Anna & Elsa Wait Times - anybody wait with a 5yr old for 2 hrs?

[ferd]

Why would you go see a character meet and greet 7 times?

Why would someone ride a ride more than one time or see a movie more than one time?

If you think things should only be done one time, I guess the point of an annual pass to Disney would seem pointless.

We have a 2 year old daughter who LOVES the princesses, and we go to the park at least every weekend. She isn't old enough to ride a lot of the rides, and some she is too frightened to ride, but one thing she ALWAYS loves to do is see the characters. I also sew her costumes of the different characters and she goes to the parks and we take pics of her in her different dresses with the characters. Most of the princesses know her by name and love playing with her and seeing her new costumes. She has seen Anna and Elsa wearing both an Anna dress and an Elsa dress and has brought them presents on a couple different ocassions. My daughter has seen Anna and Elsa 8 times since before the movie came out in November, so that's only once a month. Perhaps to some that is needless or whatever, but when you live 20 mins from the park, and have the ability to frequent it often, what's wrong with taking your child to visit the princesses a lot? We also visit Mickey and Minnie and Pooh and Buzz and many, many others a lot as well. It's what we do.

 

[JoshuaShaw]

No, it doesn't......basically if DW knows that AE can handle 200 guests per hour...then they know capacity in an 8 hour period is 1600....so they offer up 200 FPs PER HOUR....

So the solution to keeping the line manageable is to simply prevent a large portion of guests from getting in line? Maybe I'm misunderstanding, but that doesn't seem like much of a solution.

The unfortunate fact of the matter is that the popularity of the characters is so insane right now that there's only so much line regulation Disney can implement and still keep a majority of guests happy.

I think the simplest solution would be to offer Anna & Elsa up at other parks. How feasible that is, however, is another question.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Guests are choosing to stand in lines with a long posted wait time. And don't say they don't have a choice if they can't get a FP+...they do. They can choose not to see the characters at all. If you take away SB, you take away that choice. At least SB is offering a chance for guests to meet these characters. You take away SB, and you take away that chance for anyone who can't get a FP+.

 

[BobH]

Also Ferd I think we could all cooperate on how to draw Disney's attention to a very well known problem rather than get in disputes about whether the wait is 2hrs or 5hrs which are both unacceptable. I like Disney too, but enough is enough.

 

[ferd]

Also Ferd I think we could all cooperate on how to draw Disney's attention to a very well known problem rather than get in disputes about whether the wait is 2hrs or 5hrs which are both unacceptable. I like Disney too, but enough is enough.

I think it's pretty ridiculous to think Disney isn't aware of Anna and Elsa's popluarity and the lines daily for their meet and greet. I'd say they are very aware which is why they made the move to MK and DOUBLED capacity for the meets each day and added them to the parade.

Your thread begun with the title of has anyone waited for 2 hours, and I shared my actual EXPERIENCES with waiting over 2 hours with a 2 year old and first hand accounts of the actual line versus what is posted on a sign. You seem very upset by what you may potentially face when you bring your granddaugther to meet them, and you lodged a complaint with customer service simply over what you have read about the waits, right? Not about what you have actually waited? Or am I incorrect? You also stated that FP+ 'seem hard to get' but you didn't share how much you have tried, and my posts were simply to show that one can achieve multiple FP+ for A & E with a little tenacity, even with just a 30 day window. My posts in reply to you were to state that although a lot is being said on many sites about the whole A & E situation, MUCH of what you read is being inflated. And while you may think 2-3 hours is simply unreasonable, it's not unheard of for MANY rides at Disney. TSMM, Soarin', Test Track and even Splash have those kinds of wait during Summer and Christmas (Rapunzel did as well, and on Valentine's Day the wait to see Flynn was upwards of 3-4 hours.) You can call and voice your upset that a popular attraction has a line, but I don't think it's going to get you anywhere, especially when people have consistently been waiting in it for over 6 months and they have now provided fast pass+ an an option. Just my .02

 

[pdarrah]

I don't really get the argument that Disney should just get "more A & E characters" so there can be more M&Gs.

First, I doubt it is that easy to find the employees for these roles. They need to meet the correct body type & facial features for the role. They have to actually WANT the job and apply for it. (I assume they need to already be in Central FL as I can't imagine anyone relocating for this type of job!) They need to be good at interacting with the guests and "acting" the part. PLUS you need to find both an Anna AND and an Elsa for it to be of any use.

Second, assuming you do find 4, 6 or 8 more young women for this role (some more for MK, a set for Epcot, maybe a set for a character meal), what happens a year or so from now when the demand eventually drops off - just fire them?

This seems like a popular toy fad to me - it's currently the "BIG THING" and everyone wants one, but down the road the stores are all overstocked with too many that nearly everyone has lost interest in and are sold at 80% off in a clearance sale. I sort of wonder how many people are getting FP+ for A&E who don't usually bother with M&G at all, but they've been told its the hot ticket, so they are going to do it.

(LOL - not even sure why I keep reading these threads. I'm certainly not going to be doing it - I'll be there with my 15yo son! His comments after seeing Frozen "eh, it was OK - but too much princess stuff." )

 

[JimmyV]

I told her I felt Disney could be excused last fall for not anticipating the crowds, but now they have had 6 months to come up with solutions to allow more of these little children a better opportunity to have a good experience. I just can't see how my 5 year old grand daughter (or any child) is going to last several hours in line on our next trip.

Actually, I don't think this is Disney's problem or Disney's fault. It is our collective problem and our collective fault. Disney quickly realized that the meet and greet at Norway was no longer viable and set up a process that is exactly the same as that which has been used successfully for decades for Mickey, Minnie, Pooh, Cinderalla, Merdia, Rapunzel, Aurora, Ariel and every other popular character. Disney did what it needed to do. I don't think it is Disney's fault for not re-inventing the wheel. Any process that is successful in getting kids to meet Mickey is good enough. The problem lies with the public's irrational need to meet two women in their early 20's dressed up like a couple of fictional cartoon characters. As soon as the public concludes that nothing is worth a 5 hour wait, the sooner the lines will start to replicate those of every other character. You find fault with Disney for not keeping pace with the public's irrational behavior. I don't.

 

[asmit4]

How is it irrational to come to DW and figure/plan on meeting their 'main character' of the year?

I don't have a girl, I have a boy so we don't 'do princesses'...as he's not even remotely interested. However, if I had a girl- I'd full expect to see/meet A&E. that's not irrational- THAT is why people pay 3K for a vacation at DW----to DO DW things!

 

[JimmyV]

How is it irrational to come to DW and figure/plan on meeting their 'main character' of the year?

I don't have a girl, I have a boy so we don't 'do princesses'...as he's not even remotely interested. However, if I had a girl- I'd full expect to see/meet A&E. that's not irrational- THAT is why people pay 3K for a vacation at DW----to DO DW things!

While it may not be irrational to want to see A&E, it is irrational (or maybe unreasonable is the better word) to expect Disney to create a whole new system to account for 2 characters who happen to be popular today. Disney should employ the same system for the Frozen girls as it employs with Mickey Mouse. And if that results in 5 hour lines, then so be it. The decision to get in that line or bypass it is yours and yours alone. I don't think waiting 5 hours in a single line during a $3K vacation is rational, but I concede that it is a stretch to accuse everyone who does that of being irrational. If that is how it came off, then I apologize.

 

[Nola Girl]

I wrote an email to Disney Customer Service explaining that although my family has been going to Disney since 1976 and we continue to travel there as DVC members with our adult children and grand children that the "Magic" is gone when you can't take your grand daughter to see Anna & Elsa without a 2 to 3hr wait time. A nice young Disney representative called me back tonight but could offer no suggestions other than a Fastpass which seem pretty tough to get. I suggested that Disney could have left the Epcot meeting place open as well as Fairytale Hall, but the rep was not at a high enough pay grade to offer any hope regarding that. I told her I felt Disney could be excused last fall for not anticipating the crowds, but now they have had 6 months to come up with solutions to allow more of these little children a better opportunity to have a good experience. I just can't see how my 5 year old grand daughter (or any child) is going to last several hours in line on our next trip.

Good for you!!! I agree 100%. It is time for Disney to fix this!

 

[Mfischee]

I'm sorry but when you called what did you think you were going to hear, that you would be able to bypass all the lines? Sounds a little nutty to me and I feel very sad for you that not meeting one character will ruin your family's whole Disney experience.

 

[Princess_Nikki]

I really just don't get these 5 hour waits....for Soarin???...for ANYTHING. They KNOW capacity.....FP the ENTIRE day's worth of rides....

What is the problem with Disney and this 5 hour line sh*t.

I totally understand stand by lines for classics like IASW, Pirates- those lines are not 5 hours long. If a ride consistently has a 2 hour or more wait- FP the ENTIRE days worth of rides. NO standby.

It's terrible, really. Who I REALLY feel bad for are the people who only get to go to Disney once every few years or even only once a year who do try to fit in all the Magic on one trip.

I still don't think it is ok for the lines to be that long, I'm just thankful we happen to live in Florida and go to WDW a few times a year. Even then, there is much we miss out on. My DS4 got to finally meet Capt Jack Sparrow at the MNSSHP this past October, but there was NO way I was waiting 4 hours for him to meet Jack Skellington. I got close enough to snap a picture of him and Sally with some other random person, and put DS4 on my shoulders just so he could get a glimpse of him.

It was my Dad's first visit, and he was not impressed. His first response was, "this is nothing like those videos they sent out!!" We still had a good time, but I could understand what he meant! He assumed by the videos that all the characters just wandered around the park. He was stunned by the lines!

 

[mrsmorrow]

Why would someone ride a ride more than one time or see a movie more than one time?

If you think things should only be done one time, I guess the point of an annual pass to Disney would seem pointless.

We have a 2 year old daughter who LOVES the princesses, and we go to the park at least every weekend. She isn't old enough to ride a lot of the rides, and some she is too frightened to ride, but one thing she ALWAYS loves to do is see the characters. I also sew her costumes of the different characters and she goes to the parks and we take pics of her in her different dresses with the characters. Most of the princesses know her by name and love playing with her and seeing her new costumes. She has seen Anna and Elsa wearing both an Anna dress and an Elsa dress and has brought them presents on a couple different ocassions. My daughter has seen Anna and Elsa 8 times since before the movie came out in November, so that's only once a month. Perhaps to some that is needless or whatever, but when you live 20 mins from the park, and have the ability to frequent it often, what's wrong with taking your child to visit the princesses a lot? We also visit Mickey and Minnie and Pooh and Buzz and many, many others a lot as well. It's what we do.

In no way did you have to defend yourself or explain. It's really unbelievable that people are so concerned with YOUR visit and YOUR plans and YOUR experiences. If you want to take YOUR 2 year old every day and see anyone or anything multiple times and eat Mickey Bars and turkey legs til you burst guess what? That's YOUR business! You've been helpful and have definitely shed some light on the A&E experience

 

[GigiDisneyfreak]

In no way did you have to defend yourself or explain. It's really unbelievable that people are so concerned with YOUR visit and YOUR plans and YOUR experiences. If you want to take YOUR 2 year old every day and see anyone or anything multiple times and eat Mickey Bars and turkey legs til you burst guess what? That's YOUR business! You've been helpful and have definitely shed some light on the A&E experience

Couldn't have said it better myself. Ferd is always on here trying to be helpful. She gave information based on her experiences which is what everyone on here does. BTW Ferd your daughter is adorable and I love seeing pictures of her in all her fantastic costumes you have made (I wish I had learned to sew).

 

[Cobern]

I had a school friend who recently took her daughter to magic kingdom (like last week or so). She PROMISED her daughter she could meet Anna and Elsa. Mom didn't get a fastpass, they refused to wait in the line, she blasted on Facebook (similar to op) about how Disney has lost its "magic" and her daughter was so disappointed yada yada yada. She just took her daughter about 6-7 months ago, they knew what she was getting into but she still complained and wants everyone to feel sorry for her. Either do it or don't. We went in January and we did not want to wait in there line at Epcot. We never told our daughter they were there. She didn't know so no issue. This time I have fastpass booked so I have already told her. Ferd, don't let these people get you down. If I lived just a little closer I would be taking my kids to the park every weekend! I think it is AMAZING you can do this for your daughter and she will love the memories when she is older

 

[Meldev]

Let's not forget the business of Disney - they did double capacity by moving them to MK. And they are in great demand right now - it won't last forever, and maybe someday a new princess experience will included A&E - right now, they are the 'it' girls. If the 'it' girls were everywhere and super easy to see their allure would fade as well.

As someone who only gets to the parks every so many years it incentivizes me to stay on sight to get extra magic hours, and FP+ so I have a better chance of doing all I want to do with my family. I have 4 kids who all love Frozen - I will be online trying to get FP for A&E at midnight the day I'm allowed! I could have saved a ton, gotten a washer and dryer, full kitchen and bed arrangement I wanted off site - but I pay for the 'perks' and convenience that an on-sight guest can have.

And as for Ferd, if your little one loves seeing Anna and Elsa - you go see them all you want to!

 

[chloelovesdisney]

I agree due to the huge demand it would make sense for Disney to have Anna and Else in both MK and Epcot right now to lessen the wait times.

 

[Lydia91]

Anyone who says that because a process is sufficient for Mickey Mouse, it should work for Frozen does not have children in the pre-school set!

In my experience, very, very few young children identify Mickey Mouse as being anything other than the "logo/mascot" of Disneyworld.

A lot of that is the current Mickey material. We do fairly limited media and I tend to watch with my daughters -- the cartoon Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is, quite frankly, painful to watch for me as an adult (give me Barney any day!) and my daughters don't find it terribly engaging anyway compared to, say, Jake and the Neverland Pirates.

In fact, as a child of the early 70s, even I don't "fond Mickey memories" beyond his status as the face of Disneyworld.

My daughters sing songs from Frozen, ask to watch Frozen frequently and comfort each other when upset by asking "do you wanna build a snowman?" It engages them deeply. As the adult who is selecting what my kids view, I find the "messaging" of the movie far better than the older Disney movies like Sleeping Beauty, Little Mermaid and Cinderella.

Given the amount I am spending on our trip to Disney this year, I do not think having some basic level of comfort we will get into see A&E without unreasonable sacrifices should be too much to expect.