Is Disneyland no longer gonna have characters do meet and greets in the park anymore?

[DodgerGirl]

I heard a rumor from my mom last night "and this is a real rumor and not false information by the way" that Disneyland will no longer have character meet and greets in the park anymore and I would like to know if anyone has heard about this? According to what my mom told me is that Disneyland will no longer have character handlers escort the characters and assist them during meet and greets and another thing why Disneyland is no longer gonna have character meet and greets is according to what my mom told me is because families are becoming rude to characters and when families are wanting to take their kids photos with the characters the families always are starting fights and bullying other families in line. And it seems that the characters are only gonna be seen in shows and parades. I can't imagine why Disneyland is doing this because this is such an iconic part of everyone's Disneyland trips and if Disneyland does this people with kids will be very upset

 

[scrappinginontario]

This is absolutely incorrect. Character meet n greets are a huge part of Disney.

 

[BrianL]

It is not character meets that they are cutting, but they are cutting a ton of entertainment, some of which were also kinda meet and greets. Like Guardians of the Galaxy Dance Off - at the end of the show, you'd have a chance to get a pic with Peter Quill or Gamora. There was no formal line or anything, but they'd work the crowd for a few minutes. Dr. Strange too. That kind of thing is what is being cut. Your typical costumed characters and princesses are likely to be unaffected.

 

[DodgerGirl]

Is Disneyland gonna replace both The Guardians Of The Galaxy Dance-Off show and the Doctor Strange show with new character meet and greets and shows? And also will Doctor Strange now be a meet and greet character in Avengers Campus only now once his show ends at DCA? Because I think because he's still a popular Marvel character Doctor Strange should still do meet and greets. To me I think why Disneyland is doing this in the first place is so they can have more Marvel characters added and some favorite Marvel characters can make a return like Hawkeye and maybe they'll add Adam Warlock to the Marvel character lineup soon. What I have noticed and I can't figure out is from what i've watched on Youtube videos is why families are so rude to characters and even when the kids are holding their autograph books the family just shoves the autograph books and pens at the characters and to me Disneyland should have a rule posted during character meet and greets saying this "PLEASE DO NOT BE RUDE TO CHARACTERS DURING MEET AND GREETS USE MANNERS WHEN ASKING FOR AUTOGRAPHS FROM CHARACTERS THANK YOU" and that would improve the character meet and greets indeed

 

[BrianL]

Is Disneyland gonna replace both The Guardians Of The Galaxy Dance-Off show and the Doctor Strange show with new character meet and greets and shows? And also will Doctor Strange now be a meet and greet character in Avengers Campus only now once his show ends at DCA? Because I think because he's still a popular Marvel character Doctor Strange should still do meet and greets. To me I think why Disneyland is doing this in the first place is so they can have more Marvel characters added and some favorite Marvel characters can make a return like Hawkeye and maybe they'll add Adam Warlock to the Marvel character lineup soon. What I have noticed and I can't figure out is from what i've watched on Youtube videos is why families are so rude to characters and even when the kids are holding their autograph books the family just shoves the autograph books and pens at the characters and to me Disneyland should have a rule posted during character meet and greets saying this "PLEASE DO NOT BE RUDE TO CHARACTERS DURING MEET AND GREETS USE MANNERS WHEN ASKING FOR AUTOGRAPHS FROM CHARACTERS THANK YOU" and that would improve the character meet and greets indeed

There has been no indication of replacements yet. The whole thing has to do with performers unionizing. The typical characters who do meets aren't considered such and wouldn't be part of that, but if they participate in a show then they are. I suppose they could have the characters just come out for meets with no show, but, again, at this time there is no word of that. I am hoping this little union squabble gets settled pretty quickly and they can restore some of this entertainment. Come on, Disney, get it together!

 

[MillauFr]

I heard a rumor from my mom last night "and this is a real rumor and not false information by the way" that Disneyland will no longer have character meet and greets in the park anymore and I would like to know if anyone has heard about this? According to what my mom told me is that Disneyland will no longer have character handlers escort the characters and assist them during meet and greets and another thing why Disneyland is no longer gonna have character meet and greets is according to what my mom told me is because families are becoming rude to characters and when families are wanting to take their kids photos with the characters the families always are starting fights and bullying other families in line. And it seems that the characters are only gonna be seen in shows and parades. I can't imagine why Disneyland is doing this because this is such an iconic part of everyone's Disneyland trips and if Disneyland does this people with kids will be very upset

What is the source of the info? From a Toy Story bus driver?

 

[etherealcaitiff]

I think you're getting some real info (Pixar Pals and the Doctor Strange show are both cancelled) and then maybe trying to stretch that to something that isn't real (all character interactions being cut). For right now, we just know that those 2 things have been cut. Normal character interactions are still happening, and in Disneyland you will still find some characters roaming certain parts of the park. Those haven't been cut and most likely wont be. The only other thing I could see them realistically cutting are the roaming characters, but DL guests are crazy (in a good way) and will throw a fit over that.

 

[SL6827]

They are mad with them unionizing?

 

[Cfabar1]

They are mad with them unionizing?

I think they would say they are rightsizing based on economic forces and realities.

 

[BrightMorningStar]

I heard a rumor from my mom last night "and this is a real rumor and not false information by the way" that Disneyland will no longer have character meet and greets in the park anymore and I would like to know if anyone has heard about this? According to what my mom told me is that Disneyland will no longer have character handlers escort the characters and assist them during meet and greets and another thing why Disneyland is no longer gonna have character meet and greets is according to what my mom told me is because families are becoming rude to characters and when families are wanting to take their kids photos with the characters the families always are starting fights and bullying other families in line. And it seems that the characters are only gonna be seen in shows and parades. I can't imagine why Disneyland is doing this because this is such an iconic part of everyone's Disneyland trips and if Disneyland does this people with kids will be very upset

I have been to both parks. What your mom says about the guests is true. Completely different cultures of people and behaviors compared to Disney World. That is for both locals and overseas travelers. However, if Disney intends to drop meet-n-greets, this is not the reason they would publicly provide in a press conference or to the average CM.

 

[DodgerGirl]

Why I think Disneyland actually cut some of the character meet and greets was not because of money in my eyes but because they want to make room for new character meet and greets and they think that cutting entertainment and meet and greets with characters are better ways for the park to save money. But what shocks me is that they introduce new characters that people can only see performing in shows and the characters don't even do meet and greets. Take for example when Disney+ launched Marvel's Secret Invasion they introduced the Nick Fury character in a show at Avengers Campus but he didn't do meet and greets and it was a shock to some fans. Now that the Storytime With Deadpool show is gonna end at the end of August I can guarantee that Deadpool himself will no longer be found doing meet and greets at Avengers and what Disneyland could've done with Storytime With Deadpool was have Deadpool meet guests and sign autographs after the show and that would've been nice. But what Disneyland should do for families that really want to meet characters is have the cast members enforce rules for every family that participates in character meet and greets and ask each family to use proper manners when waiting in line. Because have you ever heard the classic George Strait song The Chair where George Strait asks nicely if he can find a place to sit? That song makes me think of what families do at Disneyland when waiting in line to meet characters. Disneyland should enforce rules and the rules would be as follows,
1. Do not shove autograph books and pens in characters faces. Please ask politely if you wish for the character to sign autograph books
2. No fighting or starting arguements with other families while waiting in line. Starting fights will cause families to be removed from line
3. Infants who are crying or have colic are not permitted in line
4. No noisy toddlers will be allowed. Toddlers must be nice and polite
This rule list would be helpful for families at Disneyland who want to do character meet and greets and would help the park a lot

 

[Kennywood]

Slightly off-topic, but this brought to mind one of the weirdest meet & greets I've ever encountered.

My wife is a huge fan of Chip & Dale. We were in Disneyworld and saw that they were having a meet & greet photo opportunity. We went, only to be told that we could have a picture with Chip OR Dale separately. We tried to explain that the characters were known as Chip AND Dale, but that didn't matter. So, we have a picture of my wife with Chip, and another picture of her with Dale. (Oh, this was way before Covid.)

 

[Minnie1222]

Disneyland should enforce rules and the rules would be as follows,
1. Do not shove autograph books and pens in characters faces. Please ask politely if you wish for the character to sign autograph books
2. No fighting or starting arguements with other families while waiting in line. Starting fights will cause families to be removed from line
3. Infants who are crying or have colic are not permitted in line
4. No noisy toddlers will be allowed. Toddlers must be nice and polite
This rule list would be helpful for families at Disneyland who want to do character meet and greets and would help the park a lot

I agree with #1 and 2. But 3 and 4 will be hard to enforce since quiet infants & toddlers rarely exist in the real world.

 

[DodgerGirl]

Slightly off-topic, but this brought to mind one of the weirdest meet & greets I've ever encountered.

My wife is a huge fan of Chip & Dale. We were in Disneyworld and saw that they were having a meet & greet photo opportunity. We went, only to be told that we could have a picture with Chip OR Dale separately. We tried to explain that the characters were known as Chip AND Dale, but that didn't matter. So, we have a picture of my wife with Chip, and another picture of her with Dale. (Oh, this was way before Covid.)

That's weird that Walt Disney World would do this to your wife Kennywood. Because I had never ever heard of this rule happening at Disneyland and I have gotten my pictures with a character pair when I went to Disneyland they always would let me have photos with a character pair and then we would do a family picture together with the character pair and I wonder if this was a new character meet and greet policy you encountered at Walt Disney World and I wonder if Disneyland has this policy in place at meet and greets with characters as well? Because I think this is the reason why families find character meet and greets an annoying pain to do and I think that's why Disneyland has limited some characters to do just photos and not autographs anymore

 

[Newsies]

Slightly off-topic, but this brought to mind one of the weirdest meet & greets I've ever encountered.

My wife is a huge fan of Chip & Dale. We were in Disneyworld and saw that they were having a meet & greet photo opportunity. We went, only to be told that we could have a picture with Chip OR Dale separately. We tried to explain that the characters were known as Chip AND Dale, but that didn't matter. So, we have a picture of my wife with Chip, and another picture of her with Dale. (Oh, this was way before Covid.)

Was this at the Fort?

 

[Kennywood]

Was this at the Fort?

I honestly don't recall.

I did take a picture of my wife with Chip & Dale, though. Chip & Dale were separated by about 10 ft, so I had my wife stand in between them, and I took the picture. It's a really odd looking picture, though.

 

[FreeTime]

Why I think Disneyland actually cut some of the character meet and greets was not because of money in my eyes but because they want to make room for new character meet and greets and they think that cutting entertainment and meet and greets with characters are better ways for the park to save money. But what shocks me is that they introduce new characters that people can only see performing in shows and the characters don't even do meet and greets. Take for example when Disney+ launched Marvel's Secret Invasion they introduced the Nick Fury character in a show at Avengers Campus but he didn't do meet and greets and it was a shock to some fans. Now that the Storytime With Deadpool show is gonna end at the end of August I can guarantee that Deadpool himself will no longer be found doing meet and greets at Avengers and what Disneyland could've done with Storytime With Deadpool was have Deadpool meet guests and sign autographs after the show and that would've been nice. But what Disneyland should do for families that really want to meet characters is have the cast members enforce rules for every family that participates in character meet and greets and ask each family to use proper manners when waiting in line. Because have you ever heard the classic George Strait song The Chair where George Strait asks nicely if he can find a place to sit? That song makes me think of what families do at Disneyland when waiting in line to meet characters. Disneyland should enforce rules and the rules would be as follows,
1. Do not shove autograph books and pens in characters faces. Please ask politely if you wish for the character to sign autograph books
2. No fighting or starting arguements with other families while waiting in line. Starting fights will cause families to be removed from line
3. Infants who are crying or have colic are not permitted in line
4. No noisy toddlers will be allowed. Toddlers must be nice and polite
This rule list would be helpful for families at Disneyland who want to do character meet and greets and would help the park a lot

You rather lost me on The Chair reference. That is a love song. Not a learn your manners song.

I disagree with 3 and 4. Are you also going to say older kids and adults that are loud due to disabilities are prohibited?

 

[BrightMorningStar]

Why I think Disneyland actually cut some of the character meet and greets was not because of money in my eyes but because they want to make room for new character meet and greets and they think that cutting entertainment and meet and greets with characters are better ways for the park to save money. But what shocks me is that they introduce new characters that people can only see performing in shows and the characters don't even do meet and greets. Take for example when Disney+ launched Marvel's Secret Invasion they introduced the Nick Fury character in a show at Avengers Campus but he didn't do meet and greets and it was a shock to some fans. Now that the Storytime With Deadpool show is gonna end at the end of August I can guarantee that Deadpool himself will no longer be found doing meet and greets at Avengers and what Disneyland could've done with Storytime With Deadpool was have Deadpool meet guests and sign autographs after the show and that would've been nice. But what Disneyland should do for families that really want to meet characters is have the cast members enforce rules for every family that participates in character meet and greets and ask each family to use proper manners when waiting in line. Because have you ever heard the classic George Strait song The Chair where George Strait asks nicely if he can find a place to sit? That song makes me think of what families do at Disneyland when waiting in line to meet characters. Disneyland should enforce rules and the rules would be as follows,
1. Do not shove autograph books and pens in characters faces. Please ask politely if you wish for the character to sign autograph books
2. No fighting or starting arguements with other families while waiting in line. Starting fights will cause families to be removed from line
3. Infants who are crying or have colic are not permitted in line
4. No noisy toddlers will be allowed. Toddlers must be nice and polite
This rule list would be helpful for families at Disneyland who want to do character meet and greets and would help the park a lot

That George Strait song has nothing to do with manners or looking for a place to sit. It is a man trying to meet a woman and introduces himself by saying she was in his chair.

Disney will not "discriminate" based on noise level. They do not even do that now. They allow boos and jeers in Hall of Presidents, regardless of which party you are against. They do not do anything to keep scared children quiet in theater shows. They do not remove children who scream or run around in restaurants.

In the case of any fighting, Disney will call security. They always have. Sometimes the argument is over before security makes it over. That situation is worse in Disneyland than in Disney World.

 

[BrianL]

That George Strait song has nothing to do with manners or looking for a place to sit. It is a man trying to meet a woman and introduces himself by saying she was in his chair.

Disney will not "discriminate" based on noise level. They do not even do that now. They allow boos and jeers in Hall of Presidents, regardless of which party you are against. They do not do anything to keep scared children quiet in theater shows. They do not remove children who scream or run around in restaurants.

In the case of any fighting, Disney will call security. They always have. Sometimes the argument is over before security makes it over. That situation is worse in Disneyland than in Disney World.

Actually, they do ask that you not boo or cheer in the Hall of Presidents, however they don't actually do anything about it. Unfortunately, people can't help themselves. Disney actually has a lot of rules that they don't enforce - so one might wonder if they are really rules at all.