A Spirited Dirty Dozen ...

[Cesar R M]

Next they are going to convince everyone that a cot in a cinder block room is a deluxe hotel suite....

Well, technically they kinda do now.. dont they?
I mean.. the costs for the rooms...

 

[TP2000]

I agree that every child should have the chance to meet their favorite characters, but my point was that there was a better mix of both when I was growing up and still is at Disneyland.

This is apparently an issue with TDO and WDW-specific management. Disneyland added a more elaborate Princess Fantasy Faire "hug zone" attraction to their Fantasyland that also added a princess stage show and some food/merch options to the land, and yet somehow carved it out of unused space next to the Castle while keeping Disneyland's 12 rides in Fantasyland running.

WDW's Fantasyland had to drop from 9 rides to 8 rides to get their Princess hug zone built, and it didn't have the stage show that Disneyland got. And this in the sprawling Magic Kingdom Park that has "the blessing of size" and acres and acres of unused land. That's just weird.

And it also tells me these are purposeful decisions made by WDW management. TDO either knows their audience really wanted this Princess hug zone more than an operating dark ride in a Castle park that has 15 fewer rides than Disneyland, or they have weak leadership skills. Perhaps a combination of those two things.

And thanks to @Bocabear for coming up with the "hug zone" label. A hysterically accurate description of these things!

 

[gmajew]

That is true...the problem is now Disney has made the Meet & Greets as important as having attractions...and the Sheeple eat it up for some reason... We lost an actual Snow White ride so that we could put in a Princess Hug zone that looks like a hotel function space......You have to hand it to Disney for making people believe they really need to meet a college kid in a costume rather than go on an actual attraction....Next they are going to convince everyone that a cot in a cinder block room is a deluxe hotel suite....

Is it Disney doing or what children want? I am not on board with these spaces as they do nothing for me but I will say that my kids my friends kids, etc all want to meet these things. Dont know why but something about the kids brains think it is the coolest thing.... Now why is that? Is it because people are no longer home with there kids or is it because this generation of kid is all about the selfie etc the moment and sharing it over and over again. Why and how did that become the culture? And is it disney fault for making something as simple as that available and the lines being just crazy long for these things...

Today I would rather jump on a ride but when I was a kid in Disney I loved meeting the mouse and goofy

 

[gmajew]

I agree that every child should have the chance to meet their favorite characters, but my point was that there was a better mix of both when I was growing up and still is at Disneyland. In fact, if a child's favorite character isn't one of the Fab 5, a Princess, or from a very recent movie, your child's chances of meeting their favorite character are slimmer than they were in years gone by.

I always love the fact that Disneyland did not have to do this but Magic Kingdom did... could it be disneyland had the space to do it without losing an attraction... I am not defending they could have built something cheap to house the princess but just because DL gets it one way does not mean this park can do it exactly the same.

DL is a wonderful park but it is a theme park that is meant to attract the locals to visit multiple times a year. Orlando is not locals it is meant to attract the once every few year guest... now no excuse for broken affects, or anything else because of this but the two parks are completely different demos.

 

[ford91exploder]

I mean why would they bother trying to censor something as insignificant as this article though? Cast Members can't dye their hair or Prince Charming can't freak out when he see Lady Gaga walking through the parks? Big whoop.

Remember Disney fielded dozens of people to counter folks like @WDW1974 and the famous Willow Bay takedown of some unflattering articles about Disney in the HuffPo, Disney has over the years devoted significant effort into silencing dissenting voices but the cuts this spring opened the floodgates and Disney is now gettng unflattering press from all quarters now in the past Disney said it's not true dont publish and in large part other media outlets complied, This is no longer the case.

 

[evilzorac]

Is it Disney doing or what children want? I am not on board with these spaces as they do nothing for me but I will say that my kids my friends kids, etc all want to meet these things. Dont know why but something about the kids brains think it is the coolest thing.... Now why is that? Is it because people are no longer home with there kids or is it because this generation of kid is all about the selfie etc the moment and sharing it over and over again. Why and how did that become the culture? And is it disney fault for making something as simple as that available and the lines being just crazy long for these things...

Today I would rather jump on a ride but when I was a kid in Disney I loved meeting the mouse and goofy

When I was a kid back in the 70's and went to MK the surprise unplanned interaction with a character was awesome. I once had Pinocchio sneak up and stand behind me mimicking my pose while everyone was laughing, it was a great experience. But standing in line in a plain room watching characters make the same picture over and over with other kids is awful and stale, I agree don't understand why it is popular, even my kids stopped wanting to do it when they were 5 (took to much time out of riding rides).

 

[gmajew]

When I was a kid back in the 70's and went to MK the surprise unplanned interaction with a character was awesome. I once had Pinocchio sneak up and stand behind me mimicking my pose while everyone was laughing, it was a great experience. But standing in line in a plain room watching characters make the same picture over and over with other kids is awful and stale, I agree don't understand why it is popular, even my kids stopped wanting to do it when they were 5 (took to much time out of riding rides).

I will defend every year we still get that surprised experience from a character when we are in the parks... So that is something we have been lucky enough to experience. So I think those experience still happen and are more fun for sure.

 

[gmajew]

Character Dinning is another thing I just don't get... It is crazy how many of them they have now and how popular they are... I will say we are guilty we eat at the Garden Grill every year but I really enjoy the food.

 

[bhg469]

Character Dinning is another thing I just don't get... It is crazy how many of them they have now and how popular they are... I will say we are guilty we eat at the Garden Grill every year but I really enjoy the food.

I guess I "get it" if people go as nuts as they do for it. It never bothered me until they converted tusker house from one of the best counter service places on property and turned it into a character buffet...

 

[gmajew]

I guess I "get it" if people go as nuts as they do for it. It never bothered me until they converted tusker house from one of the best counter service places on property and turned it into a character buffet...

Yeah that one bothered me to but the food is actually pretty good at Tusker house but expensive because of the characters

 

[TLtron]

Character Dinning is another thing I just don't get... It is crazy how many of them they have now and how popular they are... I will say we are guilty we eat at the Garden Grill every year but I really enjoy the food.

Forget the characters. We love GG because of getting to rotate through the different scenes from LWTL, and of course the food. Characters are a perk, but we go for all the other bells and whistles stated.

 

[doctornick]

The characters have been in high demand for decades without Disney's overbearing influence on them. Its how Disney has responded to the demand in recent years that is the problem. I liked what they did with NFL as a whole, but I'm in strong agreement with you that Princess Fairytale Hall taking up perfectly good dark ride space is unacceptable. If MK's Fantasyland is to ever truly become greater than or equal to DL's, then it still has to redo OFL as well by removing the fiber glass tent facades and use as much space for dark rides as possible.

That's the thing. I don't have a problem with PFH, but it should have been in addition to the other offerings, not causing a closure of a dark ride. Disney sure knows how to waste the "blessing of size" with WDW when they "replace" rather than "add".

The FLE as a whole should have kept SWSA and added another 1-2 dark rides in all that space. So much land was wasted with so little attraction capacity added.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

I always love the fact that Disneyland did not have to do this but Magic Kingdom did... could it be disneyland had the space to do it without losing an attraction... I am not defending they could have built something cheap to house the princess but just because DL gets it one way does not mean this park can do it exactly the same.

DL is a wonderful park but it is a theme park that is meant to attract the locals to visit multiple times a year. Orlando is not locals it is meant to attract the once every few year guest... now no excuse for broken affects, or anything else because of this but the two parks are completely different demos.

Its not an issue in maintenance, there are a number of areas that used to operate just like they do at DL. But over past 10 years or so, TDO has decided to change parts of the experience slowly, but surely in ways that only benefit the most entitled, special snowflake tourists. The only thing that prevented TDA from making or maintaining most of the same bad precedents for so long was the power of Cali. based Imagineers as well as a more consistent group of guests. In short, if WDW did it at one point, there's no reason they can't do it now.

 

[brb1006]

I always love the fact that Disneyland did not have to do this but Magic Kingdom did... could it be disneyland had the space to do it without losing an attraction... I am not defending they could have built something cheap to house the princess but just because DL gets it one way does not mean this park can do it exactly the same.

DL is a wonderful park but it is a theme park that is meant to attract the locals to visit multiple times a year. Orlando is not locals it is meant to attract the once every few year guest... now no excuse for broken affects, or anything else because of this but the two parks are completely different demos.

That explains why there are alot of vlog videos shot at Disneyland compared to Walt Disney World.

 

[brb1006]

When I was a kid back in the 70's and went to MK the surprise unplanned interaction with a character was awesome. I once had Pinocchio sneak up and stand behind me mimicking my pose while everyone was laughing, it was a great experience. But standing in line in a plain room watching characters make the same picture over and over with other kids is awful and stale, I agree don't understand why it is popular, even my kids stopped wanting to do it when they were 5 (took to much time out of riding rides).

At least roaming characters is still a thing at Hong Kong Disneyland and Tokyo Disney Resort and Tokyo Disneysea.

 

[Donaldfan1934]

That's the thing. I don't have a problem with PFH, but it should have been in addition to the other offerings, not causing a closure of a dark ride. Disney sure knows how to waste the "blessing of size" with WDW when they "replace" rather than "add".

The FLE as a whole should have kept SWSA and added another 1-2 dark rides in all that space. So much land was wasted with so little attraction capacity added.

Same here. It's fine and needed, but it could've been done much more tastefully. Hopefully, Disney will one day pony up the money to turn the space into a dark ride again.

 

[doctornick]

Character Dinning is another thing I just don't get... It is crazy how many of them they have now and how popular they are... I will say we are guilty we eat at the Garden Grill every year but I really enjoy the food.

I love character dining. If you are going to meet characters and eat anyway, it's so convenient to have them together (especially the in park ones where you don't have to leave). I don't generally think they are overbearing though, with 1-2 in each park and plenty of other sit down options to do if you want to avoid them.

(Also, it's great when your kids are less than 3 and they are free)

 

[roodlesnouter]

I posted this over on OU, thought i'd post here too.

Been looking at tickets and found these "lite" tickets very interesting.

• Orlando Freedom Ticket Lite -Available for a Limited Time Only
  A great option for the price savvy thrill seeker or those looking for just a taste of Florida’s major theme parks. Attraction Tickets Direct has specially created the Orlando Freedom Ticket™ Lite that offers admission to both Universal Orlando® Parks, SeaWorld®, Aquatica™ and Busch Gardens® plus your choice of two Walt Disney World theme parks. 2016 departures only.

• Disney & Universal Combo Ticket Lite - Available for a Limited Time Only
  This Lite version of the Disney & Universal Combo ticket is a great option for those with limited time or more budget conscious wanting to experience just a sprinkle of Disney magic at Walt Disney World plus all the thrills and spills of Universal Orlando® Resort. Enjoy admission to your choice of 2 Walt Disney World theme parks over 2 days plus unlimited admission to Universal Studios®, Universal’s Islands of Adventure® for up to 14 consecutive days. 2016 departures only.

I have never seen tickets offering less than 14 days at Disney like this, have these been around before or is a a sign the UK market is struggling to sell Disney tickets?

 

[Donaldfan1934]

Character Dinning is another thing I just don't get... It is crazy how many of them they have now and how popular they are... I will say we are guilty we eat at the Garden Grill every year but I really enjoy the food.

I think character dinning can be fun. A lot of the more intimate and spontaneous character experiences that I prefer tend to happen at those meals. Although, I agree with you that food comes first.

 

[brb1006]

I think character dinning can be fun. A lot of the more intimate and spontaneous character experiences that I prefer tend to happen at those meals. Although, I agree with you that food comes first.

Plus you can have more time to spend with the characters besides taking a quick picture with them.