Jrn14
Well-Known Member
I understand the idea, but does it have to be so big and gaudy... looks like a cart return at sams club.
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New meet n greet queue test
- Thread starter drew81
- Start date
I understand the idea, but does it have to be so big and gaudy... looks like a cart return at sams club.
T-1MILLION
New Member
I too miss the days where it was just as if the characters were living in these worlds and you never knew who you were going to meet. But you KNEW you would. By the end of a big trip you would most likely see all of the main characters and surely you would of met Mickey around somewhere at least once.
The real BIG reason that you won't see that as much vs the way its structured now is Photopass. Not only has it gotten more tame for the cast members and times they go in and out to create the magic but its also a cash cow for photopass. If it was still mostly 'random' roaming and more importantly interacting they would not be rolling in the dough with it.
The real BIG reason that you won't see that as much vs the way its structured now is Photopass. Not only has it gotten more tame for the cast members and times they go in and out to create the magic but its also a cash cow for photopass. If it was still mostly 'random' roaming and more importantly interacting they would not be rolling in the dough with it.
Tigger1988
Well-Known Member
It was terrible when there was no sense of organization with meet and greets. As a child I got roughly pushed aside by an ADULT while trying to meet Chip and Dale. People would just converge on the characters. So many of my character photos from the late 80s and early 90s have random children in them, because they couldn't be bothered to stand back and wait their turn.
Lines and queues make a safer and more enjoyable environment for both the guests and the CMs.
S
stphnbogert
My favorite thing about the characters is when in the opening of mk when the characters get off the train and walk to their "worlds". I saw Aladdin and Jasmine just walking to Adventureland. It was a great thing to just see. Then Peter Pan and Wendy skipping to Fantasyland. It was one of those moments where I thought it was just so magical. I ended up chasing down Peter Pan for an autograph and picture. Lol.
Captain Chaos
Well-Known Member
Exactly!!!! I have a picture of me and my brother, on our first trip to WDW, with Goofy... And the picture has a bunch of other kids tugging on him...
MKCP 1985
Well-Known Member
hmmm. . . when I was there a couple weeks ago, there weren't any of these. Are they reserved for busy days?
Case in point - we were told the characters were finishing a set and we could not get in line but to come back at whatever time the next set was going to start. We then rode the Great Movie Ride, got a box of popcorn and looked for the approximate spot where Donald and Daisy (they were appearing together) would be. We saw the photopass photographer and asked him where we should wait since the characters were due any second, and he approximated a spot where it turned out another couple was already waiting and before you knew it, there were about 8 to 10 people queued up waiting for the characters before they came out . . . no ropes, cones or anything else. And it seemed to work fine.
Case in point - we were told the characters were finishing a set and we could not get in line but to come back at whatever time the next set was going to start. We then rode the Great Movie Ride, got a box of popcorn and looked for the approximate spot where Donald and Daisy (they were appearing together) would be. We saw the photopass photographer and asked him where we should wait since the characters were due any second, and he approximated a spot where it turned out another couple was already waiting and before you knew it, there were about 8 to 10 people queued up waiting for the characters before they came out . . . no ropes, cones or anything else. And it seemed to work fine.
Biff215
Well-Known Member
hmmm. . . when I was there a couple weeks ago, there weren't any of these. Are they reserved for busy days?
Case in point - we were told the characters were finishing a set and we could not get in line but to come back at whatever time the next set was going to start. We then rode the Great Movie Ride, got a box of popcorn and looked for the approximate spot where Donald and Daisy (they were appearing together) would be. We saw the photopass photographer and asked him where we should wait since the characters were due any second, and he approximated a spot where it turned out another couple was already waiting and before you knew it, there were about 8 to 10 people queued up waiting for the characters before they came out . . . no ropes, cones or anything else. And it seemed to work fine.
The new "Meet and Greet in a Box" is a test so you probably didn't see it. You're right, sometimes the line works well and guests simply follow suit. I like it that way, but also prefer to have an "official" line when waiting in the scorching sun with my daughter while I watch other guests jump in the line. I guess it all depends upon when you are there (crowds) as well as where you are in the parks.
Zummi Gummi
Pioneering the Universe Within!
No, the reason it's structured the way it is now is because it was a mess and unsafe for both the guests and characters. People cut the lines (which didn't really exist), and guests would approach the characters from all directions at once. It also made it very difficult for the characters to leave at the end of a set. I was just looking at some pictures from when I was growing up, and every character photo I have has a bunch of other random people in it.
It's sort of unfathomable that there was a time when characters were allowed out without a handler.
asianway
Well-Known Member
Disneyland assigns attendants - like 3 attendants to Town Square for 5 characters - to areas to keep the peace and sometimes they are nowhere to be seen and people behave. One could argue WDW visitors are more uncivilized, I would be hard pressed to disagree.
Somewhere between the melees that happened back in the 70s and the presence of 2 character attendants, a photopass, and a queue line in a box has to be a happy medium.
Unless they plan on allowing the photopass to serve as the attendant too now that they can organize the line using the box. TDO is nothing if not efficient.
RAXIP
Well-Known Member
The new boxes only arrived in the park last Wednesday (and were fist used Christmas Day). That's why you did not see them, MKCP 1985.
Guest behavior at the Hat area can vary greatly day to day (and even hour to hour) Some times it's really quite and lines form without difficulty and the character are able to leave without being mobbed. Other days there's a mad rush to meet the characters, people lining up in the wrong places or huge crowds surround the character after the line has been closed and it's time to leave.
I've had a few occasions where Guests have started forming their own line, although the real line has been closed and the character is on their last family or two. Because there is no formal queue set up (and the line of Guests is almost gone), the new Guests don't know where they should be queuing up.
This doesn't happen every time, but you can never really tell how Guests are going to act on a certain day. The temporary queue boxes will help create a more consistently organized experience. Some days it won't be needed, but for the time when it is, you'll be glad it's there.
I think Tigger1988 put it best,
"Lines and queues make a safer and more enjoyable environment for both the guests and the CMs."
As for the look. The new version is sure a step up from the first. And while it's not heavily themed, the box itself is similar to the prop boxes used through the Studios to transport food and merchandise. And the stanchions may be unthemed, but the basic black color scheme, means they don't draw more attention to them than they need to. The final product needs to be a balance of theme, function, ease of use, portability, adaptability, durability, safety and cost.
Guest behavior at the Hat area can vary greatly day to day (and even hour to hour) Some times it's really quite and lines form without difficulty and the character are able to leave without being mobbed. Other days there's a mad rush to meet the characters, people lining up in the wrong places or huge crowds surround the character after the line has been closed and it's time to leave.
I've had a few occasions where Guests have started forming their own line, although the real line has been closed and the character is on their last family or two. Because there is no formal queue set up (and the line of Guests is almost gone), the new Guests don't know where they should be queuing up.
This doesn't happen every time, but you can never really tell how Guests are going to act on a certain day. The temporary queue boxes will help create a more consistently organized experience. Some days it won't be needed, but for the time when it is, you'll be glad it's there.
I think Tigger1988 put it best,
"Lines and queues make a safer and more enjoyable environment for both the guests and the CMs."
As for the look. The new version is sure a step up from the first. And while it's not heavily themed, the box itself is similar to the prop boxes used through the Studios to transport food and merchandise. And the stanchions may be unthemed, but the basic black color scheme, means they don't draw more attention to them than they need to. The final product needs to be a balance of theme, function, ease of use, portability, adaptability, durability, safety and cost.