MSEP to end Oct. 9 - Parade moves to Disneyland for a "limited time"

[yulilin3]

Why couldn't they rebuild them? I love the music of Spectromagic way more than Paint the Night. I think prefer no singing in my parade music.

I'm not saying they can't, I'm saying people hope they will

 

[tlmadden73]

So are sales of the holiday parties not doing well? Is this an odd way of directing people to a party if they want to see a nighttime show?

I doubt the decision is that underhanded, but seems odd that the would remove a parade with nothing to replace it (at least nothing they've announced yet).

 

[Lalalyn]

There are RUMORS from "highly reliable sources" and some "inside sources" that are saying Paint the Night is coming our way. Makes perfect sense with all the parameters in place but as all things Disney, it's not official until it is living breathing in place and running. (can we say ROL?)

[/QUOTE]
But is PTN is running into the holidays at DL, what does that mean for late January at WDW?

I'm not invested in what might come WDW's way, if it isn't there during my trip. Is Disney trying to see how much it can piss people off?

 

[mom2rtk]

There are RUMORS from "highly reliable sources" and some "inside sources" that are saying Paint the Night is coming our way. Makes perfect sense with all the parameters in place but as all things Disney, it's not official until it is living breathing in place and running. (can we say ROL?)

If that's the case, they had no business commenting on the blog that there were no plans for it to come to WDW. They should have just not commented on that piece of it.

 

[ArwenMarie]

So are sales of the holiday parties not doing well? Is this an odd way of directing people to a party if they want to see a nighttime show?

I doubt the decision is that underhanded, but seems odd that the would remove a parade with nothing to replace it (at least nothing they've announced yet).

It's a good way to encourage people to pony up for that party ticket

 

[mom2rtk]

It's a good way to encourage people to pony up for that party ticket

Maybe sales have been sluggish after the big price increases this year.

 

[hiroMYhero]

It wouldn't look good for a late January start. If PTN runs through the holidays at DL, and if it comes to WDW, it would take over two months for all the training to occur for float drivers to dancers/movers to characters on the floats. As soon as CDCT ended the first week in January 2014, the training began for FOF and it didn't debut until March.

 

[Crystal824]

One thing I have done on every single trip to WDW is the fireworks and parade at MK. I'm quite frustrated that we won't get to see a night parade during our trip in November. It is one thing our whole family loves. I love Disney. I've spent more money than I care to think about there over the years. The cutbacks and increased prices are getting a little out of hand. We have been pretty much every year (sometimes several times in one year) for the last 12 years. We have already talked about taking next year off. This may solidify that decision.

 

[Lalalyn]

It wouldn't look good for a late January start. If PTN runs through the holidays at DL, and if it comes to WDW, it would take over two months for all the training to occur for float drivers to dancers/movers to characters on the floats. As soon as CDTC ended the first week in January 2014, the training began for FOF and it didn't debut until March.

The way Disney is moving on things and troubleshooting when there are problems, there has to be a zero percent chance of PTN being in WDW by late January, if it ever comes at all.

It really makes me mad. We are staying at the Poly in part to hit the nighttime entertainment at MK. My kids are young and last year we did the parade and left afterwards. Staying for Wishes/fireworks would be too late. We did it one night but the parade time was perfect.

 

[Mindwellwasted]

I'm sure MSEP costs less to run nightly then PtN. Moving it is a win-win for Disney Parks as a whole. DL gets the attendance boast from MSEP coming home, plus saves some money and can maybe repair PtN when on off days.

WDW has the Halloween and Christmas parades running a couple times a week during the next few months so if you want to see a nighttime parade, you'll have to buy a ticket to a party.

January+ is when it will be bad since there will be nothing and if there's nothing in the works now, would be summer at the earliest for a replacement.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

As of today it looks like Disney has shot themselves in the foot on this one. They force people into planning many months in advance, so therefore are being rude to their guests if indeed they have some surprise in store. They lost the right to do that when they insisted on everyone planning and paying months in advance. This sure SEEMS like yet another chintzy move (albeit a major one) by a cost-cutting corporation. WDW seems to be the golden goose that gets robbed to underwrite flagging profits on other continents.

The parades (nighttime and daytime) are pretty iconic at MK. I wonder how much value they can rob and continue to expect people to flock in.

 

[Zippa D Doodah]

WDW has the Halloween and Christmas parades running a couple times a week during the next few months so if you want to see a nighttime parade, you'll have to buy a ticket to a party.

January+ is when it will be bad since there will be nothing and if there's nothing in the works now, would be summer at the earliest for a replacement.

That's the part that grinds my grits. By no means should guests be forced into buying hard tickets to see a night time parade. If that is the strategy Disney should at least level with us and explain why MSEP is gone

 

[Lisa F]

The party parades are not "nighttime" parades. They are parades that run at night, but they are not a lit nighttime parade like MSEP, Spectro or PtN. While I do really enjoy the Halloween party and can't remember the christmas party as I haven't been to one in years, these are parades that run equally well in the day and they are NOT substitutions for a true nighttime parade. Going in December, was looking forward to doing both.

 

[Lisa F]

It wouldn't look good for a late January start. If PTN runs through the holidays at DL, and if it comes to WDW, it would take over two months for all the training to occur for float drivers to dancers/movers to characters on the floats. As soon as CDCT ended the first week in January 2014, the training began for FOF and it didn't debut until March.

And I think this is a far more typical schedule. Historically speaking it is highly unusual for them to pull a wildly popular event during the holiday season. Usually when a planned move is made they get through the holidays and then start it early in january, during the low season. Which is the other reason I think this is an immediate cost cutting measure being taken. They know that they can cut the parade and no one will be cancelling their food and wine and thanksgiving and christmas plans. They can grab 3 months of savings from not running the thing.

 

[Princesca]

One thing I have done on every single trip to WDW is the fireworks and parade at MK. I'm quite frustrated that we won't get to see a night parade during our trip in November.

Me too. There's something truly magical about shows at night in MK.

Also ditto on the thinking about not rushing to get back. I tend to go about every two years, it seems, when left to my own devices... I'm trying to talk it up to my DP who is going with me this November for the first time in awhile, and she keeps hearing about this stuff and will probably start to wonder why I'm so crazy about Disney, when it seems to be all about exorbitant prices and closing down attractions and shows. I am about at the point where I think I'm not even going to bother to try to justify it for Disney... but I'm sure I'll feel differently once I'm in the Parks.

And THAT, dear friends, is why we all keep getting suckered in again, time after time, like high school girls to that first bad leather-jacket-wearing boyfriend who we knew we could just fix, if we only belieeeeeeved hard enough in true looooove...

 

[Lisa F]

Spectromagic ended June 5, 2010. MSEP began at WDW on the same date, I think.

this is what happens when there is a planned replacement. this wasn't planned and they certainly aren't planning to replace it.

 

[HopperFan]

What was the other major announcement?

I'm sad to see it go but glad they're not getting rid of it entirely. What's odd though is they get rid of it right at the time they should be kicking off the 45th anniversary celebration.

Oh and they get rid of it just as Pete's Dragon will finally be re-recognized!!!!

They put out 2 blog posts
1) WDW - MSEP closing October
2) DL - MSEP in Jan and will keep PTN through 2016

Yes it is odd, no I do not believe this was the plan, yes I do believe they are in scramble mode.

are you saying there will be no fireworks either?

No. As in parade, dark.
The MK is only park with parades now, a night time parade was a very important part to many guests' experiences.

Does anyone remember what the time frame was between Spectromagic ending and Main Street Electrical Parade beginning? For the life of me, I can't remember, but it doesn't seem like it was months or anything.

Parades at Magic Kingdom are so iconic. I'm sure we won't be left long without one.

The first round was a few week gap but after that they were back to back.

I've been thinking about that possibility
Not the MNSSHP parade but certainly they could the the Christmas parade at night and FoF during the day for the 2 weeks of Christmas and New Years

Doesn't the Christmas Parade run each night after the parties are done through the holidays already?

this is what happens when there is a planned replacement. this wasn't planned and they certainly aren't planning to replace it.

Or there was a plan that fell apart ..... and wouldn't be the first, second etc time in the last couple years.

I don't even mind if the parade has to be dark for a while to prepare for a new and improved one, but they need to announce that there will be a new an improved one and when it will be live. They probably wanted to announce this ASAP for those guests affected by it (October is not a long lead time) but they should improve their timing and be ready to announce a replacement, or push the whole thing back and continue to run MSEP. There are financial decisions driving this (which, of course should have some bearing), but with parks revenue up 6% we all know they are doing okay.

Completely agree and it seems very logical given that WDW really is the flagship. I firmly believe this was not the full plan. Things are not going as planned (not the first time) and they are scrambling on what they want to do. No, not surprised both parks going dark while they move things, no better time than party season .... and MSEP will need a good spa day to be ready ..... but since they have not made any commits to either park at this point for PTN 2017 and seem to be coddling DL ..... calling shenanigans.

 

[anneboleyn]

I hope they update their stupid online calendar...right now there is no parade scheduled for our magic kingdom night (September 15) and I can't imagine they aren't going to show it every night to give folks one last shot at seeing it before it goes.

I'm also annoyed, and not surprised that they announce a MAJOR attraction closure with jack squat to replace it.

That is the exact same day DD and I will be at MK and I am so confused as to why the Electrical Parade is taking place on other non-party nights but not that one. Hopefully that changes because I would like to see it!

 

[yulilin3]

Doesn't the Christmas Parade run each night after the parties are done through the holidays already?

it runs instead of the 3pm parade

 

[HopperFan]

it runs instead of the 3pm parade

Gotcha. We are usually there mid month and leave before that time frame. So they could run both parades during those busy weeks.