Today reported on numerous Disneyland Paris related twitter pages has come the big news that Character meets at the Disney hotels are to be dropped from November this year 2014. I'm shocked and saddened by this decision.
This was my initial reaction to the news which still stands.
QuoteBad Bad bad!! This is the one decision I think they have made badly wrong. It was one of the perks of staying at a Disney hotel as well as enjoying the theme of the hotel. Plus it is a nice photo opportunity as it is quieter then in the parks to get a picture with the character of the day in at times special costumes. I just want to know why they have decided to do this. I bet hotel attendence will go down now because of this.
I understand in the American Parks they don't have Disney Characters in their hotels and I imagine the reasoning for this is so they are in line with the american parks but I just think it loses that extra bit of magic that Disneyland Paris had brought to the hotels. Do they really have to stay inline with the american resorts or can they have their own unique features? What are your thoughts?
Aw I think it's terrible. I haven't experienced it yet we are going in just over 3 weeks staying in the Cheyenne and I'm very excited about it as I'm sure my children will. It is a huge draw to the hotels to have this. I'd imagine it won't be the same at all without. So glad we will hopefully get to experience it before it ends. :D
The Cheyenne is a great hotel so you and your family will love it. It's one of my favourites.
Personally, I approve of this. There are too many characters present. Indeed it is possible to see Mickey in Sequoia Lodge at 7.30, Newport Bay at, er 7.30. Then in both parks between 10 and 2. And then later in the parade, in Cafe Mickey and Buffalo Bills Wild West Show at the same time as Cafe Mickey when he is also in Inventions.
Dilutes the magic somewhat.
I think you can't remove the characters totally but reduce their availability. For example I think the decent of the stairs, GFC etc should retain characters however everyday meet and greets removed and replaced with spontaneous appearances.
The reason I say this is because I don't remember having a photo taken with whatever character but on one occasion we were in the hotel store when goofy appeared and as we were the only people in the store we had a bit of experience with him trying to take items and then setting off the store alarm, to me that is more magical than a character just stood there.
I find that very sad and surprising.
Meeting the characters at the hotels has always been something I've looked forward to when I've been.
So the same people who decided to renovate the hotels by forcing disney characters into their designs (cars at Santa Fe, bambi and co at Sequoia Lodge and this atrocity that will take place at Newport) also decided to axe real character meetings inside the hotels ::) ? The French execs at DLP much be borderline bipolar :-\ .
Quote from: The Helmsman on February 13, 2014, 11:54:54 AM
So the same people who decided to renovate the hotels by forcing disney characters into their designs (cars at Santa Fe, bambi and co at Sequoia Lodge and this atrocity that will take place at Newport) also decided to axe real character meetings inside the hotels
Maybe that is their solution by giving you characters in your room you wont need meet and greets to fill the disney void that was at the hotels
Can this really be a surprise?
Here we appear to have another decision made by the same genius management that have still not announced the Spring Festival that is rumoured to start in April!
This event must have been in the planning for some time, but they lose the advantage of early bookings because NO ONE KNOWS ABOUT IT and it starts in 7 weeks!
In order to facilitate the cavalcade they are rumoured to have taken the main character interaction from the Studios, Stars and Cars, genius!!!
And now no characters in the hotels, so the only advantage to staying in Disneys overpriced hotels will be location.
I really thought that this new management team were on the right track, but now I have my doubts!
I read that new exclusive character interaction will replace hotel meets and greets. We will have to wait and see what happens! But yes, they should officialy comunicaste and advertise this to people! It's like they don't know there s a bunch of us always wanting to plan our holidays!
That is really a bad decision. For shy and polite children the only possibility to meet and take a picture with characters is in a hotel. In the park people rush towards the characters and there is a lot of pushing.
Or maybe Paris will start with real line ups like the parks in Orlando. My daughter loved the characters over there.
Quote from: Rapunzel1 on February 13, 2014, 09:02:11 PM
Or maybe Paris will start with real line ups like the parks in Orlando. My daughter loved the characters over there.
Disneyland Paris is currently introducing lined systems for all their character offerings, it is currently on a trial basis, but you will find that the majority of meet and greets now have a lined system in place.
And regarding the Hotel Character Removal, think about it from a business point of view: can you imagine how many locals and non-park visitors walk from the RER etc. decide to look around the hotels and then just stumble across Mickey or Minnie in the lobby or on their photo locations, these people enjoy a full character experience without paying a cent! And it happens everyday! Especially on weekends when there are "regulars" who bring their friends and family to the hotels to just to meet the Characters for FREE.
So from a business point of view the re-locating of the characters makes perfect sense... and Hotel Guests are not going to lose out too much, ALL the Characters you could of met in your hotel will now be ready to welcome you exclusively in the Disneyland Park during the Extra Magic Hours. So instead of just having 2 or 3 Characters to meet in your lobby in the morning, you will most likely be able to meet alot more throughout the park - imagine all the Characters usually hanging out at the 6 hotels (Disneyland Hotel will not be affected) will now converge on the park to prepare for the day, before all the regular Guests even arrive.
So at first glace this looks like another standard cost-cutting proposal, but in reality it makes perfect sense and makes, in my opinion, the actual park even more "magical"... I always thought seeing Mickey hanging around in a hotel lobby "cheapened" him and the brand, so now you'll have to wait to get to the park to get to see him! Which I believe is even more special and magical!
Quote from: Poppy The Monkey on February 13, 2014, 10:08:57 PM
Quote from: Rapunzel1 on February 13, 2014, 09:02:11 PM
Or maybe Paris will start with real line ups like the parks in Orlando. My daughter loved the characters over there.
Disneyland Paris is currently introducing lined systems for all their character offerings, it is currently on a trial basis, but you will find that the majority of meet and greets now have a lined system in place.
And regarding the Hotel Character Removal, think about it from a business point of view: can you imagine how many locals and non-park visitors walk from the RER etc. decide to look around the hotels and then just stumble across Mickey or Minnie in the lobby or on their photo locations, these people enjoy a full character experience without paying a cent! And it happens everyday! Especially on weekends when there are "regulars" who bring their friends and family to the hotels to just to meet the Characters for FREE.
So from a business point of view the re-locating of the characters makes perfect sense... and Hotel Guests are not going to lose out too much, ALL the Characters you could of met in your hotel will now be ready to welcome you exclusively in the Disneyland Park during the Extra Magic Hours. So instead of just having 2 or 3 Characters to meet in your lobby in the morning, you will most likely be able to meet alot more throughout the park - imagine all the Characters usually hanging out at the 6 hotels (Disneyland Hotel will not be affected) will now converge on the park to prepare for the day, before all the regular Guests even arrive.
So at first glace this looks like another standard cost-cutting proposal, but in reality it makes perfect sense and makes, in my opinion, the actual park even more "magical"... I always thought seeing Mickey hanging around in a hotel lobby "cheapened" him and the brand, so now you'll have to wait to get to the park to get to see him! Which I believe is even more special and magical!
Oh that sounds excellent! If they move the characters to the park for EMH, that would be brilliant! I hadn't thought of it that way - about the locals taking advantage of the characters, meeting them free of charge...
I hope they make an official announcement, so we don't have to go through this guesswork... But I suppose that wont be for another 6 months or so - given the proximity of the Spring Festival - and noone really knows about that....! :(
Yeah that sounds great with the EMH's :)
Quote from: aquacat2 on February 13, 2014, 05:46:50 PM
Quote from: The Helmsman on February 13, 2014, 11:54:54 AM
So the same people who decided to renovate the hotels by forcing disney characters into their designs (cars at Santa Fe, bambi and co at Sequoia Lodge and this atrocity that will take place at Newport) also decided to axe real character meetings inside the hotels
Maybe that is their solution by giving you characters in your room you wont need meet and greets to fill the disney void that was at the hotels
Well that's my problem...I don't want any characters in my room. I am not in favor of the disney touches in the renovation procedures. When I am in the hotel I want my disney (characters) void. Tell you the truth, I don't care about the real ones as well (in the hotels that is), but they don't bother me, nor they spoil the fun of meeting them at the park. It turned out to be a nice touch, because as I can recall from my visits in 92, 93, 94 etc (in general during the 90s), there were no characters inside the hotels (with the exception of DH).
Poppy The Monkey you have made my day! That is such a good idea having those characters in the park during Extra Magic Hours and I agree with you it does make the park more magical and fits in with the story that they live in the park and getting it ready for the day ahead.
By doing this it does make you feel more special as a hotel guest because you get to meet your favourite disney friends in the park before anyone else. It's like an exclusive meet and with it not being busy and the queues hopefully continuing it should be a really good positive experience.
I also didn't think about non paying guests going to the Hotels just to meet characters. That is very naughty of them and loses Disney money so I now understand fully why they have decided to do this. I love this new idea more then meeting them in the Hotel.
We just got back from our trip and reading this reminded me of something my son said whilst we were there, "Do they close the Meet Mickey attraction during the Parade?". I hadn't thought about that before, Mickey being in more than 1, 2, 3....places at once! Abit like the multiple Santas dilemma in December.
I am in favour of removing characters from the Hotels, IF it means we can a wider selection of them in the Parks.
I think they do actually close Meet Mickey before the parade funnily enough. In the park I think there is a procedure in place where you wouldn't see the same character in close proximity for example meeting them in a land and then walking around the corner and seeing them in the parade.
I can't remember the exact details of it but I know they try and do it so that can't happen.
I think it will be a shame if it is lost. It is a good chance to get a calm photo or autograph. On my last day I checked my bags into Disney Express and walked the scenic route to the park from Santa Fe via Cheyenne and got my photo with Jessie because she was there. Very well themed to have a cowgirl in a western themed hotel lobby. I also had my photo with Mickey in his new permanent location which was quite calm too (But I wouldn't like it on a day with long queues). I saw a few random meet and greets happening and they seem a little chaotic. The only one I joined in with was Gaston as I hadn't seen him before. He was pretty good at making sure people didn't miss out and when some little kids who had just turned up ran to him for autographs he batted them away and made sure those of us waiting got in first.
Those with disabled members in the party get a pass, at times it can seem unfair, but they may have disablilities you're not aware of, (2 of mine have autism, and standing for long periods in a crowd where they're getting knocked and pushed would be something they could not physically deal with - we have sometimes taken turns standing in a queue while other parents stands somewhere separate with the kids, but this isn't always possible), even the reason they're in the wheelchair might not be known, worst case scenario, and this child might not have another chance to experience this ever again, queueing is part of a holiday at disney unfortunately, at least it's better than the bad scrum there used to be for characters
Quote from: Ladyd0807 on February 15, 2014, 11:23:02 PM
I have to say I'm very confused about this thread, because we're just back from DLP. We stayed in the Sequoia Lodge & as we had upgraded to the golden Forrest club we had breakfast with characters every morning. There was also regular meet & greet sessions in the foyer of the hotel, where there was also a photographer so I don't know where this is coming from, unless Sequoia Lodge is one of the few hotels to keep the character meet & greets. It was so much better than standing in a queue in the park to meet them. Can I also ask why are people in wheelchairs allowed to skip to the front of these queues? A few times when we were there this happened, why can't they queue like everyone else, seemed a bit fair, when everyone else is queuing for ages with young kids!
This is very much possible, since the characters don't get pulled out until November 3rd. ;)
Salon Mickey asked DLP for some offical confirmation on the rumoured changes happening around the resort, and spokesman Mathias Dugoujon, from Corporate Communications was kind enough to fill us in on the exciting changes coming soon to Extra Magic Hours in the Disneyland Park (http://salonmickey.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/exciting-changes-coming-soon-to-extra.html)..
I'm pleasantly surprised that DLP have confirmed this where they haven't confirmed any of the other big happenings such as The Spring Festival and the opening date of their new attraction which are happening in the near future.
At least they have which stops the fan community speculating for the next 9 months. Are they starting to learn their lesson? Confirmed press releases are better then rumors and speculation being leaked out of the resort.
I admit, I^m glad they confirmed it now! it sounds great!
Also pleasantly surprised to see it confirmed today, and the more I think about it, I love the idea!! If it means there will be characters (and loads of them) in the park for EMH, that is brilliant!
I'm happy that it is being replaced rather than just disappearing, but I hope the Descent stays
Yay! so pleased that the characters aren't just being removed and they are being re-directed into the parks! Never thought about locals just getting the train in to see characters in the hotels. That's a tad naughty! TBH I was a tad disappointed to start with that the hotel characters were being cut as I have happy memories of doing this as a child and it is nice to see Characters when it is calmer but if you can see them in EMH in the parks that will be fab too! When we were there a few weeks ago we only saw the characters in the hotel a couple of times as we did like to get into the parks asap to use EMH so if the characters were there then too that would be an extra bonus!
Quote from: Mitchell on February 20, 2014, 09:27:07 PM
I'm happy that it is being replaced rather than just disappearing, but I hope the Descent stays
Apparently Castle Club and Golden Forest are staying - I hope the Descent stays too. I would think so!
Would also give me the excuse to use EMH more
A great idea but I do hope they keep the lines so that everyone gets their turn to take a decent photograph with the character.
I think is it a bad idea. I know it can still be a scuffle to see the characters at the hotel but it is far easier for children to do it here than in the parks where the majority of adults push children out of the way to meet the characters, plus there are a lot less characters out and about in the parks now so a lot of children seem to miss out.
I note the date when we go in my children's/nephew & neice's autograph books and looking back through them over the years both have got as many autographs (age gap varies from 11 to age 3 so doesn't mean they have got all the autographs and this is why it is now less).
It will be the same characters you would have met in the Hotel but now in the parks. Now DLP have implemented a queuing system for all meet and greets which has been a success so as long as this continues there will be no scrums everyone waits their turn to meet their disney friend.
I'll be in the minority here but I actually think this is a good idea. You'll be able to move around the hotel without hitting queues in the lobby to see the characters which has always been a sore point with me. It's crazy enough in the parks so when you're in your hotel you want a bit of a breather and it would be nice to get up in the mornings without hitting queues on your way to breakfast!
I also agree with the characters moving to EMH because as a paying Disney guest it is annoying that people who have not paid for the privilege can just walk into your hotel and have pictures with characters that you have in effect paid to see!
I'm pleased that they are keeping the characters in Cafe Mickey and Inventions as these are nice treats but I do hope that they confirm that they will keep the characters in the Empire State Club and the Golden Forest Club. If not I would expect Disney to lower the prices on these room options to reflect the removal of the characters if it happens.
When I went in November EMH were empty so the park was heaven and the queues for the characters all day were well managed and organised, a huge improvement on September 2012!!
I can easily see that they've moved the characters to the parks to get people into the park themselves to start spending more money on merch and food stores.
Also I am guessing that most of these character interactions will happen in Fantasyland and Discoveryland - therefore giving the people the idea to stay in a resort hotel or get an annual pass so they can too enjoy the EMH features. So it's all a marketing thing.
HOWEVER! I hope they might include some 'shows' and events such as the WDW "Park Opening" show on the train station. Or something like the old Mary Poppins "Good Morning" show. Just something other than seeing Minnie at the Boarding House or Winnie in his usual spot.
(Also yes the train station event would have to happen on Town Square since the other side is blocked off.)
http://youtu.be/nn416Bd0__8
A show would be nice actually a nice little touch say at 8.30 there is a little show on Town Square or even in front of Sleeping Beauty's castle with a cutting the ribbon to open the park for the day style thing. That would be a really nice experience and make AP holders and hotel guests stay extra special as only they can see the show.
The characters of ALL hotels are going to disappear.
Also during breakfast at the Empire State Club and Golden Forest Club.
The Descent of the Stairs at the Disneyland Hotel will also disappear.
The only place where the characters will stay is at the Disneyland Hotel.
During lunch, brunch and breakfast the Castle Club.
That's it, only those three places and nowhere else.
Omg, thats terrible. No real perks for golden forest then really..and the dlh descent going.. gutted!!!! Where are they going to put those characters now???
They are going to save the money!!
How can you say "no real perks for Golden Forest then"?
The main benefit of GF is to avoid that apalling scrum at the Sequioa! And there is the small matter of free drinks during the day and the High Tea at 4.00 ish. Wether it's worth the extra is debatable, but the characters are only one small part of the perks in my opinion.
If they had done away with the character meet and greet altogether I would be upset, but as you will now enjoy characters in EMH and in their natural environment, the park I think this is a more than adequate idea.
Having children characters are a big part of the disney experience for us.. yeah drinks etc is great but I'd miss the characters to....
Are they having lots of characters in the park for emh?
Quote from: jackieann on April 18, 2014, 12:24:38 PM
Having children characters are a big part of the disney experience for us.. yeah drinks etc is great but I'd miss the characters to....
Are they having lots of characters in the park for emh?
No details yet, but I wouldn't count on it.
All the special characters and costumes are not transferring to the park.