NotUrsula said:OK, as a New Orleans native I've wanted to say this here for years, and you gave me an opening. I *know* I'll get flamed, but c'est la vie...
No, it isn't. In fact, it is not reasonable to expect a flawless view of a parade at WDW for any reason. It is a parade, not a show. Unless you are on a VIP reviewing stand (which WDW doesn't have), the whole point of a good parade is the experience of standing in a crowd and sharing the contagious excitement. Getting the most out of any parade experience requires dealing with the fact that you will not see every detail of every unit, and with the fact that you will be jostled by those around you, sometimes quite a bit. People *will* jockey for position at the barriers (or the front edge of the crowd, at WDW), and you have to be prepared to *actively* defend your spot by physically blocking those who want it. (Not hitting or shoving, just standing your ground in immovable fashion, and doing it on your feet.)
As a veteran of literally thousands of big parades, both as a spectator and as a participant, I know a thing or two about the best ways to enjoy them, so herewith are my commandments for happy paradegoing:
1. Unless you are physically unable to stand for the time it takes the parade to pass, thou shalt not attempt to watch a parade while sitting down.
2. Thou shalt not attempt to have a small child watch a parade from inside a stroller. Any small children watching the parade should watch from an elevated position at the BACK of the crowd. Hold them on your shoulders, since parade ladders are not available at WDW. (Which is a shame, I have to admit.) Do NOT stand in front and put a child on your shoulders!
3. The corollary to #2: thou shalt fold up thy stroller when the music can be heard, and thou shalt not unfold it until after the last unit has passed thy position.
4. Thou shalt forget about getting a photograph of a float by any other means than by holding the camera at arms length above one's head. It's entirely a matter of skill; if you don't have it, practice.
5. Thou shalt go to the bathroom BEFORE thou pickest a viewing spot. Once the route itself is cleared, anyone who leaves forfeits his/her spot.
(Of course, I left out the most important parade commandment of all, but it doesn't apply at WDW parades, mores the pity: Thou shalt not place thy hand upon the ground!)
That said, there are two things that WDW really should do to improve the parade-viewing experience. 1) Provide adequate reserved viewing areas for the disabled, and 2) Build the floats so that all of the animated parts are a minimum of 6 feet off the ground. If the bottom of the float is plain, people won't try so hard to jockey to see it.
I'm speechless! That was a wonderful post. I like those commandments! Thanks!
. DH being the jokester that he is now tells everyone about how his wife was almost pounded by "the 
)-but WHY else in the world (no pun intended! 
) would she think someone was directing their laughter at HER?...
I'm always on my best behavior, but do not mess with me and especially not my baby girl! If she would have pushed my child, well... I'll leave it at that. 
Not only were we stuck but we had to worry about someone hurting our kids. It was a horror! 
I still can't figure out how they "thought they were supposed to get in" - my daughter was sitting in the front and center, they pushed her over to get in! They both weighed 220-240 lbs (judging by my hubby, who used to weigh that much) and they thought 3 would fit on a log seat? Now, my DD is 5'7" and about 120 lbs, not a little thing at all, that would be 580-600 lbs in one row??????
