Tips for a BAND TRIP Requested

[chartle]

Is anyone back yet?

 

[BandBob]

Probably too late to be helpful for some, but here is an answer to a couple of questions. We marched on March 16th in the MK prior to the 3:00 parade.
1. All parades go from Town Square down Main St. and on through to Frontierland. We were told it was due to crowd management. Many people leave the park for a break after the afternoon parade and it's easier for people to get out of the park with this parade route.

2. When we were done and backstage changing, our Disney Performing Arts Host (one PP has referred to them as the "Suit") gave me a PhotoPass card loaded with all of our pictures taken by PP photographers. We didn't have to request this service and there were about 70 pictures on it.

3. As far as uniforms, we had to get permission from Disney Performing Arts to do so, but our color guard/flags were dressed alike in Dorothy Dresses. I made sure to print the email with permission and was questioned by a Disney Performing Arts supervisor as we were dressing. I showed them the email with permission and everything was ok. It states in the performance provisions that no mascots or recognizable characters were allowed but because the music we performed was from the "Wizard of Oz" and the guard was all dressed identical, it was permissible. Their quote was, "1 Dorothy, NO, 16 Dorothys is fine!"

As you can see by my signature, this is the 4th band trip I have taken my band to WDW. I hope this helps answer some questions. Don't hesitate to PM me if you have any other questions I can help with.

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

Wait... Ive been told repeatedly that all bands march in Epcot now. Is that not true?

nope we march in magic Kingdom next week!

 

[Bronte]

Well ...We are home and finally dried out (marching shoes still stink !!!!)
It rained a lot while we were down there but the kids still had a great time.

The band did get to march down Main Street USA on Monday March 28th ... It was a down pour to say the least but they did march !!!!
The photopass people were not able to get any photos but our parents did ... Even one very GREAT Disboard member emailed me some wonderful photos of my little band !!!!

Disboards is

 

[Dustmouse]

Our band is leaving this Wednesday and I found out yesterday my son can't go! He's failing Senior English! I am heartbroken. Two years ago I started trying to convince the director to take the kids, and now he finally is. Of course, I'm going as a chaperone and now my own child won't be there. I'm so sad....

 

[bcinohio]

Glad you got to march on the 28th. We marched on the 30th and we thought it was going to pour on us. We were getting wet at Epcot on the 28th. We were glad that the kids got to march. We waited for almost an hour to get a good seat and ten min prior to them marching they reversed the way the parade was coming so we had to switch sides and stand behind people to get to see our DS. The people were nice to let me get around them to get into the street for some pictures. I'm glad I took lots. We had photopass people taking them but when we got home to look at them they only took them from one side of the street and our son was on the other side.

Good luck to the bands going.

 

[shelwoj]

We got back the 9th after a wonderful week. Our band marched the 2nd with two other bands before the electric parade. Other than the park being super full it went off without a hitch. Of course I cried through the whole thing, sheesh! My dh got decent video footage as they came towards us and then got them walking towards the castle. I can't believe this was the last time we'll see our son march.

We stayed after the band left for four more days at Fort Wilderness and it was one of the best family vacations we've had in a long time. One evening we went to MK and had so much fun as a family. I think WDW is more fun with the boys being older and able to do whatever they want. Yes, when the kids are young it's "magical" but older is much more relaxing!

I hope everyone had as much fun as we did.

 

[Pembo]

We're back and our band DIDN'T march. They were supposed to march on the 28th at 8:30 pm. It rained the ENTIRE day and by 7 when the band met, the director decided to take the kids back to the hotel. They were all soaked to the bone! We had 3 kids go to the hospital that day too... dehydration (ironically) a sprained ankle, and a dislocated hip. The last two fell in the parks.

It was definitely the right call! As disappointed as I was in not seeing them march, the entire day was miserable. However the rain stopped at 9:55 and we got to see Wishes. That was a good end to the day.

The kids were not all that upset about not marching. They liked the idea of a true vacation w/o work. lol

We picked up our band son on the last day and went to Universal for the rest of the week. We dealt with an all day rain again on Thursday (highly recommend a rainy day for Harry Potter). Our ds was very happy to fly home rather than ride the bus for 20 hours again.

We go again in 2 years...it will be Easter week. Time to start saving....

 

[Band mom!]

We got back the 9th after a wonderful week. Our band marched the 2nd with two other bands before the electric parade. Other than the park being super full it went off without a hitch. Of course I cried through the whole thing, sheesh! My dh got decent video footage as they came towards us and then got them walking towards the castle. I can't believe this was the last time we'll see our son march.

We stayed after the band left for four more days at Fort Wilderness and it was one of the best family vacations we've had in a long time. One evening we went to MK and had so much fun as a family. I think WDW is more fun with the boys being older and able to do whatever they want. Yes, when the kids are young it's "magical" but older is much more relaxing!

I hope everyone had as much fun as we did.

So glad you had a great time!!
This is how I was when ds18 marched last time we went (3 years ago) cried through the entire thing! But he is now on college drumline so I still get to see him do his thing. Our family also stayed longer than the band and we still think it was the best vaca we had ever had! This year ds16 is marching and I'm sure I'll cry just as much! we band moms (and dads too) are an emotional bunch!

 

[bcinohio]

Pembo, we are also from Ohio and we were there the same week. Our kids marched befor the 2:30 parade on Wed the 30th. On Monday we were at Epcot getting totally soaked. I'm sorry that your kids didn't get to march and the ones that got sick. We thought it was going to pour on us before they marched but it held off for a few hours.

We also had a good week even with the rain. We also got soaked on Thursday when we were back at the MK. The one bad thing was my DH and DS had to ride the bus home wet for 21 hrs. They did take a change of clothes but I guess the smell was not the greatest!! Not my idea of fun.

 

[bcuinohio]

My son is marching on Sunday. I think that we will have about 60 kids marching.

I know the band director requires that the kids can not go anywhere by themselves. They have to be with at least on other person from the group. They are staying at ASMu. The touring company has arranged for a security guard to sit out side the kids rooms from midnight to 5:00 AM. Each morning the band director receives a report that tells her if any of the rooms were excessively noisy or anyone tried to leave the room.

 

[bcuinohio]

For those of you that have gone. Did your kids march in their formal uniform? My son has to march in the uniform they wear for football games. That is going to hot. They have a summer uniform they use for parades and the county fair which would be much more comfortable IMO.

 

[BandMom]

Our band is marching Spectromagic April 25th! We have 200 members
in the band and they will be in their formal uniforms. It will be the last time we see our daughter march before she goes to college!

 

[chartle]

For those of you that have gone. Did your kids march in their formal uniform? My son has to march in the uniform they wear for football games. That is going to hot. They have a summer uniform they use for parades and the county fair which would be much more comfortable IMO.

My kids wore their their real uniform not what we call the summer uniform, monogrammed polo shirts and Dickie shorts. Though since we have only gone in late Feb its winter somewhere.

Disney would allow it as long as everyone is uniform but it really doesn't represent the band.

There's no comfort in Band. I had to wear the same uniform so my kids have to also. (Really did wear the same uniform, kids went to the same high school and eventually their uniform matched mine from 30 years before.)

 

[bcuinohio]

My kids wore their their real uniform not what we call the summer uniform, monogrammed polo shirts and Dickie shorts. Though since we have only gone in late Feb its winter somewhere.

Disney would allow it as long as everyone is uniform but it really doesn't represent the band.

There's no comfort in Band. I had to wear the same uniform so my kids have to also. (Really did wear the same uniform, kids went to the same high school and eventually their uniform matched mine from 30 years before.)

Good point. They are only doing about three songs so the heat shouldn't be too bad on them.

 

[bcinohio]

My DS band just marched at the MK on March 30th and they were in full uniform. They did make arrangements for them to wear their ball caps with the spartan logo that they wear after they march at the football games when they take their uniform helmets off. That helped with the heat. They also did not have to wear gloves that they normaly wear at the games.

 

[SamR]

This thread has been very helpful (and timely) as our band (Panther Creek High School in Cary, NC) will be marching before the MSEP on April 18th. I know that the (early) MSEP starts at 9:00 PM, and that the bands march before that. Is it immediately before that, so that the bands are coming down Main Street about 5 or 10 minutes before 9:00, or is there a bigger time gap than that?

For those of you that were shooting stills or video (and what good band parent can resist ), how were the light levels? I seem to remember (from years ago) that they dim the lights for the MSEP itself, but are they still at normal levels when the bands come through? It's always a challenge to capture good pictures of a moving band in low light levels...

I know it's going to be a real thrill for the kids (and yes, for us band parents, too)!

 

[chartle]

This thread has been very helpful (and timely) as our band (Panther Creek High School in Cary, NC) will be marching before the MSEP on April 18th. I know that the (early) MSEP starts at 9:00 PM, and that the bands march before that. Is it immediately before that, so that the bands are coming down Main Street about 5 or 10 minutes before 9:00, or is there a bigger time gap than that?

For my sons' two trips they did the before the three o clock parade and I think they stepped off at 2:30.

 

[Pembo]

We were supposed to march at 8:30 before the 9 MSEP. Rain changed those plans.

Rain is bad for parades, Excellent for wait times.

 

[bcinohio]

Wind is also bad for parades. When my DS's band marched on March 30th at the MK before the 3pm parade, 10 min before they came they reversed the direction and they came from Frontierland toward the Castle because of the wind. We had to quickly switch sides of Main street so we could get pictures of my son. It actually worked out better because you got the Castle in the back ground as they came up Main street.