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

[RedSox68]

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.

Try offering to be in the pics with her. My daughter started getting antsy in her teens about character photos, so we just started getting in the photos with her. I figured better to have all of us in it rather than none of her. She does love Tinkerbell and even in her 20's wanted photos with the characters from Frozen -- so there could be some compromise.

 

[piccolopat]

Obviously this is important to you and not to her. How about bribing her - $5 for each character she takes a picture with and smiles nicely or some internet access while on board. This can be a part of any spending money you might have planned to give her anyway. I wouldn't threaten her with no more cruises or something else that you really aren't willing to follow through on.

 

[Eeyores]

Once she is on board and sees other tweens and teens doing it, she will be comfortable with it too. She is self conscious.

 

[Mickeyhugger]

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

I hope you were kidding.

 

[asamklove]

Drop the topic completely from discussion - she's either outgrown it for now or she is sensing she has a lot of power over you on this topic.
Either way, she will probably give you a pic or two, especially if you pose as a family. And especially if you start acting like it doesn't really matter.

Mind tricks, mom, mind tricks

 

[Seamama]

Tweens/teens are trying to figure out if they're adults or kids and one of they ways they can "prove" they're adults is to stop doing "baby things". I would ask for the one pic that means the most to you- you mentioned wanting one for your husband's desk at work, tell her that's the one you'd like, to continue that one tradition. And then let go of everything else. If you and your husband want to be in pics, you should still do them. And if she's around, invite her to join you, but just ask once. (Don't even let yourself follow up w/ an "Are you sure?" if she says no). I agree w/ the previous poster about not making it a big deal or letting it become a power struggle. Family/relationships are about compromise, so asking her for one pic is reasonable. But promise (and stick to your promise) not to pester her for any others. If you make it not a big deal, she'll probably join you for more pics anyway. Or she might opt out for a few years but likely come back around when she's older.

 

[mischief32]

It has been a month now and since we sent on our first Disney cruise and we did not meet one character. My DD9 has no interest and as someone else posted that meant not having to wait in any lines. This did not bother me at all since we really did not pick a Disney Cruise for the character experience. We are looking to go again in 2 years. Need to save our pennies to pay for another one but as my husband has said you get what you pay for so I do not think I could do another cruise line. I know I am a snob.

 

[Julylady]

I too recommend that you drop the subject and not make a big deal out of it. Once aboard you can ask her again if there is any character she is interested in getting a picture with. If yes, great; if no, no problem. If a family portrait with a character is important, you can inform her that your whole family will be taking a picture with Mickey one night.

We have two family rules that you might want to consider. 1) You cannot take a picture of anyone (including family members) without their permission, and 2) You cannot post any photo to social media without the permission of those in the photos. These rules were put in place because Mom did not want kids posting unflattering photos of her on Facebook, but as the kids have grown older they appreciate it as well. It also reinforces respect for other people's privacy.

 

[FigmentSpark]

You could always get a character photo and tell Mickey or whomever to leave a space and pose, as you're going to photoshop her into the picture. Make sure she hears that.

Seriously, you can always just take a picture of the characters, or, as others have said, get in the picture yourself. I think my worst fear would be not getting my money's worth on the photo package if not doing character poses. You might have to rethink your photo purchasing strategy.

 

[RedSox68]

It has been a month now and since we sent on our first Disney cruise and we did not meet one character. My DD9 has no interest and as someone else posted that meant not having to wait in any lines. This did not bother me at all since we really did not pick a Disney Cruise for the character experience. We are looking to go again in 2 years. Need to save our pennies to pay for another one but as my husband has said you get what you pay for so I do not think I could do another cruise line. I know I am a snob.

In no way are you a snob. Your child will still be at the age that she can enjoy what Disney has onboard -- and the shows and the restaurant themes -- even if she doesn't want to interact with the characters. Sometimes it's just fun to stand on Deck 4 or 5 in the atrium and watch all the characters. In a few years, when she's old enough, then you can branch out to see what other cruise lines might offer that she might think is fun. Although now that we are all adults, we still love Disney ships even without a little one and love being on her ships -- just can't afford it for now. Enjoy Disney for now and have fun!

 

[Snowwhyt]

It has been a month now and since we sent on our first Disney cruise and we did not meet one character. My DD9 has no interest and as someone else posted that meant not having to wait in any lines. This did not bother me at all since we really did not pick a Disney Cruise for the character experience. We are looking to go again in 2 years. Need to save our pennies to pay for another one but as my husband has said you get what you pay for so I do not think I could do another cruise line. I know I am a snob.

1st cruise girl age 11 asked for No Princess and I did that for her.
2nd cruise girl now 15 wanted fewer character photos. Cut character photos in half.
3rd (next) cruise girl 16. We will take every non-character photo. And anywhere from 2 to 4 total with a character. Take as many of them in full body if possible with plans to crop those goofy borders out and use anywhere she needs a photo for the next two years or use in portfolio. Explain to her that if she wants to have a modeling portfolio these would be ideal.

 

[TeaBee]

Obviously this is important to you and not to her. How about bribing her - $5 for each character she takes a picture with and smiles nicely or some internet access while on board. This can be a part of any spending money you might have planned to give her anyway. I wouldn't threaten her with no more cruises or something else that you really aren't willing to follow through on.

Bribery works well for my kids! My teenager hates hiking so when we took a trip to Banff with extended family, I paid her to hike with us. $5 a mile for every mile that she hiked and didn't complain. She was sunshine and roses the entire hike and it was lovely. I would have given her souvenir money anyhow, but she doesn't have to know that.

 

[Aerin75]

We have two family rules that you might want to consider. 1) You cannot take a picture of anyone (including family members) without their permission, and 2) You cannot post any photo to social media without the permission of those in the photos. These rules were put in place because Mom did not want kids posting unflattering photos of her on Facebook, but as the kids have grown older they appreciate it as well. It also reinforces respect for other people's privacy.

Love this rule!

 

[Ofinn]

Love this rule!

Me too! I love rule number 1. My husband is trigger happy with the camera. I'm not sure he would comply. I think on this upcoming trip I'm going to take control of the camera.

 

[Eeyores]

I too recommend that you drop the subject and not make a big deal out of it. Once aboard you can ask her again if there is any character she is interested in getting a picture with. If yes, great; if no, no problem. If a family portrait with a character is important, you can inform her that your whole family will be taking a picture with Mickey one night.

We have two family rules that you might want to consider. 1) You cannot take a picture of anyone (including family members) without their permission, and 2) You cannot post any photo to social media without the permission of those in the photos. These rules were put in place because Mom did not want kids posting unflattering photos of her on Facebook, but as the kids have grown older they appreciate it as well. It also reinforces respect for other people's privacy.

Oh my gosh, I love these rules! Growing up I swear, my mother took the worst pictures of me! Always with me mid-bite, mouth open, or eating!! I hated every picture.

 

[BigredNole]

It will be a sad day if my daughter stops liking Disney. We were thankful to be able to take 3 1-week trips last year. Things just fell into place. The first 2 were great because there was no rush. They were only 6 weeks apart. The third trip she was a little ho-hum about it. Thought I was going to hate going in July, but turned out to be a very relaxing and enjoyable trip.

I think she will come around once it is here. I am betting that she has friends that are not Disney people. Those people usually look down on Disney people. She may be getting a little peer pressure. I think you will be fine.

 

[EASchechter]

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.

I have a sensory kid, and the characters bother him (not sure if it's scared or disturbed -- he hasn't been able to articulate WHY they bother him.) When he was smaller, he'd go to the characters, but starting at about age 6, he started refusing. Now, he will NOT take a picture with characters, and we won't force him. It's not fair to him.

When we go on our cruise, it'll be me and my husband with the characters.

 

[verleniahall]

What about you getting in line to do the character photos and then asking her to do mother/daughter shots?

 

[Imahikergirl]

My DD (then 18) told us that she wasn't going to do Disney trips anymore. Been there done that - she was going to explore the world. DH and I were going on a weekend trip down the FL coast and we're going to find somewhere to stay once we got there. Huge traffic jams one the far right lane of the freeway, turns out it was Daytona bike week. Since we were already down there we decided to go to WDW. Called Disney and she found us a room for the weekend. Texted DD a picture of DH in a hat that he was thinking of buying. Got a text back demanding to know why we were in Disney without her (there was a small metal Mickey on the hatband). Before she left for a long trip to Australia and Asia the next year, she requested a WDW weekend before she went. She (now 21) has also mentioned going on DCL with us and her BF in the future. My point is to give hope, sometimes they give up Disney and then come back.

 

[Aerin75]

Slightly off topic and I promise I'll stop! I hate having my picture taken! They always turn out cruddy. But I can't grab the camera - because my husband takes the pictures because he doesn't want pictures of him! Besides...if I grab the camera, he just uses his phone. :/

Me too! I love rule number 1. My husband is trigger happy with the camera. I'm not sure he would comply. I think on this upcoming trip I'm going to take control of the camera.

Oh my gosh, I love these rules! Growing up I swear, my mother took the worst pictures of me! Always with me mid-bite, mouth open, or eating!! I hated every picture.