Do we know that the performers aren't already preparing for this? Maybe, the performers from DL were given the option to move to Florida with the show and then they are back filling the show with performers from Florida.
Maybe the drivers are coming with the floats to show the new drivers how to operate them... Maybe it is a whole new parade (haha... not a chance)... I assume if the performers knew about this it would already be out... I just don't want to give up hope that there will be a parade for us to watch when we go for our Disneymoon in late Sept.
Not that I know 100-percent, but bringing non-equity performers from one coast to another to open a parade would be highly unlikely. Disney would be on the hook for things like relocation, etc., and the union that protects the entertainment in Florida would have a field day.
I still have a couple of friends in entertainment at MK and none of them have mentioned PTN. They've barely started rehearsals for the Halloween parade, though I think casting for Christmas parade/shows should be in the next few days.
As for drivers, back in the day you used to be trained at certain levels (small to big), and then they would assign you to train for the level you were approved in. For drivers, it's also more than just learning about how to drive the floats to speed and pacing, around the parade route. Most of the larger-size drivers, that's ALL they do. They spend their day in PAC cleaning the floats, replacing lights, touching up paint, etc. And then they drive the floats, put them away at night, and start it all over the next day.
There are also specialists like coordinators that are out along the parade route to help guide floats and performers, communicate with sound and other production elements, work with safety workers, etc. - none of that can just transfer from DL to WDW because the parade route is different.
Then there is staging - these are the people that basically serve as choreographers and sometimes "swings". They have to know EVERY role in every production, inside and out. They teach all the performers cast in those roles the routines, and then provide notes and the end of every performance. They can also step into a major role that is parade-critical ... you know, those roles that the parade will be canceled if they don't have a performer to fill the role. These people are also protected by the union.
When I worked at MK in parades back when we were making the switch from Spectro to MSEP, it was about eight weeks from casting to opening night (not during holiday season). Now, obviously things have changed since then, but not drastically as I still talk to parade friends regularly.
Festival of Fantasy did a media preview in February to show off floats and costumes, but the parade didn't premiere until almost a month later. Just as an idea of timeframes from content release to performance. And then there's the Rivers of Light factor ...
Anyway. Hope this helps!
