2014 “A Christmas Fantasy” parade viewing tips and photos of additions and changes

December 12, 2014 in All Posts, christmas, disneyland, disneyland resort, entertainment, entertainment tips, holidays, Tips & Tricks for Families by Lisa Robertson

It isn’t the Christmas season for me until I see “A Christmas Fantasy” parade at Disneyland. Seeing those familiar floats make their way down the Magic Kingdom’s parade route really gets me motivated to start celebrating the magic of the season.

The opening music box float is back
for 2014.

One of the most frequent questions I get about the parade is where to sit. Typically, parade seating on Main Street and Central Plaza is typically most crowded and last minute seats can often be found in Town Square or near “it’s a small world.” If you want a “front row seat” (i.e. no heads in front of you), you definitely need to get there at least 30 minutes before parade time. I know 30 minutes seems like a long time, but I like to think of it as time to recharge our batteries by resting our feet and nibbling on a snack, like the soups in to-go cups now served at Jolly Holiday Bakery, a churro from one of the many outdoor vending carts along the parade route or, if you are really starving, a dinner-to-go from the Corn Dog Cart or Stage Door Cafe.

If you are a shutterbug, be very mindful of where you sit for the parade. I almost always forget to take the lighting into consideration and end up dealing with spotted shade, back light or flood lights shining right into my lens at night.

Anyway, back to the action. This year’s parade has some big changes and old favorites. First for the old favorites.

It wouldn’t be “A Christmas Fantasy” parade without the toy soldiers, and of course Woody and Buzz are back this year on their toy-themed floats, as are all Pinocchio, Gheppeto and Jiminy Cricket.

The princess unit is always a show stopper and so incredibly beautiful.

Santa is, as always, preceded by his dancing reindeer.

There aren’t too many “A Christmas Fantasy” changes, and to the casual guest, they shouldn’t be too noticeable. If you are a mega fan like me, however, who sings the parade theme song year round… well… you’ll notice.

Mickey and Minnie no longer skate in the parade. Instead, they share a toy-covered float with Duffy and Donald and Daisy. Their snow-capped float from years passed now belongs to Elsa, Anna and Olaf. With this change, also gone are the rollerskating snowflake girls, one of my favorites in years gone by. While I love all of the changes, this change is very disappointing. There are still gals dressed in white on roller-skates leading the float–just no big snowflakes on their backs.

This is just a sampling of what you’ll see in this year’s parade! Do you have a question about holiday time at the Disneyland Resort? Leave your question below or over on our Facebook page and we will answer it in an upcoming Holiday Q&A post!

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About Lisa Robertson

Lisa is the publisher and editor of Babes In Disneyland. She loves all things Disney and really loves hearing from fans who have learned from the blog or have questions. She can be contacted via email, the Babes In Disneyland Facebook fan page and Twitter. She can also be followed on Instagram, Pinterest and LinkedIn.