Sad Day. My Tween Does Not Want To Meet Any Characters!

[Captainkate]

I need photos! I am unsure how to coax her. We have gone on Disney Cruises since she was born and I never anticipated this! She is adamant that she is too old for that! Has anyone else run into this? If so, how did you get the child to meet with the characters?

I was thinking she might not be so put off with someone like Captain Jack Sparrow. He's just cool. Maybe she will take a photo with him.

 

[Weedy]

Wait till you get there. Pixie Dust will take over.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

I need photos! I am unsure how to coax her. We have gone on Disney Cruises since she was born and I never anticipated this! She is adamant that she is too old for that! Has anyone else run into this? If so, how did you get the child to meet with the characters?

I was thinking she might not be so put off with someone like Captain Jack Sparrow. He's just cool. Maybe she will take a photo with him.

Can't you just take pics with the characters? Our teen son doesn't like the pics anymore, they grow up and that's ok. You get the privilege of starting new traditions on the ship instead of living in the past, it really is a good thing. Letting your kids mature and become independent is a great experience for all! Enjoy this time.

 

[Captainkate]

Wait till you get there. Pixie Dust will take over.

I was just thinking that. She does get very excited once on board!

 

[darnheather]

I wouldn't force her, then all you'd get is photos with a bad expression and possibly a hissy fit after. If you must have the photos then bribe her! I'm not usually one to bride my kids but will under extreme cases. Maybe tell her if she'll take photos with 5 characters you'll get her a new stuffed animal or something else she wants from the shops.

 

[cruisingtwins]

More time to do other stuff!!

 

[belac]

Wait the magic may take over.....I would start with a cool character like Sparrow if she is that against it. Then let it take over. We went with some friends that had 12 and 14 YO that were too cool for school, and yep on pirate night it all changed. They got some pics with cast member pirates not Sparrow, but then jumped to take photos afterwards, with the cooler guys like cap. Hook, Peter Pan, and Stitch. I think they got goofy too. We didn't see them much the first 2 days as they were on their own or at a club, but after pirate night it all changed.
Your tween might be different but don't lose hope. BTW they are 16 and 18 now and still remember that cruise and said they loved it.

 

[Weedy]

Also promise her you won't post them to any social media.

 

[jenpink]

My daughter has never wanted her picture taken with the characters. It makes me happy because we never have to stand in lines

 

[Captainkate]

Excellent thought, Weedy. Social media can be embarrassing for tweens. We always get one special character photo for her dad to put on his desk at work. He has them lined up for her 7 cruises along his desk from the first to the latest. He loves this tradition.

 

[Captainkate]

My daughter has never wanted her picture taken with the characters. It makes me happy because we never have to stand in lines

Whew! Those ARE some long lines.

 

[Captainkate]

Haha Belac. Yes, that's it! At the moment, she is too cool for school! It's encouraging to know your kids decided to break with teenage tradition and have a good time with the characters. The last cruise, my DD took a photo with Chip and Dale and they were teasing her a lot and squished her between them with a giant hug. I have a photo of that. She was laughing. Maybe she will lighten up.

 

[TeaBee]

I need photos! I am unsure how to coax her. We have gone on Disney Cruises since she was born and I never anticipated this! She is adamant that she is too old for that! Has anyone else run into this? If so, how did you get the child to meet with the characters?

I was thinking she might not be so put off with someone like Captain Jack Sparrow. He's just cool. Maybe she will take a photo with him.

My kids have no interest in pictures with characters anymore either. That's cool with me, if they're not into it, they're not into it. We just get photos of different experiences now and we never have to wait in line!

 

[belac]

Haha Belac. Yes, that's it! At the moment, she is too cool for school! It's encouraging to know your kids decided to break with teenage tradition and have a good time with the characters. The last cruise, my DD took a photo with Chip and Dale and they were teasing her a lot and squished her between them with a giant hug. I have a photo of that. She was laughing. Maybe she will lighten up.

Yeah it is a weird age for kids, but they are actually our good friend's daughters, we have a 9 yo boy, maybe that hurt the situation because we took pics with cptn. Mickey at the terminal etc..., he was five at the time and his first DC, so maybe that cemented that it is a little kid thing, but they admit they liked it ....now that the are older.

I remember being in university and was at the local mall picking up some things and wandered into the the Disney Store, way back in the late 80's when they carried actual colllectable items and good quality items like prints, Classic society and such. Well there were the most awesome notebooks (before tablets, or laptops). I bought a dozen and a mom in line with her tween behind me said see honey that girl is buying Disney notebooks they are so cute are you sure you don't want them for school? the girl replied the're for babies, and mom continued, ....she is older than you. That kid looked like she just about wanted to die right then, completely embarrassed.... I replied that they were for my little cousins, so she could feel a little vindicated. Sometimes Adults don't get it.
So it depends on the child. Don't push but nudge just enough, maybe there will be a spark.

Maybe if you say it is really for you and it would mean the world to you, she may do it happily, for a few characters. I make my son's Birthday Hats every year. A tradition, because I couldn't find a really nice one for boys for his 1st and just realized it was easier to make then search for one. This year I asked him "would you mind if I continued, to make your hats?" He surprised me by saying, I know I am older, but you like to do it, so you can make my hats and I will take pictures with my hat forever.
I'll see if that holds true when he turns 11.

So keep trying, if it means that much because kids sometimes don't get adults, and as a tween maybe all she needs is a gentle talk on it's really for you. Oh and what PP have said erasure it will not got to any social media.

 

[FigmentSpark]

My heart broke the first time my sons didn't want to sit on Santa's lap. At first it was hard, then I realized I was going to start making new memories with them and also, I didn't have to fight through line ups to get my 30 seconds of time with Santa.

So even if she doesn't want character pictures, find another place to make memorable, like beside the statue or a pic with you against a sign or a view of the ocean. Make that the something to put in your scrapbook.

 

[Ofinn]

Your daughter is growing up, and that's completely normal. I have always felt really blessed that my kids have never been interested in the characters. I think I would have been one and done with DCL if I had to spend my vacation standing in character lines.

 

[Pens Fan]

I have exactly 2 photos of my son with Disney characters (he's 18). After 4 cruises and several WDW trips (7, 8?? lost count ) I have one picture taken when he was 4 years old with the big blue character from Monsters Inc. and one of he and Jack Sparrow when he was around 15 or so (DH made him do it as a surprise for me). That's it. At WDW he is way too busy riding rides to "waste time" (his words, not mine) standing in line to see "people dressed up like characters" - again his words (even at 4) not mine. We didn't start cruising until he was about 10 or 11, and by then it just wasn't going to happen!

When he was 3, I took him to see Thomas the Tank Engine. The kid was obsessed with Thomas and was so excited to go see his hero. We walked up to the train and he looked at me and said, "Mom that's just a regular train with a wooden Thomas face attached" He was 3 !!! The kid had no interest in seeing the mall Santa (man in a Santa suit, Mom - rolls eyes), the Easter bunny, etc. He never, ever bought into the idea that any of the characters were real.

The funny thing is, it never dimenished his enjoyment at WDW, DCL, or even Thomas the Tank Engine day. He still beileved in Santa and the Easter Bunny, just knew the ones at the mall weren't real. In a few months he will be heading to college to study mechanical engineering and his dream is to be an Imagineer for Disney. While he never bought into the magic, he has always been completely fascinated in how Disney created it for others. It's pretty much all he has wanted to do since he was really little.

OP, I say all this to tell you - don't stress. Maybe your daughter will change her mind. Maybe she won't. Either way, I have no doubt you will have a magical cruise. Magic just comes in many forms.

 

[dsdeleon]

My tween shows up with pics from the EDGE with Pluto, Goofy. They do silly poses and give the kids a strip of pics. It's a nice Disney touch.

 

[Ofinn]

My tween shows up with pics from the EDGE with Pluto, Goofy. They do silly poses and give the kids a strip of pics. It's a nice Disney touch.

Funny you mentioned that. I do have pictures of my kids with Pluto and some Princess in the Edge. My kids would never in a million years stand in line for this, but I guess they are not to "cool" to pose when it's in the Edge.

 

[MUN]

I need photos! I am unsure how to coax her. We have gone on Disney Cruises since she was born and I never anticipated this! She is adamant that she is too old for that! Has anyone else run into this? If so, how did you get the child to meet with the characters?

I was thinking she might not be so put off with someone like Captain Jack Sparrow. He's just cool. Maybe she will take a photo with him.

Make her. Tell her no more DCL cruises unless she cooperates.