My experience with Wishes..Guarding your spot

[DebbieB]

Anyhow, we have rearranged our entire schedule to be sure we are in the parks for Spectro during our upcoming trip in Jan. And you can be darn sure I'll be one of those people securing "my" spot a good 45 minutes before the parade! PLEASE don't

Depending on the night and the spot you pick, 45 minutes might not be early enough. I've seen people start to line up for Spectro 2 hours before. I would check earlier to see if it is filling up if you want a curb or front spot.

 

[Fooboy]

Countless numbers of time, i have experienced this situation of inconsideration. but like you, i let it go...for the sake of the moment and the sake of the child.

Merry Christmas

foobs

 

[C.Ann]

On our very first trip to WDW I'll never forget this obnoxious woman who was reaming out everyone within a 6 ft. radius for talking during the parade because she didn't want her baby (who was sleeping in a stroller behind her) to wake up..

The noise of the parade wouldn't wake the baby up - but normal talking would???

It was the strangest thing - and she was VERY nasty about it!!!!!!!

 

[Luv2Roam]

To me, the best thing about the MK parades is often they clear out the rides or diminish the line at Splash Mountain.
We have been pretty lucky. But we often went in January and crowds were not an issue. I remember being in WS for ToD and finding a completely open seating area as the parade was moving through.
Never fails though when you stake out a spot in the MK hub. There are always guests who think they are staking out a great seat and get annoyed when people stand in front of them.
Hello. What do they think is going to happen when they sit quite a bit away from the street, the park is crowded and a parade is coming through?
I have been in the situation and just know I will stand later. And sometimes I even have to stand on the seat.
Anyone who just has to have a completely unblocked view needs to sit on the curb.
For the most part people are nice. I have had some people GLARE if you even happen to walking by and make eye contact. It's like they are a wolf mother protecting their young and looking for a fight.
Our FUNNIEST story happened to us in DL, at their Fantasmic. There is no where to really sit and it was CROWDED. Literally shoulder to shoulder guests, all having to stand.
DH and I had been there a while, right behind the rope. True to form, right before Fantasmic the guests pour in behind us, breathing in our ears.
One young gal was holding a large toddler/child. We knew that kid would break her arms.
I asked DH to step back so the kid and gal could be in front of us, as there was something (forget what) that the woman could lean the child on.
The young kid was very sleepy and didn't even watch it. She was ready to zonk out. Soon she asked to get out of the woman's arms and be set down.
DH looked funny. He said he was feeling *sprinkles* on his legs! (Wearing shorts)
Sure enough the young kid had stood there and p'd.
Luckily our hotel room was nearby, he didn't get much on him and it was the end of the day.
He just laughed. The woman was very embarrassed. We just shrugged. She could not have gotten out of that crowd if she had to. And the kid gave no warning or comment on why she wanted down.
So that is our most interesting (odd) tale.

 

[RedNeckChik13]

We had an experience this last time we went that really hacked my mom off. We were there when they filmed the Christmas parade so at 5 that day they did a special showing of the parade (without the celebs). We got there an hour and 15 mins early because I really wanted to see this. We sat right in front of the castle on the benches. About 10 mins before the parade starts a guy comes up holding a little girl and asks the people next to us if he could sit there. They were like no we are sitting here and he says well I only want to sit down for a min. Then he proceeds to sit down, knock over their hot chocolate (right onto one of the girl's purses), and then gets up and walks about 5 feet away to stand with his family for the rest of the parade. Everyone around us gave him really nasty looks and commented really loudly about rude people. A bunch of people went to get her napkins and he just looked at it and sat there. It really made me mad how rude he was.

 

[Kallison]

Well I don't agree with the dd on his shoulders, but I really don't understand how you can stop people form standing in front of you to watch a fireworks show up in the sky, maybe I'm just not understanding. When we watched Wishes we just walked out into the middle of Main Street right in front of the Bakery and simply looked up. It didn't seem to me to be an issue who was in front or in back of us. People were camped out on the curbs for a long time which kind of made me wonder why?

 

[Pig Pen]

We have experienced practically everything described on this thread...giant people with kids on their shoulders, last minute squeezers, we even witnessed a fist-fight right before Spectro once.

My favorite fiasco....after staking out our perfect spot hours in advance, a woman just passing by decided to suffer heat exhaustion and we had to give up our prime spot in the shade so she could lay down while waiting for the paramedics. We ended up missing everything!

During our last couple trips DH and I have found the PERFECT spot for parade viewing (we have to stake it out early, but it affords a great view, with practically zero chance of blockage) and I'm not telling what it is!!!!!

 

[jann1033]

Originally posted by joshsmom
Being relatively new and not having EVER gone in January, I have a question: since the crowds are lighter, is there less "jostling for a spot" going on? DS has never seen a Disney parade at MK or fireworks at MK and you better believe he will this time!!!! Rude people REALLY get to me (some of them are in my family!). I want him to be able to see. Will it be different since the crowds are lighter?

we've never really had a problem seeing or our kids seeing either but we go in early Dec or Jan and usually will station ourselves at a less busy area & if it is really crowded at one place we move to a less crowded place. we always just put the kids as close to the street as possible and stood behind them and we could see and so could they. sometimes we would let children smaller than ours stand in front of ours but never had a problem with people like some have. I do have to chuckle when I read how some feel there is less "magic" in the slow season as I would hate to have to fight for a spot to view a parade like my life depended on it. would definitly take a lot of the fun out of it for me! we'll see if things are different this time or not. maybe more rudies are there now.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

During our last trip two weeks ago we saw Wish's every night, including two nights from our room at the Poly.

There is no bad spot!! Okay, maybe under a tree but if you can see the sky you are good to go.

Once the fireworks start, people just stop in the streets and look up. We happened to be on the bridge in Fronteirland going over to BTMRR and had a fabulous view.

Another time we were in just outside the platform for the Liberty Belle and it was neat to look around and everyone staring and the oohs and ahhs.

Each view is a little different but there wasn't a bad one so relax and go with the flow.

 

[beattyfamily]

I scoop out a spot early on Main Street on the curb as no one can get in front of us BUT you spot 'seems' to get smaller and smaller especially if you dare to get up to throw something away or if you have kids who keep getting up and down. So be careful of those who come at the last minute sand squeeze in a tiny 1 inch space next to you and whatever or whomever is next to you!

The curb is my favorite spot, preferably the shady side!

 

[tjkraz]

I have to admit that parade time represents the single most anxiety-inducing moments of any trip. In retrospect, we really haven't had many bad experiences. But I always find myself standing there wondering if I will be forced to deal with a "situation" just to preserve the view into which I've already invested 45+ minutes.

During our last trip, as Spectromagic began, a woman literally thrust her son right between my wife any myself, and then proceeded to keep her arm on his shoulder during the entire parade because there simply wasn't room for her to be standing next to him. The child spent most of the parade looking anxiously at us and back at his mother.

And the sad part is that in retrospect we probably felt worse about it than she did. You WANT to see kids having the opportunity to see the parade, and yet the very reason we stood in place for 45 minutes was so that OUR family could enjoy the event together. So we end up feeling guilty over another family that couldn't bother to show up a few minutes earlier.

 

[jann1033]

just a thought but some people who are at wdw for the first time may not even realize there * is * a parade till it starts or they notice a giant mass of people waiting for *something *( the old "look up into the air and so will everyone else "idea) and may not realize it is rude to push in to a group so their kid can see, they may just be so caught up in the moment they don't really notice. I mean WDW is supposed to be such a"magical" place maybe they don't realize the anxiety others feel over not having the perfect parade spot if someone had pushed their kid in between me and my family I would have just switched places with them and saved myself the ulcer but that is just my opinion. I am trying to think about the first time we went, totally with out a clue about *anything* there and were so thrilled to be there I really think a 400 lb gorilla could have sat on my lap and as long as I could see (and it didn't have stale banana breath) I would't have cared! Now that we have be fortunately enough to go a number of times I think it would be nice to show others the same consideration I'm sure was shown me when I was clueless..that helps spread magic instead of rudeness imho.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) I don't worry about it anymore.
2) I know that there might be space-jumpers.
3) I simply carry a grape-soda with me.
4) If I get a line jumper, the soda somehow gets spilled on them.
5) I don't like conflict, but I also don't like line-jumpers.

NOTE: This might be extreme, but we all pay a price for the space. Either we take the time to wait, or there are other costs. Why should my kids or grandkids suffer due to someone else's discourtesy and selfishness.

NOTE: We seldom ever sit in a spot, but once in a while the grandkids want to to, so we bedn to their request.

 

[smjj]

Last year at MVMCP we started looking for a spot about 30 to 40 minutes prior to the parades start. We found a space maybe 6 to seven people wide to the left of this lady. There was also as much room to her right. We took up a position in this area and she promply told us she was holding this 14 foot long area for her family of 20 and we would need to find another space. Mind you this is 14 feet or so along the curb on Mainstreet. We refused and as she scowled at us others started moving in. She quickly got on here cell phone and started calling her family to get down here fast that people were being rude and stealing their space for the parade.. Over the next several minutes a few arrived but by then she was able to hold on to only a few space close to her. The point is if you want to see the parade as a family, then get there as a family. As the parade started a man arrived with a small child and stood behind us. He Insisted we swap places with him to allow his child to get a better view. I told him his kid could stand in front of us if he wanted but we were not moving. I think it is amazing how such a happy occasion can bring out the scroough in us all(myself included)...smjj

 

[disneyjunkie]

Originally posted by smjj
Last year at MVMCP we started looking for a spot about 30 to 40 minutes prior to the parades start. We found a space maybe 6 to seven people wide to the left of this lady. There was also as much room to her right. We took up a position in this area and she promply told us she was holding this 14 foot long area for her family of 20 and we would need to find another space. Mind you this is 14 feet or so along the curb on Mainstreet. We refused and as she scowled at us others started moving in. She quickly got on here cell phone and started calling her family to get down here fast that people were being rude and stealing their space for the parade.. Over the next several minutes a few arrived but by then she was able to hold on to only a few space close to her. The point is if you want to see the parade as a family, then get there as a family. As the parade started a man arrived with a small child and stood behind us. He Insisted we swap places with him to allow his child to get a better view. I told him his kid could stand in front of us if he wanted but we were not moving. I think it is amazing how such a happy occasion can bring out the scroough in us all(myself included)...smjj

Good for you. I'm sure many people just kept moving when she said she was holding space for others.

 

[Disney Doll]

The rudeness of people at parade & fireworks time is overwhelming to me. It's that "I paid a lot of money to be here, and I'm going to see and do everything" attitude, as if the rest of us are there for free, and they are the only ones paying!!!!

DH and I don't have children, so we will generally stay further back to allow folks with small children to be closer to the front and the better viewing. The times we have waited for a parade, we just stand our ground. I have said to people "Excuse me, but I am standing here and you will not be able to fit, no matter how much you try to squeeze me out". That usually makes them ashamed, and they move away. Plus, DH and I are not small people, so we are fairly formidable in terms of size. Generally, right before a parade starts, if we notice a family with small children behind us, we will invite them to stand in front of us to afford the kids a better view.

I won't get into a fight with someone, but I also won't tolerate rudeness.

 

[Hawk]

I love this thread!

Mackey Mouse - You must have nerves of steel! I could never have held my cool.

Alex & RustyScupper- you kill me!

Hawk

 

[tjkraz]

Originally posted by jann1033
just a thought but some people who are at wdw for the first time may not even realize there * is * a parade till it starts or they notice a giant mass of people waiting for *something *( the old "look up into the air and so will everyone else "idea) and may not realize it is rude to push in to a group so their kid can see, they may just be so caught up in the moment they don't really notice.

Yeah, those announcements they blare throughout the park 15-20 minutes before the parade starts makes it really difficult to tell what's about to happen.

I mean WDW is supposed to be such a"magical" place maybe they don't realize the anxiety others feel over not having the perfect parade spot.

That was not my point at all. The spot we picked was hardly ideal. We just wanted to be TOGETHER with our 2yo son to enjoy a parade that we had never seen before. After spending 45 minutes waiting patiently for the parade to begin, the last thing you want is to have to deal with a situation like so many others here which are clearly driven by the rude/selfish behaviour of other park guests.

Now that we have be fortunately enough to go a number of times I think it would be nice to show others the same consideration I'm sure was shown me when I was clueless..that helps spread magic instead of rudeness imho.

If you are in any way, shape or form implying that WE acted rudely in the situation described in my post, then I suggest you go back and re-read it. At NO point were we rude or abusive to the people involved in this situation. I personally was irritated that we had a sort of forced separation imposed upon our family. But we were completely sympathetic toward the child involved and were more than happy to allow him to watch the parade next to our son.

Did I call the mother over and offer to switch places with her? No, I didn't. And if this fact makes me worthy of being branded an ogre, then I guess I'll have to live with that.

 

[CarolA]

I am sending the whole group of you to DLP. Let me tell you it was a riot. 10 minutes before the parade I was the only person on Main St. As soon as the parade starts it is a free for all for a spot. Pretty entertaining.

I won't sit for an hour for a parade. If I find a spot I find it. If not, no big deal. The same for the fireworks.

However, fireworks are MUCH more difficult. People's definition of space varies greatly and what I might consider a fine spot someone else considers intruding. (My favs are people with the tripod trying to keep a mile square space so they can videotape. I am probably more likely to get in your space. Disney is NOT your personal film studio! I saw a guy just furious because he did not have enough space for his tripod last week. I think he needed ALL of main street. He even went and tried to enlist CMs who just told him people could stand on Main Street in front of him. He could see, his camera could not, cameras don't pay admission!)

And by the way as I re-read this thread. If you are this "Disney sprited" on a message borad I can see problems in the parks!

 

[joshsmom]

Originally posted by tjkraz
if this fact makes me worthy of being branded an ogre, then I guess I'll have to live with that.

NAH, he's at a different park across town!!!! Unless your name is Princess Fiona, I think you're safe!!!!!!!!!