Towel to help reserve spot for parade?

[Ariel Oswald]

My family for years has carried for the last 10 years, what the kids dubbed 'the parade blanket'. It is a small blanket which has a waterproof back and folds up to hang off the stroller. We use it for parades, fireworks, and just a quick rest break when we sit down for a snack. Usually we do not unfold it all the way, just enough to cushion our seat-setters and/or to keep us dry after an afternoon or evening shower.

At parades in the MK, we usually set it up in Frontierland which tends to be a little less crazy and the snacks/bathrooms are all close by. We are all on the blanket for most of the time except when the kids join the fun games in the streets with cast members or one of us does a snack/ bathroom run. I have been known to bring a small bottle of bubbles or deck of cards to keep the kids entertained when they were younger. The blanket has always been well received by others around us......we usually invite other young children to join us on it, especially as the parade gets ready to start. My DH does not really like to watch the parades, so he usually steps back and we look for a couple of kids whose parents have arrived late for the parade and are stuck too far back to see. We invite them up to the blanket to enjoy the magic.

While others may object to this approach, surprisingly, we have never had a bad experience. You just have to not take more space than you need and be willing to share. Most people around us have actually helped us 'protect' the blanket once they realize we are filling it with extra kids. My daughter's favorite motto is 'sharing and caring'...... We could all use a little more of this in our lives and what better place to demonstrate this than the MK.

 

[ttintagel]

If this is going to work, you've got to do two things:

1. Don't plan on any large subset of you having long absences. Three of you can go to the bathroom, get food, whatever. But you can't be gone for an hour or more riding rides. Only be gone as long as you absolutely have to.

2. The ones who are left can't take up a small area at one end of the space you're trying to save and leave the rest of it empty, counting on it staying empty just because it's got a towel stretched over it. One of you at each end, one of you in the middle, filling up the gaps between you as much as you can.

 

[hsmamato2]

However, when a parade starts at Disney, logic goes out the window and people go bat crap crazy to find a spot at the last minute/second. It doesn't matter if you're saving a spot with a towel or a brick wall...If there's a spot, bat crap crazy will take it.
/QUOTE]

absolutely true... don't bother with the towel... I personally wouldn't care, but you will end up with people standing where they want,including right on your towel,and not moving. That's how these crowds roll if you're standing in a crowded spot, you will have to 'defend' the place you are standing RIGHT ON, forget that towel you think marks a boundary.....(one of the reasons I like to find obscure places to watch from,I don't like dealing with that stuff)

 

[ttintagel]

...if you're standing in a crowded spot, you will have to 'defend' the place you are standing RIGHT ON...

Heck, I've had to defend the wheelchair I was sitting in, and the footrest my broken foot was propped on. No fewer than three kids whose parents had sent them shoving and elbowing forward through the crowd thought it made an absolutely GREAT stepladder, and were completely flabbergasted when this big, pink lump attached to the stepladder started to scream in agony.

 

[disneydee6]

We used to do the towel on the curb thing, but it just became TOO MUCH! We are in disney to have fun, the hour and half of stress trying to 'defend the space' was a real unpleasant damper on the trip. Not worth it! Now we enjoy the rides, get ourselves to Main Street or frontier land ten minutes before the start and just stand and watch the parade. Yes, it would be nice to sit (usually our feet are aching at this point) but for us, it's preferable to fighting the crowds trying to snake your good spot.

 

[Ronda93]

I've successfully used a towel to define our space on many trips. People who do not hesitate to put their feet UNDER MY BUTT if I lean forward, won't stand on the towel. Sitting on the curb on fabric is perfectly reasonable. People respect the edges. Some pointers...


Do not leave the ends undefended. If any of your group gets up, the ends must be protected at all costs.
Don't sit closely. Leave a gap between members of your party. We refer to this as "puffing up". That space will get compressed out of your group as the event approaches.
Don't expect to leave the towel down for the event. If your party ends up standing, stuff it into a bag. It's work is done.
Don't be greedy. A full width of a bath towel from the curb is too much for others to concede. You just want to keep their feet and knees from touching your body. This should not be too much to ask. But it is.
There will come a time for every parade when the towel stops working. When others can no longer see the ground around you as they approach/push in, it will fail.

 

[nkereina]

I think this would be easier to manage if you pick a spot on the parade route thats a little more "quiet". Maybe somewhere deep in Frontierland, or the area out in front of Hall of Presidents. All areas of the parade route are subject to crazies, but Main St and the hub is by far the craziest. Some areas in Frontierland don't fill up until the last second, and they are a little wider with less people.

 

[dpswift]

My family for years has carried for the last 10 years, what the kids dubbed 'the parade blanket'. It is a small blanket which has a waterproof back and folds up to hang off the stroller. We use it for parades, fireworks, and just a quick rest break when we sit down for a snack. Usually we do not unfold it all the way, just enough to cushion our seat-setters and/or to keep us dry after an afternoon or evening shower.

At parades in the MK, we usually set it up in Frontierland which tends to be a little less crazy and the snacks/bathrooms are all close by. We are all on the blanket for most of the time except when the kids join the fun games in the streets with cast members or one of us does a snack/ bathroom run. I have been known to bring a small bottle of bubbles or deck of cards to keep the kids entertained when they were younger. The blanket has always been well received by others around us......we usually invite other young children to join us on it, especially as the parade gets ready to start. My DH does not really like to watch the parades, so he usually steps back and we look for a couple of kids whose parents have arrived late for the parade and are stuck too far back to see. We invite them up to the blanket to enjoy the magic.

While others may object to this approach, surprisingly, we have never had a bad experience. You just have to not take more space than you need and be willing to share. Most people around us have actually helped us 'protect' the blanket once they realize we are filling it with extra kids. My daughter's favorite motto is 'sharing and caring'...... We could all use a little more of this in our lives and what better place to demonstrate this than the MK.

What a nice idea. One year I found a nice spot in Fronteir land surrounded by nice people for the MNSSHP. Unfortunatly it was rained out

 

[lucas]

Generally not recommended.

Exactly my thought.

 

[saskdw]

We don't watch the parades for all the reasons listed above. Never needed to see a parade that bad to put up with all the craziness. While you are all fighting for a front row seat we will be rushing through all the empty lines for the rides.

 

[jaysmom4285]

I think this would be easier to manage if you pick a spot on the parade route thats a little more "quiet". Maybe somewhere deep in Frontierland, or the area out in front of Hall of Presidents. All areas of the parade route are subject to crazies, but Main St and the hub is by far the craziest. Some areas in Frontierland don't fill up until the last second, and they are a little wider with less people.

This. Definitely this. Main Street gets crazy jammed with people who seem to think that that's the best and only place to watch the parade from. Frontierland is traditionally way less crowded and much calmer, and, as nkereina noted, spots close to the rope line can often be had very close to parade time. So no need to camp out way early and fight off hordes of rude people.

 

[davedmaine]

Would it be okay to bring a small beach towel and lay it out on the curb for my children to sit on at the FoF parade? Or would this be frowned upon? Along the same lines, could we use this towel to help secure our spot for the parade? We would not leave the towel unattended, but I may sit with a couple of my kids on the towel, while my husband takes a couple kids to the bathroom or to get ice cream. I was just thinking this would help us reserve enough room for our group of six, without people pushing into our space if a few of us need to go to the restroom/get a snack while we wait. It would also be nice to have my children sit on a towel instead of directly on the ground (since they may be wearing pretty princess dresses). What are your thoughts? Have you seen anyone do this? Is it allowed? Thanks!

Good luck with that. I can't reserve my spot with my own body

 

[swooshbear]

It's amazing that is completely opposite of what happens at Tokyo DL, everyone brings plastic mats and everyone is polite and respectful. However, rope drop is TDL is the craziest thing I've ever seen, adults and kids running/sprinting to get Fastpasses or in line for Pooh/Monsters Inc.

 

[vinotinto]

Maybe I should not be weighing in because I've only successfully seen a couple of parades (3 MSEPs rained out, etc., we have really bad luck with parades), but what has worked for us is to establish a conversation with the other families waiting around us. That way, if we have to get up to take kids to the potty, or get a snack, they know it's part of our group, and will help in common defenses. It also helps to pass the time. I think that's more effective than a towel, which can easily be moved ad stepped on. Although the towel is helpful for wiping wet surfaces (see previous comment about parades and rain).

 

[keishashadow]

If this is going to work, you've got to do two things:

1. Don't plan on any large subset of you having long absences. Three of you can go to the bathroom, get food, whatever. But you can't be gone for an hour or more riding rides. Only be gone as long as you absolutely have to.

2. The ones who are left can't take up a small area at one end of the space you're trying to save and leave the rest of it empty, counting on it staying empty just because it's got a towel stretched over it. One of you at each end, one of you in the middle, filling up the gaps between you as much as you can.

if you move your feet, you stand to lose your seat...on main street. not kidding, it can get ugly - fast. Another vote for frontier land.

I've seen people who tried to hold down large sections of prime curb-side viewing space get absolutely bonkers when people don't agree with their seat saving strategy. The closer to parade time the spaces are vacant, the poorer the chances of success.

 

[maxiesmom]

Maybe I should not be weighing in because I've only successfully seen a couple of parades (3 MSEPs rained out, etc., we have really bad luck with parades), but what has worked for us is to establish a conversation with the other families waiting around us. That way, if we have to get up to take kids to the potty, or get a snack, they know it's part of our group, and will help in common defenses. It also helps to pass the time. I think that's more effective than a towel, which can easily be moved ad stepped on. Although the towel is helpful for wiping wet surfaces (see previous comment about parades and rain).

That does help! Another thing we do is to try and sit by a trash bin, pole, or some other object. It helps to block people from shoving you around, trying to squeeze in.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . Unfortunately, the only way to combat bat crap crazy is to go bat crap crazy when people try to take your spot.

1) And, get tossed out of the park.
2) The rule is no-saving.
3) If you object or make a fuss, YOU are in the wrong.
4) After all, where would people stand IF EVERYONE saved space(s)?
5) Just not practical.
5) Or, fair to those who wait the time.

NOTE: I have pulled a few shifts as crowd control, and saving has never been proper.

 

[Lynn2205]

I don't care if you build a fortress around your space and really it doesn't matter if you're holding a spot or if you all stay put. Having been at WDW for the last 3 days, I can safely say there is some rude slob that's going to try and push you out of your spot. My daughter is nursing a pretty nasty foot injury tonight from some idiot in a wheelchair who thought nothing of running over her entire foot to try and ram themselves into a space 2 minutes before the parade at MNSSHP tonight.
I was yelled at and called rude by a woman at HS last night wanting to push into a space for the frozen fireworks after she got out of Fantasmic when I said no to her coming in.

Seriously, the service this trip has been excellent, bus service perfect, resort is great. Its the clientelle that sucks- biggest bunch of rude and pushy people I've ever encountered in one place.

So good luck- watching anything at Disney should be considered a contact sport.

i totally agree. i remember last year at a parade, my hubby was in a wheelchair and a hispanic kid of maybe 8 was with his grandma and the kid stood between my hubby's legs to watch the parade so my hasband couldn't see a thing! we told the kid to move and his family rambled at us in spanish, clearly prentending not to understand english! we knew they did because during the parade, they spoke fluent English. if i remember rightly, my hubby moved his feet and lightly kicked the kid to make him move to sit on his grandma's lap. some people are just so rude and inconsiderate.

 

[HelenSB]

I think that what Rusty is trying to say is (and I'm in total agreement).....a space can only be considered yours if a member of your party is actually occupying it!!

I'm a mum of two (now all grown up) and have staked out parade viewing spots on numerous occasions. Aside from a very quick visit to the bathroom, there is no other reason to have to vacate that spot.....even very young children can sit & wait it out, with a little advance preparation (snacks, things to keep them entertained etc). It's only a couple of hours max, anyway!

Spaces vacated by people going on 'just one more ride' or 'taking the kids for a walk' or 'going to buy food' (buy it before you stake out the space!!) can be considered fair game!

As far as I'm concerned, expecting a towel/bag/stroller on the ground to denote a saved space, is no better than those that put a towel on a pool lounger at silly o'clock, and still expect it to be there, and unoccupied, when they return from breakfast two hours later!!!

I will respect being told a parent has taken a very young child to the bathroom quickly, but after maybe 20 minutes I will be removing any obstacles placed in the way (other than people lol), and occupying the empty space myself!!!

If you can't be bothered to save 'your' space 'yourself'....then I will gladly occupy it for you

On a side note, I once staked out a space right on the sidewalk on a rainy day in Disneyland Paris.....only to be admonished by the group standing several feet back & sheltering from the rain in a shop doorway!! They seriously considered that that whole area of sidewalk was 'theirs', and they should have an unobstructed view of the parade, just because it was raining & they didn't want to get wet!!! Needless to say I ignored them & stood my ground lol!!

 

[HelenSB]

Think of it as getting in line for a ride.....would you create an obstacle of any kind in the queue with a view to saving that 'space', then allowing another party member to fill said 'space' once you had gotten to the front of the line some time later?

No....,because that wouldn't be tolerated, either by the rest of those queuing behind you, or any CM's that noticed it happening!!

Basically....you get out of line for any reason....you lose your place....simples!