Disney Parks to end "Walkabout Characters"!!!!!!!!!!!

[Merlin1958]

I don't know if any of you here have heard about this, but apparently Disney has decided that profits exceed customer service/satisfaction, read all the way through:


http://www.aintitcool.com/node/48167


Now I know I'm not the only Disney-Lover hear and I made it a point to forward a disgruntled E-Mail expressing my concerns. Some of my fondest memories of my many visits to the theme parks in CA & Fla, is of my kids wild-eyed awe at finding or meeting up with favorite characters throughout the park. The atmosphere created by the "Walkabout" characters, parades and impromptu spectacles was always a justification for the price of admission. I'll never forget my daughter running with abandon after character upon character with her "Official" Autograph book. Or the time "Goofy" (my Son's fav) sat and "chatted" and payed with my Son for 20 minutes!!!

If any of you out there are of the same mind, then please contact Disney regarding this travesty!!!!!!! Lets "Keep the Magic in the magic Kingdom"!!!!!!

Thoughts?

[Jean]

I've never been to any Disneyland, not even the one that is near Paris, but from movies, photos, TV etc I have a pretty clear idea of what it is and what it is supposed to be like. I think the removing of those figures would spell the end of its purpose. It would be just another amusement park, with some special features added. It's very easy to make everything uniform, and very hard to get the indivuduality back. What would be its point?

[Erin]

Aww, what a bummer. Just a couple hours ago, I was organizing some old photos and I found ones from when I went to Disney World when I was 6 and my sister was 3. There are a ton of us smiling and hugging Mickey, Minnie, Chip & Dale, and Goofy. Such good memories and I hate that future kids won't be able to enjoy that the way I did.

*edit*

Oh wait, I just read the article, and they aren't going away, they will just be confined to one area where the kids have to come to them. Better than nothing, but still, it was so cool to just be walking around and have Minnie Mouse tap you on the shoulder when you weren't expecting it. Now you have to wait in a line, a la Santa Claus.

[Jean]

exactly

instead of wondering about in a miraculous land (as I suspect it was supposed to feel like), inhabited by your favorite creatures, you are like in a supermarket where you know the layout of the shelves

[Merlin1958]

Well, if you read thru apparently they have theis "Photopass" company that I guess takes the photo's and sells them back to you. Around Mickey's 60th B-Day they introduced "Mickey's Birthday-Land" for his 60th, at Disney-World in Fla. It was also an "in/out" staging area for most characters as during the summer months the guys can only last 30 mins in the suit. So they would constantly shuffle characters at that "Way Station", plus they had Mickey set up like getting your photo taken by Santa.

That was OK because Mickey is such a HUGELY popular character that lots of folks were disappointed if they didn't get to "meet" him as a walkabout. You got on line and were guaracteed to see MM. Well they have corporatized that to the point where all characters will be located at different stations and that's the only place to see them. Plus "Photopass" does all the picture taking and you have to pay for it. No private camera's allowed!!!! It's an expansion of the follow-up photo of you and yours friends at the pimmacle of the Log Flume, where the picture taking is built into the ride to catch your expressions just before you tip downward in the ride.

IMHO it will really kill the magic!!!

[kluker]

This really does suck cause its so expensive already to go the Disneyworld/land and me and my husband want to go and take the kids when they can remember it but now I don't really see the point of doing it anymore, I loved that they walked around and your were considered lucky if you meet one of them. I went with my sister-in-law and meet Goofy twice and that was my highlight.

[Merlin1958]

This really does suck cause its so expensive already to go the Disneyworld/land and me and my husband want to go and take the kids when they can remember it but now I don't really see the point of doing it anymore, I loved that they walked around and your were considered lucky if you meet one of them. I went with my sister-in-law and meet Goofy twice and that was my highlight.

I agree. Send them an angry e-mail!!!! There's a link contained in the Ain't it cool news article 2/3 of the way down. Gives you the email in the next page for Disney Customer Service. Come to think of it let me go get the address and post it here:

dlresort@disneyonline.com

I think it pertains to CA, but it'll get back to whomever if there are enough of them!!!!

[Merlin1958]

Aww, what a bummer. Just a couple hours ago, I was organizing some old photos and I found ones from when I went to Disney World when I was 6 and my sister was 3. There are a ton of us smiling and hugging Mickey, Minnie, Chip & Dale, and Goofy. Such good memories and I hate that future kids won't be able to enjoy that the way I did.

*edit*

Oh wait, I just read the article, and they aren't going away, they will just be confined to one area where the kids have to come to them. Better than nothing, but still, it was so cool to just be walking around and have Minnie Mouse tap you on the shoulder when you weren't expecting it. Now you have to wait in a line, a la Santa Claus.

And no more candid shots or chance meetings or cavorting. Each character will be set-up ala Santa's lap photo's and you have to PAY for them!!!!

[Brice]

I think thousands of people should picket outside the gates of Disneyland dressed as their favorite characters.

[kluker]

I think thousands of people should picket outside the gates of Disneyland dressed as their favorite characters.

I agree

[Jean]

I wish we could do this

[candy]

that is such a shame. I always loved watching people expressions when you turn a corner and see your favourite character, or any character for that matter just hanging around. As you have all said it added to the magic. Its all a marketing ploy for more money, and i know the parks have been suffering over the last few years, but this is not the way to do it. If they took a leaf out universals book they may learn something.

Universal are constantly updating their parks, and last years Harry Potter had a huge knock on effect on the other parks. I thought they would lose out but what happened is that more people were booking to go to see Harry Potter and then booked into the other parks as well with the offers Universal have with Seaworld etc. These parks where the busiest i have ever seen them, and i have been going for 8 years. Disney need to realise they need to lay out money to make money, and by just caging the characters and then charging you for the photograph they may end up shooting themselves in the foot.

I have fired off an email and hope that something comes of it, but i am not hopeful

[mystima]

I have never had the opportunity to visit the magic kingdoms and will most likely never will. We have Six Flags here in Tx and we get Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Yosemite Sam walkarounds in the park. We actually had our family picture taken with Bugs once and it was one of the spontaneous types where we "ran" into the character and got to take our picture with him. The kids loved it and we got a memorable picture from it. If Six Flags takes this policy it will kill the fun out of it I think. I have seen Characters on the Carousel and other rides all over the park. It just isn't right to make people wait in line and pay just to see a character. Would they be waiting all day wasting time to see said character and miss what else the park had to offer? That right there is a waste of money also. Not to mention the park goer's time.

[alinda]

Oh bloody hell, as if I needed any other reasons to be upset about "the happiest place on earth"
In the past few years I have been content to stay out of the parks, and enjoy the resorts we have time share in. Ya cant really f*** up a high end resort and spa, and I know Disney is still making out financially @ the resorts. Sorry for the kids on this one....real sorry. I will send a strongly worded letter to headquarters about it.

[Roland of Gilead 33]

are they doing this at "Disney World" as well? when i was 10 we went this was in Spring of (1989) & i had the time of my life. & they did have a LOT of characters walking around. i think it was like that in (1994) when i went back. but not so as much when i went back there in (2005) and (2009)

anyways, one funny thing about me going with my family way back in (1989) was i guess i got my picture taken with a Space Mickey. my brother who was only 15 at the time, has this obession with "Mickey Mouse' & in fact was conceived there. so that my have something to do with that. i dunno or really care. but he's loved him since basically he was a baby & he just turned 37 last thursday.

anyways, we were going through pictures of our trip in (2006) i remember the day cause they had just told us that my sister-in-law was preggers wtih my niece who turns 4 in March. hard to believe it's been that she's that old already but it's never the less true. anyways,

my brother saw me with "Space Mickey" i guess they don't use him anymore & he was PISSED! he goes where the fuck was i? i said i dunno in the can. & he was pissed off about this. a grown man. well age wise anyways. as i said to a friend of mine last week he was 37 going on 7.

anyways i just thought you guys & gals would have liked a laugh on that. cause i STILL think it's funny as hell. anyways, though my brother & sister-in-law LOVE disney & i wear some shirts i have of Mickey & donald. i'm only 32. i'm not obessed with them. like they are. no offense to those

who love disney to death. but i'm just more of a warner bros. fan than i am of disney actually. anyways, when i went in (2009) with my family & my niece went as well that time. she had a ball & loved it. we really only asked one or two times at least when i was with them where this or that character was. which to me wasn't really a big deal. & not a big deal to my family as well. we didn't mind having to wait.

i do agree though that if they stop the walkaround's or whatever it's called that' s just plain stupid. disneyland is really not a big deal to me cause i've never been there, so i never give it a 2nd or 1st thought. i'm always told that Disney world is better by various people anyways. who have been to both. but i can understand why people who go to both parks would be pissed about it. disney is nothing but a bunch of greedy bastards.

i really doubt "Walt disney" was thinking money when he created these parks. yes he knew he was going to make millions maybe billions of money.but he did it for the kids. & for the adults as well. i really doubt he would be doing all this to disney like they have done these past few years. IF he was still alive. these people who run disney should know that they are open all year around. & make millions/bllions of bucks all year around.

no matter how much they charge you to go in.it should be set at a reasonable price as well. & in this economy which sucks ass at the moment,.

they shouldn't be raising anything either. but than hey what do i know ya know? sorry about all the ramblings here. i just needed to get this off my chest.

[Mattrick]

Not permitting any more walkabout characters????



DON'T TELL ME WHAT i CAN'T DO!

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

I think thousands of people should picket outside the gates of Disneyland dressed as their favorite characters.

Brice as Snow White

[Erin]

Mattrick and Mr. Rabbit Trick....

[Roland of Gilead 33]

that's a scary picture! he he put on your front door at halloween to scare the little kids. lol

[Merlin1958]

Ok, given those posts are hilarious, this is a serious issue in my mind. All those precious memories that could be........gone!!!!!! Send emails folks!!!!!!!!!!!!

God!!! That is one Butt-ugly Snow White though!!!!! LOL

[Brice]

I for one was serious.

Mr. RT-

[Roland of Gilead 33]

oh i know you were, but since it's "Disney" i really doubt they'd actually listen to FANS of "Disney" god forbid they actually think of the fans 1st instead of their pocket books & how much they milk from us each year, no matter if we go to the park or not!

[Merlin1958]

A WIN, for now!!!!!


http://www.mouseplanet.com/9518/Roam..._on_Characters

[Mr. Rabbit Trick]

A WIN, for now!!!!!

http://www.mouseplanet.com/9518/Roam..._on_Characters

See what the threat of Brice in drag can do!

[Brice]