VIP meet and greet

[Disneybridewifemama]

Ok, so what is the secret to getting an invite to the VIP meet and greet on the final day of the cruise? Does this for sure happen on every sailing/ship? We are on a 5 day western on the wonder in January and my DD (4) is obsessed with seeing the characters! I would LOVE to find out how to get her in on the special meet and greet, this is our first Disney cruise and we are over the moon excited to experience this through her eyes! Thanks in advance for any tips!

 

[lbgraves]

If there is something like that onboard, it wouldn't be a good idea to broadcast on a public forum how to get invited to it. The CMs involved then would be barraged with requests. This is one reason I haven't posted about all of our PD moments on the boards. When they happen they are special, but if guests start going on the cruise expecting it to happen it takes part of that experience away. I will say that 10 cruises and I haven't heard of anything special the last day that wasn't open to all guests. There are sometimes events that happen during the week on 7-night cruises, but those are for MAW families.

 

[PoohJen]

Perhaps you are referring to the Castaway Club member reception? This is once per cruise, where the crew are on hand to mingle with past cruisers (Gold and Platinum, I believe), and there is a guest appearance by a Disney character. It used to be open to all past DCL cruisers, but that general group now makes up most of the ship!

 

[Disneybridewifemama]

I guess I'm not exactly sure what I'm referring to! (Oops!!) I'm sorry if I offended you, lbgraves. I have just read on a few threads that a couple people with children got invited to a VIP meet and greet before the final show on the last night, I was just looking for more info on that and if there's something we should look out for or do to get a chance to be a part of it. I'm not trying to say I'm going to big cm's over it. I'm just curious at tips on making this the most magical trip possible.

 

[Disneybridewifemama]

Also, I have no idea what PD or MAW stand for, lol. I'm new to these boards and Disney Cruise Line.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Also, I have no idea what PD or MAW stand for, lol. I'm new to these boards and Disney Cruise Line.

PD = Pixie Dust

MAW = Make A Wish

 

[sambycat]

To the OP - I'm assuming this is a first cruise? Because I am sure you are going to find that there are plenty of character interactions even without any "extra" pixie dust! It's really quite different than the parks. You will have a great time!!!

 

[nyc211]

On our first concierge sailing 4 yrs ago we received invitations in our stateroom to meet a special somebody in one of the lounges. It was a 1on1 for my then 2yr old with Mickey. Awesome experience. The next sailing we were invited to a concierge reception (2 actually) with characters present. Fun fun.

 

[EvaSue]

These events are specifically for Make a Wish children, their families, and a few VIPs if there's room left over. It is a terrible idea to "try to get in". They will stop doing them all together. Unless you have a terminally ill child, just enjoy your cruise and all the magic you have to look forward to in the future! But it's best to stay off the subject on the boards.

 

[nyc211]

My son was now MAW and it does happen. I have to say, the hostility shown on this board toward the OP, a new poster, has been disconcerting to me. I'm finding this attitude more and more in this forum.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

My son was now MAW and it does happen. I have to say, the hostility shown on this board toward the OP, a new poster, has been disconcerting to me. I'm finding this attitude more and more in this forum.

Sorry, I didn't notice any "hostility". Just several suggestions as to keeping PD options from open discussion as to how to "make them happen".

 

[EvaSue]

No hostility intended, just giving fair and honest advice to someone who asked! I used to be one of the hosts of this event, I would hate to see them disappear. They are not for everyone, and of course everyone would love to attend. But the facts are that no one should ever make an effort to get an invite. There's plenty of magic to go around during the course of the cruise!

 

[Disneybridewifemama]

To the OP - I'm assuming this is a first cruise? Because I am sure you are going to find that there are plenty of character interactions even without any "extra" pixie dust! It's really quite different than the parks. You will have a great time!!!

Yes this is definitely our first disney cruise! I had no idea these were events for sick kids, or I would have never brought it up. My bad, I was just trying to figure it all out!

 

[kissimeekathy]

My son was now MAW and it does happen. I have to say, the hostility shown on this board toward the OP, a new poster, has been disconcerting to me. I'm finding this attitude more and more in this forum.

I agree 100%! I am honestly afraid of some of the responses I might get if I post something seen as stupid or uninformed. So I just don't ask and research or hope someone else posts about, after some of the responses I have seen. Clearly the OP didn't know it was for MAW children and that's why she asked the question. She asked a question about something she saw and wanted information about (the purpose of these boards!) and she was instead berated. Sad. I hope these responses don't scare her away and doesn't damper her excitement for her cruise!

 

[Disneybridewifemama]

I agree 100%! I am honestly afraid of some of the responses I might get if I post something seen as stupid or uninformed. So I just don't ask and research or hope someone else posts about, after some of the responses I have seen. Clearly the OP didn't know it was for MAW children and that's why she asked the question. She asked a question about something she saw and wanted information about (the purpose of these boards!) and she was instead berated. Sad. I hope these responses don't scare her away and doesn't damper her excitement for her cruise!

Thank you so much, I most definitely did not mean to offend anyone or suggest that my daughter deserved the same treatment as make a wish children. I would never dream of putting a damper on something like that.

 

[sambycat]

again, you are going to find so many character opportunities that just happen for anyone! i was never a “character” person, but now i am on the cruises! there are several meet and greets with different characters at different places on the ship - all in the navigators, very easy to make sense of when you get there. there are characters on castaway cay! the best thing is that there are random roaming characters every day - keep an eye around the atrium area - you never know who you might run into! chip and dale are favorites - sometimes they wander the deck peeking in the windows. i’m sure i sound like a goober, but really it’s quite fun and i’m betting you will have some pretty fun and unexpected moments onboard!

 

[super mike b]

....the best thing is that there are random roaming characters every day - keep an eye around the atrium area - you never know who you might run into!...

Great advice! There are lots of great character experiences on the ships that you rarely get in the parks.

 

[lbgraves]

No hostility intended, just giving fair and honest advice to someone who asked! I used to be one of the hosts of this event, I would hate to see them disappear. They are not for everyone, and of course everyone would love to attend. But the facts are that no one should ever make an effort to get an invite. There's plenty of magic to go around during the course of the cruise!

I also wasn't offended by the OP's question and I wasn't berating anyone in my response. I was simply making a statement of my opinion to anyone who may have known about this event to not give details about it on the board. There was a thread a couple weeks ago regarding this topic and CMs resenting some of the information sharing here. I wasn't sure if what had been seen was one of the MAW events. I only found out about that because of an incident that happened on our 2006 cruise, and DD6 at the time was invited to it by the character manager in an attempt to make up for the actions of a character accompanier.

The fact is that there are lots of opportunities to meet characters on the ships. When the kids were younger I always called the PALS line at night to get the detailed schedule for the next day. They will tell you the specific times & where each character will be. Get there 10 minutes early and you can start the new line. Just check with the CM standing there with the character. They will have you get at the back of the current line for the next character. We can see 6-7 characters in the hour before dinner this way just in the atrium area on decks 3-5 on the new ships. If you are going to see a princess, make it 20 minutes early. If there is a princess gathering with multiple princesses, at least 30 minutes early. Trust me, that will save you from standing in a much longer line if you wait. Sometimes there are characters scheduled around 7 p.m. This is during the middle of dinner & the show, which makes it the perfect time for a quick meet. Just excuse yourself from the table, tell your servers you will be right back, and go snap a picture and get an autograph. These sessions hardly have anyone in line because of the time they are scheduled.

 

[TinkGirl]

On our July cruise I ran into Stitch on deck 11 when I was out for an early morning coffee run, Mickey at the elevators when we boarded after our castaway cay day, and Belle at the elevators on deck 7. They were just walking around. Belle didn't even have a cm.

 

[jjgarv]

Only thing I can suggest is to not try and make it happen.... Enjoy your cruise as a family and let the pixie dust fall where it may.... It will fall at some point on you, maybe not as the meet and greet, but you will find it everyday somehow.