Parade Viewing Etiquette at Walt Disney World
(This is an entry in a series on Disney World Controversies.)
PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD: WHERE YOU IS IS WHERE YOU ARE
Welcome to the first stop aboard Magical Blogorail Teal. Enjoy the ride as once more we delve into the great Disney controversies, large and small.
And note that Teal is a little cranky this month…
This post focuses on etiquette for parades at Disney World, and suggests two points for the well-mannered:
- The only way to save a spot for viewing a parade is to be in the spot
- The fact that you wish you had a better spot gives you no right to push your kids–or yourself–ahead of others who have sacrificed their own time to get the spot you wish you had…
THE PARADES AT WALT DISNEY WORLD
There’s currently four parades at Disney World:
- The Magic Kingdom afternoon Celebrate a Dream Come True, usually at 3p
- The Magic Kingdom evening Main Street Electrical Parade, typically at least several nights a week, with varying times
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios afternoon Pixar Pals Countdown to Fun Parade, at 3p
- Disney’ Animal Kingdom afternoon Mickey’s Jammin’ Jungle Parade, at 3.45p
During the times of year this site recommends you go, there’s usually plenty of good viewing spots available up until about 30 minutes before the parades begin. See the links for details.
If your kids–or anyone else in your party–are shorter than the typical adult, you’ll want to grab a spot right at the edge of the parade route so that no one is front of you, and if this may be your only visit, it’s worth perching on such a spot even earlier than thirty minutes before.
The way you do this is you stand…or sit…in the spot you want. You don’t put down a towel, bedspread, thong, or anything else to claim your spot. The investment in claiming a spot is your time, not your bedding.
And what if you are late? And your kids are short? So they can’t see? Don’t you have a right to push your kids in front of other, taller, children and adults, who have been waiting in their spots, so that they can see the parades better? Disney World is about the kids, after all, isn’t it, and don’t we all care about kids?
Nope. Frankly, we’re just not that into your kids. The consequences of your failure to plan, or your failure to execute your plan, are yours to bear, not yours to impose on others.
The way to handle this is the same way that you should handle all other etiquette questions–to ask yourself whether, in the circumstances you face, if everyone else followed the principle you are following, if life would be in sum better or worse?
Spots with un-blocked views of the parades are everywhere along the parade route, but even so there simply aren’t enough of them that every kid waiting for the parade can have one. So there’s no way it could work for people to push their kids to the front–there just aren’t enough spots for all the kids.
Scarcity is always allocated by a “price.” This price could be literal–Disney could charge for good viewing spots–or the price could be willingness of people to “spend” something else of value. Right now, good parade viewing spots are allocated by people willing to spend time waiting.
If your kids are near the front, and the people right in front of them are taller, you should always feel free to ask if your kids can step in front so they can see better. But don’t push them forward without asking–and don’t block the view yourself!
MORE GREAT DISNEY CONTROVERSIES FROM MAGICAL BLOGORAIL TEAL
Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is The Disney FAITHful.
Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail loop should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:
- 1st Stop ~ yourfirstvisit.net
- 2nd Stop ~ The Disney FAITHful
- 3rd Stop ~ The Many Adventures of a Disney Lovin’ Spectrum Mom
- 4th Stop ~Capturing Magical Memories
- Final Stop ~ Focused on the Magic
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20 comments
You are so right! I am usually a late comer so I accept that I will not have the best spots. Usually I have a spot with an obstucted view. That’s ok by me since I don’t want to get there 30 minutes early. I would never shove my way in.
So true! Some people are so inconsiderate. How about pay-per-view-parade-spots?!
Fabulous post!! Hopefully people learn a lesson from the first obstructed view, and plan accordingly.
Deb–one of the things Disney is experimenting with is being able to reserve great parade/fireworks viewing spots as part of NextGen!
Thanks, Donna Kay!
I’m either way early or way late!…and if early, I never say no to kids moving in front of me, but have said no to their parents…
Dave, I agree! I’m much more inclined – especially now that my children are older – to let younger kids stand in front of us IF THE PARENTS ASK POLITELY. If they try to strong-arm their way to the front I’m more inclined to POLITELY tell them to get lost! I disagree with you on one point, however. I feel that if the kids and I are arrive early and waiting in a “good” viewing spot that it is acceptable to place something down next to me so a spot is “saved” for Hubby who is off getting refreshments. Thanks for another great post!
Hey Kathy–I do get you on the last point and as you describe am completely OK with it…if he was saving a space for the rest of you while you were all on a ride I think I’d be closer to disagreeing!
As a handicap person in a scooter, I appreciate your comments. I don’t appreciate having my place staked out at the curb only to have someone stand in front of me when the parade begins. I’ve had this happen so many times. People can be very inconsiderate!!
Sandy, it amazes me that someone would do that to you…!
Being well-versed in the art of parade-going (New Orleans native), I agree with most of what you wrote. However, sadly, I have also never met such selfish, gigantic children in all my life while waiting for a World parade. As a parent of small-ish kids, we have had people wiggle in front of spots we have secured and pretend to ignore us as we ask politely for them to get out of our spot, we have had people try and STEP on our children (6 & 8 at the time) to move them out of the way because they think they can — ADULTS, we are just not that into YOU. I pay good money too for my children to experience this, not for the Peter Pans of the world to relive their childhood. Adults, be conscientious, fair, and above all, kind to children, regardless. Taller people to the back. You can’t be 9 again. It’s a biological fact.
This piece should be printed on the back of the daily times guides! Thank you, again, for preparing me for something I had no idea I needed to be prepared to handle!
Wow…
Thanks, Kathleen!!
So what you are saying Dave, is that you are against the reallocation of of prime parade viewing wealth?
That it’s not right to take prime spots that someone has invested their thought and time in and reallocate it to spotless children.
That we shouldn’t tell others, “You didn’t wait here.”
Steve you are cracking me up…
I saw my one and only Disney fist fight during a parade…maybe they should have read this before going! It was out of hand…two grown men…tsk, tsk.
Wow Nancy…one way or another the problem always rests with the parents/adults…
Funny trick to secure a parade spot… Sit next to a garbage can – secures you from one side, and put a hotel towel down to sit on. Not only saves your bottom from hot pavement, but for some reason people won’t step on the towel (assuming of course that you are sitting on part of it). It’s really weird – they will step on your kids, but not a towel. I’ve had all the bad experiences listed above, but when I started using a towel it was totally different. I plunk it down, and sit on half while my kids run around in the street and have never had a problem.
I wonder, Gail, if it’s the garbage can that’s doing the trick and not the towel!
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