A few weeks ago, Melissa and I were in Walt Disney World to watch the debut of Magic Kingdom’s new nighttime parade, Disney Starlight: Dream the Night Away. We were in Orlando for quite a while but our trips look a little different than they used to. There’s less full days that a typical guest would do and more early morning itinerary testing, spending hours waiting for parades and writing in the middle of the night. As riveting as me recounting writing a review at 3 AM in the dark Pop Century room might be, we’re going to stay away from a full blown trip report this time. But there were some moments centering around the parade that stuck with me and I wanted to share them in this post.

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We arrived in Disney World a week before the set debut for Starlight. Melissa’s birthday happened to fall on that week so we thought we’d go early and celebrate. As usual, much of that time was spent eating! In the name of research, of course. We also stayed in a few new hotels and did a little itinerary testing, along with working during the week. A few days in, I caught a nasty cold that lingered for quite a while and had to slow down the pace to gear up for what would be a busy debut weekend.

That led us to a relaxing Friday evening at Epcot, two days before Starlight was set to debut. There were some rumblings of a soft opening of the parade but by the time we headed out of the room for the night, around 6, those rumors quieted down. We decided to stroll around Epcot and have a snacky dinner, tasting items from a few different World Showcase pavilions.

After some rice cream in Norway and a shared bratwurst in Germany, Melissa went to grab some caramel corn (really healthy stuff that night) before we would move ahead. I stayed seated and checked my phone for the first time in a while. Magic Kingdom announced that Starlight was set to debut at 9! It was 7:45. Melissa got her popcorn and we were off.

The first half of our mid-July trip to Florida was surprisingly pleasant in terms of weather. Don’t get me wrong, it was hot but not ‘sweating in places I didn’t know I could sweat’ hot. As the parade gods would have it, that Friday was the start of a heat advisory in Orlando. We felt every bit of that in our walk-sprint through Epcot to the monorail. With all due respect to the people on the monorails that night, the waft of body odor led me to believe we all had done the sweaty race through the park.

We eventually made it to Magic Kingdom about 25 minutes before the parade kicked off and perused the parade route before finding a front row spot in Frontierland. People were a little confused by the soft opening it seemed, including the Cast Members. This was the least crowded night that we saw the parade.

While we never broke into an actual run (we follow the rules!), a runner’s high hit during that first viewing of the parade. Not only was there the excitement of Starlight’s debut, we had also been in a full on rush for an hour and a half. I don’t suggest people doing this very often, but once in a while travel can push you into discomfort. Pushing past that to go experience something can lead to a moment being even more memorable. With sweat dripping down my face, that’s how our first viewing felt.

After the parade, we went to go check out where else to stand on the route just in case they announced a second preview showing for the night. We found a spot next to the castle that ended up being our favorite angle over the next few days and waited for a bit. While there we met Stephen (fit.forthemagic on Instagram), a physical therapist who has focused on helping people get their bodies ready for days in a theme park. He was personable and getting to trade stories with him about our separate Disney businesses was a joy.

Within a few minutes, we got word that there wouldn’t be a second showing of Starlight that night. After a few minutes of talking, we said bye to Stephen and went our ways. The trip revolved around the new parade and we loved seeing it, but meeting new friends along the way was unexpected and fulfilling.

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Having learned our lesson from the previous night, we were at Magic Kingdom much earlier on Saturday. Neither of us were keen on doing the speed walk, that I’m affectionately calling the Epcot Melt, again. After a fantastic early dinner at the Polynesian’s new Wailulu Bar & Grill (review coming soon) and a stop at the Grand Floridian for a water refill, we walked into the park gates around 6.

This was still a day before the official debut but the soft opening that night was a foregone conclusion. After gauging the crowd and getting a grasp on how sweltering it was, we claimed that same spot that we had met Stephen at the night before. There were a few people already lined up so we joined them. After a few minutes, they put the rope up signaling that we could sit down to hold our spots. This is great in theory but then you feel just how hot the ground was (well over 100 degrees). As I could feel the heat rising off the ground, we all came to the conclusion that it was much more enjoyable to stand.

Sitting, and then standing, beside us were several different people who worked for Disney in different capacities. I won’t put down their names or job titles in case they want anonymity but they were absolutely lovely. One guy came from California, not far from us, just for the weekend to see and photograph the parade. He had returned from Hong Kong a few weeks ago and raved about the resort there.

Another young couple stood beside us and told us about their exciting opportunities working for Disney. They’d met doing the Disney College Program and had found different roles in the time since. We all traded stories for a while and I was refreshed by how much these three people, who don’t explicitly work in the parks segment of the company, love the theme parks. They were just as excited to see the new parade as we were and that really stuck with me. So did their kindness.

A little earlier in the evening, I had gone to get some water from Casey’s Corner. I promptly spilled that water but that’s not the moral of the story so we can forget my clumsiness! Along the way, I saw Tom of Disney Tourist Blog. I’ve never been shy about saying how much his site meant to me in my early years of theme park fandom, and still means to me to this day. So I generally try to say hi and catch up for a minute when our paths cross. We talked for a minute and, before long, he came and joined our group waiting for the parade.

Standing and waiting for 2 hours in 90+ degree weather should not be fun. With those people, on that night, it was the highlight of the trip. Melissa and I both have brought it up multiple times in the past few weeks. We talked about theme parks mostly but delved into other topics from time to time. It all was wrapped up with us watching and photographing Starlight together.

One of my favorite parts of going to debuts or big anniversary dates at the Disney Parks is meeting or catching up with people who have a similar interest. It’s like a concert or sporting event, where everyone is there for the same reason except this is just full of theme park nerds.

After watching the first parade, we all went our separate ways. I saw most of them again over the next few hours or days. That night I stayed up until 4 AM, showering (thank goodness), editing photos and then writing our Starlight Review. The whole day was a dream so sleep wasn’t important.

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We were lucky enough to have seen the parade quite a few times once debut night rolled around. Crowds gathered early on Main Street that night and we found a spot on the curb to join in. They sell these light wands to go with Starlight and if someone points theirs at someone else’s, it changes the color of them. This kept everyone entertained for a few hours. Watching that and the brilliant sunset made time pass quickly.

Eventually, 9 PM neared and the energy was palpable. As the music started, all of the parade’s creative team led the way for Starlight. Some of them were in tears, some stoic while taking it all in and others were dancing with beaming smiles. It was a beautiful moment, one that I got so wrapped up in cheering for that I forgot to take any photos.

For the second showing, I staked out a place in Town Square as I was on a quest to view the parade from as many angles as possible. Melissa went off to go on a few rides because, well, 6 viewings of a parade in 3 nights is a lot! As I sat in my spot on the curb, I relaxed while listening to the Happily Ever After music and fireworks.

The parade route started filling in after the nighttime spectacular but wasn’t nearly as crowded as the first showing. Our run of meeting wonderful people continued into this show as several people around me were eager to talk about the parade, theme parks and kindly asked about this website.

Starlight eventually came out of the Town Square gates and passed right by us. After the parade turned down Main Street, I went over to Frontierland to catch Starlight a second time. I’d already put in enough sweat, what were a few (hundred) drops more? Let me tell you, the showers after these parade nights felt incredible!

Melissa came and met me in Frontierland as the last few floats passed by. We saw some familiar faces from the previous few days pass by and then ended the night walking along the Frontierland boardwalk. Exhausted but content.

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After taking a night off from Starlight to stroll around Epcot and see our beloved Impressions de France, we planned to be back in Magic Kingdom one more time on that Tuesday. Before going there we were in Animal Kingdom.

Following a lovely meal at Tiffins, I walked over to Pandora right as the park was closing at 6. The area had cleared out for the most part and I enjoyed some quiet moments. Before long, I felt an emotional wave just sweep over me.

This was our first trip to Walt Disney World that was truly a ‘business trip’. We’ve been many times before, but now I’m lucky enough to call writing about theme parks my full time job. I’m grateful for that every day and on this particular evening it hit me hard. The previous few nights had meant so much to me – covering the parade, meeting wonderful people and talking to them for hours. Even the 4 AM nights are held dear.

My camera was a curtain for tears for a while. Then when I realized this overwhelming gratitude wasn’t going to be stifled, I sat down and took in the full scene. Tears looked similar enough to sweat that I wasn’t overly embarrassed. I took some deep breaths, made sure I soaked in every ounce of that feeling and slowly walked out of the land.

That night, we saw the parade one last time by the castle before doubling back into Frontierland. There was another person or two to meet, characters to wave at and float to be impressed by. Starlight will be nostalgically framed in our minds as a nighttime parade we like with memories that will last.

I write all of this as a thank you. Thanks to the Cast Members, Imagineers and performers who made that parade. Thank you to all of the wonderful people we stood by and talked to that weekend. We won’t soon forget those interactions. And thanks to you, reader. Whether you’re a regular visitor of Wandering in Disney or this is your first time, I can’t express how much it means to me and Melissa. These stories wouldn’t be possible without you.

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