No more saving seats for the parade

[chirurgeon]

As a solo traveler who most likely will be using an ECV, I really hope this is true. I'm not local so I hate wasting a long time just sitting and waiting in a good spot.

 

[LizzyS]

We've never bothered watching a parade at the parks because of the camping out. I'd say this is a good thing because Main Street gets terribly crowded because of all the camping out multiple hours before a parade. The blanket thing I have always found to be extremely ridiculous as well. Save for one or two people, you shouldn't be able to save spots like that.

 

[mom2rtk]

I still wonder how many of the ones with lots of blankets were being paid to hold those spots.

 

[SMD]

I didn't mean that they should distinguish between once-in-a-lifetime versus other visitors, I just meant that the blanket spot-saving tradition favored frequent visitors, who didn't mind leaving one family member waiting for a parade spot for hours (and knew to bring blankets and stake out a spot). Once-in-a-lifetime guests who didn't want to give up hours in the park were out of luck. But I would hope that they wouldn't go so far in the other direction that they're timing bathroom trips or stopping a kid with involuntary motor tics or autism from moving in an open space behind the family's spot. I'm not expecting special treatment for my family -- my kid with tics will probably be in the hotel room using the wifi when I'm watching the parade!! -- but I'm assuming Disney will accommodate special circumstances.

Everybody makes choices. If your trip is once-in-a-lifetime and doing other things off the parade route is more important than saving a certain spot, that is a choice. Very rarely has there been zero parade viewing available without leaving a family member with a blanket behind. Nothing in the park favors any guest, it's still up to each individual's choice for how they spend their time. I think there's a difference between moving in an open space near the spot you're holding on the parade route and sitting on Main St while someone with motor tics is walking in Frontierland. I don't think that's a special circumstance Disney needs to accommodate.

 

[Nonsuch]

I hope they do this for fireworks viewing too

It will interesting to see how the street in front of the castle is handled. Some of that area is also good for parade viewing.

 

[Jerryp49]

Comment from another blogger :

I spoke to a CM yesterday to ask how things were going with the new rule. Despite the "civilized" look of Main Street and the Hub, she encountered a LOT of animosity with the new guidelines. And that was a Tuesday. One PO'd guest said that camping out along Main Street is her family's favorite thing to do at Disneyland. HELLO?! That's the purpose of city parks and beaches, not a theme park. If you're family likes camping out, there are plenty of freeway overpasses they could park under and have a great time.

This weekend should prove to be quite a challenge, especially with it being the final week of AP Days. I wish all the Cast Members the best of luck out there.

 

[mom2rtk]

Comment from another blogger :

I spoke to a CM yesterday to ask how things were going with the new rule. Despite the "civilized" look of Main Street and the Hub, she encountered a LOT of animosity with the new guidelines. And that was a Tuesday. One PO'd guest said that camping out along Main Street is her family's favorite thing to do at Disneyland. HELLO?! That's the purpose of city parks and beaches, not a theme park. If you're family likes camping out, there are plenty of freeway overpasses they could park under and have a great time.

This weekend should prove to be quite a challenge, especially with it being the final week of AP Days. I wish all thenanana Cast Members the best of luck out there.

Wanna bet the family's favorite thing was having one person camp out while the others did fun stuff until parade time?

 

[kirstie101]

loooking forward to hearing more first hand accounts on if this is being enforced or not! We'll be there during Spring break and I admit Im worried about seeing the parade! A friend was there a couple weeks ago and said the curb spots were all taken 3 hours prior to the parade. This was a saturday night.

 

[LizzyS]

I'll be there on Saturday, so if we're around before parade time or decide to watch it, I'll report back on what I see.

 

[LizzyS]

Comment from another blogger :

I spoke to a CM yesterday to ask how things were going with the new rule. Despite the "civilized" look of Main Street and the Hub, she encountered a LOT of animosity with the new guidelines. And that was a Tuesday. One PO'd guest said that camping out along Main Street is her family's favorite thing to do at Disneyland. HELLO?! That's the purpose of city parks and beaches, not a theme park. If you're family likes camping out, there are plenty of freeway overpasses they could park under and have a great time.

This weekend should prove to be quite a challenge, especially with it being the final week of AP Days. I wish all the Cast Members the best of luck out there.

Oh my gosh, that's just sort of infuriating to hear that people are saying THAT is their favorite thing! You're clogging up Main Street, folks.

 

[asunutgirl]

I will be there Friday night so I will report back. We are AP's and we usually bring a blanket to sit on but we don't save space for 3 hours. We normally plop down about an hour before and then take turns rotating in and out for food, bathroom breaks or rides. Thankfully, my kids are older now so they will actually sit still. Will be interesting to see how this is being enforced.

 

[agamble]

From what I've heard, you can sit until they start setting up for the parade. Then you have to move along.

I highly doubt they'll be able to enforce this. No one is going to listen and Disney has a hard time saying no to people.

One PO'd guest said that camping out along Main Street is her family's favorite thing to do at Disneyland.

If it's true that they allow people to sit as needed on the curbs until they begin setting up for the parade then it sounds pretty good and not too hard to enforce. Basically it sounds like they're warning people that they cannot just hang out all day and that they will be required to move. Then they require them to move at set up time. To the family that just "enjoys" camping out along Main Street, they can technically still do that, but they have to move before the parade. LOL!

Does anyone know how far in advance they typically set up? I remember with Fantasmic it was still a good amount of time before the show began. I really hope this policy works out and that the parades don't become FP viewing only like Fantasmic.

 

[JimmyBean42]

The only part I was skeptical on in reading all of this is the directing strollers to the stroller parking area. And my main reason for being skeptical of that is, I can see little ones not wanting to sit on the curb (as opposed to their stroller) and then that just encourages more kids on their parents shoulder (which can be more annoying than camping out). But I completely understand it from the standpoint of people using strollers as a placeholder for hours when no kids are sitting in them during that whole time.

 

[wilkeliza]

The only part I was skeptical on in reading all of this is the directing strollers to the stroller parking area. And my main reason for being skeptical of that is, I can see little ones not wanting to sit on the curb (as opposed to their stroller) and then that just encourages more kids on their parents shoulder (which can be more annoying than camping out). But I completely understand it from the standpoint of people using strollers as a placeholder for hours when no kids are sitting in them during that whole time.

I think the strollers are more about people who place them behind or next to the group to creat a barrier or spot for more people and then their kids are sitting on the curb. I remember at DAK being told our nephew had to be in the stroller facing forward if we didn't want to put it in stroller parking.

I hope this sticks around. We've gotten extremely lucky at DL but seeing the empty blanekts on the curbs at noon for a 3pm parade was getting to be comical.

 

[Geemo]

I'm all for the new policy!!

to those CM's with the task of enforcement.


Geemo

 

[mom2rtk]

to those CM's with the task of enforcement.

No joke!

 

[Snap Crackle Pop]

If it's true that they allow people to sit as needed on the curbs until they begin setting up for the parade then it sounds pretty good and not too hard to enforce. Basically it sounds like they're warning people that they cannot just hang out all day and that they will be required to move. Then they require them to move at set up time. To the family that just "enjoys" camping out along Main Street, they can technically still do that, but they have to move before the parade. LOL!

Does anyone know how far in advance they typically set up? I remember with Fantasmic it was still a good amount of time before the show began. I really hope this policy works out and that the parades don't become FP viewing only like Fantasmic.

Here is my problem with that, Disney will probably enforce it for maybe a few weeks but eventually they will stop. Luckily when I see parades I don't watch them on Main Street but by Alice in Wonderland bathroom area and that place doesn't really get crowded or popular until 1 hour or so before the parade starts. But we will see if this lasts longer than like.. two weeks. Disney has a hard time saying no, and are quite pushovers.

 

[Sparkly]

This isn't as huge a problem in WDW, but it would be nice to create a similar policy there too. My mind boggled at people parking themselves along Main Street 2 hours prior to MSEP (RIP) and Wishes (soon to be RIP). It's thankfully still much easier to get good spots for the nighttime entertainment there though!

 

[minnieralyks]

Here is my problem with that, Disney will probably enforce it for maybe a few weeks but eventually they will stop. Luckily when I see parades I don't watch them on Main Street but by Alice in Wonderland bathroom area and that place doesn't really get crowded or popular until 1 hour or so before the parade starts. But we will see if this lasts longer than like.. two weeks. Disney has a hard time saying no, and are quite pushovers.

Shhhhh...don't tell people that! It's a secret!

 

[agamble]

Shhhhh...don't tell people that! It's a secret!

Another "secret" spot I read about is just outside the Matterhorn. Apparently they put up ropes and only allow pedestrian access through one side of the walkway during the parades. Since it's normally a walkway people don't hangout there so it makes a good place to walk up to shortly before a show. I can definitely picture the ropes and the walkways they create, though this isn't something I'd ever thought to do before.