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Wildwill
01-21-2009, 07:27 AM
Maybe it's me, but I can't be the only one in the world - I just can't stand the parades at Disneyland (or many other places for that matter, I'm just really not a parade guy). Sure I like the electric parade, but that's because I like pretty lights.

I know I expect to catch some flack for this opinion, but it's true, I find the parades at Disneyland/DCA to be annoying, and they cause too many problems with traffic.

I don't mean to demean anyone who loves the parades, like I said, it's a personal thing. But I don't go to Disneyland for parades, and I won't watch them for more than a minute or two before I'm anxious to move on.

Is there anyone else who feels the same?

letitsnow
01-21-2009, 07:53 AM
do you go with children? if not then i understand where you are coming from. we watch the parades every chance we get even if we have already seen it because the kids love it so much. its so precious to see my older kids still enjoy it waving to the characters. they probably think i am not looking because they are "cool" kids but i know they believe and love the disney magic. i don't watch the parade, i just sit and watch the expressions of my kids faces as the parade goes by....

kelli1rose
01-21-2009, 08:06 AM
Ditto -- My two year old DD loves the princesses, and it was amazing to have so many of them in the Parade. It would be like having your heros pass within ten feet of you, allowing you to cheer for them.

Yes, traffic is difficult afterwards, which is frustrating. For our family, it is totally worth it.

bennette
01-21-2009, 08:07 AM
Is there anyone else who feels the same?

You are not alone. Perhaps it's a rare gene mutation?

screamin4ever
01-21-2009, 08:09 AM
I mostly agree.

I really hate the traffic jam they create and the squatters that begin marking territory with their home bedding 3 hours before the parade.

Disneyland needs to build the shopping arcades along the back of the Main Street shops to move traffic around these things.

Drince88
01-21-2009, 08:19 AM
I generally like the parades as a chance to do something with slightly smaller crowds! Unless I'm in the mood to watch (and sometimes I am!)

KDCartoons
01-21-2009, 08:28 AM
I used to think the parades were a waste of time.

I sued to think they were some marching bands, some static floats and some characters in costume/makeup waving to people. Stuff I have seen many times before.


Boy, was I wrong.

I caught the Parade of Dreams in 2006 and was blown away.
A synthesis of music, dance, pomp and dazzle.....I realized watching this that Disney doesn't just put on a parade, they put on a show.

Watching the Parade of Dreams during the 50th Anniversary, there came a moment when tune swept me up, the swirl of the dancers and characters caught my imagination, and crowd clapping and cheering to the beat--and I got one of those instances that people talk about here and at Disneyland:
A magical moment.
Oh, sure, the parade held up foot traffic for a while......big deal. It was about 30 minutes of spectacle that I glad I paused for.

Bytebear
01-21-2009, 08:46 AM
I generally skip the parades. I do find them annoying when you are trying to get across the park. And I am amazed at the lengths people go to stake out their spot. I refuse to wait in line if it's longer than 45 minutes. I am not going to wait 3 hours for a parade. I have used the benches as a people watching spot, and have seen the parade from them, but it's not about waiting for the parade. In fact, we have given up our bench several times just before the parade begins. We also do appreciate that the rides have shorter lines during the parades. I will say that I did enjoy the Lion King parade a lot.

Malcon10t
01-21-2009, 09:09 AM
My brother is a lot like you. He can't wait for any show. He prefers to be riding. It ticks me off though when I will go and grab good seats, then he decides to join us at the last second. He figures his little family of 5 doesn't take up much room (2 adults, a 5yo, and a set of twin 2yos in their double stroller.....) They can just squeeze in....

MadasaHatter
01-21-2009, 09:13 AM
In general I think Parades are for kids. I LOVED them as a kid but really don't need to see them now. I think the music in the Dinsey parades are pretty over the top sellsellsell personally. I thought though that the LION KING PARADE was Awesome. Personally I liked when they had a parade for whatever movie was popular. The FIVE Gospel singers singing the HERCULES theme was amazing. That made me pause to watch and less is more in my opinion. THey are sometimes too long. Of course that is just my two cents worth and you all know I am mad...

DizneyMommy
01-21-2009, 09:25 AM
In general I think Parades are for kids. I LOVED them as a kid but really don't need to see them now. I think the music in the Dinsey parades are pretty over the top sellsellsell personally. I thought though that the LION KING PARADE was Awesome. Personally I liked when they had a parade for whatever movie was popular. The FIVE Gospel singers singing the HERCULES theme was amazing. That made me pause to watch and less is more in my opinion. THey are sometimes too long. Of course that is just my two cents worth and you all know I am mad...

I agree that it was great when they had a parade to match a movie, I actually auditioned for a few of those when I had the energy (in other words, before kids!) I do love LOVE love POD though, I think it is so special and not just a random cavalcade of characters that you'd see in the park anyways. I think parades are an important part of the entertainment in the park and an important part of the Disney experience. If you don't like them, do something else!

TTFN92
01-21-2009, 09:28 AM
We usually don't watch the parades. My kids even get mad at me when I actually want to. They just aren't interested in them. I do have 4 boys though so maybe it does have something to do with the male gene ;). The one parade we all like is the EP. Everyone likes to see that one and we're all disappointed when it isn't running. We saw Block Party Bash once and really liked it, probably because the kids got to join in. The next time we went it was gone so we only saw it once. We hadn't ever tried to see it because parades aren't our thing. After we saw it we wish we had seen it more. In general, if we happen to be in the right place at the right time, we will watch it. But we don't go out of our way. We saw the parade of dreams once and, while it was very good, it isn't something that is on our must do list.

DizneyMommy
01-21-2009, 09:29 AM
I really hate the traffic jam they create and the squatters that begin marking territory with their home bedding 3 hours before the parade.



This cracked me up - home bedding! That is a whole other thread, debating the rudeness of laying out 6 feet of blanket to hold spots while the rest of your party is off doing something else (because it is boring to sit over an hour before the parade starts, and if everyone would stop doing it, it would be UNNECESSARY!)

charpaul
01-21-2009, 10:35 AM
I love the parades at Disneyland - they are almost always very well done performances that use music, dance, characters, and floats to entertain on a large scale.

That being said - I do not watch the parades every time I go to the parks. For some parades once is almost enough. Other parades are entertainment that I will go back to see again and again.

I WILL watch the Christmas Fantasy Parade EVERY time I go during the holidays. I watched the Lion King parade frequently. I watched the Parade of Dream MANY times and was really disappointed when they decided not to bring it back after Christmas.
Block Party was a frequent repeat performance - :)

I usually do not stand around and stake out a parade spot. I am tall enough to stand at the rear of the crowd and watch the show.

I think a lot of it comes down to how much you are willing to stand around during your day to take in the Disney entertainment. Some people just don't like the parades or even the shows.

Niwel
01-21-2009, 10:40 AM
The only parade we watch regularly is the Xmas Parade (every year during the Holiday Time tour).

I *try* to see every parade once (I did the 50th tour in order to see the Parade of Dreams), just to say I've seen it, but I've found that attraction lines tend to get shorter during a parade.

Carina
01-21-2009, 10:44 AM
This cracked me up - home bedding! That is a whole other thread, debating the rudeness of laying out 6 feet of blanket to hold spots while the rest of your party is off doing something else (because it is boring to sit over an hour before the parade starts, and if everyone would stop doing it, it would be UNNECESSARY!)

If your there for 3-5 days on what might be the ONLY trip you'll mkae to DL with small kids GO AHEAD and stake out your spot while dad & the kdis ride a few more rides they are not taking up any more space than if they were all sitting there already and you get to sit beside a quiet mom & people watch instead of beside 3 anxious kids that are steping all over you and being told to sit down 45 times a minuite....

And for the record we didn't do that! We got there about 20 mins before the parade and my slightly older kids were glad to have a rest while they waited...lol


As for the Parades we've seen
P.O.D........ LOVED IT
Block Party Bash....LOVED IT
Electric Light Parade...... HATED IT

& Im excited that both parks will have new Parades on our May 09 trip

cstephens
01-21-2009, 11:50 AM
Maybe it's me, but I can't be the only one in the world - I just can't stand the parades at Disneyland (or many other places for that matter, I'm just really not a parade guy). Sure I like the electric parade, but that's because I like pretty lights.

I know I expect to catch some flack for this opinion, but it's true, I find the parades at Disneyland/DCA to be annoying, and they cause too many problems with traffic.

Can't imagine why there would be a problem with you not liking parades. Parades aren't a waste of time for everyone, but they would be for someone who doesn't care about parades. Heck, there are people who hate attractions that are favorites for other people. I love Fantasmic, but I know some people don't. That's ok too - they'd rather spend their time on rides. Nothing wrong with that.

And I disagree that parades are just for kids. That's like saying Disneyland is just for kids.

turkeymama
01-21-2009, 12:39 PM
We don't get parades too much. We generally watch them at least once each trip. My kids only see Mardi Gras parades so it took them a few minutes to figure out Mickey really wasn't going to throw anything to them. Poor kiddos.

oregontraveler
01-21-2009, 01:11 PM
You are not alone. Perhaps it's a rare gene mutation?

I knew it ! I knew there were mutants on this board :rolleyes:
For me, I guess once I've seen the complete parade , I will watch bits and pieces thru-out the rest of the trip. Have only seen the new Pixar Parade once though. that was awesome. Will have to check out Block Party Bash again
at WDW next month.

Wildwill
01-21-2009, 01:57 PM
do you go with children? if not then i understand where you are coming from. we watch the parades every chance we get even if we have already seen it because the kids love it so much. its so precious to see my older kids still enjoy it waving to the characters. they probably think i am not looking because they are "cool" kids but i know they believe and love the disney magic. i don't watch the parade, i just sit and watch the expressions of my kids faces as the parade goes by....

Yeah, we have a two-year old, who just really doesn't like to sit that long in one place.

zombie pirate
01-21-2009, 02:22 PM
I like parades, but I rather spend the time riding attractions than watch a parade.

MammaSilva
01-21-2009, 03:40 PM
I think that is what makes DLR a great vacation choice for so many...the options. Our family does enjoy the parades, we don't plan around them but if the opportunity and time frame work, we're happy to sit and enjoy the entertainment. My daughter is a HUGE Dapper Dan fan, to the point we search them out at least a few times each visit...other people feel that's a waste of their time. The same with the 'street' music over in NoS...we love the guitar player that you can usually find at different times of the day back near the Court of Angels. It's the choices each of us have that make the overall experience so much more than a Six Flags park. While we do enjoy the attractions we like the whole 'show' if you will..Fantasmic is totally worth my time, the trashcan band is another favorite...but just because I'm not a fan of something doesn't mean it doesn't have value.

adriennek
01-21-2009, 03:46 PM
but just because I'm not a fan of something doesn't mean it doesn't have value.

So nice, it should be said twice.

Adrienne

JoeCool
01-21-2009, 03:47 PM
I think that is what makes DLR a great vacation choice for so many...the options. Our family does enjoy the parades, we don't plan around them but if the opportunity and time frame work, we're happy to sit and enjoy the entertainment. My daughter is a HUGE Dapper Dan fan, to the point we search them out at least a few times each visit...other people feel that's a waste of their time. The same with the 'street' music over in NoS...we love the guitar player that you can usually find at different times of the day back near the Court of Angels. It's the choices each of us have that make the overall experience so much more than a Six Flags park. While we do enjoy the attractions we like the whole 'show' if you will..Fantasmic is totally worth my time, the trashcan band is another favorite...but just because I'm not a fan of something doesn't mean it doesn't have value.

I agree. I am not a big fan of parades myself but members of my family love them. I value all the entertainment choices at Disneyland. The parades are high quality - the best in the business if not the world.

Malcon10t
01-21-2009, 03:51 PM
I think that is what makes DLR a great vacation choice for so many...the options. Our family does enjoy the parades, we don't plan around them but if the opportunity and time frame work, we're happy to sit and enjoy the entertainment. My daughter is a HUGE Dapper Dan fan, to the point we search them out at least a few times each visit...other people feel that's a waste of their time. The same with the 'street' music over in NoS...we love the guitar player that you can usually find at different times of the day back near the Court of Angels. It's the choices each of us have that make the overall experience so much more than a Six Flags park. While we do enjoy the attractions we like the whole 'show' if you will..Fantasmic is totally worth my time, the trashcan band is another favorite...but just because I'm not a fan of something doesn't mean it doesn't have value.I didn't know where to clip your post. It's perfect. I enjoy the parades and try to see them once a trip. I love all the shows. Some don't like to take the time to see the fireworks or Fantasmic! but for me, I enjoy it. I love going to see Billy Hill a couple times a trip. Trash Can guys are always a blast. Laughing Stock is a must see! There are so many entertainment venues. I don't particularly care for Queenie. BUT many do. Just because some don't like parades doesn't mean it isn't valuable to others.