BAN autograph books!

[Figment]

I think that's a pretty rude, flip statement.

You said in your original post that you "would like to keep as much of the magic as possible." Well .... to many, many children, autograph books are part of the magic. You're saying "Ban Autograph Books" because they negatively impact your visit. But the fact that banning them would negatively impact someone else's visit doesn't seem to be a concern.

I understand that your initial post was not meant to be a whining, lamenting thread -- you were saying that things had changed and that you weren't fond of some of those changes. But you must have realized that your post was going to attract others for whom autograph books are an important part of their Disney experience. Just because you don't see how they can be that important doesn't mean you have to be belittle the people who do.

Just because I do not think that a lack of autograph books can possible ruin the disney experience does not make me rude, it makes me honest. Time to get a sense of perspective. like you said, it is a PART of the experience, not the experience in itself. It is not just my visit i was talking about in the 1st place, it is the overall atmosphere of WDW. Because I don't think autograph books are important doesn't mean that I cannot see how they are important to others. You are rude for projecting your ideas on what you believe I can or cannot understand or see.

 

[Figment]

cpu problems...double post.

 

[ReggieB]

I often stood in line with my DS4 and wished that the large family of ten in front of me didn't have autograph books that all needed signing! Especially when the character host is in the middle of telling us that they have to go real soon! I sometimes have felt that the kids weren't really into the spirit of things and looked like it was a bit of a chore, sort of the so and so got twenty auotgraphs so I must have 25. However you see plenty of kids that are having a blast with them. I think my son is probably coming to the age were he will want to get involved in autograph hunting, which is fine...I promise we'll be quick!

 

[mking624]

Figment, your ideas aren't going to be the same as everyone else's and vice versa. There's no need to get upset about it. It's an autograph book. You may not think it ruins your experience and that's great. I'm glad it doesn't ruin it for you. But for others it does. And your opinion of the autograph book won't change theirs just like theirs won't change yours. And I'm sure you can respect that.

To us it DID sound like you couldn't understand that it was important to others. I don't mean the first post about the time constraints and such, but I mean your comment about it ruining the Disney experience for some people. It wasn't necessary. If you do understand it, that's great. But it's not up to any of us to judge & critique what can and cannot ruin someone else's experience. We just have to take our idea of experiences and realize they are for ourselves. Everyone gets along much better that way.

Now, if we could simply get back to discussing the pros and cons of autographs books in a respectful way, that would be wonderful! Arguing over someone's personal ideas of an experience truly is pointless because it's their personal viewpoint. Now...let's get back to discussing things Disney!

 

[DrTomorrow]

Hoo-boy, this is gettin' good!

First, I agree with Figgie in this respect: If a child can be at Walt Disney World with all the joy and magic that it has to offer, yet their "Disney experience" is so limited that not having an autograph book this trip would "ruin" it, then yes, there's an issue that goes way beyond autograph books. I accept that no having an AB this trip might lessen the Disney experience somewhat - just like having a favorite ride down for rehab, missing a favorite stage show, not having Spectro scheduled - but to say that it is ruined ( ruin v.tr. To destroy completely; demolish. To harm irreparably. ) seem a bit overly dramatic.

I do feel that the chara interaction has diminished. Back in the early 90's, we had a chara breakfast the CR, and througout the entire meal we (DW, DS & I) had a running feud with Prince John - he even took my watch partway though and didn't return it until we got up to leave! Nowadays, not so much; but if you do find a chara - not at an "official" place, just out in the parks - that doesn't have a crowd, they seem to enjoy it more than when they've got a line-up a mile long to see them.

IMHO, the problem started when character interaction moved from something that was a unexpected surprise to an expected right. Don't get me wrong - I know that Disney was responding to guest surveys (of course, the AB & Pen $$$ doesn't hurt). It's just that the moment it became a commodity, it became something to be rationed out with cost/benefit analyses.

And, also IMHO, the AB attitude is just part of raising a Franklin Planner generation: it's more important to "check off" all the autographs than to enjoy the simple fantasy of talking to a giant mouse.

Be well!

 

[addicted2disney]

Also.. there is only so much interaction you can get from a character that isnt talking. A little joking, a little sillyness, some hugs... We have pictures of Minnie dancing with my DD in Epcot ( she signed her book too) ... but its not like Mickey can sit down and talk to my kids for the entire 2 minutes it takes for him to sign their books.( and I bet from autographs to pictures with 3 kids, the experience with each character is less than one minute) If people feel that signing the autograph books takes too long and is taking time from others , they will also be the ones upset that Mickey is taking to long interacting with other kids. Either way, somebody will complain.

 

[rockin_rep]

And, also IMHO, the AB attitude is just part of raising a Franklin Planner generation: it's more important to "check off" all the autographs than to enjoy the simple fantasy of talking to a giant mouse.

Oh yes dr.tomorrow, you are sooo right! And that *attitude* permeates much of our society these days. Sad. Very sad.

 

[Samirella]

I don't think it is the autograph books per se that are the problem, but rather the formalization of meeting the characters. I remember when I was a child that meeting the characters meant that you happened to run into them in the park. They were no lines and time allotments. Now there is no thrill to "finding" the characters, and I just think it is not as special.

Exactly! Characters used to be able to roam around their set locations. Now they are taken to a spot and told to stand there for their entire set. Lines form and it becomes an assembly line of "autograph, photo, next".

 

[mking624]

First, I agree with Figgie in this respect: If a child can be at Walt Disney World with all the joy and magic that it has to offer, yet their "Disney experience" is so limited that not having an autograph book this trip would "ruin" it, then yes, there's an issue that goes way beyond autograph books.

I think we need to be careful before we start making judgments about issues or problems in other people lives simply because it's a big disappointment for some people if they aren't able to get autographs. I think we can all take a moment to grab a little respect for those who might differ on opinion...no matter what the opinion is. If it doesn't ruin the experience for you, that's WONDERFUL. But there's really no need to make an assumption about "issues" and "problems" that supposedly go beyond the AB when no one here knows that to be a fact. You could simply say that you don't let it get YOU down.

Maybe I'm just an optimistic person, but I feel we could easily share our opinions without making a judgment about someone's personal life. We create less enemies that way and the board is a lot more enjoyable to post on.

 

[mking624]

Exactly! Characters used to be able to roam around their set locations. Now they are taken to a spot and told to stand there for their entire set. Lines form and it becomes an assembly line of "autograph, photo, next".

This is the way I've always remembered it from when I was a little girl...lines formed for a character to get the autograph, take the picture, say "hi, you're my favorite"...and then to the next child. Of course I only went once when I was a little girl....back in 1989 and the next trip wasn't until my honeymoon in 2000 and aside from some new characters, I didn't notice a huge difference (except that the drastically less popular characters were no longer around). So I'm missing a considerable chunk of time. But hey, that few seconds when I was a child seemed like an eternity to me.

 

[Samirella]

This is the way I've always remembered it from when I was a little girl...lines formed for a character to get the autograph, take the picture, say "hi, you're my favorite"...and then to the next child. Of course I only went once when I was a little girl....back in 1989 and the next trip wasn't until my honeymoon in 2000 and aside from some new characters, I didn't notice a huge difference (except that the drastically less popular characters were no longer around). So I'm missing a considerable chunk of time. But hey, that few seconds when I was a child seemed like an eternity to me.

You only went once when you were a little girl, so you don't have much to compare it to. I was an entertainment cm for the majority of the years you WEREN'T going and I can tell you, the interaction has changed.

 

[mking624]

Yes I know I don't have much to compare it to, I was just sharing my own experiences with it. What I experienced then and what I experience now are the same. My aunt & uncle go every single year several times a year and have been for about 20 years (they were the ones I went with in 1989) and when my cousins were still young enough to want to do the interaction all the time, they never really noticed anything either in terms of change. I guess it all depends on the perspective you're looking at it. When you're looking at it through the eyes of the young children, even a few seconds brightens their days. The only people I notice getting upset and frustrated are the adults. The children seem to be in heaven. But that's always a good thing. I suppose I just try to look at things from a more positive side.

 

[Aidensmom]

This is the way I've always remembered it from when I was a little girl...lines formed for a character to get the autograph, take the picture, say "hi, you're my favorite"...and then to the next child. Of course I only went once when I was a little girl....back in 1989 and the next trip wasn't until my honeymoon in 2000 and aside from some new characters, I didn't notice a huge difference (except that the drastically less popular characters were no longer around). So I'm missing a considerable chunk of time. But hey, that few seconds when I was a child seemed like an eternity to me.

I got a chuckle when I read this.....now we can see where the difference of opinions comes from. When you were a little girl, I was engaged to be married. When I was a little girl, way back in the old days of the 1970's , there were no lines and autograph books. My DS3 collects the autographs, and I take a picture of each character to put in the book next to the autograph, but it makes me a little sad that the spontaneity is gone and he will not experience the thrill of unexpectedly spotting the characters in the park. Busch Gardens has some animal characters that just roam the park, and the look on his face is priceless when we happen to run into one.

 

[MommyPoppins]

When I was a little girl and went to MK the characters roamed freely around the park...no waiting 30 minutes in a line for 30 seconds of interaction. Those were the days....

 

[grimley1968]

I still see characters roaming the park, as well as the ones lining up for pics. I have no problems with the autograph books and the pics to put in them. We have one filled up and are working on another one. I wish I'd had this growing up. I think it's great that they do this.

 

[Disneyonmymind]

There's one aspect to the autograph books that I haven't seen mentioned. When we went to WDW on our first trip with DD5 and DN4, who are both fairly shy, having the AB gave them confidence to approach the characters. They both LOVED the AB for that reason, and so did the parents. Of course, both kids dearly wanted to have character interaction but they were simply too scared and shy. The ABs were like magic. With a "reason" to approach the characters in hand, they overcame their fears.

Without the autograph books, would their Disney experience be ruined? No, but they absolutely would NOT have experienced any character interaction and no pictures, so that part of the experience would have been absent. They would have been wistful at seeing the other kids with the characters and that would have made us all a little sad. So, yes, no ABs would have impacted our trip in a negative way.

Personally, I have to say that I don't like spending a minute waiting to greet characters, but I do lots of things for my kids' sake. We haven't been to WDW enough times to comment on whether or how the ABs may have altered the character interactions but I sure am glad that the option was available for our last trip. I had the impression that the characters spend a given amount of time with each kid whether or not they have an AB. If that's not the case, then it should be.

Jackie

 

[maxaroni]

I have mixed feelings about this. However, I don't think that there is a right or wrong view point. It's sad because, for the most part, it's the kids that get caught in the middle of it. It's us parents that have the issues and the kids don't know the difference anyway. We hadn't been for a long time and then went with our ds and had no clue about the autograph books until a friend who went a couple of months before we did. I then didn't want to be the 'bad parent', so dutifully bought an autograph book. My ds got the autographs and all was fine. However, if the books were banned, the kids wouldn't know the difference and we wouldn't look like bad parents.... I see both sides of the coin and sort of think of it as another thing that has changed since my childhood....those were the days...