stopped when you said your DD was allergic to bubbles? That's the way it should be.

 

[disneyfantotheend]

Here is my take on them selling them, but they are not meant to be used in crowds. I have walked by MANY of the stands selling the bubble blowers with large crowds of people walking with me and a CM blowing the bubbles towards the crowd of people to get there attention and to make a sale, so pretty sure they don't mind people blowing them in crowds. I don't have a stake in the argument, because I don't have small kids or skin sensitivity, but really that argument is null and void to me.

 

[maxiesmom]

Here is my take on them selling them, but they are not meant to be used in crowds. I have walked by MANY of the stands selling the bubble blowers with large crowds of people walking with me and a CM blowing the bubbles towards the crowd of people to get there attention and to make a sale, so pretty sure they don't mind people blowing them in crowds. I don't have a stake in the argument, because I don't have small kids or skin sensitivity, but really that argument is null and void to me.

If you are walking, and can get away, that makes a huge difference. I have not seen CMs blowing them at people waiting for a parade or fireworks, but that doesn't go to say they don't do it. But I also wouldn't be shy about asking them to stop, if I had an allergy.

 

[DisneyOma]

That's good, right? That the bubble blowers stopped when you said your DD was allergic to bubbles? That's the way it should be.

My kids are older now - they didn't sell the bubble blowers when they were little. We don't sit and wait for parades anymore, we just stand in the back somewhere when it starts. But we still block the bubbles for the little mermaid show My above post was more hypothetical.

 

[Woody412]

Bubbles are bubbles, and to me not a big deal. Then again I don’t have a sensitivity to them. I would, however, find it at least mildly annoying if a strange child was constantly blowing them in my face and would, of course, never allow my children to do that to a stranger. That being said, if my children see another kid blowing bubbles and I don’t get a bubble blower in every color available, there would be a meltdown so earth-shattering they would probably have to postpone the parade. It has even been suggested that the Maleficent float fire was caused by my 3-year-old after being denied a bubble blaster. I have proof that we were 1,000 miles away, but nobody who knows him believes me.