Walt Disney World Extends Christmas Day Parade Taping; Seacrest Outs Regis and Kelly

According to an email sent to cast members confirmed to attend the taping of Magic Kingdom portion of the 2010 Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade, certain performances will now be recorded on Thursday, December 2 as well as the following Friday and Saturday. This parrots the actions of the Resort last year when it came to taping the performances of the likes of Celine Dion, the Jonas Brothers, American Idol winner Kris Allen and more.

In addition, the email notes that the event will not be hosted by Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa who have held the title since 2002 (with exception to 2009 when Philbin was unable to host due to health concerns). Instead, Ryan Seacrest will flip coasts this year and host the Magic Kingdom portion. Interestingly enough, Ripa was backed up last year by Nick Canon as the man-on-the-street while Seacrest hosted the Disneyland portion of the parade.

In terms of celebrities set to perform, the only name we’ve encountered and so-reported is that of Mariah Carey. Other than that, we can only speculate but based on this news and last year’s spectacular line-up we would not be surprised to see someone amongst the ranks of Justin Bieber (who has a convenient break in his touring schedule) or Taylor Swift (who is scheduled to be in London on December 4, but would have the time to perform, at least on the newly-announced December 2). Additional Disney starlets are also a likelihood, with most of our bets placed on Debby Ryan if only because she performs ‘Deck the Halls’ for the Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment release The Search for Santa Paws given that Steve Rushton, who did the same for last year’s vid appeared in the 2009 parade. Mind you all of this is pure speculation, but as we learn of additional talent, we will report accordingly.

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Disney World: Christmas Parade Tickets Nothing but a Snow Job

Yesterday we were proudly one of the first to report that free tickets for the 2010 Disney Parks Christmas Day parade had become available for the Walt Disney World portion taping on December 3 and 4. Within several hours, registration for the event had closed.

However our source contacted us later on in the day and guests who reach out to the email address provided by the registration are confirming that the Walt Disney World Resort is stating that the tickets issued were only intended for cast members and parade volunteers, not the general public. Instead, guests are being told that they can watch the parade taping if they are in the park, but that park admission is explicitly required.  Walt Disney World has been responding to all ticket inquiries with the following boilerplate response:

‘We appreciate your interest in the Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade telecast. You may have read reports in the local media that tickets were available to the general public. Unfortunately, using sources other than Disney Parks, the media misreported this information and that is not the case for the telecast taping.’

The truth is, the media is not to blame for this snafu, the onus is entirely on Walt Disney World who could have easily averted any source of confusion by noting the supposed restrictions in ticket distribution. According to our source, not a single mention of the restriction was made in the initial email he received, nor did anyone at the Resort bother to add or change a simple word in the text presented to any guest registering for the event. Instead they left the text exactly the same as it had been in years past except for the dates and year and left it up to the population-at-large’s devices to figure out it wasn’t meant for them.

So rather than rewarding guests eager to attend the taping of the Magic Kingdom portion of the parade, the Resort is now brazenly penalizing guests who have been chomping at the bit to participate in the annual tradition.

Registration for 2010 Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade at Walt Disney World Now Open (December 3 – 4)

Registration is now open to participate as a spectator for the taping of the Magic Kingdom portion 2010 Disney Parks Christmas Day Parade. Tickets are free and available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Registration is the same as last year and one registration form allows you to sign up for both (or either) Friday, December 3 and Saturday, December 4. Typically, staged events are taped on Friday while the parade portion itself is taped on Saturday.

Note that registration for the site is NOT required, you may elect to ‘order’ the free tickets as a guest. Also, an email indicating that you have successfully registered does NOT guarantee you access to the parade, you must receive additional confirmation at a later date.

Also worth noting is that park admission for the day is included with the free tickets.

For more information and to register, click here.

Thanks to Banks Lee for the information.

Update #1 – it appears registration is now closed

Update #2 – 11/10/10 – Walt Disney World is now reporting that the tickets released were not meant for the public. See here for full details.