I would love any advice on a good fun place to view the parade from, aren't there certain places where the parade stops and there may be opportunity for a bit of interaction? I might have this all mixed up, but if there are some "choice" spots to view the parade from please enlighten me! Thanks

Anywhere on Main St from townsquare to the photo shop covers one stop. I personally like to be in front of the fire station or city hall or somewhere in that area so I can hop on the train at the end and escape the crowd. If you catch the parade when it is coming from Small World to Main St, then there is a really neat float that stops right in front of city hall that has some acrobatic jumping tricks on it, my daughter and I love watching that one.

They don't do a lot of interaction during the stops as they actually do a routine to music. But, just as they are stopping and starting back up again afterwards, while they wait for other floats to get in to position, they sometimes have a lag and they do entertain the kids and say hi during that time.

I'm sorry I can't direct you to the exact thread but if you do a search there is a very extensive and helpful post on this subject. You could also check under PanFan as this member was the one who responded to the thread and provided the info I use.:)

I'm glad the info was accurate enough to be useful to you, mousemom! Here's (http://mousepad.mouseplanet.com/showthread.php?t=67053) the thread you were talking about. The only thing that's not accurate anymore is that when there are two parades, the second one is at 6:30, not 7:00. Nights when there is only one parade, it is still at 7:00. I won't reproduce the float listing, but in one of my posts I described each of the floats and what their show stops involved. I also tell about my favorite spot to watch the parade (between Alice and the Tea Cups). So check that thread out for more details.

However, now I can update a few of the "probablies" that were still unclear back in February. I'm definitely still stronger in the Fantasyland arena, but can clarify a few points. Here's (to the best of my knowledge) an updated show stop listing:

Parade Route from IASW to Main Street (first parade of the day--3:30 on days with two parades, 7:00 on days with one):

Peter Pan
1) Just below the Matterhorn before Triton Gardens
2) Next to Coke Corner
3) Just before the parade exit in front of the Mad Hatter shop

Beauty and the Beast
1) Near the bathrooms below Alice in Wonderland across from the Matterhorn
2) South side of the Hub
3) In front of the Main Street Train Station

Pinocchio
1) Between the Mad Tea Party and Alice in Wonderland.
2) South side of the Tomorrowland entrance, by the Plaza Inn
3) Near City Hall

Ariel
1) In front of the Mad Tea Party
2) North side of the Tomorrowland entrance
3) Near the Fire House

Ursula
1) In front of Storybook Land
2) Near Triton Gardens
3) Across from the Emporium

Alice in Wonderland
1) Between Storybook Land and Small World
2) Just above Triton Gardens, below the Matterhorn
3) Near the Music Shop

Lion King
1) In front of the entrance to Small World
2) By the Alice restrooms
3) In front of the Market House on Main Street

Castle
1) In front of the queue for Small World (though sometimes the IASW lead will open viewing in the queue if the parade leaves from IASW, don't count on this)
2) Next to Alice in Wonderland
3) At the end of Main Street near Coke Corner


Parade Route from Main Street to IASW (6:30 ONLY on days there are two parades):

Peter Pan
1) By Coke Corner
2) In front of Alice in Wonderland
3) In front of the queue for Small World (again, you usually can't watch from here; I've never seen them open it for a parade starting at MS)

Beauty and the Beast
1) By the Penny Arcade
2) Near the restrooms below Alice in Wonderland
3) In front of the entrance to Small World

Pinocchio
1) Near the Music Shop
2) North side of Triton Gardens, just below the Matterhorn
3) Between Small World and Storybook Land

Ariel
1) Near the Emporium
2) South side of Triton Gardens
3) Just above Storybook Land

Ursula
1) Near the Fire House
2) Near the Tomorrowland entrance
3) In front of Storybook Land

Alice in Wonderland
1) Between the City Hall and the Main Street Train Station
2) By the Plaza Inn
3) In front of the Mad Tea Party

Lion King
1) Between the Main Street Train Station and the Opera House
2) South side of the Hub
3) Next to Alice in Wonderland

Castle
1) In front of the Mad Hatter on Main Street
2) By Coke Corner
3) By the Alice restrooms and just below the Matterhorn

One final point: this is generally what happens. Probably 95% of the time. However, different factors can cause things to change. When it gets really hot, they will do fewer or even no show stops. If it rains, they may not even have the parade at all. I've seen it where they had all three stops, but they weren't in the usual place. Just wanted to give you a heads up that, as with all things Disney, everything is "subject to change without notice."

Thought of one more thing.

They are currently still doing a pre-parade float with Remy and Emile from Ratatouille that leaves 10 minutes before a 3:30 parade and 20 minutes before a 6:30 or 7:00 parade. In addition, a 6:30 or 7:00 parade also has a Grand Marshall that leaves 10 minutes after the pre-parade float. If you are near the end of the parade route, there will be a longer gap between these two pre-shows and the parade itself because the parade takes longer to go the entire route with the show stops and all. If you are at the end of the parade route, expect the parade to start for you 20-25 minutes after its scheduled start time.

Wow, what great info PanFan! My daughter is a huge fan of Belle, so the Beauty and the Beast float would be a favorite. She also loves Chip and Dale, do they appear anywhere in this parade? Thanks for the help, our trip just got cut from 4 days to 2 days due to some health concerns with my beloved grandmother, trying to get the most highlights we can out of our 2 day trip!

Okay, I just read the link provided by PanFan and got my question answered, should have read more thoroughly before I asked! I now think we will try to be near the Alice show stop, the family would love that! We will just have to get our Belle and Chip and Dale fix in some other way!
PanFan, again thank you for all of your contributions on this board, I have found them very helpful! We're getting sooo excited for our trip:D

Wow, what great info PanFan! My daughter is a huge fan of Belle, so the Beauty and the Beast float would be a favorite. She also loves Chip and Dale, do they appear anywhere in this parade?

Chip and Dale are sometimes on the very last float, but it is not very exciting to watch during the show stops and it seems like it is hit or miss whether or not there are there any given day. Maybe it's because I go on weeknights, but I swear often times there are characters missing from that last float.

PanFan, again thank you for all of your contributions on this board, I have found them very helpful! We're getting sooo excited for our trip:D

So glad to be of service! I feel like a :geek: knowing all this stuff, but I guess it comes in handy :p Say hi when you visit!

Have a fabulous trip!