Spectromagic vs. Main St. Electrical Parade

[msteddom]

I need thoughts from those of you who have been to both DL and WDW and seen both Spectromagic and the Main St. Electrical Parade. Which is the better parade? How are they different? I grew up with the Electrical Parade at Disneyland, in fact I still see it whenever I get the chance. My question is this: for my upcoming trip to WDW should I make a special effort to see Specrtomagic? My feeling is if Spectro is similar. or in fact inferior to the nightime parade that that I know and love here in California then I would rather spend my time doing something else. It is for this very reason that I tend to spend very little time in MK at WDW. I can get pretty much the same thing at home. Thanks for all of your opinions!!!

 

[Geoff_M]

I think Spectro is worth seeing, but I still like MSEP better. The MSEP music is a lot better and even though they aren't a technologically advanced as Spectro, I like the MSEP floats. Towards the end, I found myself getting bored with Spectro and so were my then 9 and 11 year olds.

 

[toefungus]

I think Spectromagic is much better. The MSEP music gets repetitive, and the floats in MSEP don't even compare to ones on Spectromagic. Spectro's floats use fiber optic lighting which makes really cool effects. The music is also much better in spectro imho. It's probably my favorite parade.

 

[baloo722]

It's not even a competition. MSEP is by far the better parade! I think the Spectro is boring & repetitive! lol everything that you say about the parades, just flip & you have my opinion.

hey, toefungus, we're neighbors..i live in & teach in delaware county....even coach against haverford high & the haverford school!

 

[DemonLlama]

We saw MSEP at WDW in 2000 when it was there. This past Christmas we saw Spectro, and our group much preferred MSEP.

(Those funky lighted faces and freaky wigs might have started us out on the wrong foot, but we're hoping for a different nighttime parade by the time we return! )

 

[joyjoy]

I've been seeing Spectromagic since 1993, the first time I went to Disney World. Just Jiminy Cricket's voice announcing the parade is enough to bring me to tears and don't even talk about seeing Chip and Dale in tails playing the piano! H O W E V E R.... when I was there in 2000 and got a chance to see MSEP--- I was completely wowed. I don't know why. The music? Maybe. I can't even hear mention of MSEP without getting that song in my head. Spectromagic is fantastic and I still love it, but something about MSEP is even more magical. For me, anyway. They are both awesome parades and quite different. Go see Spectromagic, and don't try to pick a favorite.

 

[goofy4tink]

We saw MSEP when we were in WDW in '99. We loved it. Loved it so much, that when it was discontinued I was quite depressed that I wouldn't be seeing it in 2001. We saw Spectro then and loved it too!! I'm not sure if it was the timing of both...we saw MSEP on our first day in WDW and Spectro on our last, but they both seemed to fit our moods. I really couldn't make a choice if I had to!!

 

[DrTomorrow]

We saw Spectro several times in the 90's, and we saw MSEP for the first time last September at DL. While I love the MSEP song (love that Disney Classic CD!), there's just something about Spectro that moves me. When that orchestral music starts, it just grabs me, and I lurve the Spectro floats. In DL, the MSEP parade itself seemed a little hokey.

A related question: do most people prefer the one that they've seen first?

 

[grinningghost]

I love them both, but I have a nostalgia thing for MSEP.

 

[wdwguide]

I prefer Spectro, mainly because the Baroque Hoedown gives me a headache
But both are great parades!

 

[meeko_33785]

I like both parades, but for different reasons. SpectroMagic has some absolutly spectacular floats. It's techinacly much more advanced than MSEP and it absolutly breathtaking. It's also nice to see some more of the comtemporary characters in it such as Ariel and Genine. However, it seems to me a bit repetative (a bunch of SpectroMen followed by a bunch of butterflies followed by a bunch of fish, ect,). I would probably have to give MSEP the edge and say that's it's my favorite out of the two. The classic music and characters combined with the variety of different characters in it is reall great. Plus, there is nothing in SpectroMagic that, to me, can possibly compare to the Cinderella's Ball unit in MSEP. It's just pure magic.

 

[Colestat]

I like both, but prefer MSEP. I hope it comes back to WDW.

 

[AimeeM]

We were lucky enough to see both parades at WDW in the past 7 trips. I have to say that I do miss the MSEP! It had more Disney characters ! There are no 7 dwarfs, no Petes dragon, no Alice on the big mushroom and no Captain Hooks ship! We still never miss Spectro, but I like MSEP a bit better!!

 

[KevinFSU]

If you are coming all the way from California, why would you not want to take about 45-60 minutes out to see Spectro??? At least you'll be able to say that you saw it. I don't see how it could ruin MSEP for you, regardless of whether you like it or not. When do you think you'll get back to have a chance to see it again????

 

[TimeforMe]

I was thinking of asking this very same question as Spectro will only be shown once during our upcoming visit and we have a fireworks cruise booked that night The way our schedule worked, I couldn't change that either so we'll have to miss it. Glad to hear, however, that most prefer MSEP which we have seen.

 

[Grog]

I like them both but like MSEP just a bit more. On our last trip to DLR we got to watch it twice. Once from in the park, and the other from the window of our hotel room (PPH). That was a really cool experience

 

[Terry S]

I definately prefer MSELP. I also love the music from MSELP. I just don't get the guys in wigs (I guess they are the SpecroMen), Butterfiles and fish in Spectro! What do they have to do with WDW?

I think Spectro is worth seeing if you haven't, but I just prefer Mainstreet Electrical Light Parade. As a matter of fact, our last 2 trips we skipped Spectro and went to see Illuminations twice on that trip!

 

[doombuggy]

Main St. Electrical Parade is my fav, but Spectro is a close second. Definately see it on your trip East!



Greetings from Chester County!

 

[merrywether]

Main Street Electrical Parade gets my vote. Perhaps because it's the parade I most remember each time we went to WDW as a family. The parade floats were just magnificent.
I even had the Baroque Hoedown music as the music played when the bandleader introduced my husband and I at our wedding reception in November!

Spectro aggravates me. I saw it for a second time just a few weeks ago. I think the robotic, doll like figures with the white faces that start the parade are just a tad bit creepy! Plus, I hate that they stop the music that comes out of the loudspeakers so you can hear the music that is coming off the floats, then they stop that music and start the loudspeaker music all over again. Quite disappointing, in my opinion.



Kim

 

[TowerTerror]

No competition, the Main Street Electrical Parade is far better than Spectromagic. The Baroque Hoedown is one of my favorite Disney songs ever.

Eisner please bring the MSEP back to WDW.