The Solution To The Frozen Mess At WDW

[Maggie'sMom]

Pretty sure Akershus character meals already sell out seatings. Adding or changing out Princesses isn't going to bring them any more revenue, because there are only X number of tables in the place and they are already full.

The only way to "increase revenue" for sold out character meal venues is to 1) raise per person prices or 2) add more space to the restaurant so you can seat more groups simultaneously.

#2 is very difficult to do because if the place gets too big, characters cannot visit each table in the restaurant in a timely manner, and people won't leave until they see each character, because they feel they paid for that access (not just the food). And it isn't as if you can have multiple copies of the same characters working the dining room together.

Most likely what they're trying to do with the additional cast members is extend the meet and greets to park close - simply adding another two pair of actors would allow them to run two A&E rooms from 5pm (current end) til 9pm or later (park close). That's a lot more guests per day that can go through the line.

I agree. It's not as though Akershus isn't filling its tables. And adding the characters there wouldn't be enough to make a dent in the 5 1/2 hour lines that are forming in the MK.

WDW obviously thought that doubling the capacity by moving them to FTH and adding FP+ would alleviate the problems. Doing that during one of the busiest weeks of the year wasn't a great strategy. I'm anxious to see what the wait times will be in the next few weeks. I imagine they will hover around the 3 to 3 1/2 hour mark. I just checked Lines and the current posted wait time is 205 minutes according to them.

WDW will continue to try to hire more friends of Anna and Elsa. They'll first extend the closing time to later in the evening, especially over the summer. Although with the current lines, the characters are definitely meeting until well after the 5pm closing time just to get through everyone in the standby line. I haven't seen reports of the line closing prior to 5pm. Does anyone know if that's been happening or are they letting anyone join the line right up to 5pm?

 

[jhaig]

I still think this would work, regardless of whether or not Frozen fits into the theme of Epcot or not.

 

[JimmyV]

Doesn't DHS already have a building that it uses to change over from fad to fad? Started out as Honey I Shrunk the Kids with the giant bee, then changed to 101 Dalmations (with the mechanical horse butt), and then it became Narnia. And now it is Jack Sparrow. (Hello!!! Ten year old franchise already!). Why not put the latest fad there until it blows over. As for lessening the crowd and the wait, i don't see that happening no matter where they put it. It was a 4 hour wait in Norway, is a 4 hour wait in the MK and will be a 4 hour wait at the Wonders of Life Pavilion (or DHS). But at least at DHS, the crowd would be hidden from view.

 

[DizneyLizzy]

I am still puzzled by the "frozen mess." I feel so alone in that I really wasn't impressed with Frozen. In terms of recent princess films, I liked Tangled and The Princess and the Frog much better. Maybe the Disney theme park execs, like me, weren't that impressed either and that's why they couldn't anticipate the demand! Ha. Either way, I don't think the solution is jamming them into future world where they don't belong. I think people are just going to have to wait out the novelty of them. It's not Disney's fault that people will wait in line 3-5 hours for a meet and greet. If I'm Disney, the insanity of it all is good for publicity (no such thing as bad publicity) and is possibly coercing some guests to add a day just to meet A and E. So why should I look for a "solution?"

 

[Malibustyle23]

Why did they move A&E to the MK, anyway? Like you said, they hardly need more crowds.

Maybe I am naive but the reason I keep thinking of is the admission price for a one day ticket to MK is higher than everywhere else. That and the fact that MK has so many can't miss attractions. Look at how many families, mine included, plan multiple days at MK and either skip or limit the other parks. When we missed a few things at Epcot last visit we just said oh well and went on with the next park planned the next day. If we missed 4 hours worth of stuff at MK you better believe we would be returning to that park again or staying late.

Because although they focus tremendously on customer service WDW truly only cares about the dollars spent at the end of the day. There is truly no reason I can fathom that there is not an extra few friends of A&E's at each park.

 

[mummabear]

Personally I think a lot could be done simply by adding a 2nd set of A&E at Akershus Royal Banquet

 

[tiggerdad]

Personally I think a lot could be done simply by adding a 2nd set of A&E at Akershus Royal Banquet

I agree with this. You can meet just about everybody else in two different parks, why not the two having the most demand?

 

[surferdave]

I don't think anything would be accomplished by adding them to a character meal. That's the lowest throughput you can get for adding cast members to the A&E characters, and the lines wouldn't be impacted at all in MK.

 

[Peepster]

Perhaps I'm mistaken but I thought Frozen was being considered as a Broadway play. I agree with those who say this phenomenon is not going away soon and Disney management is puzzling in their lack of timely, adequate reaction.
I don't know if I agree with the Future World placement the OP suggested but do think the OP's ideas are creative.
And I also agree that Disney wasted a great deal of money on FP+. Not saying it's bad; technology just could have been accomplished more cost effectively and alienated less guests.
OP, keep working on it! I think you're on to something.

 

[JanaDee]

Frozen is going to be bigger than The Little Mermaid for Disney. Possibly bigger than any movie they've made the past 30 years. You can count on future Frozen themed areas, rides and merchandise. The key is for Disney to get going on it now. Not five or ten years from now.
I think anywhere they put them will be a huge hit, even Future World.

Disney has said there will be a sequel.

 

[mr noodle]

Many of you would be fun to be around at a party.

 

[annaaidan99]

Many of you would be fun to be around at a party.

I also thought Akershus was a good idea. Make it 2 TS like Cinderella and be done with it. I am not a fan of the meet and greets though.

 

[mummabear]

I don't think anything would be accomplished by adding them to a character meal. That's the lowest throughput you can get for adding cast members to the A&E characters, and the lines wouldn't be impacted at all in MK.

Maybe not hugely but I for one would book it in a minute to avoid that wait...plus from a company view it would be a way to make ARB a hot ticket

 

[mummabear]

I would love if they created an ice rink like they did at downtown Disney Anahiem last Christmas (but permanent). Maybe a snow play area...

 

[mom2rtk]

Maybe not hugely but I for one would book it in a minute to avoid that wait...plus from a company view it would be a way to make ARB a hot ticket

Many of us would love that and book it in a minute. But they don't turn over enough people there to make a dent in the demand. Additionally, it would double the cost of the greeting character without gaining much of anything for the restaurant (because it's booked solid most of the time already anyway.)

 

[ConnieB]

I still don't understand why they don't put more than one room with duplicate characters.......easy to maintain the "there is only one Santa Claus" mystic because when you walk into the lobby you don't know who is behind door number 1, 2, 3 or however many....you walk into your door and there they are.....you don't even begin to think who is behind those "other" doors.....and if some wise kid asks, it's easy to say "Cinderella" or some other princess is in there.

Now...the trick is how many CMs do they have capable of being these characters.


I kinda like the Frozen theme building....sounds like fun. Problem is that while these characters are extremely popular, more so than any other recent movie character....eventually their popularity will fade and how much money would it cost to build.

 

[Missyrose]

I still don't understand why they don't put more than one room with duplicate characters.......easy to maintain the "there is only one Santa Claus" mystic because when you walk into the lobby you don't know who is behind door number 1, 2, 3 or however many....you walk into your door and there they are.....you don't even begin to think who is behind those "other" doors.....and if some wise kid asks, it's easy to say "Cinderella" or some other princess is in there.

Um, that's exactly what they have at Princess Fairytale Hall, multiple sets.

 

[Planogirl]

Akershus is already popular so why not create another character meal at a restaurant that isn't doing so well? That would seem to make the most sense.

 

[annaaidan99]

Akershus is already popular so why not create another character meal at a restaurant that isn't doing so well? That would seem to make the most sense.

Is there a restaurant that isn't doing well that they would "fit" into? Obviously they wouldn't work at Spice Road Table.

 

[Punzie]

I wouldn't put them at Akershus, as much as they seem to be a great fit for the venue. Not enough people can see them there to significantly decrease the demand at MK. If they were going to add them elsewhere (and I doubt they will) they need to be somewhere anyone in the park could meet them.

FP+ was nice, but only serves a limited number. The same would be true of adding them to Akershus.

i don't thinkAnyone meant for this to be the ONLY solution, but for it to be one of the expansions. It wouldn't solve everything but most of the guests who book it during their stay wouldn't bother with the mng.

That's what we do mostly- meet at meals and skip in park mng. Of course now that the Mickey friends are all fancied up in circus town the kids want to go there but princesses don't wear different gear - yet.

I could see wdw having them at akershus in their coronation garb so you'd have to go a mng to get the ice dress and Anna's traveling outfit -the ones they're known for .

But it would help for sure.


For the ability to use FP and have more than one pair running at a time.

Many of us would love that and book it in a minute. But they don't turn over enough people there to make a dent in the demand. Additionally, it would double the cost of the greeting character without gaining much of anything for the restaurant (because it's booked solid most of the time already anyway.)

I think the suggestion said dump two other princesses- they're in other meals anyway- especially Cinderella who has two. Belle could meet with beast (why doesn't she?!)



Eta:

Those saying its a fad- do you not have young kids? Kids are mesmerized still by this.

Just read a NYT article today on it the cult like obsession documenting the weird way kids are moved by this movie.

Read it before we left for her another frozen birthday party in which the girls sang the dang sons for three hours into a mic.

My oldest will be 11 and with all the heavy princess marketing I have never seen something like this. Ever.

As a 32 year old Disney lover who having sisters that are 12 and 17 years younger me so I've constantly been around small kids since I've not been a small kid myself, I've never seen such a fervor.

It will last. All the other princesses who are 60 years old still have attractions so why wouldn't this one have a lasting attraction.

This is one of few princess franchises that appeals to boys AND girls. Lets not count that out (not that boys are dying to line up like girls I assume, but as far as this being a temporary fad)

It seems to me the nay Sayers on the thread are possibly the people from the Disney merchandising department who woefully underestimated this movie to begin with: my busy etsy shop and bank account thank you...

( let's not forget a sequel and confirmed broadway musical so... Staying power)