Marching Band question

[LaughingGravy]

The responses so far have been great. I really hope they have a place for us to park the truck and trailer on site after the parade, as our hotel is off site by Sea World. Of course, no backstage pictures! We get that.
I don't know how strict they can be about no cellphones, unless the intent is no cellphone pictures. We need to be able to call any kids that might be straggling in.
Oh yeah, how much time is spent waiting/changing before the parade? For a 3pm parade, is the meeting tie likely to be 2, or 1:30 (ugh). That would be a long time to be hanging out in a predominantly black uniform.
Excellent info about the swing flags!

 

[Dwarful]

Our meeting time is 1 PM for the 3 PM parade. Thankfully we are going in 10 days so the weather shouldn't be too bad. But it is a long time for the kids to be waiting...although I am going to assume they will step off before 3 so the time should go quickly.

 

[Phicinfan]

Hi all,
Our HS marching band will be marching prior to the 3PM parade. Woo Hoo!
I understand our situation may be specific, but for those that have done this, could you please post your experiences including where you met to change into uniforms and where your trailer was allowed to park, if you were looking at say, google maps or earth?
When were you allowed to bring the trailer to the spot? Did you need to remove it right away, and then, where did you park it, if so?
I'm obviously the one in charge of the trailer, but it's a long 28 footer and more knowledge in advance is always better and appreciated.
Once the kids get changed, as a 'backstage" person, will I be able to get a good spot to see them march?

Thanks!

Our HS marching band went 4 years ago, and are going again this summer. This is WDW
Depending on when you march, we had a report time of 45mins prior to march, or it may have been an hour.
No one is allowed back with band but the director and one or two assistants.
We did not bring our trailor, we had instruments on our busses, and they got directions on where to go and park. We used a travel service for this.
As for watching, you either march with band or are not going back.

I will say DL is different.
My oldest marched in the BOA honor band for the Rosebowl 2 years ago. Part of that was also marching at Disneyland. There all chaperones went back stage to help set up, and then we were given a short cut to street through casting areas to see parade, then get back to help them change back. it was a whole lot more fun for me that time to see alot more back stage.

 

[LaughingGravy]

Dwarful, or anyone else, if they could pipe in with recent experience.

We will indeed be on Memory Maker. Some kids will get magic bands, some won't based on their own budgets.
The concern is the memory maker/photopass card some will have being able to be added to the memory maker for the group.
How do they do it? The band director will be the admin but won't be present with all the kids all the time.
We want to make sure everyone gets their photos included, including ride photos and videos. Everyone will have their sub account from the MDE for scheduling fastpasses in advance, but we really want to make sure those kids who do not go the magic band route are able to get their pics and ToT and Mine Coaster videos included.
They go into the park, get their memory maker card (where?) and then go where to link it to their admission ticket?

Thanks!

 

[Uncle Orville]

Ok, so I went with my band two years ago and they are going again in a week, except im not going this time. But basically we went back through the gate by next to splash by pecos bill. We walked passed splashs warehouse and pirates, passed the garbage vac system, name escapes me right now, and you also pass the parade storage area. You then will get down to changing rooms, separated male vs female. You will be right by where the light boats sit during the day (the ones that you see at night when you ride the boat back to the parking lot). Once ready you walk along a road in the back past jungle and pirates, end up behind Main Street, stage for the parade, then go. Once it's all over and you are ready to re enter the park, you re enter right next to pirates, with all of your parents claping! It was so much fun! I wanted to go again this years, but my sister went to college and I didn't think It would be fair to go without her

 

[Dwarful]

LaughingGravy: if you are staying onsite then you will all have the Magic Bands. Now, if you are not staying onsite then yes, you will need to purchase MB. I was told today when I called back to verify who was on the Memory Maker since I was the admin the only on ride videos that would be recorded would be the ones where my band was scanned on the ride. I was also told that if people didn't have the bands they could get a card scanned and I could add those cards when we returned from the trip. So, if you have kids without Magic Bands just have them scan the cards and turn them all in to the band director at the end of the trip. We arrive one week from today, so when I return I will give you an update on exactly how it went and what we could have done to improve things.

 

[Dwarful]

Well....we did way to much hopping in my opinion. We were in the 3 PM parade but the two bands stepped off at 2:20 PM. We marched in the rain...you will march unless it is lightning and thundering. We started in Frontierland and ended up in that area between the Fire Station and the Barber Shop. We did the 3 hour workshop in Epcot and had to be in Epcot at 8 AM . We also did photo sessions in band uniforms in Epcot another 8 AM entry day (both of those were on NON-EMH mornings). On our last night we had a private sit down dinner in the Rotunda of the American Adventure. Then they gave us wristbands and walked us to our private viewing area of Illuminations. After that, when the park closed they walked us to Soarin' and Test Track where we rode both rides after the park closed. Then they gathered us all together did some night shots in front of Spaceship Earth and out the gates we went around 11 PM. We had about 170 people in our group including chaperones.

My husband and some of the other adults went to the Train Station early around 1:30 to get our spots for the parade viewing and got excellent video and photos of the kids coming down Main St. with the castle in the background. We also had the Memory Maker and I asked some of the photopass photographers to snap photos of the kids as they came down MS USA. They took photos of the whole thing. So that was nice.

Some of the highlights for the kids were a private breakfast in HS before the park opened and then they walked us over to TSMM to ride that before the park opened. We had a pre-park opening breakfast at Rainforest Cafe at AK and the dinner at Epcot. Most of the other meals were counter service and the students had the green Disney Dining Cards...which were sometimes easy to redeem and other times quite difficult.

Our tour company didn't give us our ticket information until 26 days prior to arrival so even though we went during a 'slower' time the kids were still locked out of some of the headliners, but were able to keep checking and some got in and others did not.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

 

[HRHPrincessAriel]

I'm taking my dance team again next year. Can you tell me about the breakfast in HS? I'm always looking for new things! We used to do pre park opening at Crystal Palace but they don't let us anymore.

We also do a desert party for illuminations and "private" dinner party right before Fantasmic starts

That does sound like a lot of hopping around. We've always danced at DTD and that was that. I don't want to cut into our park time too much

 

[Dwarful]

Disney set up a private breakfast buffet at the quick service location in Hollywood Studios over by the Star Wars ride. It was really, REALLY, odd walking in and seeing table cloths and waiters at a location that normally serves lunch and dinner fast food. I can ask our group planner who they contacted to set this up.

 

[HRHPrincessAriel]

Disney set up a private breakfast buffet at the quick service location in Hollywood Studios over by the Star Wars ride. It was really, REALLY, odd walking in and seeing table cloths and waiters at a location that normally serves lunch and dinner fast food. I can ask our group planner who they contacted to set this up.

Interesting! I always try to make sure we have one group meal/dessert activity a day. The rest are those meal tickets or my booster club gives the girls $ to use towards breakfast.

 

[Rdnkchic74]

Hi all,
Our HS marching band will be marching prior to the 3PM parade. Woo Hoo!
I understand our situation may be specific, but for those that have done this, could you please post your experiences including where you met to change into uniforms and where your trailer was allowed to park, if you were looking at say, google maps or earth?
When were you allowed to bring the trailer to the spot? Did you need to remove it right away, and then, where did you park it, if so?
I'm obviously the one in charge of the trailer, but it's a long 28 footer and more knowledge in advance is always better and appreciated.
Once the kids get changed, as a 'backstage" person, will I be able to get a good spot to see them march?

Thanks!

Wjay did you have to do to be able to get

Hi all,
Our HS marching band will be marching prior to the 3PM parade. Woo Hoo!
I understand our situation may be specific, but for those that have done this, could you please post your experiences including where you met to change into uniforms and where your trailer was allowed to park, if you were looking at say, google maps or earth?
When were you allowed to bring the trailer to the spot? Did you need to remove it right away, and then, where did you park it, if so?
I'm obviously the one in charge of the trailer, but it's a long 28 footer and more knowledge in advance is always better and appreciated.
Once the kids get changed, as a 'backstage" person, will I be able to get a good spot to see them march?

Thanks!

What did u have to do to be able to have the marching band perform I'm the parade I'm looking for information for our band director

 

[ninjaprincesst]

My daughters band performed three years ago, when they first started the festival of Fantasy parade. Our meet sitewas right behind POC. They were allowed to bring the buses right to the spot. There wasn't much of a changing spot so we just had our kids wear shorts and a t shirt under their uniforms so they could just take off the uniforms change shoes and go. We also had quite a large band over 200 students so there just was not a lot of space for changing for a group that large.

 

[BigDave]

Just did this in December as a chaperone.

They let you park the bus/ trailer behind Pirates/ Splash. There are rules about no pictures or videotaping. The band starts marching out of Splash Mountain area and follows the parade route down Main Street. You exit by the Fire Station.

If you are not an official chaperone or in the band they won't let you backstage. There are bathrooms, changing rooms, water etc back there for the band. We got a very nice trophy and Mickey Music Ears the kids wore as they marched.

Lots of fun and great memories.