Parade Stops for Dream Come True

[Pienut]

Years ago there was a great site that had information on the parade stops for the Magic Kingdom. Does anyone know if it still exists?

 

[PKK/MJK]

I don't know about the site but there are no longer any parade stops in DCT. They were eliminated for numerous reasons--safety being one--after the tragic CM fatality last February.

 

[catherines_mama]

I was at MK the day of the fatal accident, saw DCT the next day, and don't even remember any stops in that one.

 

[Pienut]

Tragic CM Fatality? What happened?

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

WHAT? What happened?

 

[AngieBelle]

A character performer was crushed by a parade float just before coming into guest view last Feb.

They took away the parade stops and change some of the choreography (no more lost boys and Wendy rides the float with Peter).

 

[PKK/MJK]

Tragically one day last February, the CM who was portraying Pluto either slipped or caught his paw, lost his balance and fell underneath the Princess snowglobe float. The float was still backstage--it was just starting to move to enter the parade route. The emergency stop button on the float was hit immediately but the accident happened so quickly poor Pluto couldn't be rescued in time. Those floats are VERY heavy! None of the guests saw this happen, thank goodness, as the float was still out of sight. It was very traumatic for the CM's involved as "Pluto" was their personal friend and they witnessed this horrific tragedy. Many of the CM's are still trying to deal with the stress of this awful accident. The huge Princess snowglobe float is no longer in the parade. It was dismantled and only one Princess snowglobe--the one with Cinderella and Prince Charming--still appears. The other Princesses are on a different float now--one that was used in a former parade. The 'stops' were eliminated for several reasons--but safety seemed to be primary. Children would rush right onto the parade route so they could dance with Snow White or wave at the Princesses--and this just was not safe.

 

[BibbidyBobbidyBoo]

Oh man.. that's awful!
I'm a little confused how parade stops caused this though- or is it just that since it happened it gave them heightened awareness of how this could happen AGAIN if during parade stops children/etc. were out there and then the parade started moving again?

Also what does removing the princess globe have to do with it- was that to make the floats lighter or something?

How horribly tragic.

 

[LibertyBelle]

Parade stops were removed so that there would not be guests around the floats. It was quite a process to corral all the kids and get them back to their parents prior to moving the parade again With the elimintation of the stops NO one except the Parade CM's and audience control are allowed to be around the floats. As PKK/MJK stated that is only one reason.

As for the Princess float. The original snowglobe was a 3 peice unit (Cinderella and Charming in the first globe, Belle and the Beast in the Second globe and Ariel and Eric in the last globe) with one driver. "Pluto" was caught under one of the connecting units. It was decided that for the safety of the performers (and all involved) that the unit be dismantled and only the first part (with Cinderella and Prince Charming) be used. The other princesses were moved to a different float that is a single peice unit. You will notice in Spectro Magic there are a few 3 peice units as well and while they do wear all black so they don't stand out as much you will see "spotters" with these floats. These are entertainment CM's that have been added to the parade to watch the peices of the unit that the driver can not see... A second set of eyes to make sure that those floats are clear.

 

[jcemom]

Hmmm...something I hadn't thought to ask before...is there any noticeable difference in the running time of the parade now? I'm not sure exactly how long it was before, but it seemed a bit on the short side to me, even with the stops. Now that they don't stop, can you tell that it's shorter?

 

[PKK/MJK]

Frankly, I never paid attention to whether it seems shorter or not. Logic says it probably does. The parade's time length always varied though. Even when there were parade stops, the number of stops varied daily depending on the weather and other cosiderations. Some days there were as many as 5 stops, other days only one or two--or perhaps none if a storm was moving in (as so frequently happens in the summertime) or an unexpected mechanical or CM problem popped up. The parade stops were a LOT of fun for the children but they had become worrisome. Originally, CM's would come to the rope and choose people/children to join them in the parade...but as guests became aware of this they tended to rush forward. Children darted under the rope 'uninvited' by the CM's to join Snow White's dancing circle or to walk with the bridesmaids by the Princess float. To add to this confusion, sometimes parents would go onto the route to take pictures of their child in the parade. Then the CM's were responsible for getting all those children--and parents-- off the street and back to the proper place. This was VERY difficult since the CM's had to stay in character--and many of the characters do not speak. Even if the parade may seem shorter now, I think we'd all agree that safety is the most important consideration.

 

[jcemom]

I think we'd all agree that safety is the most important consideration.

Definitely!