When attending the Dessert Party with Garden View, what has been everyone's strategy for Parade watching ?
I can answer this! I did the Garden party on Tuesday and Friday last week.
On Tuesday, we watched the first parade from inside the Garden and it sucked. You could hear Boo to You, but not the individual songs of each segment of the parade - -so you couldn't hear It's good to be to bad for example. Plus, you can only see the floats. After the fireworks, we walked with the crowd into Liberty Square (it was awful...I should have gone into Adventureland and then popped out into Frontierland) but we got a spot for the second parade easily. We were near the Disney vacation club spot in Liberty Sq/Frontierland.
On Friday, we sat on the curb in the hub. Walking from the tomorrowland bridge, turn left, first trash can. We sat at 8:00 for the 8:35 castle show. We could have waited maybe 15 minutes to sit. AFter the show, my kids held the spot (they said no one moved after the show, they all stayed for the parade) and my husband and I went into the dessert party -- we had a quick glass of wine and snacks and went back to the spot after the headless horsemen went by, but before Max went by. We could have just stayed in the spot and went to the dessert party after the parade at 9:45. I loved this spot. I would definitely do this again. After the parade we went into the garden, but we could have gone back into the dessert party for more snacks.
Both dessert parties were maybe 1/2 full? I booked the Friday one the night before. Great view for the fireworks.
On Friday after the fireworks, I went into Liberty Square again, but I waited for the crowd to thin out a bit. I stopped at the allergy candy station first, then I sat on a garden wall in front of HOP and I moved to the rope line when they closed off the walkway.
If you are interested in spending time in the dessert party having drinks and snacks, then moving into Liberty Sq/Frontierland for the second parade is the way to go. If you watch the first parade and then go to the dessert party you won't have much time and I'm not sure what time they close it down. The first parade ended at the hub around 945-950 and the fireworks started at 1015.