Elsa and Anna meet and greet

[Crazykrug]

Is the door beneath Olaf the entrance to the meet & greet or is the entrance somewhere else?

Yes it is. The line starts to the left side of the building and they have a wait time sign posted there as well (we were right in front of the wait sign when we went).

 

[BigCheese]

Yes it is. The line starts to the left side of the building and they have a wait time sign posted there as well (we were right in front of the wait sign when we went).

That helps a ton. Thanks Crazykrug. When you saw both did you see them early like you suggested, or a random time during the day?

 

[Crazykrug]

We used our MM pass Tuesday so the park opened at 9:00. DW, DD and DS all went and waited in the line while I went and rode Star Tours. I met up with them and then took over waiting while DW and DD rode some rides until they M & G opened at 11:00 (so yes waiting in a line for 2 hours).

We were probably the 9-10th family in line and maybe 25 people in front of us. We left the M & G at 11:30.

Anna and Elsa were great. They talked to my DD for what seemed like at least 4-5 minutes. I think that is why the wait is so long is that they actually do more than just take a quick picture and sign autographs (although DD was the last in line with Sofia so that lasted a while too before she went on break).

We actually had to pry DD away so we didn't take up too much of their time as she likes to talk

 

[BigCheese]

Just wanted to thank you Crazykrug for the input on the Frozen Royal Reception meet & greet. It helped a lot during planning, and we were able to get there near the front of the line this week on a 10:00 park opening. Both Elsa and Anna were there (all indications from CMs is that both are there first thing at 11:00, so it is the best bet to see both of them at the same time). It was definitely a highlight.

 

[evandmp]

I waited 3 hrs this Wednesday, got there at 10:10 and line was already at the 120min mark. By the time the meet and greet opened the line was at a 3 plus hour wait. Both Anna and Elsa were there when we got in at 1. I heard the same thing that Elsa is only there in the morning which is probably why so many line up before the meet and greet start.

 

[BigCheese]

I waited 3 hrs this Wednesday, got there at 10:10 and line was already at the 120min mark. By the time the meet and greet opened the line was at a 3 plus hour wait. Both Anna and Elsa were there when we got in at 1. I heard the same thing that Elsa is only there in the morning which is probably why so many line up before the meet and greet start.

Yikes, we were there on Wednesday as well. We were at the rope for RD (at the Partners Statue) and got to the Frozen Royal Reception a few minutes after 10:00 and were about the fifth family in line. You were right, that line built up real fast, but what a difference only a few minutes make! I imagine the park opening at 10:00 was a good incentive for everyone to head there first thing before anything else, but we were there for EMH on Thursday and noticed the line built up just as quickly so I can only assume it's like that all the time. I'm glad you were able to see both Elsa and Anna!

 

[amber121]

We did rope drop, and I rushed over and got first in line, however it was 9am so we had a two hour wait, my husband took my place while I took my daughter to get her hair done. Later in the day during our time at disney the line was always long. I did get a glimpse in around 4pm one day and only Anna was there.

 

[trill]

What is stopping them from extending the hours? Why is Disneyland seemingly ok with 3 hour waits?

Surely the building is dedicated, and CM's to run it not hard to find. More costumes and actresses isnt too difficult either - they do that all the time. So why the short hours and possibility that Elsa wont even be there? Are they seriously running one shift of one actress a day for the most popular character to meet in the last 20 years?

With the success of the movie, Disney should have piles of cash to throw at this. That the other princesses at the Royal hall have twice the hours available is outrageous.

I know they are constrained with getting merchandise made - Im fine waiting for that (Elsa dress anyone?!!). But the hours for M&G are clearly within their control. Just pisses me off really.

 

[longtimedisneylurker]

What is stopping them from extending the hours? Why is Disneyland seemingly ok with 3 hour waits?

My guess: Clearly people are willing to wait. And it keeps a not-insignificant slice of ticket holders "busy" and out of other lines in a park that is more crowded than ever before and full of an unusually high number of off-season refurbs. Also, perversely, the more in-demand and hard-to-get something is, the more people seem to want it and will go to great lengths to have it.

 

[arichau]

What is stopping them from extending the hours? Why is Disneyland seemingly ok with 3 hour waits?

Surely the building is dedicated, and CM's to run it not hard to find. More costumes and actresses isnt too difficult either - they do that all the time. So why the short hours and possibility that Elsa wont even be there? Are they seriously running one shift of one actress a day for the most popular character to meet in the last 20 years?

With the success of the movie, Disney should have piles of cash to throw at this. That the other princesses at the Royal hall have twice the hours available is outrageous.

I know they are constrained with getting merchandise made - Im fine waiting for that (Elsa dress anyone?!!). But the hours for M&G are clearly within their control. Just pisses me off really.

I totally agree with this. It is crazy how long and slow these lines are. I doubt I will even tell my kids about the Frozen meet and greet this summer because it sucks up too much time. There's no way they can wait in a line that long and I don't like the placeholder thing (although in this case I would do it and would have ZERO problems with anyone doing it in front of me).

If they had the M & G open from park opening to closing and it was that long I would not complain. But 11-4? It bothered me when it was Rapunzel and like that. At least Rapunzel was also in the parade so I could guarantee my kids could at least see them while they were in the parks. BTW is Merida in the parade yet or is the M & G the only place to see her still?

There is no way when the parks open at 9 or 8am I am going straight to a place that doesn't open at 11. I would do it for a 10am park opening - a good perk for off-season hours I guess!

Thanks to everyone with the news that if you want to see Elsa you should go in the morning - love info like that from this board. I need to go back for the post that said when they take a break and walk through the parks - that might be our best shot at a glimpse of them without a huge headache.

I hope everyone gets some good luck and a surprise short wait seeing the Frozen ladies!

 

[evandmp]

Thanks Big Cheese, yes it's crazy what a few minutes late did to me, lol. Despite the long wait it was worth it. Once we got in we were not rushed. Now had Elsa not been there it would not have been worth it for us. I don't understand why they can't guarantee both and if they only have one why not Elsa. Everyone I talked to wanted to meet Elsa.

 

[evandmp]

One more tip shortly after we met them both we went to eat at the restaurant next door. They walked out and then back in through the restaurant and waved at the people eating.

 

[BigCheese]

Thanks Big Cheese, yes it's crazy what a few minutes late did to me, lol. Despite the long wait it was worth it. Once we got in we were not rushed. Now had Elsa not been there it would not have been worth it for us. I don't understand why they can't guarantee both and if they only have one why not Elsa. Everyone I talked to wanted to meet Elsa.

I totally agree. Everyone we spoke with in line wanted to meet both Elsa and Anna, but if only one was there, Elsa would be their choice. The amount of girls wearing Elsa dresses in the park greatly outnumbered Anna dresses (from what we saw). I too don't quite understand why Elsa is there in a "limited" capacity, especially now that it's in its fifth month in the park. I also hope DLR pushes the start time earlier the way Epcot recently did. One CM we spoke with said they haven't seen anything like the popularity of Frozen and the high demand associated with this meet & greet in the years they've been a CM. Don't think the popularity and demand will be waning anytime soon.

To the PP regarding placeholding, I agree (as I'm sure most do as well). But in this instance, the CMs were actually encouraging placeholding as long as the entire group returned to the line before their turn.

 

[DahliaRW]

I can only speak regarding Epcot, but there the official "rules" as stated by the CMs manning the line was that only one person had to stay in line per party. People in line were really nice too, keeping place for someone who had to run to the bathroom, etc.

We were also told that the reason for the short hours, etc was the issues they were having finding Elsas to cast. That might be why there are still such short hours at DLR and why Elsa can't always be there.

 

[CailinFig]

I wanna meet them but only if it's both of them at Disneyland. How do you know if it's both or not?

They only guarantee one, but you could get both.

Back when the area was the Tangled meet and greet, it also opened at 11, with people starting to line up way earlier than that. Best advice would be try to have someone stand in line in the morning while the other parent and kids ride rides. That's what everyone in line when we waited was doing. And everyone else seemed to be fine with it.

 

[perlster]

The schedule has been updated through early April, and the meet 'n greet is opening 1 hour earlier (It's not clear when this happened, but since no one has posted about it, the change must have been made very recently.)

 

[figment_jii]

The schedule has been updated through early April, and the meet 'n greet is opening 1 hour earlier (It's not clear when this happened, but since no one has posted about it, the change must have been made very recently.)

The schedule I picked up for last week (2/28/14-3/6/14) listed 11:00 am as the start time for Fri & Sat, but had 10:00 am listed as the start time for Sun-Thur. So maybe the switch happened on Sunday...

 

[MrsM1955]

For starters. Why are the meet and greets not done with fastpass like in Florida? I also noticed the princess meet and greets were much longer than the meet and greets with Mickey in Toon Town and Thor in Tomorrowland because the cast members do not seem willing to wrangle families as effectively as the CM's for Thor & Mickey.

By the time we got to Fantasyland it was 10:45am. I have been going to DL for over 40 years. As a veteran I have never stood in line for anything more than 20 minutes. My dd is a great kid and I can't believe I stood in a narrow cramped line for over 2 hours to get a pic and autograph with both Elsa and Anna.

What was amazing is how persistent many rude parents were trying to sneak into the building to bypass the the long waiting line. I saw many encourage their kids to go pretend to be part of other groups closest to the door. The CM's were great! They made sure no one snuck in and even closed the door many times to discourage the people exiting the Snow White ride from stopping outside the door to the meet and greet.

I wish they offered a a better meet and greet experience. 2 hours for less than two minutes of "Hello. 1 picture please." is crazy. They need to get their Imagineers to come up with a better solution. Perhaps one where there are multiple rooms with several pairs of Elsa's and Anna's similar to the Mickey meet and greet in Toon Town.

I would gladly pay for a character meal experience similar to Ariel's Grotto if I were guaranteed a pic with the Frozen Princess. $120 for a character lunch for 2 would be a bargain in my book!

 

[katla33]

Yikes. My 6 year old DD is dying to meet Elsa & Anna. I guess we will be enduring the lines.

 

[DahliaRW]

For starters. Why are the meet and greets not done with fastpass like in Florida? I also noticed the princess meet and greets were much longer than the meet and greets with Mickey in Toon Town and Thor in Tomorrowland because the cast members do not seem willing to wrangle families as effectively as the CM's for Thor & Mickey.

By the time we got to Fantasyland it was 10:45am. I have been going to DL for over 40 years. As a veteran I have never stood in line for anything more than 20 minutes. My dd is a great kid and I can't believe I stood in a narrow cramped line for over 2 hours to get a pic and autograph with both Elsa and Anna.

What was amazing is how persistent many rude parents were trying to sneak into the building to bypass the the long waiting line. I saw many encourage their kids to go pretend to be part of other groups closest to the door. The CM's were great! They made sure no one snuck in and even closed the door many times to discourage the people exiting the Snow White ride from stopping outside the door to the meet and greet.

I wish they offered a a better meet and greet experience. 2 hours for less than two minutes of "Hello. 1 picture please." is crazy. They need to get their Imagineers to come up with a better solution. Perhaps one where there are multiple rooms with several pairs of Elsa's and Anna's similar to the Mickey meet and greet in Toon Town.

I would gladly pay for a character meal experience similar to Ariel's Grotto if I were guaranteed a pic with the Frozen Princess. $120 for a character lunch for 2 would be a bargain in my book!

There is NO FP for Anna and Elsa at WDW. It is the same as at DLR. When lined up at Epcot, they specifically told us to watch for line cutters and to point them out.