Best parade viewing spot?

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jrice4760's picture
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Best parade viewing spot?

From what I can tell, the platform at the Main St. train station would be a fine location. On the "spoke" leading from the Hub to Liberty Square, just before the bridge, there seems to be a bit of an "offset" from the path leading toward Liberty Square. Does anyone know if this spot is open during parades, or is it roped off? I would think this would also be a great spot.

Any other suggestions? I am an "advanced amatuer" videographer, and I love recording the parades, and edit for later viewing.

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If the parade is coming from Frontierland (near Splash Mountain), then somewhere near Liberty Tree Tavern and/or Liberty Square Market...across the path from riverboat. You'll get an approaching viewing and the passing view. The reverse side for a parade coming from Main Street to Frontierland...the side for the riverboat entrance.

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I suggest sitting on the curb anywhere you can get a view of the parade with the castle in the background. You will be up close and personal, at street level, and nobody will be able to get in front of you and put a kid on their shoulders.

The train station is nice if you get there an hour or more in advance.

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Love the dyke or small wall you can stand up on at Liberty paddle steamer...Awesome view...

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From the top of Splash Mountain, after a very short line because everyone else is watching the parade. Nerd

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PhillNYC wrote:
From the top of Splash Mountain, after a very short line because everyone else is watching the parade. Nerd

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Kristen K.'s picture
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I really like watching from the platform in front of the shooting arcade in Frontierland.

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We line up in frontier land due to the much smaller crowds.

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A great spot for catching the first MSEP was to go to the front of the park right by the Fire Station. A lot of people don't seem to understand where the parade comes from, so the area right around the fire station is sometimes the last to fill up. If you're leaving immediately after the parade, this is an excellent location because the end of the parade passes you before everyone else, so you get to see the whole parade and beat the rush to the busses!

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The daytime parade we were in Liberty Square, over the bridge and right around the turn. There was a small walkway and then a wall (behind you would be the boat). We sat right there and then stood when the parade came and I don't know if we just had a good day, but 75% of the characters came straight to us or waved at us from the floats.

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You can fastpass the parade and get right in front of the castle without waiting for a long period of time.

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Mandy wrote:
You can fastpass the parade and get right in front of the castle without waiting for a long period of time.

Where do you fastpass the parade Mandy? I don't have the option in MDE.

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mrhub wrote:
Mandy wrote:
You can fastpass the parade and get right in front of the castle without waiting for a long period of time.

Where do you fastpass the parade Mandy? I don't have the option in MDE.

It should be with the rest of fastpasses. Our system just added the Festival of Fantasy yesterday.

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Mandy wrote:
mrhub wrote:
Mandy wrote:
You can fastpass the parade and get right in front of the castle without waiting for a long period of time.

Where do you fastpass the parade Mandy? I don't have the option in MDE.

It should be with the rest of fastpasses. Our system just added the Festival of Fantasy yesterday.

Nope, no where in my MDE is there a place to choose a fastpass for a parade or fireworks seating.

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mrhub wrote:
Mandy wrote:
mrhub wrote:
Mandy wrote:
You can fastpass the parade and get right in front of the castle without waiting for a long period of time.

Where do you fastpass the parade Mandy? I don't have the option in MDE.

It should be with the rest of fastpasses. Our system just added the Festival of Fantasy yesterday.

Nope, no where in my MDE is there a place to choose a fastpass for a parade or fireworks seating.

It's with all other fastpassses in the fastpass+ section of MDE. I was able to set up Disney Festival of Fantasy, Main Street Electrical Parade and Wishes for my boyfriend for the end of the month today.

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This is all I get for FP+ choices at the MK.

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mrhub wrote:
This is all I get for FP+ choices at the MK.

I just got access to our Fast pass+ today yay
I looked at our MK choices for our trip this weekend and the new parade is on our list of choices. It is listed as Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade, and it shows up between Buzz Lightyear's Space ranger spin and Dumbo the flying elephant ride. We also have the option for Wishes, which is listed below Under the Sea. I can see by your screen shot neither of those options are in your FP+ choices. It's strange that the options wouldn't show up on your FP+ choices too!

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I went back into my FP+ choices to see if I could figure out why the parade and wishes would show up on mine and not mrhub's. I found out that it would allow me to choose DFOF parade and Wishes up until March 31, 2014. Once I entered April 1, 2014 the DFOF parade and Wishes didn't even show up in my FP+ choices.

Maybe they are only going to let us choose FP+ options for the DFOF parade and Wishes starting the first day of the month of your trip. But of course that could change at any time!

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AnnielovesDisney wrote:
I went back into my FP+ choices to see if I could figure out why the parade and wishes would show up on mine and not mrhub's. I found out that it would allow me to choose DFOF parade and Wishes up until March 31, 2014. Once I entered April 1, 2014 the DFOF parade and Wishes didn't even show up in my FP+ choices.

Maybe they are only going to let us choose FP+ options for the DFOF parade and Wishes starting the first day of the month of your trip. But of course that could change at any time!

Yeah I just went back in and check for March and they are there. I can book fastpasses for the parades and fireworks from now until March 31 and any other fastpasses until May 12 even though I'm not there. Anyone one else see a problem here?

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Hmm that is strange.

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Thought I would resurrect this post since we are getting close to our FP+ window (9 days). Hoping that the members that have already viewed the new Festival of Fantasy parade can give me some advice about the best viewing spot for this specific parade? I am hoping to not have to use a FP+ choice to watch the parade if I can. Does this parade start in Frontierland or at Main Street? I can't recall if anyone has mentioned that detail yet. I do enjoy watching parades from the Main Street Train Station, but as the Colonel said, it takes you away from being down amongst the floats and the excitement, so I am looking for your input! mickey

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JanJ wrote:
Thought I would resurrect this post since we are getting close to our FP+ window (9 days). Hoping that the members that have already viewed the new Festival of Fantasy parade can give me some advice about the best viewing spot for this specific parade? I am hoping to not have to use a FP+ choice to watch the parade if I can. Does this parade start in Frontierland or at Main Street? I can't recall if anyone has mentioned that detail yet. I do enjoy watching parades from the Main Street Train Station, but as the Colonel said, it takes you away from being down amongst the floats and the excitement, so I am looking for your input! mickey

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On my April trip I watched this parade in Liberty Square, just to the left of LTT. It came from Frontierland, so I got the beginning of it. After it passed I went to ride stuff and saw a packed hub and Mainstreet! LS was a great spot, and I was able to stand really close to the floats and performers. awesome

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If you don't want to melt in the heat, we like sitting at a table on the second floor of Columbia Harbour House. You get a great view and not many people take advantage of this spot so it isn't packed.

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Thanks to the both of you for your advice. Makes sense to catch it in Frontierland at the beginning. Never tried from CHH, so will think about that too. awesome

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We've watched it a few times on the walkway behind the Castle, right behind Sleepy Hollow. Not many people have been on the walkway when we've watched from here and we were able to get the first set of benches and it is a perfect spot to watch the parade, IMO. If you can get the first bench on the walkway behind Sleepy Hollow, no one can block your view of the Parade, you are very close to it and because they need to go over the little wooden Bridge right in front of you, it seems to slow down a little so you can get a great view. Each time we've watched from that spot, the Maleficent Dragon has stopped to breathe fire right before it crosses the bridge. I don't know it that's a coincidence, but it's done it each time.

Best of all for me, only a few people can be standing in that spot, so there is no crowd at all around me! It is the most relaxing spot I've ever found to watch a parade at MK.

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AnnielovesDisney wrote:
We've watched it a few times on the walkway behind the Castle, right behind Sleepy Hollow. Not many people have been on the walkway when we've watched from here and we were able to get the first set of benches and it is a perfect spot to watch the parade, IMO. If you can get the first bench on the walkway behind Sleepy Hollow, no one can block your view of the Parade, you are very close to it and because they need to go over the little wooden Bridge right in front of you, it seems to slow down a little so you can get a great view. Each time we've watched from that spot, the Maleficent Dragon has stopped to breathe fire right before it crosses the bridge. I don't know it that's a coincidence, but it's done it each time.

Best of all for me, only a few people can be standing in that spot, so there is no crowd at all around me! It is the most relaxing spot I've ever found to watch a parade at MK.

Great tip! awesome

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Allie wrote:
AnnielovesDisney wrote:
We've watched it a few times on the walkway behind the Castle, right behind Sleepy Hollow. Not many people have been on the walkway when we've watched from here and we were able to get the first set of benches and it is a perfect spot to watch the parade, IMO. If you can get the first bench on the walkway behind Sleepy Hollow, no one can block your view of the Parade, you are very close to it and because they need to go over the little wooden Bridge right in front of you, it seems to slow down a little so you can get a great view. Each time we've watched from that spot, the Maleficent Dragon has stopped to breathe fire right before it crosses the bridge. I don't know it that's a coincidence, but it's done it each time.

Best of all for me, only a few people can be standing in that spot, so there is no crowd at all around me! It is the most relaxing spot I've ever found to watch a parade at MK.

Great tip! awesome

Yes, I agree - awesome tip! Allie and I'll be checking it out in a few months. wink mickey

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Town Square doesn't get filled until the parade is right there, well that's how it was a couple months ago. I'm not sure if that's still the case. I would watch it from Liberty Square or Frontierland because that portion of the route offers more shade then the hub and Main Street. It starts in Frontierland.

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Mandy wrote:
Town Square doesn't get filled until the parade is right there, well that's how it was a couple months ago. I'm not sure if that's still the case. I would watch it from Liberty Square or Frontierland because that portion of the route offers more shade then the hub and Main Street. It starts in Frontierland.

Thanks Mandy - we'll probably end up doing just that.

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Allie wrote:
AnnielovesDisney wrote:
We've watched it a few times on the walkway behind the Castle, right behind Sleepy Hollow. Not many people have been on the walkway when we've watched from here and we were able to get the first set of benches and it is a perfect spot to watch the parade, IMO. If you can get the first bench on the walkway behind Sleepy Hollow, no one can block your view of the Parade, you are very close to it and because they need to go over the little wooden Bridge right in front of you, it seems to slow down a little so you can get a great view. Each time we've watched from that spot, the Maleficent Dragon has stopped to breathe fire right before it crosses the bridge. I don't know it that's a coincidence, but it's done it each time.

Best of all for me, only a few people can be standing in that spot, so there is no crowd at all around me! It is the most relaxing spot I've ever found to watch a parade at MK.

Great tip! awesome

JanJ wrote:
Yes, I agree - awesome tip! Allie and I'll be checking it out in a few months. wink mickey

It really is the best spot I've ever watched any of the parades in any of the parks. There were so few people around us(compared to standing anywhere on the parade route) that I was almost able to pretend the parade was just for us laugh