The Duck
Well-Known Member
WAAAY more impressive than I expected! :sohappy: Hopefully one day soon the new talking Mickey (and Minnie, Donald and Goofy) will join in.
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PHOTOS - Town Square Theater soft opening including Mickey meet and greet
- Thread starter wdwmagic
- Start date
Rob562
Well-Known Member
Which actually brings up a point that I don't think has been talked about yet...
If the Meet & Greet FastPass machines are linked to the attraction FP system, that quite possibly could make it easier to quickly get FPs at the major attractions with a shorter return time.
If a percentage of families all grab FPs at the Meet & Greet on that way into the park, they're then locked out of getting another for a while.
Hmmm... Might make for an interesting change in the FP dynamic in the park.
Or.....the Meet & Greet FP machines will only be linked to each other (so that you can't have a Mickey and a Princess FP at the same time) but not to the attractions.
-Rob
DisneyNut2007
Active Member
I heard the mural was preserved and sent to the Walt Disney Archives in California.
And stop mentioning TDO! They don't always make these kinds of decisions and you know that!
darthspielberg
Well-Known Member
This looks amazing. I don't normally do Meet and Greets, but I might make an exeception on my next visit. This looks spectacular.
I love the little stickers from every Disney resort (especially Club 33) and the Leota crystal ball just makes my inner HM nerd giggle.
Oh, and man, the "friends of" Mickey and Minnie really seem to love the new digs in that video. They are so happy to point things out!
I love the little stickers from every Disney resort (especially Club 33) and the Leota crystal ball just makes my inner HM nerd giggle.
Oh, and man, the "friends of" Mickey and Minnie really seem to love the new digs in that video. They are so happy to point things out!
Rob562
Well-Known Member
Jeff Lange has now also posted a quick video showing the Princess Meet & Greet.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2ztt0R5GyM
MUCH MUCH less themed, it's quite obvious that it's temporary. Also, it appears that this only takes up some of the second theater, perhaps the back half of the seating area. So it's quite possible that all they did was take out some seats, install some temporary flooring to level it out, add some walls, and the theater survives underneath it all.
I could easily see it going back to a theater after the princesses leave. (Now whether they'd put it into Guest use at that point, or just use it for Cast meetings, that's another whole discussion)
-Rob
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2ztt0R5GyM
MUCH MUCH less themed, it's quite obvious that it's temporary. Also, it appears that this only takes up some of the second theater, perhaps the back half of the seating area. So it's quite possible that all they did was take out some seats, install some temporary flooring to level it out, add some walls, and the theater survives underneath it all.
I could easily see it going back to a theater after the princesses leave. (Now whether they'd put it into Guest use at that point, or just use it for Cast meetings, that's another whole discussion)
-Rob
Wow! That goes right along with what I said earlier! More than likely, Mickey's meet and greet stays and the former Princess area is turned back into the "Theater" and is made part of Mickey's queue. Then what is Mickey's queue now is either turned into overflow or is used as more meet and greet space.
It'll be interesting to see what happens when the Princesses move out. I'm not holding my breath, but I'm still hoping Mickey eventually gets a more fitting home (like a new house in a new Toon Town) and that the bigger plan for this area is to become some kind of small-scale theater attraction in the future.
One bizarre thought...
I know the old theater area (where the Princesses are now) is much, much smaller than the Philharmagic Theater, but could it be big enough to house a smaller version of Philharmagic now that it isn't drawing as well as it used to? That would certainly open up the perfect spot for a Fairy dark ride and m&g in Fantasyland (next to Peter Pan and directly opposite the future Princess m&g).
Odd, I know. But it's really bizarre how well it could come together...
darthspielberg
Well-Known Member
I think drastic revisions would have to be made to the building for it to house Philharmagic. You have to realize that not only does the theater space matter, but also the effects and the like. I think it'd be hard to fit the "stage" illusion from Philharmagic into the current Town Square building.
Philharmagic almost always has spare capacity. Cast in other Fantasyland attractions are handing out Fastpasses for it constantly, and it is heavily featured on the times guide front page.
jt04
Well-Known Member
No doubt the princess m&gs are temporary and the MM m&g is permanent. What a perfect addition to MSUSA. And notice the buzz of the crowds. Everyone that bashes m&gs hasn't a clue. Personally I couldn't care less about them but it is obvious a huge percentage of guests prefer them over rides any day.
And why when they get something so right does everyone praise WDI and when it goes wrong they bash TDO? Biased much?
Great job TDO!
Heh.
And why when they get something so right does everyone praise WDI and when it goes wrong they bash TDO? Biased much?
Great job TDO!
Heh.
I certainly wouldnt go as far as to say a huge percentage prefer them over rides. It is true that meet and greet are a big part of a lot of guests trip, but then equally so are the rides. You wouldn't be looking to start a flame war with that statement would you?
jt04
Well-Known Member
Absolutely not and the comment was certainly not aimed at you. I just happened to be typing at the same time you were.
I guess I should define what I mean by a huge percentage. I don't necessarily mean a majority of guests by that statement. However, these new m&gs are a somewhat revolutionary guest experience and I think Disney is only beginning to understand their potential. Again, while watching the videos, I am struck by the 'buzz' in the room of both the adults and the children. You don't always here that in the queues for traditional attractions.
I would bet money some WDI people are quietly snickering at the decision to get rid of the interactive Cindy and Aurora m&gs originally proposed for the FLE while they think to themselves that they were right all along. Just a thought. No intentions.
durangojim
Well-Known Member
Looks very nice, just too bad they didn't include the Mickey that can talk like the one they have or had at Disneyland for meet and greets.
Because it's not ready for large scale use either at Disneyland or WDW.
Absolutely not and the comment was certainly not aimed at you. I just happened to be typing at the same time you were.
I guess I should define what I mean by a huge percentage. I don't necessarily mean a majority of guests by that statement. However, these new m&gs are a somewhat revolutionary guest experience and I think Disney is only beginning to understand their potential. Again, while watching the videos, I am struck by the 'buzz' in the room of both the adults and the children. You don't always here that in the queues for traditional attractions.
I would bet money some WDI people are quietly snickering at the decision to get rid of the interactive Cindy and Aurora m&gs originally proposed for the FLE while they think to themselves that they were right all along. Just a thought. No intentions.
There is typically always a buzz in new attractions, whatever they are. Heck, I even remember there being abuzz for the new Imagination ride on opening. The cast are excited, management are all over, and guests get told they are amongst the first few inside. It's not a measure of anything. Having said that, I think the new Town Square Theater is great, and Disney have done a great job with it.
The parks are about balance, and the revised Fantasyland gets that balance right. One interactive meet and greet is enough I think, and the replacement of the Cindy and Aurora meet with a family coaster will have a far wider appeal and bring a much better balance to the expansion. Marketing the Mermaid ride, coaster, new restaurant, and a next gen meet and greet will be a far easier task (and I think more effective) than the original proposal.
jt04
Well-Known Member
That is one of the things that confuses me. The reason stated that they were not going to do the interactive m&gs was that they would not have enough capacity. Yet they are keeping the Belle version. So how does going from three interactives venues (really 4 because Cindy would have had 2 rooms) to just one help the situation? Seems to me it would only make things worse by eliminating the other two.
I agree there should be a balance but they could have made the childs mine train and the proposed m&gs or built an Alice or Neverland area or even expanded the Circus theme to incorporate more balance.
As I said, I don't really care they eliminated or scaled back the m&gs. I just think they should have kept the aesthetics as seen in the original artwork. And in the end I think they will restore much of that in one way or another.
As far as I know the reason they were eliminated was because it was determined (and rightly so in my opinion), that a family coaster would be a more successful addition to the park due to it having a wider appeal and ticking the box as another "ride" for Magic Kingdom.
I think the meet and greets are very well represented now at MK, particularly with the new Town Square Theater and the new Princess area when it opens in FL.
RSoxNo1
Well-Known Member
It should be pretty easy to check. A friend of mine will be in the park next week doing research for us, I'll have him check this very thing. Has it been determined that there will be Princess Fastpasses as well as Mickey Fastpasses, or just the Mickey ones?
PhilharMagic's capacity is pretty high as well. I'd also make the case that it's the best attraction in Fantasyland. I find that it rarely disappoints no matter the age group.