princess meet & greet

[rsjj]

hi there, fellow disboard members!

so it's been a while since we've been on a cruise (2 years ago)...and wanted to know what this princess meet & greet is all about. i did reserve tickets, but i'm not sure what it is.

on our last cruise, we just lined up at various times, when the princesses were out, and just interacted w/them and took pix. but now we need a ticket...how is this different from our previous one? longer time to interact? can we still bring our own camera? or only restricted to their photo people taking our pix? any heads-up on this is greatly appreciated!! everyone in my party needs a ticket? even if they don't want a pic or to interact w/them? it's really just for me! but i have a set of tix for my family...

so very sorry for all the questions...i just wanted to prepare myself for what's to come. i'm just so excited!! i feel like a kid...

 

[o&smom]

It is basically the same as before. They now give out tickets with assigned times to cut down on the crazy lines and waiting. You only need a ticket for people wanting to see and interact with the characters.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

hi there, fellow disboard members!

so it's been a while since we've been on a cruise (2 years ago)...and wanted to know what this princess meet & greet is all about. i did reserve tickets, but i'm not sure what it is.

on our last cruise, we just lined up at various times, when the princesses were out, and just interacted w/them and took pix. but now we need a ticket...how is this different from our previous one? longer time to interact? can we still bring our own camera? or only restricted to their photo people taking our pix? any heads-up on this is greatly appreciated!! everyone in my party needs a ticket? even if they don't want a pic or to interact w/them? it's really just for me! but i have a set of tix for my family...

so very sorry for all the questions...i just wanted to prepare myself for what's to come. i'm just so excited!! i feel like a kid...

It's a meet & greet, but a special one. There are 3, 4, or maybe 5 princesses in attendance and you visit with each of them in turn. There are also the "regular" meet & greets onboard, individual princesses/characters. No ticket required for those.

You can use your own camera.

 

[quickcat]

It really eliminates the long lines for waiting to see the princesses. It is really nice, show up at exactly your ticket time and basically have no line. If you go early, even 10 minutes, they will ask you to wait off to the side. Definitely worth going to- great interaction
Oh, and if some of your party doesn't want to go, you can give their ticket to the person collecting them and let them know they are not attending. Some people wait around in case of no shows if they are "sold out" for that time frame. The CM will then give the ticket to anyone waiting.
Have fun!!

 

[rsjj]

thank you all for your replies! funny...b/c i never thought those character meets' lines were long at all. but i'm looking forward to it...sounds less crowded? haha...it's really for me. i want to talk to the princess, and curtsy with them, and take pix w/them! it's my vacation too, right?!!

i'm assuming it's the same w/the frozen meet and greet.

It really eliminates the long lines for waiting to see the princesses. It is really nice, show up at exactly your ticket time and basically have no line. If you go early, even 10 minutes, they will ask you to wait off to the side. Definitely worth going to- great interaction
Oh, and if some of your party doesn't want to go, you can give their ticket to the person collecting them and let them know they are not attending. Some people wait around in case of no shows if they are "sold out" for that time frame. The CM will then give the ticket to anyone waiting.
Have fun!!

good point about giving away the extra tix i don't need. the boys already told me they weren't interested! i'm giving them to some families that are on the same cruise as us. i'm sure DH would just love to not have to come w/me too...lol!! i may just have to sprinkle some pixie dust along the way...i'm sure some little girl/family would love it.

 

[sherilynn]

OP, I haven't cruised in a couple of years either. I have used the tickets for meet & greets, but they weren't available until we got on the ship. It's the first thing I went for! So you already have times reserved? Did you do this with your online check in?

 

[Drbaw5]

The princesses will still be available individually in different spots throughout the cruise and will be listed in the navigator... you don't need a ticket for these, but the meet and greet is a way to knock them all out at once. I found the line to be about the same. The plus side to the meet and greet is you only have to stand in line once. My husband and sons had no interest in this, so my daughter and I went alone.

 

[rsjj]

OP, I haven't cruised in a couple of years either. I have used the tickets for meet & greets, but they weren't available until we got on the ship. It's the first thing I went for! So you already have times reserved? Did you do this with your online check in?

We are able to get them online. The same time you can book your excursions/adult dinner. I remember when we went, people can pick them up once onboard. But I never looked into it, since the boys weren't interested. But since I saw it online this time, as I was booking our excursions, I just ordered them!

We used to just roam around and if we happen to see a princess out and about, I just get in line!

But we'd (the fam) go specifically to maybe a Stitch or Mickey character meet.

Thanx again!

 

[Dug720]

OP, I haven't cruised in a couple of years either. I have used the tickets for meet & greets, but they weren't available until we got on the ship. It's the first thing I went for! So you already have times reserved? Did you do this with your online check in?

Yes. They are pre-booked under "OnBoard Fun". And based on what I heard while at Guest Services on the Magic in Feb they don't hold back a lot.

 

[Dug720]

We are able to get them online. The same time you can book your excursions/adult dinner. I remember when we went, people can pick them up once onboard. But I never looked into it, since the boys weren't interested. But since I saw it online this time, as I was booking our excursions, I just ordered them!

We used to just roam around and if we happen to see a princess out and about, I just get in line!

But we'd (the fam) go specifically to maybe a Stitch or Mickey character meet.

Thanx again!

Gatherings are only for the Princesses (though they will occasionally have non-tickets meets as well announced in the Navigator) and Frozen. Others are all still line up and wait. (To be honest given that the last 2 DCL cruises I did the line to meet Captain Jack Sparrow closed to capacity before he even got there, I would not be surprised to see him become ticketed at some point.)

 

[xQuizx]

Question - I am traveling with family in a different stateroom. We have connected (if that's the right term) reservations so we will be seated for main dining. Anyways when I go online to book the meet and greets, can I book their times as well? They are Silver members as well.

 

[Anchors Away 2016]

haha...it's really for me. i want to talk to the princess, and curtsy with them, and take pix w/them! it's my vacation too, right?!!

I was amazed how well, even in a limited time, the princesses could manage to have a conversation with you, not just smile for a picture or two. And they will definitely pose/talk to the adults if the adults are interested. I'd recommend you "make the first move." If you talk to the princess or ask her a question, she will definitely respond and start asking you questions too.

Question - I am traveling with family in a different stateroom. We have connected (if that's the right term) reservations so we will be seated for main dining. Anyways when I go online to book the meet and greets, can I book their times as well? They are Silver members as well.

Yes, you can reserve their times too if your reservations are linked as you say. One warning: If the other group also uses their online account, you can't both be booking activities as once, even just for your own cabin. Only you or they can be in EITHER of your reservations at one time. So, when I traveled with my sister's family, I logged in (at midnight) and went to the activities section. This locked her out. But we were prepared for this. I had her on the phone, I booked all of our mutual excursions, M&Gs etc., then I booked the ones for just her family, telling her at each step what her options were, and then I booked the ones for just my family. We could have done this in any combination. Also, when you are done booking activities, be sure to return to your main account page and log out. Otherwise the other party still won't be able to get in for a while to even see what you booked for them. Even if you log out correctly it still might be a few minutes delay, which is why I did everything for both groups. My sister was able to do her pre-cruise check-in and get her PAT, while I did her excursions. That is separate from the computer's perspective.

P.S. This works partly because you are the same level, silver. If they were first timers, you'd have to wait until their window opens to book their activities.

 

[mathgeek]

OP, I haven't cruised in a couple of years either. I have used the tickets for meet & greets, but they weren't available until we got on the ship. It's the first thing I went for! So you already have times reserved? Did you do this with your online check in?

IIRC, DCL started the online reservations for M&G tickets and character breakfasts last summer. I feel like it happened shortly before my cruise at the end of June.