Last weekend, we continued our “Did You Miss Me?” series by looking at another component of Disney vacationing that has been temporarily postponed due to post-COVID regulations and that was fireworks. For many, it’s the perfect entertainment to end a magical day and while there are not more fireworks in the skies, there are still entertainment options in other places at night. But what about entertainment in the daytime?
Welcome to Believe Vacations’ Weekly Post where today, we continue our “Did You Miss Me?” series. In today’s article, we will look at one of the experiences that has been modified during the reopening months at Disney. We’re talking about daytime parades. For the purposes of this article we’ll stick with the latest parades at the Magic Kingdom. Did you know that the parades at the Magic Kingdom are not as you once remembered? Take a seat on the curb and let’s enjoy the article…
What were the Disney parades?
Everyone loves a good parade and Walt Disney was no exception. Every day at his Disneyland and Magic Kingdom parks, there would be some type of afternoon parade that would draw massive crowds down Main Street and throughout the park. The parades were known as the Festival of Fantasy Parade and the Move It! Shake It! MousekeDance It! Street Party. Festival of Fantasy was your classic afternoon parade with floats and characters and a fire-breathing dragon. The Street Party was a fun interactive show that allowed all to partake in the action as the cavalcade passed. During the Halloween and Christmas seasons, seasonal parades would occur during the post-hours events and if you were ever fortunate to be there on a rainy day, the Rainy Day Cavalcade turned the dark clouds into happy smiles.
What are the options now?
Parades, like fireworks, create crowds and our post-COVID regulations deter us from having typical crowd activities. So while parades at standing times every day are no longer available, Disney has embraced Character Cavalcades. These will randomly pop up throughout the day in various places in the the theme parks unannounced. they only last a couple of minutes but the characters do a great job acknowledging every child from afar. Depending on the park and time, you’ll see anything from the Princess Processional at the Magic Kingdom to the Disney Junior Stars Motorcade at Hollywood Studios to the Frozen Promenade at EPCOT and the Discovery River Character Cruise at Animal Kingdom. Just listen for the music and look for the waves.
What do the Believe Vacation Agents think?
Surprisingly, our Believe Vacations Agents like the new cavalcades. It all starts with Owner Mary-Morning Radcliffe and her enjoyment of the personalization. “I actually like the cavalcades more than the traditional parades!” she said. “I love that they are quick and sporadic, so it does not take much time away from your park time. The interactions with the characters also feel more personal.”
Why it’s ok?
If you were into parades, you would have to block at least an hour of your time to enjoy the parade, 1.5 to 2 hours if you wanted the seats atop the railroad station looking up Main Street. You would need to find a spot, more than likely on the curb, sit and patiently wait, but we know at Disney, it’s hard to sit and wait for anything. The cavalcades seem to be more personal due to the smaller crowds plus, they run multiple times a day so you can catch it later if you miss it in the morning. You get much needed time back and more personalization which no one can argue with.
What options do I have if I wanted parades?
We can’t even tell you where to sit at what time due to the sporadic nature. We know whereabouts the cavalcades will happen but the timing is always different. Our best advice is the be in the more high traffic throughways in the parks and listen for loud music. Then, walk to a spot and enjoy!
What we think will happen in 2021?
We’re pretty confident that parades will one day return. They may be as big or even bigger when the time comes to resume them on a normal schedule. Everyone loves a parade and the productions are just as important to people as the iconic attractions. It’s a built in time to sit and rest. But even if they don’t come back entirely, being able to stop and wave as your favorite character passes by will always be magical!
