I enjoy both parades but I prefer the
MSEP. For me, the biggest reason is the MSEP MUSIC - the sound of pure happiness and joy!
![Wink ;) ;)](data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7)
It just really sets a tone of pure happiness and whimsy for me.
Some of my favorite parts that I really love the most are the Alice In Wonderland segment where all the different animal units come out and electronically "beep" along with the soundtrack! The Pete's Dragon unit is also a big favorite, but I love the whole parade!
Spectro goes for a slower, more "sophisticated", more elegant sound, and while I enjoy it's music, it just doesn't take me to as high a plane of PURE HAPPINESS like the MSEP music does.
One real positive thing I'll say about Spectro is I absolutely LOVE the finale, though. Not to seem "unpatriotic", but the Finale of Spectro does more for me, when you see so many characters all together with great lyrics like "Though we say goodnight, we cast a spell that won't be broken". That's just a magical moment that gives me goosebumps!
Overall, though, I have to vote for MSEP.
A few weeks ago I made an extra trip for three days, just to see the MSEP for the first time in 20 years, past the time I normally visit Florida, braving the summer heat (which is out-of-the-ordinary for me) just in case it does go away before I get back in the fall.
I felt every penny of that money was well spent! On my first viewing, when the music started, right before the parade came out of the gate, I am not ashamed to say I was overwhelmed by emotion and had both goosebumps and tears of joy. Everyone around me started clapping their hands along with the beat, which I have never seen with Spectro. There was a tangible feeling of happiness and magic in the air of a type I haven't felt along the MK parade route at night since the last time I saw MSEP 20 years ago!
I enjoyed that first viewing so much that I walked through the Emporium, then Adventureland, and made it to the end of the route before the parade did. Then I saw it a second time in its entirety!
I did the same thing again for the 11 PM parade, seeing that one twice as well, and repeated this pattern on my last two nights for a total of 12 viewings in my 3 nights! I was on a cloud of happiness each of those nights and a few weeks later, still am! As much as I enjoy Spectro, it has never affected me this way, or made me want to see it multiple times a night.
I am really hoping the parade stays past the summer and lasts at least a year, so I can see it a lot more during my normal winter-centric stay in the area. Either way, I plan on going again before it leaves and am already looking forward to seeing it again!!!
MSEP Forever!
PS. While the older Don Dorsey arrangement of the MSEP music is overall still my favorite, it didn't take me long to get used to the newer version! I like how some segments (like Snow White and Pinocchio) now actually seem to have more classic songs from their films interwoven with "Baroque Hoedown" in this new version. Also, I am glad I knew the Dumbo segment would be missing before my trip, as that spared me from being as disappointed by its absence while viewing the parade as I would have been.