3 Epcot Meet and Greets ending tomorrow 2/13/2016

[Dan Murphy]

http://www.wdwmagic.com/attractions...three-of-epcots-character-meet-and-greets.htm


Princess Aurora at France, Winnie the Pooh & Friends at the United Kingdom Pavilion, and Chip & Dale outside Character Spot.

(Have not seen this posted as yet. If it has, this is duplicate)

 

[Lothlórien]

Sad.

So many cutbacks. It is getting crazy. The prices are consistently increasing and the cutbacks are many.

 

[wendow]

Really sad here too. These were favorites. Seriously, what is wrong with Disney that they just keep cutting back and cutting back at WDW??

 

[bauer1168]

Really sad here too. These were favorites. Seriously, what is wrong with Disney that they just keep cutting back and cutting back at WDW??

I've heard a couple of rumors regarding the removal of these characters from friends who work at EPCOT (take these for what they're worth, I have my doubts on them).

1. The costs involved with Shanghai

2. Disney having to pump money into Disneyland Paris

These are coming from friends who work in a management level (not in the entertainment/character department) in the park. So it could be nothing else but hearsay as it's not their specific field at Disney.


I believe (?) Kenny The Pirate had an article a couple days ago on it saying that it was to pave the way for Joy and Sadness from Inside Out and Anna & Elsa for when they arrive in May. Although I think Kenny posted another article saying his source(s) didn't think Joy and Sadness would be coming anytime soon. If I've misquoted Kenny, let me know.

 

[karly05]

Honestly, my immediate reaction was, "Yay! does this mean Joy Nd Sadness are finally coming?!" Bummed if it's just more cutbacks, but I really hope it means some new characters. (I'm still hoping for a Zootopia m&g, too.)

 

[mom2rtk]

Since it appears that WDW is "sharing" some of its characters, I sure hope Shanghai decides to "share" some of its cool new rides.

 

[jawa7400]

I'm hoping it means Joy and Sadness are coming. We will be there in June with DD5 who has the entire movie memorized!!

 

[hiroMYhero]

Although I think Kenny posted another article saying his source(s) didn't think Joy and Sadness would be coming anytime soon. If I've misquoted Kenny, let me know.

Joy and Sadness are definitely going into Epcot. The holdup is the costumes. A number of costumes are needed to run an all-day non-stop meet and greet and there's been a major delay in completion.

The budgeting constraints for Epcot are based more on Baymax and his complete team, Shanghai, and the future arrival of A&E. DLP's stakeholder has the means to acquire any characters he desires ~ all BH6 characters for a NYE event with a total of 24 WDW character performers flown over to perform at the event.

Here's the thread that links to DoctorDisney's site and the explanation of changes that will occur today and then in May:
http://www.disboards.com/threads/character-changes-in-epcot-beginning-2-14.3482328/#post-55138880

 

[dkrauss]

As experienced Disney-files this does disappoint us........... But is this really a cost reduction issue? Disney just posted their profits and they were through the ROOF! I just don't see it........and they're adding M&G's with the addition of BAYMAX (we met him/her......it in January!) and characters from Inside/Out! You can still get a photo with the characters if you so desire..........at the MK or a character meal!

Oh snap.............that's it..............Disney is trying to move us all to get Character Meals....................it is about MONEY!

Doug

 

[jrathburn]

The cutbacks, for whatever reason, really bum my wife and I out. We remember meeting them there and know our sons first trip will have some omissions in April.

 

[nycdisneygal]

Oh snap.............that's it..............Disney is trying to move us all to get Character Meals....................it is about MONEY!

Doug

yeah thats what I was thinkingtoo

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

Oh no! My daughter just got a Princess Aurora dress and was hoping to wear it next time she met the princess.

Is there another non-character meal place to meet her?

 

[mom2rtk]

Oh no! My daughter just got a Princess Aurora dress and was hoping to wear it next time she met the princess.

Is there another non-character meal place to meet her?

She should be out in the MK somewhere. Check the character schedule on Kenny the Pirate's site. It's really worth the few bucks to subscribe and get the actual schedule.

 

[pachelbel9]

Oh man. For the past 3 trips (starting when my oldest was 8 mo. old), we'd make sure to visit Pooh in the UK and we'd frame the pics and put them in our kids' rooms. Thought it would be fun to keep taking the same picture as they continue to grow, see time fly, etc. I'm so bummed!

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

She should be out in the MK somewhere. Check the character schedule on Kenny the Pirate's site. It's really worth the few bucks to subscribe and get the actual schedule.

Thanks! I actually didn't know that Kenny the Pirate had a paid subscription option.

 

[mom2rtk]

Thanks! I actually didn't know that Kenny the Pirate had a paid subscription option.

If you're hunting characters, you really need it! It's a great tool.

 

[DreamIsaWish]

Please forgive my ignorance, but what does a M&G in Epcot really have to do with budget overruns in Shanghai? I'm assuming the Shanghai budget is enormous (and any overruns are large as well) so how does cutting a few castmembers in a M&G in Epcot even make a dent in Shanghai's budget? Are character greets actually way more expensive to run than I'm thinking?

I can totally see how M&G within the same park should be roughly equivalent to trade for each other. I'm just not seeing how it helps Shanghai or Paris in any appreciable way. If my naive assumptions are wrong, I would be very interested to increase my knowledge level (because, hey, I always love to learn new Disney stuff).

 

[mom2rtk]

Please forgive my ignorance, but what does a M&G in Epcot really have to do with budget overruns in Shanghai?

Indeed. I'm quite disgusted by this.

 

[Disney127]

If you're hunting characters, you really need it! It's a great tool.

Thanks for the tip, will look into this.

 

[FirstTimeDisneyVisit]

i hope we are able to meet chip and dale at some point again soon ! they are one of my favorites to meet