No more characters?

[hammysammy59]

So... I'm pretty new here so I probably just missed the news, but on my last trip to the 'World this past April, there were no characters out and about. It was a pretty big bummer considering that my trip before that was in '96, and of course there were tons of characters walking around, and I kind of just assumed they'd still be around in '06. What happened? I am not about to wait in line to meet characters when I could be on rides or attractions, and that totally kills the spontaneity of just running into the characters.

I mean, I am 22, so it's not like it ruined the trip because I couldn't get a bunch of pictures taken with Disney characters, but it'd be like if I went one year and there was no Castle (though Pirates of the Caribbean was closed, which is almost as bad, and partially why I want to plan my own trip for next year). I mean, thankfully Space Mickey and Space Goofy were hanging around Mission: Space so my Dad and I got made sure to get a picture.

So did they quit because it was inhumane for CM's to wear the big heavy costumes in the Florida sun? If that's the case, I can undesrtand and sympathize, but if it's not, then why?

 

[Nemo14]

So... I'm pretty new here so I probably just missed the news, but on my last trip to the 'World this past April, there were no characters out and about. It was a pretty big bummer considering that my trip before that was in '96, and of course there were tons of characters walking around, and I kind of just assumed they'd still be around in '06. What happened? I am not about to wait in line to meet characters when I could be on rides or attractions, and that totally kills the spontaneity of just running into the characters.

I mean, I am 22, so it's not like it ruined the trip because I couldn't get a bunch of pictures taken with Disney characters, but it'd be like if I went one year and there was no Castle (though Pirates of the Caribbean was closed, which is almost as bad, and partially why I want to plan my own trip for next year). I mean, thankfully Space Mickey and Space Goofy were hanging around Mission: Space so my Dad and I got made sure to get a picture.

So did they quit because it was inhumane for CM's to wear the big heavy costumes in the Florida sun? If that's the case, I can undesrtand and sympathize, but if it's not, then why?

I was there in May and saw lots of characters!

 

[ypcat]

Well, you even said you saw characters hanging out at M:S, so yes they are still there. They don't usually walk around the parks, but are located at meet & greet locations. They are even listed on the park maps.

No clue why you didn't see more though. Some of the lines are pretty hard to miss seeing that something is going on.

 

[hammysammy59]

Have they always done the designated meet'n'greets then? For some reason I thought back in the day they just had the characters wandering the park.

My sister and her fiance went last December, and the only "free" character they saw was Space Goofy. Maybe we just suck at running into characters, or are they only at the meet'n'greet locations?

 

[brertigger]

There were lots out in MK Mainstreet area in May throughout the day. AK also had a variety of characters walking around the area outside the turnstiles in the afternoon.

You might have just kept missing them. Next time, if you want to see a specific character, ask any cast member to call and see when they'll be out and about. They will tell you the time and place.

I have never seen the characters near Mission Space. I'll have to keep an eye out next time.

 

[Master Yoda]

I am not a CM so I don't know the "official" reasons why this stopped but here is what I surmise are the reasons.

1. It is what the guests want. I always here people asking "Where can I get a picture with X?" Now cast members have an answer.
2.The majority of those costumes have next to zero visibility. You can imagine the lawsuits that came about from "Tigger stepped on my toe. I want a million dollars."
3. The conditions inside the suit had to play a factor. With the random wandering characters it was very easy for them to be besieged by guests forcing them to spend quite some time in the blazing Florida sun in a suit that would make you hot during the winter at the south pole.

All in all it is just a much more orderly and efficient way to have the meet and greets with characters in the parks. It is safer for the cast members and it is easier for guests to get pictures and autographs of the characters.

 

[erasure fan1]

I also think that Disney has made the characters an "attraction". Like master yoda said people ask where is X character and they say over by ______blank. So you go and wait for said character and it can be 5 min. or 45 min. And that acts as some great crowd control and something to do when waiting for a fastpass or stuff like that. I like it because my daughter loves the characters and we ask for certain ones and they tell us when, where, what time its great.

 

[LilRoo714]

I'm not sure that the characters have ever really "wandered" the parks but I agree with you in that it appears there are fewer of them in very visible areas of the parks. They do have meet-n-greets on Main Street and in front of the big hat at MGM, but these locations are very orderly with a line and one or two character greeters that organize the crowds. It is extremely hot and semi-dangerous to be a character in the FL heat in that huge costume which you can't see out of so more often the characters are situated in places where they can make a very quick exit off into the backstage area should that be necessary.

Next time you go check the guide maps and times guides (the white sheet of paper usually provided with the map) for character locations and hours. If you don't see someone on there that you'd like to meet, head to Guest Relations at any park and they'll call the Chip Hotline for you - this is the Entertainment line that will provide time and appearance information for any character at any place in WDW. Hope that helps!!

 

[shoppingnut]

3. The conditions inside the suit had to play a factor. With the random wandering characters it was very easy for them to be besieged by guests forcing them to spend quite some time in the blazing Florida sun in a suit that would make you hot during the winter at the south pole.

No to mention how tramatized kids would be if they saw Tigger or Mickey faint.

They also created lots of indoor meet n greets which means each character can be out longer before they have to switch them and you don't have to wait in line in the heat. When they are outside in especially in the summertime, they can only be out for something like 15 mins at a time in those costumes.

 

[ClemsonTigger2]

We went in January/February this year, and at Epcot particularly we saw lots of characters out - Space Goofy, at Mission Space; Snow White, Mulan, Jasmine, Belle, and even Cinderella out in the World Showcase - and then Pooh and his friends were inside a building in the UK. There was also a particular area you could go inside in the Pavilion that's in front of the Land area (can't remember name right now) and see Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald, Chip and Dale, then 3 minor characters - a penguin from Mary Poppins, Gideon from Pinocchio, and the little raccoon from Pocahontas.
We also sometimes saw characters wandering around in the MK - Space Pluto and Space Chip and Dale - Mary Poppins on the carousel - and our friends saw Jasmine and Aladdin near the Magic Carpets. It's kind of hit and miss, but you can also find them at particular times and places if you ask, like the other people who've responded have said. Captain Hook and Smee were in front of Pirates - and we met Peter Pan on Main Street.

 

[drew81]

There are lots of characters out and about. You just have to know where to look.

 

[isitingood]

I was there to weeks ago and saw a lot of characters. Epcot had Belle and Beast, Snow White and Dopey, Jasmine and Genie, Chip N Dale , Mulan and Aurora.

 

[kachow]

My guess is they partly did it for the convenience of the guests, so that they know where to find them; partly did it to keep the people lining up in more wide open areas rather than in random, unpredictable areas, and partly did it to more easily manage the characters. I don't see the harm in it since generally whenever a character shows up he or she is mobbed and doesn't get to walk around much anyway before it's break time. Plus, if there's a character you absolutely want to see, you know where to go rather than possibly never seeing him or her.

 

[Tim G]

At the moment they're everywhere during opening hours...

 

[bsummer]

If you look on a park map there will be a little red square with a white glove pointing down. This is the chracter meet and greet symbol..hence why it's on the character greeter costumes. And if you think of it as everyday in the Magic Kingdom you can see Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Max, Donald, Chip, Dale, Daisy, Pluto, Rafiki, Timon, Friar Tuck, Captain Hook, Mr. Smee, Peter Pan, Wendy, Alice, Aurora, Ariel, Cinderella, Snow White, Belle, Wendell, Brer Fox, Stitch, Buzz Lightyear, Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, Eeyore, The Tweedles, The Queen of Hearts and many many others...I'd say that's quite a bit of charcters, you just have to look on the map to see where you can meet them...and sometime you'll just stumble across them.

 

[Atta83]

When you get to the park look at the times guides they seem to help . And believe me , there are plenty of characters out and about, and when it rains they just go into different locations to still be able to see guest.

 

[Mecha Figment]

Characters did infact use to roam the kindoms at will. This was all before animal kingdom opened which changed the rules for everthing.

AS of right now to the Disney company, the characters are there to push the autograph book sales. Thats prety much it. It is my oppinion and most others in that department it has really ruined themagic to have set locations instead of that magical random moment when you meet that character who magicaly appears out of nowhere.


but it is also for the safty of thecharacters. Today a group of Brazilian teens beat up Wendle the country bear. They were chased down id and charges were filed. Sothey are in some big trouble. if wendle had been out roaming on his own he might be in more trouble than he was.

 

[Hakunamatata]

At the moment they're everywhere during opening hours...

You cant get past the train station area on mainstreet without seeing characters when the park opens. Well, you could if you walked through with your eyes closed, but then you would run into one.....