MK Opening Ceremony/ Parade Family?

[KCheatle]

How is a family chosen for the MK opening ceremony or the MK parade? And, what exactly does that family get to do before parks open? Are the rides running where they can go on them? Is there a special character interaction?

Does the parade family get to do anything special before/after the parade?

Do you get keepsakes or anything for being the chosen family?

 

[zaz]

Hi!

A few years ago, my daughter and I were chosen to be the family that opened the afternoon's parade.

We are francophones from Canada. On that early morning, she was very set out to find out where her favorite character, Daisy, would be. So she practiced asking about it in English. So as we were walking right in the park a short while after it opened, she got her courage to ask a CM if he could call and let her know where Daisy would be that day.

The gentleman called, gave her the information, and then asked me if we wanted to open the parade (I forgot what it's called) in the afternoon. I needed to go to a specific meeting place at a specific time, look for him and wave. We were then ushered behind the gate and interacted with the CMs that drove our car and a few others, took pictures, and then we went on.

It was very neat to wave at the crowd and to hear : Today's family is Isabelle and Frederique from Gatineau in Canada and they welcome you to the parade. It will start in 5 minutes.

We received complimentary 'ears' hat with our names engraved.

We loved it and are very pleased to have lived this experience!

 

[rufio]

Hi!

A few years ago, my daughter and I were chosen to be the family that opened the afternoon's parade.

We are francophones from Canada. On that early morning, she was very set out to find out where her favorite character, Daisy, would be. So she practiced asking about it in English. So as we were walking right in the park a short while after it opened, she got her courage to ask a CM if he could call and let her know where Daisy would be that day.

The gentleman called, gave her the information, and then asked me if we wanted to open the parade (I forgot what it's called) in the afternoon. I needed to go to a specific meeting place at a specific time, look for him and wave. We were then ushered behind the gate and interacted with the CMs that drove our car and a few others, took pictures, and then we went on.

It was very neat to wave at the crowd and to hear : Today's family is Isabelle and Frederique from Gatineau in Canada and they welcome you to the parade. It will start in 5 minutes.

We received complimentary 'ears' hat with our names engraved.

We loved it and are very pleased to have lived this experience!

That sounds awesome! You guys are so lucky to have been chosen!

 

[HouCuseChickie]

While we've never tried to be first family for MK, I've chatted with some people who have been selected (a few multiple times). While there are no guarantees...the key is to get to MK insanely early and start chatting it up with CMs w/o mentioning that you want to be first family. Some people say having matching shirts can help, but I don't think that really makes a difference.

I don't think you get anything for being first family- just the cool experience. There are a few videos on YouTube of people experiencing this. Assuming my fam is up for it, I think we're going to try on our next trip.

 

[DizneyPryncess]

I've never been chosen as family of the day, but it's usually just been DH & I and we've only been there early enough probably once. Now that we have a little one, maybe we'll get there earlier!

I've read plenty of accounts online of people getting chosen though. I just love to read the stories, it seems like it's such a magical day for them. I've read that matching shirts can help too, and that being happy & chatty with CM's is a must.

One of the accounts I read said that you get a photopass card w/photos on it of you opening the MK. You get to pick one for free. But I'm sure things change all the time, and can be different from family to family. I like that a photographer captures the moment for you though! I'm guessing you get a magical moments certificate as well, but I'm not sure about what else.

 

[Raven66]

We have never been chosen to be the first family in the Magic Kingdom, but we have been chosen to be first family at Animal Kingdom. We got to take the very first ride on the safari. Just the 3 of us on it. It was a lot of fun. Then we got our picture taken with the driver and the guide. We got a certificate with our names on it and a couple of fastpasses each to any ride. We enjoyed the experience. It's actually happened to us twice now.

 

[Williams Family]

We've Been Picked A LOT!

Our family has opened Magic Kingdom as the first family, opened Animal Kingdom with the first safari ride, opened EPCOT as the family of the day with two turns on Test Track in a row, been in Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade at Animal Kingdom, been in the Family Fun Day Parade at Magic Kingdom, and my husband has been in the Backlot Tour twice and in Indiana Jones every trip! He was also picked to be Davy Jones' angel in Hoop Dee Do. We are VERY lucky!

We don't expect these things to happen, they just do. We find that when we are making our own magic as a family, Disney comes along and adds even more magic. And, yes, matching shirts do help!:sohappy:

I've written about our experiences and how we get picked on our blog. http://www.toddjodybrent.blogspot.com/

I'm a member of a couple other forums, but new here.:wave: When I saw this topic, I just couldn't help but join the forum and respond to this thread.

 

[53Herbie]

We got to open the Magic Kingdom February of this year. We had a breakfast reservation prior to the park opening at Crystal Palace and where pulled for the breakfast line. You get a lot of amazing photo's without other guest in the park, and get to ride up and down Main Street in the old cars. Our host for the morning was Barbara, and she was amazing. Look for her on youtube. After the photos we went to the train station and where introduced to Scoop and the rest of the Main Street actors. I has seen the opening numerous times and always thought the guest where riding the train with Mickey and the gang. If you watch closely you will see the opening family step across the cars from the platform, out to where all of the characters are. I was a little dissapointed about that, but it was still a great time. We had a personel photographer who took tons of photos for us and after the opening we rode on top of the double decker bus back to Cinderella's Castle. We where then escorted to Crystal Palace where are reservations had been moved for us. We got multiple Fast Pass tickets, and my daughter got a couple of pins from Scoop. It was the highlight of many trips to Walt Disney World.

 

[KCheatle]

Our family has opened Magic Kingdom as the first family, opened Animal Kingdom with the first safari ride, opened EPCOT as the family of the day with two turns on Test Track in a row, been in Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade at Animal Kingdom, been in the Family Fun Day Parade at Magic Kingdom, and my husband has been in the Backlot Tour twice and in Indiana Jones every trip! He was also picked to be Davy Jones' angel in Hoop Dee Do. We are VERY lucky!

We don't expect these things to happen, they just do. We find that when we are making our own magic as a family, Disney comes along and adds even more magic. And, yes, matching shirts do help!:sohappy:

I've written about our experiences and how we get picked on our blog. http://www.toddjodybrent.blogspot.com/

I'm a member of a couple other forums, but new here.:wave: When I saw this topic, I just couldn't help but join the forum and respond to this thread.

Wow! I have tears in my eyes reading your blog about the opening ceremony!!! I have to admit that it's very cool that you are from Iowa because I live in Omaha and for some reason was convinced that we would never get picked because people from places like Nebraska just never get picked for things! If it's alright with you, I fully intend to keep reading your blog because it just brings me back to a very magical and happy place that sometimes gets lost on these forums.

Thank you very much for sharing your experiences! I hope I can learn from them and maybe some day my family will be chosen!! :wave:

 

[goofingolfer]

opening ceramone

We took our grandson wdw march 4 yrs. ago. It was his fith brd. Whine we ck. in pop ct.they asked us if we had a birthday we said yes. So they called wdw. to see if we cloued open the park on his birthday. We got to do it on his birthday we relly had a good time doing it.:sohappy:

 

[HouCuseChickie]

We got to open the Magic Kingdom February of this year. We had a breakfast reservation prior to the park opening at Crystal Palace and where pulled for the breakfast line. You get a lot of amazing photo's without other guest in the park, and get to ride up and down Main Street in the old cars. Our host for the morning was Barbara, and she was amazing. Look for her on youtube. After the photos we went to the train station and where introduced to Scoop and the rest of the Main Street actors. I has seen the opening numerous times and always thought the guest where riding the train with Mickey and the gang. If you watch closely you will see the opening family step across the cars from the platform, out to where all of the characters are. I was a little dissapointed about that, but it was still a great time. We had a personel photographer who took tons of photos for us and after the opening we rode on top of the double decker bus back to Cinderella's Castle. We where then escorted to Crystal Palace where are reservations had been moved for us. We got multiple Fast Pass tickets, and my daughter got a couple of pins from Scoop. It was the highlight of many trips to Walt Disney World.

This is good to know- I was really wondering how it would work if you had an ADR at CP or CRT. I was afriad you'd have to scrap the ADR and be hit with the no show charge. Good to know! I'm also sad to hear that you don't get to ride the train anymore. I've always used this person's video as my gauge for how it happens. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ieBDAlRaqw I guess maybe it was too much getting the family all the way back there in time.

 

[gibsonc]

I was at MK for opening a few weeks back. About 15 minutes before the welcome show a manager walked out and appeared to randomly walk up to a family near me and she asked them if they wanted to help open the park that morning. With that they where off and doing the welcome show a little later.

 

[rufio]

I feel that I need to have children.

 

[Williams Family]

Wow! I have tears in my eyes reading your blog about the opening ceremony!!! I have to admit that it's very cool that you are from Iowa because I live in Omaha and for some reason was convinced that we would never get picked because people from places like Nebraska just never get picked for things! If it's alright with you, I fully intend to keep reading your blog because it just brings me back to a very magical and happy place that sometimes gets lost on these forums.

Thank you very much for sharing your experiences! I hope I can learn from them and maybe some day my family will be chosen!! :wave:

Keep Disney Dreaming! It can happen to anyone! Just one of the many reasons we keep going back! And, yes, you are welcome to keep reading our blog. There's some stuff on there about Omaha!:wave:

 

[53Herbie]

I love the video you shared. Maybe they changed it because of the construction to Fantasyland.

 

[DizneyPryncess]

I feel that I need to have children.

There's a member I think on these boards who got chosen on her honeymoon - just her & her husband! So it's possible to get chosen without having kids. I bet having kids helps your odds, but it's still possible to get chosen without them!

 

[ILDisneyFan]

I know this isn't for any of the parades but my family and I were chosen as the "family of the day" to open the Garden Grill a couple years ago! If it makes any of you feel better my family consists of me (32), dad (57) and mom (57) so you don't have to have small children to be chosen for something! We were able to have our picture taken by a cast member with all 3 of us and all of the characters together and we were served a "special dish" by the chef himself! It made us feel pretty special!