Parade Blanket Saving? (Blankets...Blankets Everywhere!)

[minnieralyks]

Awe heck no! Maybe I'm an awful person... but I really wish someone would drop Soda/ice cream/coffee on those blankets and quickly blend back in with the crowd... (Obviously I'm in the "if you want front row for the parade you wait, no holding spots" group. Although yes, bathroom breaks are excusable- I'm not a horrible person )

I like the way you think, @gottalovepluto!

 

[mom2rtk]

That's sort of what we were doing when we saw the passing Security. I can't remember exactly, but we said "Are they really allowed to have that many blankets? He's taking up the whole curb" and motioned over to the area to which he said something like, "Yes, as long as the blankets are attended by one person, guests can save as much space as they want". Taking the time to complain at City Hall wouldn't have done any good if this is the current policy. Just frustrating!

I think it's possible that DL is fine with 1 person on 1 blanket. Or maybe even 2. And maybe that guard heard that a blanket attended by one person was fine, but had never before considered the insane possibility that someone might try to save half of Main Street. I think it's worth writing an email to DL and report what you saw and what the response from the guard was. They probably need to review how to handle these extreme situations with their staff.

I think anyone encountering this should snap a photo and submit it. But even without the photo, it's still worth reporting. That's probably the only way this will change.

 

[KatieCharlotte]

Awe heck no! Maybe I'm an awful person... but I really wish someone would drop Soda/ice cream/coffee on those blankets and quickly blend back in with the crowd... (Obviously I'm in the "if you want front row for the parade you wait, no holding spots" group. Although yes, bathroom breaks are excusable- I'm not a horrible person )

I would fold up the blanket/s farthest from the saver and sit down. What could he do to hold the spots? Threaten me? Throw a giant fit? I don't understand how someone could successfully save that many spots. We struggled to save the four spots we were actually sitting in for the Electric parade at WDW -- we ended up with a group of kids with dripping ice cream cones squeezed into our space.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I would fold up the blanket/s farthest from the saver and sit down. What could he do to hold the spots? Threaten me? Throw a giant fit? I don't understand how someone could successfully save that many spots. We struggled to save the four spots we were actually sitting in for the Electric parade at WDW -- we ended up with a group of kids with dripping ice cream cones squeezed into our space.

Actually that sounds like a very sensible approach!

 

[gottalovepluto]

That's sort of what we were doing when we saw the passing Security. I can't remember exactly, but we said "Are they really allowed to have that many blankets? He's taking up the whole curb" and motioned over to the area to which he said something like, "Yes, as long as the blankets are attended by one person, guests can save as much space as they want". Taking the time to complain at City Hall wouldn't have done any good if this is the current policy. Just frustrating!

Email Disney guest relations through the website. Tell them exactly what happened and explain why you're upset. Disney does read those emails and they do listen when enough people complain. It's just wrong for people to be able to "wait" at the parade while they are actually waiting for an attraction. A blanket is not a fast pass

 

[agamble]

I would fold up the blanket/s farthest from the saver and sit down. What could he do to hold the spots? Threaten me? Throw a giant fit? I don't understand how someone could successfully save that many spots. We struggled to save the four spots we were actually sitting in for the Electric parade at WDW -- we ended up with a group of kids with dripping ice cream cones squeezed into our space.

I had thought the same thing. Just move a blanket. I would have gone with the one in the middle to really give the guy a hard time . CM used to pick up unattended blankets and move them if they were in the Fantasmic viewing area. One person could not easily save a spot for that many people, and I would imagine that unless his party returned a good while before the parade started that people probably did squeeze into his "reserved" space.

 

[hjgaus]

I will admit to waiting almost an hour curbside for a parade & maybe leaving a jacket or two for spot saving but that is due to my kids school bands marching in them. The excess blanket spot saving is too much and should have SOME limitations. I hope they change this soon.

 

[KatieCharlotte]

Actually that sounds like a very sensible approach!

I've learned from cruising. Just try to tell me that you have "all ten of these loungers saved" at 7 a.m. I will be moving a towel and sitting down in one anyway.

I'm not sure why employees seem to be more afraid of upsetting the greedy people and not the people with legitimate complaints.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I've learned from cruising. Just try to tell me that you have "all ten of these loungers saved" at 7 a.m....

 

[Denise0362]

There is absolutely no way one person should be allowed to save an area with 15 blankets. Just move the blankets and sit down. If the CM's tolerate this many spots saved, they most certainly aren't going to say anything about people moving the blankets and sitting down.

 

[mom2rtk]

There is absolutely no way one person should be allowed to save an area with 15 blankets. Just move the blankets and sit down. If the CM's tolerate this many spots saved, they most certainly aren't going to say anything about people moving the blankets and sitting down.

Great point! If the CMs are so non-confrontational that they won't say something to the blanket saver, they sure aren't going to say something to the person who moves one.

I would fold up the blanket/s farthest from the saver and sit down. What could he do to hold the spots? Threaten me? Throw a giant fit? I don't understand how someone could successfully save that many spots. We struggled to save the four spots we were actually sitting in for the Electric parade at WDW -- we ended up with a group of kids with dripping ice cream cones squeezed into our space.

It's just crazy to me how different this is in DLR vs. WDW. Heck, at WDW I can barely hold the spot I'm standing in, let alone spot for anybody else!

 

[mom2rtk]

I wonder how Disney would respond if it turned out the guy with 15 blankets had actually sold spots on those blankets!

It's not so far fetched. Don't some unofficial "tour guides" do that for a price?

 

[minnieralyks]

I wish I had the type of personality that is forward enough to move blankets, but I really hate confrontation. I'm more of the passive-aggressive type

And with my luck, I would be kicked out of Disneyland and have my pass revoked while the blanket saver gets comped FastPasses for his "negative experience" with another guest! lol

 

[lcp9]

I wish they would just eliminate the whole saving spots thing. As a non-local, I don't pay $100/day to waste 2 hours on a curb so my preschoolers can get a seat where they can actually see the parade, you know? THAT SAID, I actually did park our stroller and sat on the curb with my kids (5, 3, 1) about 1.5 hours before PTN last year, while my husband went to use a FP on Indy. Of course, someone had to go to the bathroom and I can't exactly leave a 3 year old there to guard the blanket. Anyway, we were gone about 10 minutes and some women in their early 20s had moved the stroller, which was then moved by CMs, so we lost our spot. It was a whole big thing and I get not leaving a spot unattended, but at the same time there was literally nothing else I could do. And it didn't help that the women were snotty about it, while I'm standing there with three kids under 5, but WHATEVER. I emailed guest services - not because it was DL's fault, but the whole practice is just really frustrating.

 

[Jaina]

When we were there a few weeks ago, I was amazed at how there was NO space even over by Small World about an hour before the Christmas parade. It was busy that day, but not crazy. Some people were sitting up on the bench area and tried to tell us the sidewalk in front of them was saved. There wasn't even a blanket. They said "there are going to be two strollers there!" And I (not normally confrontational, but we can only afford to go every 3-4 years) said, "Not if we're sitting here." And we did. It was a bit squashed by the time it finally started and got to us, and I was slightly underwhelmed by the parade, but at least my kids got to see it.

 

[minnieralyks]

When we were there a few weeks ago, I was amazed at how there was NO space even over by Small World about an hour before the Christmas parade. It was busy that day, but not crazy. Some people were sitting up on the bench area and tried to tell us the sidewalk in front of them was saved. There wasn't even a blanket. They said "there are going to be two strollers there!" And I (not normally confrontational, but we can only afford to go every 3-4 years) said, "Not if we're sitting here." And we did. It was a bit squashed by the time it finally started and got to us, and I was slightly underwhelmed by the parade, but at least my kids got to see it.

Good for you!! I can't believe they thought they could save the benches and the curb.

 

[alvernon90]

I can't believe they thought they could save the benches and the curb.

I'm not surprised. A large number of people believe they can save the eight spots in line for an attraction and invite their extended family to come enter those saved spaces right before boarding the ride.

I think the proper response to people saying "we're saving that for people who will show up later" is to respond that you have been saving that same spot since first thing this morning, when you were there and declared "I'm saving this spot" and then wandered away to do other stuff. If they say you can't save a spot without physically being there, checkmate, they just admitted they cannot save that area because the people who are supposedly saving it aren't present.

Truthfully, I think a lot of the parade spot saving is just people trying to bluff their way through. They say "that area is saved" and if you walk away, great! If not, it's not like they plan to do anything about it. What can they do?

 

[minnieralyks]

I'm not surprised. A large number of people believe they can save the eight spots in line for an attraction and invite their extended family to come enter those saved spaces right before boarding the ride.

I think the proper response to people saying "we're saving that for people who will show up later" is to respond that you have been saving that same spot since first thing this morning, when you were there and declared "I'm saving this spot" and then wandered away to do other stuff. If they say you can't save a spot without physically being there, checkmate, they just admitted they cannot save that area because the people who are supposedly saving it aren't present.

Truthfully, I think a lot of the parade spot saving is just people trying to bluff their way through. They say "that area is saved" and if you walk away, great! If not, it's not like they plan to do anything about it. What can they do?

Hahaha smart thinking! Pretty sad when getting a spot for the parade has to turn into a battle of wits lol

 

[tarheelalum]

Seems like a tripping hazard. Ridiculous.

If somebody accidentally tripped and sued Disney, this would come to a stop. Disney is intensionally looking the other way with a safety hazard. It's time Disney wear the big pants and just tell people no you can't camp out here all day like some bum on a street corner.

 

[Gisele]

Awe heck no! Maybe I'm an awful person... but I really wish someone would drop Soda/ice cream/coffee on those blankets and quickly blend back in with the crowd... (Obviously I'm in the "if you want front row for the parade you wait, no holding spots" group. Although yes, bathroom breaks are excusable- I'm not a horrible person )

Or better still a nice low flying blitzkrieg by a squadron of seagulls or crows.