Where Are the Characters?

[larryz]

Not sure what this is supposed to mean?

Your choice of words describing how guests interact with free-range characters leads me to believe your comment hasn't been approved by the PR department.

 

[mm52200]

Your choice of words describing how guests interact with free-range characters leads me to believe your comment hasn't been approved by the PR department.

Well this is a public forum board so no need to have it approved??? The characters are constantly asked to stop and take pictures the whole time...is that better for you?

 

[bsiev1977]

The main issue as I see it is that increasingly the people who visit the parks are self-absorbed creeps who would step on a child to get a selfie with a character.

 

[larryz]

Well this is a public forum board so no need to have it approved??? The characters are constantly asked to stop and take pictures the whole time...is that better for you?

Nah, it's just your choice of words that labels the guests who go to the parks partly to see and interact with costumed characters as somehow "harassing" them by asking them to stop for photos...

Maybe WDW should post signs saying "Please Don't Harass The Characters."

 

[mm52200]

Nah, it's just your choice of words that labels the guests who go to the parks partly to see and interact with costumed characters as somehow "harassing" them by asking them to stop for photos...

Maybe WDW should post signs saying "Please Don't Harass The Characters."

When guests get in the characters way, pull on them, cuss out their attendants, and sometimes even physically assault the character, I don’t think calling it harassing the character is too far of a stretch...

 

[Jon81uk]

A few years ago we went to Disneyland Paris and the times guide stated that a Woody would be meeting in Frontierland at a certain time. We walked over and people shoved themselves next to him and pushed others out the way to get a photo. I would rather have a rope and a line and know I will get my pictures when I reach the front instead of having to fight to get a photo.
The other reason Florida has gone to more indoor locations is then the characters are in air conditioning and can meet for longer periods without a break. Also certain characters (such as Mickey) have magical locations that mean you won't wait as long to meet them.

 

[Nemo14]

It was fun back in the day when characters just appeared, but times have changed, as have crowds. One of my favorite memories. though, was Chip and Dale with my mom when my kids were stroller age. They kept stealing the stroller and one would sit in it and the other would get my mother to push it around. We laughed so hard, and the look on my mom's face was pure joy.

 

[larryz]

When guests get in the characters way, pull on them, cuss out their attendants, and sometimes even physically assault the character, I don’t think calling it harassing the character is too far of a stretch...

If everybody did that, the characters would be attended by OCSO deputies, not CMs.

 

[John park hopper]

It is sad how the few can ruin it for the many. I'm glad my sons when the were young had the experience of free range characters

 

[brb1006]

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.

Nowadays the characters from Pinocchio have now become "Rare Characters". I still remember when the characters from Pinocchio were very common.

 

[brb1006]

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.

It also helped that guests were more respectful with the characters.

 

[eliza61nyc]

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?

It must be a long time since you've been back. characters have not walked around freely in MK for quite a while. lol, personally I can;t imagine the absolute chaos that would ensue if Mickey strolled down main street. John q. public has lost some of it's refinement. He'd be tackled and mobbed within 20 secs. it would be a disaster.

 

[eliza61nyc]

If everybody did that, the characters would be attended by OCSO deputies, not CMs.

but it doesn't take "everybody" simply a few. and I did my time in customer service at the 34th street Macys during Christmas, lol. You would be absolutely surprised what "moms" would do to get their precious little babies pictures with a character (in my case Santa) it ain't pretty.

I have absolutely no doubt that within 20 secs of stepping out onto anywhere in MK, a major character would be assaulted (and yes that's what I mean). I saw two grown A men get into a fight WITH kids on their shoulder last April over watching the afternoon parade.

 

[brb1006]

It must be a long time since you've been back. characters have not walked around freely in MK for quite a while. lol, personally I can;t imagine the absolute chaos that would ensue if Mickey strolled down main street. John q. public has lost some of it's refinement. He'd be tackled and mobbed within 20 secs. it would be a disaster.

I actually found a video from RetroWDW that actually showed Mickey walking around Main Street for a brief period in that video.

 

[AndyS2992]

A few years ago we went to Disneyland Paris and the times guide stated that a Woody would be meeting in Frontierland at a certain time. We walked over and people shoved themselves next to him and pushed others out the way to get a photo. I would rather have a rope and a line and know I will get my pictures when I reach the front instead of having to fight to get a photo.
The other reason Florida has gone to more indoor locations is then the characters are in air conditioning and can meet for longer periods without a break. Also certain characters (such as Mickey) have magical locations that mean you won't wait as long to meet them.

This was one of my big issues with Disneyland Paris however they seem to have fixed this now as all characters on my last two trips had rope lines set out.

 

[BasiltheBatLord]

Disneyland characters don’t really roam as much as people think they do. When they do it’s a fairly limited area that they’re allowed to traverse. Out of the parks I’ve been to, Tokyo seems to allows characters to roam the most.

 

[BoarderPhreak]

They were fired to cut costs.

I look at my photos from 2007... Characters everywhere.

 

[Lamp]

I’ve been to TDR and trust me when I say be lucky we have m&g locations. Tons of kids unable to meet Scrooge mcduck cause he would pick others instead. Then would go to “check his coins”

 

[JohnD]

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?

I saw one of the Country Bears (can't remember which one) roaming Fronttierland in MK several weeks back. In HS, Chip & Dale weren't necessarily "roaming" but they were leaving their M&G near the blocked off SW:GE entrance and occasionally stopping to visit guests on their way back to their "hole in the ground."

 

[Michaelson]

Yeah, I was about to say the Country Bears were wandering all over Frontierland last February, and my wife got photos with 2 of them right in the middle of the street. Big Al was definitely in character, as he was stand-offish, and she had to quite literally chase him down before he stood still for a photo. Guess he was still upset about being tossed off stage by the other bears after singing 'THERE WAS BLOOD ON THE SADDLE....."

One of the family jokes has been that Chip and Dale seem to pop up just about everywhere....especially in Animal Kingdom....and either in meet and greets on the sidewalk out front, or just out of no where along a park bench. They're REALLY active, or have over the past 5 years!

Two years ago I was kind of embarrassed as I had one character walk up to me and stand, waiting for a photo to be shot. My daughter obliged, and he waddled off. He was a penguin, and for the life of me I had NO clue who or what he even was! I totally forgot we were in the English section of Epcot, and Mary Poppins was just around the corner in a meet and greet. He was one of the dancing penguins from that film. I was clueless.

Regards! Michaelson