Hi all
I've just been on TheDIBB and have come across the below thread stating that DLP is to remove characters from Café Mickey in 2017 for the 25th celebrations due to wanting more characters in the actual parks.
http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=971671 (http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=971671)
Apparently Disney announced it on Facebook yesterday (though I am yet to see such a post) and I'm wondering if anyone else has come across this information? I'm treating this as rumour at the moment since I haven't seen anything official yet!
https://www.facebook.com/disneylandtimes/posts/10157134819590177 (https://www.facebook.com/disneylandtimes/posts/10157134819590177)
Here is the link to the Facebook page which has just been given to me. Apparently, the OP's cousin works there and also confirms. Not sure on how true it is until Disney officially announce it.
This is 100% true.
The character dining will relocate to Plaza Gardens.
Cafe Mickey will close from March 2017.
There are no leaked plans on Plaza yet, but my personal opinion is that it should follow the model used in WDW and be Pooh and friends. Or the Minnie and friends model in DLR, but that would be stepping on Inventions toes a little bit.
character dining ay plaza gardens would be amazing! although i bet the price is increased to reflect that😐unless they only do it for a certain time slot each day
Will CM be closing for good or is it just for a refurb?
Makes sense if you want to meet the characters you have to buy a ticket first.
Quote from: MattR on July 27, 2016, 08:36:50 PM
Makes sense if you want to meet the characters you have to buy a ticket first.
Sorry but I can't agree with you there.
Local families and tourists in the area (particularly ones with large families) might not be able to afford park tickets. Sure, they can still go to Inventions but that's not cheap. Cafe Mickey is a perfect way to get that bit of Disney magic without breaking the bank.
I get that they want to make Paris a little more consistent but why close such a popular place? Why not just keep CM and add a few characters to PG. Wouldn't this generate more income, seeing as they will be making money from two places as opposed to one?
Will Cafe Mickey be closed permanently or just for refurbishment?
I cannot see them closing CF for permanent- it's constantly busy.
CM is fun with the characters. But the food and setting doesn't really appeal to us.
Without characters i don't see why anyone would want to go there.
I wonder what they will replace it with.. Or why this place making decision has been made.
Quote from: stormflm595 on July 27, 2016, 09:17:32 PM
Quote from: MattR on July 27, 2016, 08:36:50 PM
Makes sense if you want to meet the characters you have to buy a ticket first.
Sorry but I can't agree with you there.
Local families and tourists in the area (particularly ones with large families) might not be able to afford park tickets. Sure, they can still go to Inventions but that's not cheap. Cafe Mickey is a perfect way to get that bit of Disney magic without breaking the bank.
I get that they want to make Paris a little more consistent but why close such a popular place? Why not just keep CM and add a few characters to PG. Wouldn't this generate more income, seeing as they will be making money from two places as opposed to one?
My point of view is that the mouse wants all what is inside the bank account. I am pretty sure they know how many of the visitors of the cafe actually stay onsite or at least have tickets and how much economic surplus there is to absorg compared to what they loose on the other hand.
I was never in there but always enjoyed walking by on my way to the hotel and see the fun going on inside.
It's always crowded and good to have such a lively place at the end of Disney Village.
Hope we are not going to lose that.
Sounds as though there are big changes being brought in to generate more money - AP price increases etc. By what I've read, these changes are going to make visiting more expensive, more exclusive and will put many people off visiting. Whether this will increase profits (less people, but spending more money) remains to be seen.
Quote from: MattR on July 27, 2016, 08:36:50 PM
Makes sense if you want to meet the characters you have to buy a ticket first.
THIS I TOTALLY AGREE WITH :)
Just the same as when they removed the characters from the hotels at breakfast. Meeting Characters is such an iconic part of going to a Disney Park. The locals and tourists abused the system so the characters moved inside the park.
I bet there is a similar reason, its possible from feedback that people with a park ticket, ie on the meal plans were finding that they couldnt get reservations. Disney main priority is to look after its customers, ie people with park tickets, not the random tourists and locals.
So Disney move the character dining INSIDE the park, giving their customers 2 budget options , the high end Princess and mid price Plaza.
It is possible that they then open the Cafe Mickey building to an independent restaurant, thereby increasing revenue.
We cant have it every-way, we cant want things to remain the same with no changes, and then wonder why there is no money for maintenance and upkeep or extra CM's
i have to say it would be a real shame to close CM as what we really liked about it is that we could eat there after the park closed which meant we didnt miss out on any park time and we could eat dinner at our normal time rather than at 5pm when most restaurants in winter close.
I've eaten at both CM and Inventions and I loved CM better especially for kids.
But hey ho not a lot we can do about it.
Unfortunately I think MattR hit the nail on the head about Disney wanting to get as much money out of it's customers as possible. It's understandable if they want to survive but it's still a pity.
I also understand why they stopped the meet and greets in the hotels as these were only supposed to be for the paying guests who were staying there but isn't the point of the DV supposed to be a place not only for DLP guests but also for locals to come and relax and do a bit of dining and shopping without paying for park tickets to have a bit of Disney magic thrown in? I just think it's a shame for kids whose families aren't well off enough to be able to afford to take them into the parks for the day as well as feed themselves whilst there, probably because I grew up as one of those!
I love CM and will miss it. I guess Auberge is going to be my character meal for the next trip as I'm not keen on buffets!
Quote from: MattR on July 27, 2016, 08:36:50 PM
Makes sense if you want to meet the characters you have to buy a ticket first.
I would find it kind of strange if this would be the reason behind the (maybe temporary) closure. They would have change the setup of Inventions too since you can still meet them there without having park tickets.
Disneyland Paris would also be the only resort where this rule would be in place since you can dine at every other resort without actually having park tickets.
For those asking, yes, this is a permanent closure of CM as a character dining location.
This isn't 100% confirmed by Disney as of yet but after them removing the characters from hotels etc it's extremely likely this will happen next year. Disney Village was designed for the locals and their residents as a shopping/entertainment district.
Disney want their characters to be for Disney paid guests who have paid instead of the locals abusing the system so to speak . Plaza gardens in the park would be a lovely alternative to eat and of course there is always Inventions which I believe is staying as it is.
It's a shame Cafe Mickey is going as I've had many happy meals there before with great character interactions but I understand Disney want Disney paying guests exclusive access to enjoy the characters in the park.
Quote from: wimmekepunk on July 28, 2016, 03:31:24 PM
Quote from: MattR on July 27, 2016, 08:36:50 PM
Makes sense if you want to meet the characters you have to buy a ticket first.
I would find it kind of strange if this would be the reason behind the (maybe temporary) closure. They would have change the setup of Inventions too since you can still meet them there without having park tickets.
Disneyland Paris would also be the only resort where this rule would be in place since you can dine at every other resort without actually having park tickets.
Of course this would only make sense if they would do it permanently.
Inventions is a bit different from my point of view.
First of all you have to know about it, it is nothing you recognize by walking around, secondly there is the hurdle that you have to enter the hotel (ok didn´t stop them from taking the characters out of the public zones from the hotels) and last but not least Inventions is like twice the price, so it might be still interesting from a commercial point of view.
The village concept as it was originally planned doesn´t exist anymore except for the Wild West Show there is nothing Disney typical there left after Cafe Mickey closes except the stores.
Rainbow Forest or Planet Hollywood is fun once a year if you don´t have one in the area you are living, but that is nothing I would spend 2 hours on a plane for and pay Disney premium prices.
Inventions or the brunch isn't really for paying guests either, as you can enter the DHL without needing a park ticket either.
Surely if they bring it to Plaza Gardens they'll have to change up the characters a bit in either there or inventions though? Otherwise to me it seems they'd be just one and the same but with PG winning due to an assumed lower price? I know where I'd choose anyway. Also I'll certainly miss my CM breakfasts we book one on every trip, cheap cheerful character dining with pain au raisins and banana yogurts:D
Unless CM changes to something else I can't see many people visiting if there are no characters... It's expensive anyway but without characters it's ridiculously overpriced!
Is it confirmed that this will happen as I was looking forward to this when planning for the April 2017 trip?
Quote from: Disneyland Paris on August 26, 2016, 11:35:25 PM
Is it confirmed that this will happen as I was looking forward to this when planning for the April 2017 trip?
No, but it does seem very likely.
We also enjoy Cafe Mickey because we go during low season, when the parks close early, so we eat after the parks have closed. Surely a sensible option would be to keep character dining in the village but make it exclusive for hotel guests and annual pass holders only?
We have also experienced character dining in Plaza Gardens, back in 2008, when they used to do a special birthday lunch. It's was my eldest sons 4th birthday so we went there for the birthday special. The characters worked well in there, and each birthday child got a plush toy and a birthday cake. It was great, such a shame they don't do it anymore.
There is a high likelihood that these changes will only apply to breakfast offerings.
Would this mean that character breakfast would be in the park at plaza gardens also
We are booked for Sept 2017
It means there will probably be no character breakfast at Cafe Mickey, and yes, it would be at Plaza Gardens.