Where Are the Characters?

[Matthew Hiester]

I’m just back from a week at WDW. It was an amazing trip, but one thing struck me as missing: the characters. Sure, you see them in the parades and at the various meet and greet spots. But I remember a time when characters were much more readily accessible throughout the parks. You might be walking along and run into a character on a sidewalk or near an attraction, but not in a roped off separate area. Granted the last two times I’ve gone it’s been the Christmas/New Years week, but is this a trend that’s year round now? I understand that the parks are becoming increasingly crowded so having herds of people gather around a character creates traffic flow issues. I also appreciate that cast member safety is critical. However, it feels like some of the joy that comes from a spontaneous character sighting/photo op has been lost from what I remember from trips past. Anyone else noticing this trend or is it just that I’m going at the “wrong” time of year?

 

[SourcererMark79]

It's been years since characters were roaming at WDW. DLR still does though.

 

[Tuvalu]

It’s been years since the characters roamed freely in the parks.

 

[Matthew Hiester]

Good to know. Prior to my most recent trips (2018 and 2016) it’d been a pretty sizable gap since I’d been to WDW. It just struck me as disappointing, but I understand why.

 

[JIMINYCR]

Good to know. Prior to my most recent trips (2018 and 2016) it’d been a pretty sizable gap since I’d been to WDW. It just struck me as disappointing, but I understand why.

Disneys changed over the years and some things like the disappearing characters ( maybe an effect of budget cut backs and the growing numbers of guests) IMHO are not for the better. The multiple characters you could once find, without having to book a FP + or buy an event ticket, or wait in ever growing lines made it fun for both adults and kids. I remember on a few of our first trips DS filled his autograph books up with huge numbers of character autographs. Glad we still have held onto it because we'd never get some of them again.

 

[AndyS2992]

Roaming characters haven’t been a thing for like 20 years at WDW, can only imagine its because of health and safety and not wanting to cause a mob scene. Guest behaviour towards characters is quite different between Disneyland and WDW which is why they still roam at Disneyland. At DisneyLand you will often see characters roaming around with guests not paying any attention to them at all whereas at WDW they would be mobbed with people pushing and shoving.

 

[Cmdr_Crimson]

It's been years since characters were roaming at WDW. DLR still does though.

I was at DL this past October and can say they were not roaming...There were coraled lines to see these characters..Once on stage the CM had to point out where they were going to be for their greet and form a line...

 

[SourcererMark79]

I was at DL this past October and can say they were not roaming...There were coraled lines to see these characters..Once on stage the CM had to point out where they were going to be for their greet and form a line...

I'll be there in March. It's interesting you had this experience, as I thought they roamed without a queue forming. It was more if you were walking and they walked toward you that you could get a quick photo with your own camera.

 

[AndyS2992]

I was at DL this past October and can say they were not roaming...There were coraled lines to see these characters..Once on stage the CM had to point out where they were going to be for their greet and form a line...

My buddy Baylee was at Disneyland in November and in this video you can see Gaston just roaming around the castle and Fantasy Faire area, no CM with him or anything.

7:53

You will often see Alice, Mad Hatter, Peter Pan, Wendy and Cinderella's Step sisters just running around doing their own thing in Fantasyland and Main Street.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Disneys changed over the years and some things like the disappearing characters ( maybe an effect of budget cut backs and the growing numbers of guests) IMHO are not for the better.

Has nothing to do with budgets and little to do with number of guests. The major issue is the behavior of guests. People behave like animals and it became a safety issue.

 

[Chef Mickey]

It still happens occasionally, in early morning hours at Hollywood Studios. I've seen Chip and Dale many times just screwing around.

To echo above, the problem is not Disney...it's guests. They basically attack the characters for attention and it becomes unmanageable and unsafe very quickly.

 

[WDWTank]

Has nothing to do with budgets and little to do with number of guests. The major issue is the behavior of guests. People behave like animals and it became a safety issue.

It still happens occasionally, in early morning hours at Hollywood Studios. I've seen Chip and Dale many times just screwing around.

To echo above, the problem is not Disney...it's guests. They basically attack the characters for attention and it becomes unmanageable and unsafe very quickly.

If guests threaten the safety of Cast Members, why don’t they get the police involved and ban those guests from Disney property permanently?

 

[CaptainAmerica]

If guests threaten the safety of Cast Members, why don’t they get the police involved and ban those guests from Disney property permanently?

It wasn't individual guests doing anything especially egregious, it was large groups of people causing swarms.

 

[John park hopper]

Guest behavior over the years has declined and it is not unique to Disney World very sad fact of life. Character meals serve 2 purposes protect the characters from obnoxious guests and a means of making Disney $$$. I too remember the days they roamed the park and you could easily get your picture taken with them.

 

[Christian Fronckowiak]

Spontaneity as a whole has been fading at WDW for some time now.

 

[monothingie]

The fact that it could also be monitized with Photopass, memory maker, character TS, etc I’m sure also had nothing to do with it as well...

 

[Chef Mickey]

If guests threaten the safety of Cast Members, why don’t they get the police involved and ban those guests from Disney property permanently?

If it got bad enough and it was a specific guest(s), they would. Disney doesn’t mess around with safety.

I was talking more about the chaos of multiple people running up to characters, tapping them on the shoulder, and just generally swarming.

 

[mm52200]

They have tried roaming still with some characters. Stormtroopers roam at Studios, Country Bears roam at MK, they’ve been testing Pluto roaming in Dinoland.
Unfortunately all guests want half the time is a picture, and they won’t stop harassing the character for pics, and guest behavior is poor.
They’ve also recently started letting Peter Pan roam some in the morning in Fantasyland, and they give some buffer time to characters like Jack Sparrow, Alice, the Tremaines, or Gaston to roam for a few minutes before going to their structured line.

 

[larryz]

Unfortunately all guests want half the time is a picture, and they won’t stop harassing the character for pics, and guest behavior is poor.

I'm guessing you don't work in Public Relations...

 

[mm52200]

I'm guessing you don't work in Public Relations...

Not sure what this is supposed to mean?