POLL: Will WDW Institute a "Squatting Ban" for Fireworks and Parades?

[Siren]

WDW doesn't have anything like the problem Disneyland had*. There people lay down blankets and rotate who has to occupy it while everyone else goes off for the day. There are a few people saving seats here or there at WDW, but generally only after the parade route is set up in the first place.

*: Excepting possibly during the Parties. I've not been to one, so I don't know.

Hi, Dr. Noble! Wow! I'm totally shocked that you've never attended one of Disney's parties before. It took a long time for us to finally go, too. I think you should try the Christmas party, just once. You might have fun.

Just came back from a week trip and spent 3 days at the MK. One welcomed sight I saw just before/during parade and fireworks was Cast members used masking tape to designate "watching space" from "walking space" all along main street and near the hub. Basically the first curb and about 2-3 feet back was taped off for parade watching,leaving the rest of the sidewalk space was for moving traffic.

This was a huge help as we needed to leave right during the 3pm parade. Cast members were telling people who stopped in the seperated walking paths to move along, so it was nice to see it being enforced as well.

Compared to previous trips this made getting out the park soooo much easier during these times.

As long as WDW keeps this up to maintain the flow of traffic around the hub and Main Street, it doesn't bother me that people want to sit around the hub at 7pm for an 8pm fireworks show. Just meant less people in line for us.

Thanks so much for your review. This is really great news! It sounds like you had a wonderful time at Disney!

I think it is a great rule! My 1st visit to DLR I was shocked by all the blankets and people holding spots for hours. I ended up skipping paint the night since I didn't want to camp out for hours to see it. It also created a ton of congestion on main street hours before the parade - we were trying to go into a couple shops at like 7 PM and the parade was at 9:30 PM that night and it was very hard to navigate. They hold spots at WDW but nothing like this. On my last trip, I was there Jan 8 which was the last day PTN would run for awhile, I decided if you can't beat them, join them. I timed it to grab a bench with a good view just as the 1st christmas parade ended at about 2. So we got to see the 2nd Christmas at 4:00 then PTN at 6:30 then we vacated our bench. We just used 1 bench for our group of 4 and only 2 people ever left at a time to use the bathroom or grab a drink/snack. For WOC I said screw it after the 1st time I showed up an hour early for my fastpass to a massive line and paid for the dining package for the next night and again my last trip - I did it at lunch so it wasn't too bad cost wise and in my opinion as a vacationer worth every penny.

At WDW an hour is about my max for any show, and only because I am a photographer.

View from my bench: https://www.flickr.com/photos/clj7181/33095562406/in/datetaken-public/
View attachment 192674

OMG!!! You are a great photographer. This parade looks so awesome. And, you had the most perfect spot, too!

I apologize in advance for this rant. But, it is totally unfair that WDW does not have an electrical nighttime parade! Disneyland could have sent Paint the Night here, it is far better than Move It & Shake in the dark with no lights or whatever. I want a night show at MK now.

 

[amjt660]

Well this could be one of two things. They play an announcement telling people they can not sit on the floor until 1hr before so that's either new as of Feb or you ignored it as many westerners do seem to think they can just do as they please which is why the American parks are chaos now.

I was just sitting on the curb
Many other families doing the same thing.
The one hour announcement was when the blankets came out
CM did not ask me to leave
Did not hear an announcement prior to the 1 hour mark (my Japanese is very limited)
Not being an entitled Westerner (please do not put me into a box)
Did not know about the rule- Ignorance is no excuse
Have a nice day

Max

 

[DisneyJayL]

Well this could be one of two things. They play an announcement telling people they can not sit on the floor until 1hr before so that's either new as of Feb or you ignored it as many westerners do seem to think they can just do as they please which is why the American parks are chaos now.

Chaos? Wow! I wouldn't go that far. Easterner?

 

[Acolli18]

All I can picture is this being a giant game of musical chairs...Once the music starts, you sit where ever you're standing. Just a mass of people, like sharks, circling the hub...

 

[tribbleorlfl]

I dunno, if this is how they choose to spend their time, who cares? Each person that stakes out a piece of concrete is one less person in line for rides. I can understand doing away with the blankets as they could be a tripping hazard, though.

 

[Siren]

I dunno, if this is how they choose to spend their time, who cares? Each person that stakes out a piece of concrete is one less person in line for rides. I can understand doing away with the blankets as they could be a tripping hazard, though.

Yes. But, that works only for each person. The problem occurs when one person is saving a large space for their whole group or family. And then, the family shows up late cutting in front of everyone to get to their spot in the front. LOL.

I like what Disneyland is doing. I think WDW should do the same thing.

 

[JohnD]

Yes, they should ban the saving of spots. OTOH, my whole party has been standing in this spot for the last 30 minutes. No you cannot get in front of me.

 

[MickeyMomV]

The practice of laying out towels and blankets to save spots drives me absolutely nuts!! We see it all the time for school concerts and sporting events where people will come in 6-10 hours early and lay out items to reserve their front row spot and then show up 10 minutes before start time. You want to sit there for 10 hours to make sure you have a good seat, more power to you but I have better things to do with my time. You want to lay out a blanket for 10 hours to hold a spot? Not going to happen.

 

[Brian Noble]

Hi, Dr. Noble! Wow! I'm totally shocked that you've never attended one of Disney's parties before. It took a long time for us to finally go, too. I think you should try the Christmas party, just once. You might have fun.

With my day job, it's hard to get away during Party season. We did go over the Christmas holidays, but arrived just as the Parties were finishing and the daytime parade flipped over to Once Upon a Christmastime. After the kids are out of the house we might go down for Fall Break, but that's more likely to be for F&W than MNSSHP.

 

[drizgirl]

The practice of laying out towels and blankets to save spots drives me absolutely nuts!! We see it all the time for school concerts and sporting events where people will come in 6-10 hours early and lay out items to reserve their front row spot and then show up 10 minutes before start time. You want to sit there for 10 hours to make sure you have a good seat, more power to you but I have better things to do with my time. You want to lay out a blanket for 10 hours to hold a spot? Not going to happen.

Well, it did happen for a very long time. So glad they're trying to do something about it!

 

[MickeyMomV]

Well, it did happen for a very long time. So glad they're trying to do something about it!

I understand that some allowed people to do this but if it was me and I needed a seat and the only one left was covered by an abandoned blanket they may come back to find it neatly folded and out of the way.

 

[drizgirl]

I understand that some allowed people to do this but if it was me and I needed a seat and the only one left was covered by an abandoned blanket they may come back to find it neatly folded and out of the way.

I always wanted to. But turns out I never had the guts to do it. But I suppose that's what the blanket savers are counting on. I would have loved to see some more gutsy people actually do it though

 

[OliveMcFly]

Could this be why benches have become scarce over the years? "If we make it uncomfortable they won't sit long".

 

[drizgirl]

Could this be why benches have become scarce over the years? "If we make it uncomfortable they won't sit long".

If that was the case there would be a lot less of them at DL. And they are everywhere there.

 

[LuvtheGoof]

Could this be why benches have become scarce over the years? "If we make it uncomfortable they won't sit long".

Actually, the benches are gone because the park that was designed to handle 10,000,000 guests per year, is now getting pretty much double that. I remember getting pushed into the benches along Main St and at the hub many times by idiots that were in a hurry. It hurts, and I am one that it glad they are gone. You do know that the hub has concrete benches built-in?

 

[OliveMcFly]

Actually, the benches are gone because the park that was designed to handle 10,000,000 guests per year, is now getting pretty much double that. I remember getting pushed into the benches along Main St and at the hub many times by idiots that were in a hurry. It hurts, and I am one that it glad they are gone. You do know that the hub has concrete benches built-in?

I didn't even think about people getting shoved into them. Doesn't surprise me though.

 

[tribbleorlfl]

Yes. But, that works only for each person. The problem occurs when one person is saving a large space for their whole group or family. And then, the family shows up late cutting in front of everyone to get to their spot in the front. LOL.

I like what Disneyland is doing. I think WDW should do the same thing.

Perhaps I misunderstood the policy, then. So Disneyland is only banning saving of space for other people, not lining up well in advance in general? If so, I'm on board with that.

 

[Obobru]

I was just sitting on the curb
Many other families doing the same thing.
The one hour announcement was when the blankets came out
CM did not ask me to leave
Did not hear an announcement prior to the 1 hour mark (my Japanese is very limited)
Not being an entitled Westerner (please do not put me into a box)
Did not know about the rule- Ignorance is no excuse
Have a nice day

Max

Maybe too many people were sitting as of the end of last month they didn't allow it and they were playing the warning in Japanese and English from about 2hrs before the parade

I am not calling you entitled so sorry if came across that way. I have seen a few rude and entitled westerners when I was in Japan and sorry to say everyone one of them had an American accent (and a loud one at that!) They didn't seem like they understood the culture of the Japanese or that rules are really rules in Japan they are not something people can opt into depending how they feel or how loud they protest about it.