DCL character autograph "Mickey Mail" being discontinued in August

[debdreamsofdis]

Unpopular opinion alert:

I understand why some people are bummed, but I can also understand why Disney has had to cancel this service. As someone previously said, it probably has gotten way out of hand, not only with the number of items people had been asking to have signed, but the actual items themselves have become more and more expensive and elaborate. What happens if the signer messes up an expensive item or if the item is dropped and it gets damaged while in their possession? It just became a bigger liability.

Here's the unpopular opinion part. I just don't get it. Isn't it more fun to see the character and have them sign it in person? Yes, I understand it takes time and it may not be as pretty of a signature. But to me, it's like buying a signed item on ebay, it just doesn't have that special connection if I wasn't present to get the autograph myself. I totally disagree that character autographs should be a perk only available to concierge. And as far as people offering to pay money for signed items, please bring the money to my cabin when I am on your cruise, pay me and I'll gladly sign your item in the style of the character

 

[C6PT7]

A friend called DCL about this, and the characters will only be signing autograph books, not other items.

Too right. They have to stand fast on this. As soon as ONE person reports that they were allowed to have anything other signed and the whole policy is done for, along with a massive increase in waiting time with the characters, which will in turn mean less people get to see them

 

[C6PT7]

I like the idea of paying something per item much better than just concierge being able to do it. I would especially hope that the money would go directly to the people who are doing the signing, not just into Disney coffers.

The only real way that paying per item would detract from everybody still using the service is if it were say $20-$25 per item.
And there is no way dcl are going to give all of that money to the cms signing/handling/delivering!

 

[CesD]

That's too bad. I was hoping to get another mat signed in October. I imagine that it did get out of hand. Great while it lasted.

 

[perditax]

Unpopular opinion alert:

I understand why some people are bummed, but I can also understand why Disney has had to cancel this service. As someone previously said, it probably has gotten way out of hand, not only with the number of items people had been asking to have signed, but the actual items themselves have become more and more expensive and elaborate. What happens if the signer messes up an expensive item or if the item is dropped and it gets damaged while in their possession? It just became a bigger liability.

Here's the unpopular opinion part. I just don't get it. Isn't it more fun to see the character and have them sign it in person? Yes, I understand it takes time and it may not be as pretty of a signature. But to me, it's like buying a signed item on ebay, it just doesn't have that special connection if I wasn't present to get the autograph myself. I totally disagree that character autographs should be a perk only available to concierge. And as far as people offering to pay money for signed items, please bring the money to my cabin when I am on your cruise, pay me and I'll gladly sign your item in the style of the character

Hopping on the Unpopular Opinion train. You saved me having to type all of this. I don't have kids so I already don't 'get' part of it, and I admittedly never understood how it ate so much of the "Tips and secrets DCL doesn't tell you" thread, but it seems like actual adults go for the signatures too, and that's usually where my mind goes 'whaaa?' since it's just some poor CM back there with their hand cramping up.

(If it's for the kids, couldn't the parents just sign the stuff sometime before the cruise and hide it till the cruise? Isn't it just a matter of items disappearing and then reappearing with signatures? This has always seemed like such a weird service to begin with.)

 

[lorimay]

When we sailed on The Wonder in Feb. They were selling little Mickey Mouse travel pillows on the in-room gift section that said in the description character pillow for signatures. I purchased two, one for each grand child. They were in our cabin when we arrived. Instructions said bring it down to guest services and it will be signed and brought back to your room by the end of the cruise. I think each pillow was $20. I guess they didn't sell well because I didn't see them offered after that cruise.

 

[goofymom74]

Sad to see it go, ONLY because of the time it takes for the characters to sign autograph books at the photo ops!

 

[TestingH2O]

I guess we are on the last cruise with the service. I would have been bummed having made the backpack for DD.

All that being said, I totally get why they are discontinuing it and I don't really blame them.

 

[Mickey4me!]

When we sailed on The Wonder in Feb. They were selling little Mickey Mouse travel pillows on the in-room gift section that said in the description character pillow for signatures. I purchased two, one for each grand child. They were in our cabin when we arrived. Instructions said bring it down to guest services and it will be signed and brought back to your room by the end of the cruise. I think each pillow was $20. I guess they didn't sell well because I didn't see them offered after that cruise.

Hmmm...looks like Disney did try to capitalize on the character signed item idea but it just didn't pay off. I wonder if they will start selling autographed pillowcases and photo mats in the gift shops.

 

[AngelDisney]

A friend called DCL about this, and the characters will only be signing autograph books, not other items.

Does this refer to Guest Services or regular Meet and Greet line? TIA!

 

[MunFam]

I shared this on the Disney Blog...

We were not fans of the "drop it off a guest services and let a random cast member sign the signatures of all the characters for you" idea, so we went to every single meet and greet and got the "real" signatures from each character in costume. The bummer, and I guess it just adds character, no pun intended, is that some of the puffy handed characters like pluto and dug, especially when left handed, drug their paws through the Sharpie ink and smeared it pretty bad. If we were doing some special keepsake to display like a frame, plate, ornament, pillowcase, this could have been a real bummer and the thought of clean signatures from guest services makes sense. But I do understand why they are cutting the pixie dust off...Im sure its too time intensive on those 3 days especially!!! Maybe they will secretly offer it on the longer ones.

 

[Hernandez Family Cruisers]

Personally I never saw the draw of this service. If someone is wanting to have a display item signed nicely it would be just as easy to purchase one online already signed. It would be just as authentic (not very)! By dropping it off you have no clue who is signing it, so it's the same. Honestly you could just do a little research and sign it yourselves.

As a few others have posted there is just something special about taking an item to the character specifically and having them sign it for you! Having it signed behind the scenes is not very magical at all in my opinion.

 

[C6PT7]

Does this refer to Guest Services or regular Meet and Greet line? TIA!

guest services will no longer accept items to be signed. And at the meet and greet, only autograph books will be signed, no other items if the shore side cm spoken to is correct.

 

[AngelDisney]

guest services will no longer accept items to be signed. And at the meet and greet, only autograph books will be signed, no other items if the shore side cm spoken to is correct.

Thanks!

 

[CesD]

Personally, I feel like the autograph books become junk. Just a notebook with signatures that will disappear in our toy bin eventually. We took a story book once and at least that served a purpose- bed time stories. And the mat goes up with a photo on the wall. I'm hoping they will let us sign the mats at the meet and greet.

 

[nearlyfallinstar]

I guess I'm in the unpopular opinion category too! Our first cruise is coming up this September. I had originally thought about having photo mats signed, but decided against it before they announced that they will no longer sign. I didn't feel it was worth the hassle of keeping the mats nice till they got to GS and then nice all the way home. The pictures are the valuable souvenir to me! I also will not ask the characters to sign anything when we meet them. Unless we get an awesome signature book in our FE, but otherwise we will live with out autographs.

 

[Kimberly1]

I hope that they will only sign autograph books turns out to be wrong. I'd still be willing to carry a photomat, but more importantly we always take index cards and have them signed and bring them home to build/scrapbook our autograph books. We only add new characters each trip. I'll be sad to not be able to add the new characters on our next cruise.

 

[nearlyfallinstar]

I hope that they will only sign autograph books turns out to be wrong. I'd still be willing to carry a photomat, but more importantly we always take index cards and have them signed and bring them home to build/scrapbook our autograph books. We only add new characters each trip. I'll be sad to not be able to add the new characters on our next cruise.

If they do only sign autograph books, just have the book signed and then cut out the signatures to use in your own scrapbook.

 

[dcassetta]

I would guess that limiting the character greetings to autograph books only is a way to keep them from becoming too time-consuming. I know I have seen families where there are three or four children and they seem to need numerous photos with a variety of different assortments of children, and then each child needs a couple of things signed. So you end up with one family spending a very long time with the characters, and they are out for such short periods of time. I would be OK with a policy where you can have something signed besides an autograph book, but it needs to be limited to one per family.

 

[Kimberly1]

I would guess that limiting the character greetings to autograph books only is a way to keep them from becoming too time-consuming. I know I have seen families where there are three or four children and they seem to need numerous photos with a variety of different assortments of children, and then each child needs a couple of things signed. So you end up with one family spending a very long time with the characters, and they are out for such short periods of time. I would be OK with a policy where you can have something signed besides an autograph book, but it needs to be limited to one per family.

One non-autograph book item? Or one item? I would think each child should be able to have their item signed in a family.