I apologize if this has been asked before, but how early should we show up to get a spot to view the parade in Frontier land or liberty square? I'm choosing these lands because I'm assuming they will be less busy. I would like a front row seat. We will have a double stroller and 3 adults. Thanks!
It will depend on how busy of a day it is, but over in Frontierland you can usually get a front row spot about 30 minutes ahead of time. If you want a shady spot you may have to be earlier. What you will find is a lot of people sitting along the boardwalk in front of the shops. I have found that I can usually get a spot right at the little cut-through to Adventureland (near Flying Carpets) with minimal effort. The sun shines there though, and people will start to jostle toward the front as it gets close to start time. It's a great location to watch from though.
We've gotten an excellent view at the bottom of the train station steps at the entrance. About 20 minutes ahead of parade start. Depends on overall MK crowd level.
Frontierland is a favorite parade viewing spot. I'd say we usually claim our spot around 20 minutes before the start time. We've always gotten the front row. If you plan to take advantage of shorter lines once the parade finishes in frontierland make sure you are parked on the right side of the parade route for a fast exit to where you want to be next.
Thanks so much for everyone's input. I forgot to state that our dates are Sept 11-22 and we're planning our MK days during MNSSHP days, hoping for smaller crowds. Sounds like 20-30 minutes should do it.
30 minutes is a good amount of time. I will say on my last trip we didn't bother staking out a spot early. We hit the shops on main Street, maybe 5 minutes before the parade came through we stepped out onto the sidewalk. We scrunched close to the front so people could easily walk by us, but far enough so the people in the front had space. That was Easter week--super crowded. I no longer feel the need to be right up front, everything is up high.