Comment from another blogger :
One PO'd guest said that camping out along Main Street is her family's favorite thing to do at Disneyland. HELLO?! That's the purpose of city parks and beaches, not a theme park. If you're family likes camping out, there are plenty of freeway overpasses they could park under and have a great time..
LOL.... I would gladly have this family camp outside in my garden and charges them only $50 per person (will throw in some packages of chips as well)
My family and I spent 6 days there in February. And, as I am a Disney-nut, my husband hasn't spent longer than 3 seconds thinking/planning/scheming/obsessing (just a bit) on anything Disney. When we walked onto Main Street a little past 4pm on our 1st day he asked me "What's going on with all the blankets? It looks like Tent-City on I-5 in Seattle". When I told him it was for the parade he asked when the parade was. Needless to say when I told him sometime after 7pm he had quite the reaction.
Honestly, if a family/group wants to wait together for a parade it doesn't bother me. But, mostly all we saw were blankets, strollers, and sometimes just a leg sprawled across a curb or bench with a lone adult defending the territory. If the parade is that important to everyone then everyone must wait.
I love the "HELLO?!". What a closed minded person this blogger is. I, too, enjoyed "camping" out for the parades
at Disneyland. I'm sorry you feel the same way, LizzyS. To me the "purpose" of Disneyland is what each individual
makes of it. Waiting for several hours (clogging the street as some call it) was a big part of our trip - perhaps even
a favorite things to do there.
But clearly most of you feel that is not what MY family should like to do. And Disney is now keeping us from doing it.
We'll get over it. I only wish people were more accepting of others favorite things to do.
The thing is, yes, it does. It makes an already congested space much more difficult to get through, takes away the ambiance and creates animosity between those who feel they were here first and those that just want to see the parade. The attitude that people who don't wait for hours are less than deserving of seeing the parade rubs me the wrong way. If people didn't camp out there wouldn't be this vicious cycle of earlier and earlier camping out. Everyone would be able to just walk up near parade time and do something crazy like enjoy the parade. Once upon a time it was like that. That Disney let it get so out of hand has always baffled me. I'm glad they're finally doing something about it.Hey, I don't blame you! We don't mind waiting for Fantasmic, parades, and fireworks either. We grab something to eat, talk with each other, people watch. It really shouldn't matter to people if someone wants to spend their time waiting for the parade as it doesn't effect them. If they don't want to wait that long, they don't have to.
The problem that I have with it is people spreading out 2+ large blankets and then having only one person wait. I was the poster a couple months back who saw someone with 15+ blankets sprawled down a section of Main Street with one guy sitting and holding down the fort for all of it. Asking a passing security officer, he said as long as one person was with the blankets, they could save as much as they want. We've also seen people park ECV's and strollers down Main Street, sitting empty for an hour or two, then returning 15 minutes before the parade. It isn't fair to those who choose to spend their time waiting for the parade while those other people get prime parade viewing plus whatever they else they were able to do because they didn't have to wait. I just wish Disney would crack down on those people, not the people who already have their whole family together and don't mind waiting.
The thing is, yes, it does. It makes an already congested space much more difficult to get through, takes away the ambiance and creates animosity between those who feel they were here first and those that just want to see the parade. The attitude that people who don't wait for hours are less than deserving of seeing the parade rubs me the wrong way. If people didn't camp out there wouldn't be this vicious cycle of earlier and earlier camping out. Everyone would be able to just walk up near parade time and do something crazy like enjoy the parade. Once upon a time it was like that. That Disney let it get so out of hand has always baffled me. I'm glad they're finally doing something about it.
If they are going to institute this, I wish set up would be even later. 1.45 hrs is still a long time!I'm here now for the second parade. For the first parade, they started letting people sit on the curb around 5 (parade was at 6:45). Curb was not nearly filled yet at that time though.
If they are going to institute this, I wish set up would be even later. 1.45 hrs is still a long time!
If they are going to institute this, I wish set up would be even later. 1.45 hrs is still a long time!
I'm glad they're working on this. But they could have started smaller and been more aggressive about picking up blankets and not allowing anyone to save more space than it takes for a parent to take a small child to the bathroom. I'll be curious to see how this goes over time. The story posted here a few months ago about the single person saving spots on Main Street with something like 5 blankets was beyond crazy.
Oh my gosh! That is absolutely disgusting and terrible.A few years ago we saw the epitome of "blanket saving" while waiting for Fantasmic. A Gentleman( he was indeed NOT that) had five to six blankets spread out. He was in a ECV. As the waiting progressed people would ask or come near and he seemed to be giving the spots to those he chose. Then we caught on after witnessing him take money. He was "selling" the spots! He also told off color jokes and made sexist remarks. It got real weird real quick. He invited several young ladies who were decked out in Disney Bounding style esque short skirt outfits and it got uncomfortable. We mentioned the behavior to a CM. We couldn't fathom how much $ he was making if he was a local and was doing it two shows a night.
Blew our minds! Very shortly after this trip Disney began the fast pass system for Fantasmic.Oh my gosh! That is absolutely disgusting and terrible.
The thing is, yes, it does. It makes an already congested space much more difficult to get through, takes away the ambiance and creates animosity between those who feel they were here first and those that just want to see the parade. The attitude that people who don't wait for hours are less than deserving of seeing the parade rubs me the wrong way. If people didn't camp out there wouldn't be this vicious cycle of earlier and earlier camping out. Everyone would be able to just walk up near parade time and do something crazy like enjoy the parade. Once upon a time it was like that. That Disney let it get so out of hand has always baffled me. I'm glad they're finally doing something about it.
A few years ago we saw the epitome of "blanket saving" while waiting for Fantasmic. A Gentleman( he was indeed NOT that) had five to six blankets spread out. He was in a ECV. As the waiting progressed people would ask or come near and he seemed to be giving the spots to those he chose. Then we caught on after witnessing him take money. He was "selling" the spots! He also told off color jokes and made sexist remarks. It got real weird real quick. He invited several young ladies who were decked out in Disney Bounding style esque short skirt outfits and it got uncomfortable. We mentioned the behavior to a CM. We couldn't fathom how much $ he was making if he was a local and was doing it two shows a night.
The thing is, yes, it does. It makes an already congested space much more difficult to get through, takes away the ambiance and creates animosity between those who feel they were here first and those that just want to see the parade. The attitude that people who don't wait for hours are less than deserving of seeing the parade rubs me the wrong way. If people didn't camp out there wouldn't be this vicious cycle of earlier and earlier camping out. Everyone would be able to just walk up near parade time and do something crazy like enjoy the parade. Once upon a time it was like that. That Disney let it get so out of hand has always baffled me. I'm glad they're finally doing something about it.
That's so crazy!!! I think I even remember hearing about that going on a few years ago. What did the CM do? I bet his little business didn't last very long after that...