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What Could Character Interactions Look Like When the Parks Reopen?

Disney World is going to look pretty different when it reopens on July 11th, and the guests aren’t the only ones who are going to see new health measures.

What Could Character Interactions Look Like When the Parks Reopen?

Mickey Mouse

Our favorite Disney pals in the parks are going to have to make some changes, too! Disney has announced that character meet and greets and character dining (except for one modified version at Topolino’s Terrace in Disney’s Riviera Resort) won’t be a part of the reopened parks at first. Still, that doesn’t mean we won’t see those iconic friends during our Disney day. We’re diving into what character interaction might look like when the parks reopen!

You might meet your favorite characters from a distance.

First up, you might meet your favorite characters from farther away than usual. In Disneyland Shanghai, you can still see characters but you can’t get close to them. This is to keep up physical distancing requirements for both Cast Members and guests.

What Could Character Interactions Look Like When the Parks Reopen?

Universal Orlando Spider-Man

We’ve also seen this method used at the reopening of Universal Orlando theme parks. The characters are stationed on blocked off platforms and areas that make sure guests are more than six feet away. You can still wave and interact with them (and snap a selfie!), but no getting close and no hugs! It’s also important to note that a few of the face characters in Universal were wearing masks!

You may be eating without company from your Disney pals.

Character dining is typically a big piece of a Disney trip, but that won’t be true when we first return to a reopened Disney World. Disney has announced that character dining will be mostly suspended initially.

What Could Character Interactions Look Like When the Parks Reopen?

Topolino’s Terrace Breakfast a la Art Characters

Notice we did say MOSTLY. There is one character dining experience that will be reopening. Topolino’s Terrace — Flavors of the Riviera at Riviera Resort will be offering their Breakfast à la Art with Mickey & Friends but it will be a modified experience. Disney has yet to share details on what exactly these modifications will be but this is good to note.

There might be new ways that characters make their appearance.

On the other hand, we’re not just LOSING character meet and greets altogether. Disney may release some NEW ways to interact with characters that are super cool. Like we’ll see in Disney World, Shanghai Disneyland reopened without parades or meet and greets — but they’ve got a pretty neat replacement.

What Could Character Interactions Look Like When the Parks Reopen?

Shanghai Disneyland

Multiple times throughout the day, a Character Procession drives through the streets of Shanghai Disneyland. This is essentially like a mini-parade that allows guests to see and interact with iconic characters without gathering in large groups or getting too close to the characters.

What Could Character Interactions Look Like When the Parks Reopen?

©ShanghaiDisneylandResort on Instagram

You can also spot groups of characters greeting guests at the entrance to each land in Shanghai Disneyland. We actually think it would be super cool to see groups of characters all together so this would be a fun option to see in Disney World.

Maybe they’ll bring back the Epcot double decker buses for characters!

What Could Character Interactions Look Like When the Parks Reopen?

Omnibus in Epcot circa 1985

You might have to forego some favorite souvenirs.

Keep in mind, you may have to miss out on some typical souvenirs. A big part of meeting characters are the souvenirs that you can get from doing so. Some favorites include pictures of you or your kids with a classic Disney character or a signature for your autograph book.

What Could Character Interactions Look Like When the Parks Reopen?

Autograph Books

You can still photograph these characters, but it will be at a distance. So that photo of your little one posing with Mickey might not be as easy as we’d want it to be. Plus, Disney hasn’t said how autograph books will work! There might be a system where characters can give their autograph, but it’s also possible that we won’t be able to collect those signatures for a while.

What Could Character Interactions Look Like When the Parks Reopen?

Meet and Greets for Onward in Disney World

Keep in mind that Cast Members WON’T be able to help snap those family photos for you once the parks reopen, so you’ll need to come up with your own way of capturing those memories with everyone in the photo!

Whatever the case, character interactions are sure to feel a little weird when we get back to Disney World. Perhaps we’ll be hugging Mickey again sometime in the future, but for now, we’ll stay back and pal around with the Mouse from afar.

How do you feel about the changes to character interactions? Tell us in the comments!

From our friends at www.disneyfoodblog.com
Filed Under: Disney Entertainment, disney parks, disney resorts, Featured, Walt Disney World, Character Dining, Character Meal, Character meet and greets, Disney characters, Disney World characters, meet and greet

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Disney Food Disney Movies Disney Parks

Is This the End of Character Autographs?

We now have some solid answers to at least some of the questions about new procedures when Walt Disney World reopens in July. Among the changes are an initial near halt of character dining and character meet and greets. You’re not going to be able to get one-on-one interaction with Mickey for a while.

Is This the End of Character Autographs?
Pre-printed character signatures at Storybook Dining.

But what will happen when character greetings resume?

At Disney theme parks, when guests have met characters in the past, there were three possible types of interaction: a pure hello and chat, getting a photo with a character, or getting a character autograph. (Virtually no one just says hi – that mostly applies to Yacht Club conventioneers who accidentally wind up at the Cape May Cafe character breakfast.) Most guests pose for a quick photo with the character and a significant subset also asks for an autograph, which takes much longer.

While Disney-branded autograph books are still readily available, there were some signs, even pre-pandemic, that Disney had been gradually trying to slow the pace of autograph collection. For example, some physically capable characters, such as Kylo Ren, did not offer autograph signing at their meet and greets. (Yes, he’s a bad guy, but other villains have signed in the past.) And the Artist Point Storybook Dining character meal offered guests a pre-printed card with images of character signatures rather than having the characters on site actually sign things.

Why was this happening? The logical answer is that autographs slow things down. You can stand next to Mickey, have a hug, and pose for a photo in a few seconds. Guests with autograph books, and particularly families with several books, take much longer. Despite character attendants’ best efforts, there is always some opening books, searching for the right page, positioning the pen properly in a giant gloved hand, and so on. While Disney undoubtably makes a nice profit on autograph book sales, they were also facing guest dissatisfaction over time spent waiting in lines. And perhaps more importantly, when you magnify this slow-down by four or five characters meeting guests at a typical meal, you’re slowing the pace of table turnover by several minutes, likely forfeiting far more income than might be earned on the sale of an autograph book.

In addition to this financial factor, new pandemic-related safety protocols will likely include a stark reduction in opportunities to touch things. When characters sign autographs, they’re passing a book and pen back and forth between themselves and the guest, and often between an attendant as well, dozens of times per hour – those books are portable high-touch surfaces. Many characters wear gloves, but some of the face characters do not. That’s many more opportunities to pick up germs rather than simply standing for a picture.

My guess is that when meet and greets do resume, many, if not all, of the characters will stop signing autographs. Once guests become accustomed to that, I wonder whether the practice will return.

And here’s the usual caveat: I have no insider information, I’m just speculating about possible park changes.

What do you think might happen? Do you like gathering character signatures? Would you be sad to see this practice discontinued?

From our friends at touringplans.com
Filed Under: Walt Disney World (FL), autographs, character autographs, meet and greet

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Petition For Disney To Stop Casting POC Meet and Greet Characters with White Entertainers Goes Viral

Petition For Disney To Stop Casting POC Meet and Greet Characters with White Entertainers Goes Viral. Some Disney Parks fans are not happy with how Disney has been “whitewashing” many of the meet and greet characters found in the theme parks around the world. So much so, that it has sparked a petition online to only cast POC entertainers in roles such as Black Panther, Jasmine and Aladdin, Moana, and more.

The creator of the petition writes: “Disney claims to care about people of color, but they continue to cast white men and women in fake spray tans for these particular roles. Important characters such as; Jasmine, Pocahontas, Moana, Black Panther, Li Shang, and Aladdin, within the Disney entertainment arenas around the world, need to be played by the people of color they were brought to life by. It’s extremely disrespectful to the community of color and it needs to stop. Young kids come to the parks looking forward to meeting these characters, aka their personal heroes, and are instead, sadly greeted by white men and women in cheap spray tans. Disney has more than enough monetary resources and beautiful actors to choose from, there is absolutely no reason as to why this should be allowed to continue. So please sign this petition in hopes of making these much needed changes a reality. ”

Currently the petition has 19,658 signatures out of the requested 25,000, with a high chance that many more will be added to the roster by the time you read through this article.

We know entertainment is a tough business to be in, but this never should have been an issue in the first place. There are thousands of entertainers that audition year after year for these roles and though many entertainers in the parks fill multiple face characters roles per their job description, roadblocks should be kept in place to allow for diversity amongst the Entertainment Cast Members, particularly in roles for a POC characters from the films and shows. There is no reason to replace characters with various ethnic backgrounds out of convenience with entertainers that do not share that same heritage.

Have you had this issue when visiting the Disney Parks? Does it ruin the magic for you and your family when a character is blatantly not represented by the proper actor/actress? Then you can sign the petition and support the cause by CLICKING HERE to let your voice be heard.

Be sure to check back here at Chip and Co. for all things Disney!

Featured Photo Credit: Change.org/Disney Parks

Source: Change.org

From our friends at chipandco.com
Filed Under: Parks & Resorts, Disney & Co, Do and See, News, disney entertainment, Meet and Greet, POC