Character meet and greets are the worst part of WDW now! My story..

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

He might not have been actually taking a picture. When we are standing in line, hubby will usually have his camera up to his eye when the people in front of us are getting their picture taken. He isn't taking a picture, he is just lining up the shot so he can take a pic of the character alone in the short time between that group walking off and our group walking up to see the character.

agreed - my husband (a photographer) will also do this mainly to check lighting. Then when it's our turn he's prepared (proper settings on his camera) and we can be in / out more efficiently. He'll take a picture or 2 to check the settings but then deletes them - we have no desire to have pictures of other people (no offence!)

 

[purpledisneyprncess]

Ok I can understand them cutting the line at some point but if you're the last one, I wonder if it would be too much trouble for them to say, you can have your picture with the character but put it at 30 sec interaction?? When my kids go up to meet the characters, I have my camera ready and my kids take a quick pic, give a hug as I'm snapping away and we are off to let the next family go up. I'm sure not everyone is like that though, and I get the characters need their breaks for their safety. Was there a way Disney can have it that when 1 Mickey (insert any Character) lined up and ready to fill his shoes ASAP ?). Just pondering these things, not sure if itd work or not.

We just left Disney, our last day in parks was yesterday. The CMs we encountered mistake were agitated and flustered from the heavy crowds. There were a few that were extra nice and a few that didn't feel like they belonged in Disney, their attitudes just exuded less than normal patience with people in general.

 

[juliebug1997]

Yes, but you don't arbitrarily cut of the last person in line, but let the person who got in a half second before me. Like I said, no one else behind me. Why not accept us as the last one.

That's just it, they don't arbitrarily do this. They stay out for 15-20 minutes at a time; I believe that is part of their contract through the union (someone will correct any misinformation). They know about how many people they can get through in that time. If this was a M&G around the hat, then they come back out about 20ish minutes later. Also, this is the way the lines operate no matter if there is a Photo Pass photog there or not. The handlers shut down the lines.

 

[EagleScout]

That's just it, they don't arbitrarily do this. They stay out for 15-20 minutes at a time; I believe that is part of their contract through the union (someone will correct any misinformation). They know about how many people they can get through in that time. If this was a M&G around the hat, then they come back out about 20ish minutes later. Also, this is the way the lines operate no matter if there is a Photo Pass photog there or not. The handlers shut down the lines.

I agree with you, but part of the problem is customer service/attitude. I love disney, but the reality is that there is no longer the disney standard that other hotels and resorts (and even business schools) would examine as an essentially unapproachable gold standard of customer service. In an ideal world -or even disney of 20 years ago- they would have handled original poster's issues in such a graceful way that he would almost not have realized what happened. They handled even the difficult customers with grace and tact - and although op sounds a little high strung, he also seems like a decent guy just trying to give his kid a good time. Its not like he was complaining they would not let him pet the tigers at animal kingdom- he just wanted a picture with mickey, which opportunity is in nearly every ad, promotional video, and disney website There have been efforts to revive disney std with some modest success, but today's twitter/real housewives/etc culture is almost incompatible. The closest approach is at club level, but even there not totally and there is no club level in parks itself -and you should not have to spend club level to get it.

 

[disnut8]

So I applaud Photopass when they ask others not to photograph someone else's character meeting. Even if they are just trying to take a shot of just the character. Because there's no way to know they aren't shooting the child as the subject.

I don't understand this. So a full grown adult female can't take a picture of a character because kids will be in the photo? I take photos all the time at Disney World. I take videos all the time at Disney World. And I can guarantee there are kids in those photos and videos. Why should character greetings be different? I took a video of the entire Jedi training when my grandson participated. I know there are lots of other kids in that video. But I can't take a video of a Goofy meet and great? What is the difference?

 

[mom2rtk]

I don't understand this. So a full grown adult female can't take a picture of a character because kids will be in the photo? I take photos all the time at Disney World. I take videos all the time at Disney World. And I can guarantee there are kids in those photos and videos. Why should character greetings be different? I took a video of the entire Jedi training when my grandson participated. I know there are lots of other kids in that video. But I can't take a video of a Goofy meet and great? What is the difference?

The difference is that a character meet is a one on one experience. That makes the child the subject of the photo, not just part of the overall scene. Having a variety of kids show up in your general park videos or photos is different. At least I see it as different. And apparently Disney sees it as different since they will not stop your general park pictures, but they will frequently stop you from photographing a one on one character meet of a child who is not with you.

 

[TDC Nala]

I don't understand this. So a full grown adult female can't take a picture of a character because kids will be in the photo? I take photos all the time at Disney World. I take videos all the time at Disney World. And I can guarantee there are kids in those photos and videos. Why should character greetings be different? I took a video of the entire Jedi training when my grandson participated. I know there are lots of other kids in that video. But I can't take a video of a Goofy meet and great? What is the difference?

There is some concern, whether it's actually justified or not, of people specifically taking pictures of kids who are not part of their group. It makes parents nervous that the photos are being taken for some nefarious reason, like they can't tell if the photographer wants a photo of the character or a photo of the kids. If you're photographing a group, that's not the same as getting a finite number of kids in the photo. Why? Not so sure.

 

[WDSearcher]

I agree with you, but part of the problem is customer service/attitude. I love disney, but the reality is that there is no longer the disney standard that other hotels and resorts (and even business schools) would examine as an essentially unapproachable gold standard of customer service. In an ideal world -or even disney of 20 years ago- they would have handled original poster's issues in such a graceful way that he would almost not have realized what happened. They handled even the difficult customers with grace and tact - and although op sounds a little high strung, he also seems like a decent guy just trying to give his kid a good time. Its not like he was complaining they would not let him pet the tigers at animal kingdom- he just wanted a picture with mickey, which opportunity is in nearly every ad, promotional video, and disney website There have been efforts to revive disney std with some modest success, but today's twitter/real housewives/etc culture is almost incompatible. The closest approach is at club level, but even there not totally and there is no club level in parks itself -and you should not have to spend club level to get it.

I don't know that it's fair to assume that the company's customer service as a whole is taking a nosedive because of what a small percentage of people are complaining about on social media. There were likely plenty of situations like this "back in the day" -- it's just that no one heard about them because news didn't travel so far, so fast. If this had happened in the early 1980s (and I'm sure it did), the OP would have gone home, told his family or a few friends, and that would have been that.

I agree that the OP "just wanted a picture with mickey", but no matter what you're wanting, it still has to happen within Disney's framework. Was the CM rude and inappropriate? If they responded exactly as the OP said (and the response hasn't gotten ruder in the telling), then yes. But if the CM had been as kind and sweet as could be and STILL hadn't let the OP get in line at that point, would that have changed anything, or would the OP feel that they still should have gotten their photo?

People here on this board exhaustively plan their trips to WDW so that they can get those photos with Mickey and great parade seats and short lines and a-list rides. Sure, it would be great if you could just walk up to a character who was wandering freely throughout the park and take photos without having to worry about getting there within a certain window or whatever. But the internet, social media, union regulations, safety standards, and a dozen other things are unfortunately working against you.

If OP truly believed that he was wronged in what happened, he should write to Disney and voice his disappointment. No one here can change policies at WDW or work to make character greetings less regimented.

 

[lizabu]

Ok I can understand them cutting the line at some point but if you're the last one, I wonder if it would be too much trouble for them to say, you can have your picture with the character but put it at 30 sec interaction?? When my kids go up to meet the characters, I have my camera ready and my kids take a quick pic, give a hug as I'm snapping away and we are off to let the next family go up. I'm sure not everyone is like that though, and I get the characters need their breaks for their safety. Was there a way Disney can have it that when 1 Mickey (insert any Character) lined up and ready to fill his shoes ASAP ?). Just pondering these things, not sure if itd work or not.

We just left Disney, our last day in parks was yesterday. The CMs we encountered mistake were agitated and flustered from the heavy crowds. There were a few that were extra nice and a few that didn't feel like they belonged in Disney, their attitudes just exuded less than normal patience with people in general.

I think this would have been a better way to handle it. I've seen some people hog the character and stand up there for like five minutes. It's really annoying. If there's no one else waiting then whatever but when there's a line up get your couple of quick snaps and move on. That way everyone gets a turn.

There are even lists of character interaction tips with suggested questions you can ask the characters and other tips on how to further monopolize the characters time. I think it's a little sick. Doesn't anyone care about sharing and giving everyone a turn?

I think how you were treated by the CMs was uncalled for.

 

[Pmctn]

I would love to hear the CM side of the story

 

[mesaboy2]

I would love to hear the CM side of the story

 

[Tormania]

The best info to come out of this thread.....that the characters may only be available for a very short period of time so if they are already folks in line odds are you won't be meeting the character until they come back from their next break. So if that info is known then everyone can better manage their time and expectations. But tactiful CMs definitely can make waiting til after the next break more pleasant, as long as the people told to wait don't act like spoiled brats when told they have to wait.

 

[World Showcaser]

I agree with you, but part of the problem is customer service/attitude. I love disney, but the reality is that there is no longer the disney standard that other hotels and resorts (and even business schools) would examine as an essentially unapproachable gold standard of customer service. In an ideal world -or even disney of 20 years ago- they would have handled original poster's issues in such a graceful way that he would almost not have realized what happened. They handled even the difficult customers with grace and tact

I actually don't feel that Disney offers a lower quality of customer service nowadays. In fact, the main reason I go there is the quality of customer care. However, even if what you say is true, what about the decline in the behaviour of the general public in the past 20 years? Could the change in Disney's response that you see be because of the way the guests now act?

Here's a non-Disney example from my own life: It used to be that people were polite and grateful. Now, we walk among people who are completely entitled. It used to be that you could hand out snacks to children and they would thank you. If they didn't like the snack, they ate it anyway or quietly pushed it aside. Now you have children who will say, "I don't like that! What else do you have?" And where do they learn this? From their selfish parents who teach them that they are the most important person in the world who should get whatever they want all the time.

My point is that Disney is now encountering this whole new set of problems to work around. So, they probably do have to enforce rules more strictly or come up with procedures and systems where before they could play things more by ear.

I think this would have been a better way to handle it. I've seen some people hog the character and stand up there for like five minutes. It's really annoying. If there's no one else waiting then whatever but when there's a line up get your couple of quick snaps and move on. That way everyone gets a turn.

There are even lists of character interaction tips with suggested questions you can ask the characters and other tips on how to further monopolize the characters time. I think it's a little sick. Doesn't anyone care about sharing and giving everyone a turn?

I have to say that I try to get through character interactions very quickly. However, there have been plenty of times (especially on my honeymoon, when pregnant and with a baby) that the characters were the ones holding me up. They often like to have fun with guests. So, I don't think it's that people are trying to hog the character time in all the situations you are witnessing. Sometimes it's the characters that stretch things out. And I think that's part of the fun.

 

[EagleScout]

I don't know that it's fair to assume that the company's customer service as a whole is taking a nosedive because of what a small percentage of people are complaining about on social media. There were likely plenty of situations like this "back in the day" -- it's just that no one heard about them because news didn't travel so far, so fast. If this had happened in the early 1980s (and I'm sure it did), the OP would have gone home, told his family or a few friends, and that would have been that.

I agree that the OP "just wanted a picture with mickey", but no matter what you're wanting, it still has to happen within Disney's framework. Was the CM rude and inappropriate? If they responded exactly as the OP said (and the response hasn't gotten ruder in the telling), then yes. But if the CM had been as kind and sweet as could be and STILL hadn't let the OP get in line at that point, would that have changed anything, or would the OP feel that they still should have gotten their photo?

People here on this board exhaustively plan their trips to WDW so that they can get those photos with Mickey and great parade seats and short lines and a-list rides. Sure, it would be great if you could just walk up to a character who was wandering freely throughout the park and take photos without having to worry about getting there within a certain window or whatever. But the internet, social media, union regulations, safety standards, and a dozen other things are unfortunately working against you.

If OP truly believed that he was wronged in what happened, he should write to Disney and voice his disappointment. No one here can change policies at WDW or work to make character greetings less regimented.

I fully agree that one isolated incident is not enough to make a generalized statement, but at least in my and my family's opinion (and others with whom I have spoken), the customer service is not the same. Ironically, where I see it most often is in the "good" customer service- I literally used to feel like I was on a movie set or in a promotional video or something - nobody could really be that friendly, helpful, courteous, etc. It always remained "good" customer service, but it no longer quite has that same feeling. It has improved somewhat (in my opinion) from the lowest ebb, but it is not quite back there yet. In Disney's defense, they are sort of fighting against a general cultural trend toward less customer service, etc. (as I said before, the "twitter"/real housewives/etc. phenomenom.)

But I also fully believe that bad behavior is tolerated in a way inconceivable even a few years ago, based on an experience I had last year. It was literally so bad it was like out of a movie (in a bad way rather than a good way). I am a super easy-going guy (my wife even cites to my "affability" as why she likes me so much), and last year while I was with my wife and 3 year old son, one of the MK ticket takers was extremely rude and outright hostile to me and falsely accused me of something I did not do, and then finished the interaction by implicitly challenging me to a fight. I (and the other families in line) almost could not believe it was happening at the time. I did take down the guy's name and I did complain after the fact, and got a response suggesting he was spoken to (or even disciplined), but I should not have had to experience that in the first place.

 

[mom2rtk]

The best info to come out of this thread.....that the characters may only be available for a very short period of time so if they are already folks in line odds are you won't be meeting the character until they come back from their next break. So if that info is known then everyone can better manage their time and expectations. But tactiful CMs definitely can make waiting til after the next break more pleasant, as long as the people told to wait don't act like spoiled brats when told they have to wait.

Actually it isn't that complicated. Some characters are out nearly continuously (up to a certain time of day), with just very short 5 minute or less (usually less) breaks. The CMs do an awesome job walking the line saying "Marie just went in back for a bowl of milk but will be back in just a few minutes). The line continues to form, and people are not generally turned away.

Some characters are out only for "sets". There is usually a CM at the back of the line telling people when that line is "closed". In these cases, the characters might be back again in half an hour, or this might be their last set for the day. *Generally* one is not allowed into the line at all unless they are going to indeed get to meet the character.

Things happen. CMs make mistakes. Characters have crises and have to leave sooner. But in general it all runs much more smoothly than the OP experienced.

Not sure how things are at WDW compared to DLR. But my experience has been that things at WDW run pretty smoothly and predictably. But I still remember one trip to DLR when it took us days to finally catch up with Aurora. We got to know her character handler as it was almost a running joke that she kept turning us away. One time we were in line and waited 45 minutes only to have her leave for Storytime just before she got to us (the last people in line). We eventually saw her our last day, and that CM was great about making sure we got plenty of time.

*Things happen*.

 

[stevecin721]

We only wait in the lines to see the characters if they are short. To ensure that we get to see some characters we book character buffet meals. I wish they had different character meals instead of the same ones year after year.

 

[mom2rtk]

My point is that Disney is now encountering this whole new set of problems to work around. So, they probably do have to enforce rules more strictly or come up with procedures and systems where before they could play things more by ear.

And I'm guessing they're doing this with fewer CMs than in days gone by.

I have to say that I try to get through character interactions very quickly. However, there have been plenty of times (especially on my honeymoon, when pregnant and with a baby) that the characters were the ones holding me up. They often like to have fun with guests. So, I don't think it's that people are trying to hog the character time in all the situations you are witnessing. Sometimes it's the characters that stretch things out. And I think that's part of the fun.

Agreed. Otherwise, why not just put up cardboard cutouts to pose with?

 

[Elinor Dashwood]

I actually don't feel that Disney offers a lower quality of customer service nowadays. In fact, the main reason I go there is the quality of customer care. However, even if what you say is true, what about the decline in the behaviour of the general public in the past 20 years? Could the change in Disney's response that you see be because of the way the guests now act?

I agree, Disney is the one place we visit regularly where the CM's are unbelievably kind. But I've seen enough rude guest interactions that make me wonder how on earth the CM is able to respond without putting the guest in a headlock.

Here's a non-Disney example from my own life: It used to be that people were polite and grateful. Now, we walk among people who are completely entitled. It used to be that you could hand out snacks to children and they would thank you. If they didn't like the snack, they ate it anyway or quietly pushed it aside. Now you have children who will say, "I don't like that! What else do you have?" And where do they learn this? From their selfish parents who teach them that they are the most important person in the world who should get whatever they want all the time.

Absolutely accurate. My DH and I have worked hard to teach our kids that they are to be grateful, no matter what. Please and thank you are expected. When we have birthday parties, we remind our child to show thankfulness for each and every gift, even if it's something they didn't want. It makes everyone who attends feel good to see that their presence and gift are appreciated. It's just common courtesy, or it should be more common than it is. We've gone places where my kids have received things and politely thanked the giver and that person is usually surprised to have been thanked. And don't get me started on the soccer game snacks!

My point is that Disney is now encountering this whole new set of problems to work around. So, they probably do have to enforce rules more strictly or come up with procedures and systems where before they could play things more by ear.

I would have to agree again.

I have to say that I try to get through character interactions very quickly. However, there have been plenty of times (especially on my honeymoon, when pregnant and with a baby) that the characters were the ones holding me up. They often like to have fun with guests. So, I don't think it's that people are trying to hog the character time in all the situations you are witnessing. Sometimes it's the characters that stretch things out. And I think that's part of the fun.

This!! Yes! We were in line to see Aladdin and Jasmine one time. My kids had a blast interacting with them but it was the CHARACTERS who kept going on and on. I was starting to feel antsy because the lady in line behind us kept huffing and puffing. But what could I do?

 

[Bonnie151]

But if you want character madness, come to Disneyland Paris, where they can't organise and maintain a line. Where parents push you away, or push their kids in front of yours. When there is absolutely no crowd control and each and every character picture you can't take shows several other guests crowding the character

Then you'll know that it was not so bad after all.

Oh yes, you haven't had a bad character experience until you've been to DLP!

Having said that, we were also once told to move along from a general character area. Several years ago we were waiting for DH somewhere in Frontierland when a character meet and greet set themselves up (I want to say Toy Story characters but might be talking a load of rubbish). We were nowhere near the characters and weren't even paying that much attention, but the handler decided that the whole area to the left had to be completely clear of people. The handler was pretty abrupt and not very polite as he told us we had to "move on". It might be a cultural difference, but I don't like being barked at!

 

[lvcourtneyy]

I think this would have been a better way to handle it. I've seen some people hog the character and stand up there for like five minutes. It's really annoying. If there's no one else waiting then whatever but when there's a line up get your couple of quick snaps and move on. That way everyone gets a turn.

There are even lists of character interaction tips with suggested questions you can ask the characters and other tips on how to further monopolize the characters time. I think it's a little sick. Doesn't anyone care about sharing and giving everyone a turn?

I think how you were treated by the CMs was uncalled for.

I think saying people are hogging the time and monopolizing the character is using extremely dramatic language. Yes, everyone wants a turn. However, everyone is in line for a character "interaction", not a mechanical assembly line where we all take our pictures and move on. Personally, when I am on a line and see a character having a fun interaction with another family, I enjoy watching it. Then, when it is my turn, we have the same chance for an enjoyable interaction.

As mom2rtk said, we could just take pictures with cardboard cutouts otherwise.