A&E FP+ How would you fix it?

[dkrauss]

I see many people talking about how they're unable to get A&E on their 60th day. I had my 60th day last week and there was nothing available for our 5 days Sept 15th thru 19th. Note this was the situation BEFORE Disney announced their new A&E stand-by process. To me the issues are the same you get on ADR day and you try to get BOG.

Now for us this wasn't the end of the world. But for many this seems to be uncool I'm curious how folks would adjust the FP+ selection system to alleviate this problem.

IMHO you're gonna need quite an algorithm to resolve this to everyone's liking.......but that's me..........what do you think?

Doug

 

[MakiraMarlena]

You can't. It won't change unless the popularity goes down or they flood the park with Annas and Elsas. This is the way it is with anything that is very popular.

 

[theSurlyMermaid]

Then flood the park with Anna and Elsas. Two or more meet and greets. Do them at different parks, I don't care. Have one over in Epcot in Norway as well, for Pete's sake.

 

[mickeyinthehouse]

My first suggestion is to not require a FP for anyone in line who is not actually meeting with the characters. For instance, my daughter would love to meet them but I would only be in line taking a picture. My daughter is the only one who should need a FP. If I walk through the line to take a picture, I am not adding additional time to the meet and greet. However, if I don't have a FP that would free up a FP for someone who does want to meet the characters.

My second suggestion would be a frozen themed restaurant in downtown disney providing another place for a meet and greet but that would take a long time to build.

 

[dkrauss]

Then flood the park with Anna and Elsas. Two or more meet and greets. Do them at different parks, I don't care. Have one over in Epcot in Norway as well, for Pete's sake.

Not Disney's way...........I don't believe you'll see any duplicate characters in the same park at the same time......(although not sure what happens during the parades )

Doug

 

[MakiraMarlena]

it's already been determined that Epcot's Norway as it currenly exists cannot handle Anna and Elsa. that's the entire reason they are at MK now.

They've already got multiple sets meeting and greeting. The problem is that they can meet just so many people an hour. Sorry, but they won't be flooding the parks with them. it's already being worked on so that guests don't have to wait in actual lines for up to 3-5 hours to see them. And people are complaining about THAT.

My first suggestion is to not require a FP for anyone in line who is not actually meeting with the characters. For instance, my daughter would love to meet them but I would only be in line taking a picture.

if you are in the line, then you are taking up a spot in the line. Whether you actually intend to MEET the character or you are just accompanying someone else who will be meeting them. How would they stop those who get in line with twelve adults and one child, and say that only the child will be meeting the character so the other twelve should just be able to come in with the kid. Then you have long lines again.

 

[alicat8]

it's already been determined that Epcot's Norway as it currenly exists cannot handle Anna and Elsa. that's the entire reason they are at MK now.

They've already got multiple sets meeting and greeting. The problem is that they can meet just so many people an hour. Sorry, but they won't be flooding the parks with them. it's already being worked on so that guests don't have to wait in actual lines for up to 3-5 hours to see them. And people are complaining about THAT.

Yeah I'm not sure I get why people are upset about this. Seems like the best solution. It will die down, just like all of the other madness of new and popular things do. People will just have to wait it out or suck it up!

 

[dae3dae3]

Then flood the park with Anna and Elsas. Two or more meet and greets. Do them at different parks, I don't care. Have one over in Epcot in Norway as well, for Pete's sake.

There is only one Anna and one Elsa. How could they flood the park with them? You didn't think they just hire people to pretend to be them did you?

I suppose the line for the Mall Santa could be shortened if they just lined six of them side by side but that probably wouldn't be the best idea.

 

[leeber01]

I'd love to see a character meal/experience with Anna and Elsa. Maybe at one of the resorts, to reduce the craziness/overlap?

Then, in the park, I don't mind the test version that they're rolling out--you know, "get a return ticket for later in the day." But I think they should hand out/reserve tickets throughout the day. Like give out a bunch at opening, then again at 10:30, then again at 2, etc. D

Although I think the Frozen summer activities at HS are a good start. Give people other options to see and maybe even interact (even minimally) with A&E--dance party, parade, little show. That way you can still see them without necessarily having to meet them, you know?

 

[dkrauss]

I'd love to see a character meal/experience with Anna and Elsa. Maybe at one of the resorts, to reduce the craziness/overlap?

Then, in the park, I don't mind the test version that they're rolling out--you know, "get a return ticket for later in the day." But I think they should hand out/reserve tickets throughout the day. Like give out a bunch at opening, then again at 10:30, then again at 2, etc. D

Although I think the Frozen summer activities at HS are a good start. Give people other options to see and maybe even interact (even minimally) with A&E--dance party, parade, little show. That way you can still see them without necessarily having to meet them, you know?

An Anna & Elsa character meal would immediately make BOG passe.......which would be cool for many...........I would think it would be bigger than Cinderella's Castle!!!

Doug

 

[Virtucomp]

I would have one line that can send visitors to more than one meet and greet room. The line moves faster and little ones don't know they were routed to a different room than the kid behind them in line. Two or three rooms could increase the volume and make many more families happy.

 

[surferdave]

Not Disney's way...........I don't believe you'll see any duplicate characters in the same park at the same time......(although not sure what happens during the parades )

Doug

I'm sure they can move as fast as Cinderella did the last time I saw her in MK in about 3 places and at 1900 Park Fare in the same afternoon. Those glass slippers must have great arch support.

 

[concertkatie]

I would have one line that can send visitors to more than one meet and greet room. The line moves faster and little ones don't know they were routed to a different room than the kid behind them in line. Two or three rooms could increase the volume and make many more families happy.

I was under the impression that this was already happening.

 

[ghtx]

I would have one line that can send visitors to more than one meet and greet room. The line moves faster and little ones don't know they were routed to a different room than the kid behind them in line. Two or three rooms could increase the volume and make many more families happy.

I was under the impression that this was already happening.

I am pretty sure this is how it works in PFH, Ariel's Grotto, and the Town Square M&Gs.

 

[BuzzinDownToDisney]

Meet and Greet in DHS to coincide with the Frozen Summer (Likely to become Frozen Fall, Frozen Winter etc.) include a M&G with Kristoff and Olaf as well which would alleviate the crush to the princesses.

Since Garden Grill at Epcot is a character meal at dinner only, incorporate Frozen characters into a breakfast/lunch there.

I think both are easily doable if they find the actors needed.

Pipe dream: Scrap Pandora at AK and make it a Winter Wonderland.

 

[maxiesmom]

Not Disney's way...........I don't believe you'll see any duplicate characters in the same park at the same time......(although not sure what happens during the parades )

Doug

Haven't you noticed? You don't see the characters anywhere else when they are in the parade.

 

[ucfknight]

Temporarily make all rooms in Princess Fairytale Hall for Anna and Elsa. That would both double the throughput and double the length of available queue line.

 

[surferdave]

I thought jhaig had a great solution a few months ago.

Move Anna and Elsa to the old Wonders of Life pavilion at Epcot and transform the entire building into "Frozen Central".

Note that this was three months ago and plenty of people were poo-pooing the idea because Frozen was a fad that would blow over shortly.

Transforming the building into a big multi-room A&E M&G (maybe not the whole Frozen transition described there) could meet the demand, ease the traffic at MK, move the line out of the way of other attractions, and take up space nobody else is using anyway. If the fad finally blows over like so many people keep predicting, so be it, move them back to something typical of the other princesses. If it refuses to go away, incorporate them into whatever attraction or land suits the demand in one of the parks that needs the attraction.

People keep talking about character meals. I actually prefer the meals to waiting in line to meet a character but when demand is this high I understand the need to keep the character in the venue with the highest throughput, so I hope they don't add them to one for awhile.

 

[dkrauss]

Haven't you noticed? You don't see the characters anywhere else when they are in the parade.

Doug

 

[jtowntoflorida]

I don't think Disney would ever put these characters somewhere where park admission wouldn't be a requirement to see them (i.e., a resort or DTD). They get the most money out of a property by requiring people to pay to see them. A restaurant just doesn't get you there, plus there is a ton of overhead in running a restaurant.

The only solution like with every line is to increase the availability of the characters. I'd put them in every park. They'd go in the (empty) Wonders of Life pavilion in Epcot, temporarily where they have the Frozen Funland in DHS (it's already decorated!) and maybe build a permanent exhibit where the Jack Sparrow thing is now. Or American Idol could be canned and you could convert that building (though I'd rather see that turned into a new place for JTA). AK is more problematic to come up with a location off the top of your head, but I'm sure that they can find some place to put them with all the construction going on there. The theming doesn't really work, but if it's just a temporary stop gap, who cares?