A Little Pixie Dust

Image via Wikipedia A few weeks ago I wrote a short post mentioning our recent trip to Disney World, but I didn't mention one of the highlights of our trip that may be of interest to any of you planning your own Disney pilgrimage. Now, I am a huge planner and I love research. For well over eight months before our trip, I immersed myself in all things Disney World. I read the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, canvassed numerous web sites, including one of the best resources out there, the Disboards, talked to many recent visitors, yet somehow, I had missed this special treat.

I had read about all of the parades in the Unofficial Guide, and had made a rough schedule of when we would plan to see the "really good" ones. I think there was a quick mention of the Family Fun Day Parade which occurs several times each day in the Magic Kingdom, but the gist of the info was it's not worth your time. Well, I would agree, it's probably not worth your time to line up along Main Street to watch this parade. However, if you get to be in it, well, that's a priceless Disney experience!

My daughter and I first discovered the parade when we went back to the Magic Kingdom one afternoon for a little souvenir shopping while the rest of our group swam in the hotel pool. While perusing through the offerings at the Main Street Emporium we heard the music of a marching band. People were lined up along the sidewalk, so we decided to join them. First came Pluto, the Grand Marshall. He was quickly followed by Chip & Dale leading a family in a Hula Hoop routine and Daisy Duck leading a different family in a pom-pom routine. There was one super dedicated Dad giving his all in the pom-pom routine. Well, that was all it took. My daughter immediately put "being in the parade" at the top of her "To Do" list, which of course, meant it became part of my "list"!

We had only one more day planned at the Magic Kingdom, so not a lot of time to make this wish happen. And of course, there's no one to tell you exactly how you go about getting into the parade! The parade begins at the Hub, that rotary in front of Cinderella's Castle. So I figured we'd sort of hang out there about half an hour before parade time, and see what we could find out. After about 20 minutes, I noticed a costumed cast member talking to a few people, and handing out something, so I sauntered over to eavesdrop. Turns out, he was asking them if they were interested in being in the parade (which they weren't!), so I piped in that we were! He called over another cast member, who took us over to a line-up area I had previously failed to notice (duh! It's just off the hub towards Tommorowland in case you're interested). She looked at my daughter, and said, "Would you like to do pom-poms with Daisy Duck?" My daughter could barely manage a "Yes" because she was so excited. It was exactly what she wanted to do. So they quickly introduced us to Daisy, taught us the routine, and before I knew it we (including my Mom & Dad!) were marching down Main Street pom-poms in hand, with people lined up watching us. It was completely unreal, and definitely a Disney memory that will last a lifetime. So for anyone planning a trip to the World, I highly recommend trying to get into the parade!