Ya got me there. In my own defense though, the topic of this thread is a single specific aspect of DL that I find awful. How weird would it be to start such a thread and then lace it with all the things I liked about the park? You want one? Okay, the macaron cart in Downtown Disney is awesome. Asking the macaron vendor how she handles it when every third or fourth customer asks for a macaroon might be one of the top 5 highlights of my trip. Does it make up for having no clue whether or not Pocahontas will be in the park or if the Columbia will sail until the actual day of the trip? No, but maybe the HM pet graveyard does; that's pretty awesome.
I never intended this particular criticism to be a reflection on whether I hated or loved
Disneyland. I can't think of a single thing on this Earth that I do love that is without flaw, can you?
Yes, actually I can. The "thing" is named Norman and he's my boyfriend. I'm lucky and I am blessed - he even does his own laundry.
And even if he does screw up the response would be "You are an idiot, but I still love you." You however have made two topics, both overflowing with negatives and negatives only. If you love something and it has a flaw, what good does it do to just endlessly list the flaws? You've done so in both topics, and in your other topic there would definitely have been room for that.
Besides you've only mentioned very weird things like that princess joke Story. I am still trying to grasp why you were annoyed about Merida laughing at your joke and not acting shocked and coy. Other things you mentioned just keep telling of your lack of research.
And you are ignoring most things people say, like the recommendation to just look at the app for character appearances (bringing us back to the lack of research). Of course you will get an idea who is at the park if you look once the day before you leave. Even the week before you leave. It's a smaller park, of course there won't be as many steady meets as in WDW. The character is there anyway although not listed? Be happy you got lucky. The refurbs are listed on the app and on the website, so yeah, (staying with your example) if you had looked you will have an idea if the Columbia is sailing.
You tell us "convince me". All but one post saying they had the same experience you had (once) have said meeting characters is not horrible, and while the posters all are sorry you had a bad experience we have been telling you repeatedly it is not the norm. Yet you still keep telling us how bad things are and we are wrong. It seems you don't actually want to be "convinced."
You meet 5 characters in 2 trips and are trying to make a rule out of your experiences. Sorry, but that is not going to work. Sometimes I meet 5 characters within an hour, and my experience has been totally the opposite.
4 CMs did not take a picture for you. All at the same time, at the same line going from what you wrote. Again this is a little odd cause even in Town Square I usually see only two CMs handling a line. So I really can't say what circumstances you encountered this time. But really, would you not rather have them tell you "no" than you get a messed up picture?
I've had CMs even messing up pictures with my cell phone. Couldn't check these because this was during runDisney. I was on pins and needles til the Photopass pictures showed up because this messed up my likely only chance at a picture with Hawkeye.
Before the digital times I was at a sci fi convention where some LOTR actors were meeting. I did have a DSLR and a smaller point and shoot because I knew the DSLR was scary for some. The volunteer at one of the lines who was assigned to take pictures saw my DSLR and offered: "Oh, I have the same model. Would you like me to use this one?" We even chatted a bit about cameras until it was my turn. So I did give her the DSLR. Big mistake. You see our hairlines and the upper part of my glasses on the picture. That's it.
As for your bit about Moana, it would have helped a lot if you had posted that additional info from the start. Then I would have told you right away what skyegirl1999 explained to you now.
Cultural Divide. Umm... ever encountered a certain kind of tour group in WDW? That will show you trampling and pushing in. I got caught up in one of these groups heading for Pandora. Not pretty.
And like I said in an earlier post, do yourself a favor and don't ever try to get near a character in Paris.
Story time. Last year Pinocchio stole my umbrella in Paris and ran off with it. He started posing with the umbrella and insisted I take pictures. I was hesitating to do so because he actually ran off from an organised line, which doesn't happen very often in Paris to begin with. I didn't want to take anyone's time.
At one of the pictures - besides 4 children pushing autograph books at him - there's two kids on one side and one on his other side where the parents just pushed the kids in. It was clear as day Pinocchio was doing something else. I don't know what good it does to get a picture "with" a character who isn't even looking in the same direction, but they seemed happy with it.
THAT is what I am used to. 1000 times worse than what you are describing. And Paris is the only place where you will have CMs dispersing a line, if there is one to begin with.
Above mentioned boyfriend broke his wrist in one of these scrums, and if I find it again when I am home I will be happy to show you a picture of my arms after we had found the 7 dwarfs out, with the "make a circle around the character" style. All black and blue. My mom saw it and almost accused my boyfriend of beating me.
It is that bad that one of my friends actually refuses to come with us to Paris anymore, and only meets characters the annual trip to Anaheim bcause this is where she feels "safe."
Being told now I am just not seeing the "bad behavior" in Disneyland anymore because it is what I regularly experience is a sick joke.
I've never actually asked this, but if a mod reads this, maybe it's time to close this topic? As a character fan I am happy about each person less in line.
But I have been worried people are getting the wrong impression for a while now.
And now things like "cultural divides" are being brought up. This now seems to be another "WDW is better than DLR" post after all.
