Towel to help reserve spot for parade?

[cakebaker]

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.

Speaking of pretending you don't understand English- at HS, my daughter took my grandson to eat while the rest of us rode tot. We came back and she was sitting at a table with 2 strangers, both speaking French, and she was seething. The surrounding tables were filled people speaking French. HS was insanely crowded Friday and she had a couple at a table invite her to wait for them to finish and take their spot.

When they got up the French people swooped in and started pulling chairs and these two sat down - she yelled at the chair pullers and they stopped but these other 2 pretended not to understand- I guess in France what they did is ok???

At any rate, my toddler grandson had been being a little monster all day- so she plopped his butt on top of the table- gave him the tray to play with and let him have at it- making noise, banging on the tray, kicking his feet and generally letting him work out all his aggressions and energy. Funny thing is, they understood English when I started talking to my daughter about what rude, inconsiderate slobs they were- managed to get pretty nasty in English with no problem. Lol

Seriously, I could write a book this trip about how awful the crowd behavior is. Enough that we are talking not returning- its that bad.

 

[maxiesmom]

Speaking of pretending you don't understand English- at HS, my daughter took my grandson to eat while the rest of us rode tot. We came back and she was sitting at a table with 2 strangers, both speaking French, and she was seething. The surrounding tables were filled people speaking French. HS was insanely crowded Friday and she had a couple at a table invite her to wait for them to finish and take their spot.

When they got up the French people swooped in and started pulling chairs and these two sat down - she yelled at the chair pullers and they stopped but these other 2 pretended not to understand- I guess in France what they did is ok???

At any rate, my toddler grandson had been being a little monster all day- so she plopped his butt on top of the table- gave him the tray to play with and let him have at it- making noise, banging on the tray, kicking his feet and generally letting him work out all his aggressions and energy. Funny thing is, they understood English when I started talking to my daughter about what rude, inconsiderate slobs they were- managed to get pretty nasty in English with no problem. Lol

Seriously, I could write a book this trip about how awful the crowd behavior is. Enough that we are talking not returning- its that bad.

Meeting rude behavior with rude behavior of your own just makes you equally rude. Apparently she didn't need all of the chairs, so why make a fuss? If the restaurant was that crowded, why not share a table if you have extra seats? Sitting your child on top of the table (ick) and letting them be a brat? I'm sure some of the French guests are commenting about how horrible some American parents are. Metting bad behavior with even worse behavior doesn't help anything.

 

[Motherofsix]

Thank you all for taking the time to share your advice and experiences. You've given me a better idea of what to expect in regards to parade spot "etiquette." And also a "wake-up call" in regards to the crowds/guest behavior. I have to be honest, it was kind of a downer reading about so many peoples negative parade waiting experiences. It makes me think twice about even watching it, however I know my children will really enjoy it, and this trip is for them! So we will make the best of it.

We plan to view the FoF parade early next week, and plan to find a spot in Frontierland near the Country Bears attraction. We do plan to use a towel to have our children sit on, and I will report back with how that goes. We will only have people from our group leave for quick/necessary bathroom breaks. We'll grab our snacks ahead of time.

How early would you suggest staking out a spot? I was thinking about 30 mins before, but saw that some people mentioned waiting 1-2 hours ahead (which is not doable/worth it for our 2 year old twins!). We will be visiting on a party night (not attending that) and it is also a "most recommended" park day. Is 30 mins enough time to get a decent spot in Frontierland? (If not we will just view it from wherever we can and make the best of it.) There is no way we will devote 1-2 hours to this!

Thank you all for your input, advice and reccomendations!

 

[Missyrose]

Thank you all for taking the time to share your advice and experiences. You've given me a better idea of what to expect in regards to parade spot "etiquette." And also a "wake-up call" in regards to the crowds/guest behavior. I have to be honest, it was kind of a downer reading about so many peoples negative parade waiting experiences. It makes me think twice about even watching it, however I know my children will really enjoy it, and this trip is for them! So we will make the best of it.

We plan to view the FoF parade early next week, and plan to find a spot in Frontierland near the Country Bears attraction. We do plan to use a towel to have our children sit on, and I will report back with how that goes. We will only have people from our group leave for quick/necessary bathroom breaks. We'll grab our snacks ahead of time.

How early would you suggest staking out a spot? I was thinking about 30 mins before, but saw that some people mentioned waiting 1-2 hours ahead (which is not doable/worth it for our 2 year old twins!). We will be visiting on a party night (not attending that) and it is also a "most recommended" park day. Is 30 mins enough time to get a decent spot in Frontierland? (If not we will just view it from wherever we can and make the best of it.) There is no way we will devote 1-2 hours to this!

Thank you all for your input, advice and reccomendations!

If you don't mind sitting in the sun, 30 minutes ahead should be okay in Frontierland. Just keep an eye on the crowds over there and if spots start to fill up, be prepared to grab a spot earlier than anticipated.

 

[ShannonMB]

You will be okay OP. We walked right up last week 10 minutes before this past Saturday and got a spot on the rope in Frontierland. The park was very busy but the parade got rained out, so I'm sure that had something to do with it. No way I would do the 1-2 hour thing with kiddos that little! (We have done it before with a 6-7 year old). They won't know or care what they are missing if it doesn't work out, and if you do end up in the back, put them on your shoulders. (Again, if you are in the BACK). Staking 30 minutes ahead probably won't involve a towel, because a spot for 6 won't be just wide open waiting for you to put a towel down most likely. Good luck and have fun!!!!

 

[cedricandsophie]

As someone else has said I try to avoid the parades because of the masses. However my husband loves them. We try to view them way I closer to the end as it tends to be less crowded. My most irritating are those adults who insist on standing rite in front and won't let kids in from of them. If you can see over a child or short person what harm is it? We went to thanksgiving parade in New York a couple of times and those people were much nicer than the people at Disney!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Because if you let the children through, inevitably the parents want to stand with them, so they work their way through also, or they stick their arms in front of your face trying to video the faces of their kiddies watching the parade. It's nice when you can let kids stand in front though.

my vote for most irritating is when you are at the rope and you have been there for an hour and then someone tries to stand in front of the rope. A cast member comes by and tells them they need to get behind the rope. So they duck under the rope and stand in front of you.

 

[vintagemomma]

I have to agree with the making friends around you strategy, and agree it does make the time go much faster. I am usually very introverted but I like meeting people at Disney. I have a certain spot I like to sit for the parade at the Halloween Party, so I get there really early. I use the time I'm sitting to have a snack, look around at the costumes going by, etc., and the last two times I have had a few family groups who saw me sitting ask if it was a "good spot". The one group that literally wound up surrounding my family was a group of late teens/early twenty year olds from Japan. They were so fun. So excited to be there. They made my wait so much better and no one else could really butt in and push my family out because we were literally surrounded (both sides and back) with this other group so when my one daughter got up just to buy something at the light cart for instance and someone tried to swoop in they helped save her spot.

I also saw sharing a table mentioned. I could be wrong but in other countries isn't that how it's done? That if there is say a party of two at a 4 top another party of 2 will share the table? I know we've shared many times when it was busy. Either we've offered, other people offered for us. Man, I remember one time my party of 5 or 6 and another party of like 4 or 5 managed to work it out so we could all share one table because it was just so crazy busy. basically we doubled kids two to a chair and the men basically ate standing. We had just snagged a table and this family got there a minute after us and was standing there with trays loaded with food and a tired looking grandma so we called over to them and offered to "work something out". It was super hard to eat like that, but man we all laughed through that whole meal. My kids and their kids thought it was a riot. Lunch wound up taking forever because my kids and their kids were having fun so they ate sloooww.

 

[Disney Frenhines]

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.

Completely agree, hope your daughter is okay, horrible thing to have happened. There is no excuse for turning up last minute and expecting to get a prime view, it's a tale as old as time to get there at least 45 minutes ahead. Disney Paris I had a Spanish woman go ballistic at me and my daughter because we refused to let her and her kid stand in front of us as when they turned up just as the parade started, we had waited an hour, she then stood behind us complaining loudly the whole time then balanced her camera on my daughters head my daughter is not that tall either. Of course I heard the old chestnut 'Disney is for kids' . Don't use that as I've yet to meet a kid who paid for the vacation to Disney.

 

[Mambo Junkie]

My husband thinks I'm crazy to burn fast passes for the parades and fireworks. I would gladly reserve sanity. I am actually looking forward to the parades this time around. First I hate giving up an hour or more to stake out a spot then have to battle for most if the time to keep it.

 

[Kalea]

I also saw sharing a table mentioned. I could be wrong but in other countries isn't that how it's done? That if there is say a party of two at a 4 top another party of 2 will share the table? I know we've shared many times when it was busy. Either we've offered, other people offered for us. Man, I remember one time my party of 5 or 6 and another party of like 4 or 5 managed to work it out so we could all share one table because it was just so crazy busy. basically we doubled kids two to a chair and the men basically ate standing. We had just snagged a table and this family got there a minute after us and was standing there with trays loaded with food and a tired looking grandma so we called over to them and offered to "work something out". It was super hard to eat like that, but man we all laughed through that whole meal. My kids and their kids thought it was a riot. Lunch wound up taking forever because my kids and their kids were having fun so they ate sloooww.

Sometimes, yes! DH and I were in Italy last year and shared a table a few times.

There is a German pub here in town with a lot of long tables with benches. No one forces it, but the lay out certainly invites patrons to share tables. Most Americans will avoid it when possible, but sometimes there is no other alternative.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

Of course I heard the old chestnut 'Disney is for kids' . Don't use that as I've yet to meet a kid who paid for the vacation to Disney.
__________________

When someone uses that phrase in the given context, what they actually mean is "Disney is for MY kids. So get out of the way and let MY kids have the prime area you waited an hour for."

 

[DisReno]

We have never had to deal with these issues...For the last 6 or 7 years, we watch from Frontierland, and it's just not that crowded.

 

[YawningDodo]

We have never had to deal with these issues...For the last 6 or 7 years, we watch from Frontierland, and it's just not that crowded.

THIS. It can still get crowded in Frontierland, but it's nowhere near as bad as Main Street, especially if the parade's running the route from Main Street to Frontierland rather than vice versa. Stand on the Splash Mountain side and you can even back off as the parade finishes going by and get a head start getting to Splash or Big Thunder before the rest of the crowd breaks up.

 

[ellie05]

As someone else has said I try to avoid the parades because of the masses. However my husband loves them. We try to view them way I closer to the end as it tends to be less crowded. My most irritating are those adults who insist on standing rite in front and won't let kids in from of them. If you can see over a child or short person what harm is it? We went to thanksgiving parade in New York a couple of times and those people were much nicer than the people at Disney!

I thik the most irritating thing ever is those patents that try to push their kids in front. It is ridiculous, then you have the parents yelling by your ear trying to communicate with their kids and the cameras in your face. If you want a good spot for the parade get there early just like everyone else that is in the first row.

I have to agree with the making friends around you strategy, and agree it does make the time go much faster. I am usually very introverted but I like meeting people at Disney. I have a certain spot I like to sit for the parade at the Halloween Party, so I get there really early. I use the time I'm sitting to have a snack, look around at the costumes going by, etc., and the last two times I have had a few family groups who saw me sitting ask if it was a "good spot". The one group that literally wound up surrounding my family was a group of late teens/early twenty year olds from Japan. They were so fun. So excited to be there. They made my wait so much better and no one else could really butt in and push my family out because we were literally surrounded (both sides and back) with this other group so when my one daughter got up just to buy something at the light cart for instance and someone tried to swoop in they helped save her spot.

I also saw sharing a table mentioned. I could be wrong but in other countries isn't that how it's done? That if there is say a party of two at a 4 top another party of 2 will share the table? I know we've shared many times when it was busy. Either we've offered, other people offered for us. Man, I remember one time my party of 5 or 6 and another party of like 4 or 5 managed to work it out so we could all share one table because it was just so crazy busy. basically we doubled kids two to a chair and the men basically ate standing. We had just snagged a table and this family got there a minute after us and was standing there with trays loaded with food and a tired looking grandma so we called over to them and offered to "work something out". It was super hard to eat like that, but man we all laughed through that whole meal. My kids and their kids thought it was a riot. Lunch wound up taking forever because my kids and their kids were having fun so they ate sloooww.

Agree 100%. We made friends with a couple at mnsshp and it did help the time go by fast. They were really nice DH and her dbf went to get us snacks while we waited. Of course a group of adults try to take their place were her and our bag was. It help having each other and it made the experience great.

 

[Mad4Dizne]

I would happily buy tickets to have seats, like at a concert. I have long given up trying to get a spot Parade watching, especially at MK as I found it too dangerous and I thought, omg, this is an accident waiting to happen. Way too congested on Main Street during Parades. Good Luck!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

They do have such an area...but you must use a FP+ for it. No seats, but it's blissfully uncrowded.

 

[cakebaker]

Meeting rude behavior with rude behavior of your own just makes you equally rude. Apparently she didn't need all of the chairs, so why make a fuss? If the restaurant was that crowded, why not share a table if you have extra seats? Sitting your child on top of the table (ick) and letting them be a brat? I'm sure some of the French guests are commenting about how horrible some American parents are. Metting bad behavior with even worse behavior doesn't help anything.

Yes, actually she did need them all as she had gotten food for us all and we were going to be there within 2 minutes of her sitting down . I won't sit back and let someone be horrifically rude and get away with it. At least they didn't enjoy their meal- and yes he was a huge brat and I was glad he was. We give what we get and I could care less what your opinion of it is- or the French.

 

[cakebaker]

And perhaps you didn't read what I wrote- there were 4 chairs- two of them started grabbing chairs while the other 2 plopped their butts down as she was putting the food on the table - perhaps she should've stood aside with a 2 ur old and a tray full of food and a stroller so that these 2 adult pigs could sit at HER table . You do that on your trip- we won't. And it was outdoor seating, so no we didn't see an issue with him sitting on the table although I so hope eating while he was doing it was distasteful to them.

 

[Love Tink]

At any rate, my toddler grandson had been being a little monster all day- so she plopped his butt on top of the table- gave him the tray to play with and let him have at it- making noise, banging on the tray, kicking his feet and generally letting him work out all his aggressions and energy. Funny thing is, they understood English when I started talking to my daughter about what rude, inconsiderate slobs they were- managed to get pretty nasty in English with no problem. Lol

I find it very funny that a person would post something like this and assume that people reading it will agree about who the "rude, inconsiderate slobs" are in the story.

You will be okay OP. We walked right up last week 10 minutes before this past Saturday and got a spot on the rope in Frontierland. The park was very busy but the parade got rained out, so I'm sure that had something to do with it.

Yes. In general, crowds for the parade are significantly lower when there is no parade.