And by Jamboree, I mean parade.
Nobody puts on a parade like Disney. I’ve seen holiday parades, daily parades, I’ve seen them in all of the parks that offer them; I’ve seen the parade on land and parade on sea. I’ve seen parades in the daylight and in the evening; I’ve even seen parades that have been lit up beautifully. But here’s the question: How important is seeing the parades to you on your trip?
Personally, I’m not a big fan of any parade. I’ve watched them at Disney just to witness them but to me, I’d still rather be on the rides. If I need to kill time, sure. If I am trapped by a crowd and have no choice, I’ll admit to getting caught up in the excitement of it all. At the end of the day, however, they are not my favorite part of visiting the Walt Disney World Resort.
I think one of the things that bother me the most about the parades is not the parade itself; they are amazing. To see the floats and wave to the characters is a lot of fun. It is the people around me and the rudeness that seems to go with a crowd that takes some of the fun out of the experience for me.
On one of our first trips back in 2001, my son was just a month shy of his second birthday. He was in a stroller and we had a spot right behind the ropes so that he could see The Stars and Motor Cars parade at Hollywood Studios (then MGM Studios). I was standing right behind him and was all set to watch the festivities. People came and stood in front of him, banged in to the stroller and one person spilled her milkshake on him and did not even apologize! Now I know that that is not common but I’m just not willing to be that rude for the sake of a parade!
Disney normally does very well with crowd control and the parade route is so long in all of the parks that have parades that my experience is not the norm. What most people don’t realize is that there are GREAT spots all over the parade route to actually SEE the parade!
In the Magic Kingdom, if you sit over in Liberty Square near the Hall of Presidents you get a great view of the parade. This works for fireworks, too. Not everyone has to be on Main Street or in front of the castle. Just like most things in Disney, they have thought of everything and in most cases, there isn’t a bad viewing spot to be found – just inconsiderate people who insist on being in the front.
I guess I’m a big advocate for resort manners or parade etiquette. Remember that everyone there has paid to be there just like you! We all want to join the Jamboree and hold our banner high and take in all of the festivities of a great parade.
And again, maybe with the exception of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, no one does a parade like Disney. Do you have a favorite parade that you just have to see whenever you visit Disney?