Guests Refuse to Wait for Decent Parade Spot

The Disney Parks certainly have a distinct culture to them, one where over-the-top outfits are the norm, resellers grab merchandise faster than it can be stocked, and Guests line up to wait hours for parades or firework shows.

Recently, Walt Disney World brought back the beloved Happily Ever After nighttime fireworks show and Guests filled up the area around the castle several hours before the show, bringing blankets, food, and more to settle in to wait. While this isn’t the most extreme case of waiting for a Disney show, it’s the most recent. But it’s fitting given a recent Reddit thread asking users what they refuse to do at the Disney Parks. One of the more popular answers? Waiting in advance for a good parade spot.

Walking down Main Street U.S.A. in the early afternoon, you’ll probably see several groups of people just sitting on the curbs in front of the stores, many with massive merchandise bags, blankets or jackets spread out on the ground, and just waiting. These Guests will wait hours for a front-row spot to the parades or cavalcades that make their way through Magic Kingdom and Disneyland each day. Towards the evening, people will start claiming spots way before the fireworks show.

“Like no parade or show is worth doing nothing for 2+ hours of my time in the park. I have never had an issue seeing any of the stuff I wanted just showing up a few minutes before and finding a decent enough spot,” says one of the comments. If you have a smaller party, it’s typically pretty easy to find a good enough spot to catch most of the parade or fireworks, without sitting around for half of the day.

“The Blanket Brigade loves to wait around a few hours,” replied another user. While it can be a great tactic if there’s a member of your party who’s having trouble walking or needs to rest for a while, it isn’t worth wasting two to three hours of valuable Park time to try and get a front spot for a Disney parade. Typically, someone’s child will generally run in front you anyway.

What’s the longest you’ve ever waiting for a parade or fireworks show? Share your experience with Inside the Magic!