Character Options

Much thanks to those of you who took the time to comment on my Touring Plans in my earlier post (Another First Timer Requesting TP Evaluation - #11 by shermND). Rereading the post, I hope I didn’t come off poorly in describing our family’s touring proclivities. Specifically, it might have seemed like I was pushing my wife and I’s touring preferences onto our kids when saying we didn’t really like character meals (boys ages 8 and 6). I wanted to make sure I wasn’t ignoring their preferences, so I showed them a list of all the character meet n greet opportunities and asked them which ones they’d like to see. They said “none of them, we’d rather do rides instead”. I was pretty happy that at least I had a good grasp on their personalities!

This made me think though - what kind of character options WOULD interest them?? The first thing I realized was that I HAD scheduled extra time at Star Wars: Launch Bay so that they could meet Chewie and Kylo. So this might be something that resolves itself with the opening of Star Wars Land, but I think it’s definitely a bit of a missed opportunity - adding character meals / meet n greets for Star Wars would be of huge interest to at least my family.

Thinking of the characters that are on the table now: princesses - my boys have no interest. Classic characters - Mickey, et al: my kids have no real connection to them. They watched Mickey Mouse Clubhouse a little when they were younger, but it was never a favorite. Is this an oddity of our family, or do today’s kids lack a connection to the classic characters from lack of exposure?

I did ask them their opinion of what other characters they would go out of their way to meet. Answer: Spider-Man, Batman, and Rocket Raccoon. So, as Disney owns the rights to 2 of those 3 - where’s the Marvel theming? Again, seems like an avenue ripe for development - Marvel meet n greets would be a winner in this house! :slight_smile:

My kids don’t even know the classic characters. They largely disappeared from Au when I was still young, though the new 3D ish looking clubhouse show seems to have started up on pay TV in recent years, but it’s definately not very popular with the littles.

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Others will chime in here, but I think Disney only have rights to Marvel characters on the west coast? UNiversal obviously have the rights to Spider-Man in Florida anyway. TBH I don’t know the ins and outs of this, or how it is even possible…

When we first went my boys, then about 10 and 6, didn’t know much about the classic characters. But going to Disneyworld is so popular over here (uk) that they both had friends who had been. Somehow they seem to assimilate it lol! They adored the characters, the youngest was Chip and Dale obsessed for years. Back then we spent 2 days at DHS meeting all the power rangers too, which they did know. They would come to the Crossroads at the end of streets of America and each take one corner. You had to queue for the one you wanted and could usually only manage 2 before they drove off. I had to fake the pink ranger autograph because we only had time to run over and get a photo but she stopped signing to get through the line faster. I never did confess that one :grinning:

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We don’t really do character meets, both my boys are not interested in any of the princesses. They do remember some of the characters from playhouse Disney, the big four and we usually catch them at a meal i.e. Tusker House or Chef Mickeys. They enjoyed meeting Buzz too. So we don’t go out of our way to find them.
Our best character meets have been at Universal, Sponge Bob, Scooby, Marvel etc.

My kids are 6 and 10 and they have no interest in any of the meet and greets. My 10 yearthiunks it would be cool to see micky, but they don’t care to wait in line to meet him, as they realize it’s just a guy under there, lol. They like Star Wars a bit, but don’t care to meet any of them either. I’m psyched to not have to wait in line to see princesses bc they don’t care about them at all. My girl and boy. Saves a lot of time!

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If anything maybe meet talking mickey in the magic kingdom. He is fun.

Not every kid wants to meet characters.

Unfortunately the only marvel are in disneyland. Do not know why not in disney world.

Best i can say is be willing to change plans if they decide to meet characters.

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Thanks, jedilogray. Is that the Town Square Mickey option? That’s actually the one character meet I didn’t delete from the original Touring Plan suggestions. We have a FPP for it our last day right before we leave MK. Good to hear it’s a good one!

I’ve never been to Universal so I had no idea they had Marvel stuff there. As my kids are obsessed with Marvel and Harry Potter, it looks like I planned the wrong vacation!! :wink:

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Yes town square mickey. It was fun. I did it by myself.

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Yes Universal already had a deal to use Marvel characters in their Orlando parks (I think the deal actually states anywhere east of the Mississippi or something like that) before Disney acquired Marvel, hence Marvel in DL but not WDW.

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Maybe the next vacation can be to Universal!

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It’s so nice not to have to worry about M&G’s :wink: I like it when we meet characters spontaneously, which can happen if you keep your eyes peeled! Or we stick to character meals, we are hoping to do GF, to meet Mad Hatter, and the Ugly Sisters… my kids would find them funny :joy: