Character Experience in 2020

Hello Companions, 

Susan here! I’m so glad you came back to the blog to get in the know of what is happening inside of Disney. Today, I wanted to talk to you guys about the wonderful world of meet and greets with your favorite characters! I know one of the most favorite things my niece and nephew (mostly my niece) did on the trip was meet all of her favorite characters and seeing them come to life. You could see the awe, wonder, and excitement as they would hug them and have special moments with the characters.  When Disney shut down, I was so afraid that the magic would be missing because of social distancing. I asked myself how in the WORLD were they going to recreate the character meet and greet magic but I think the imagineers and Disney have done a really good job on how to keep the magic going while keeping 6 feet apart. Will it be the same experience as before, no but in my eyes at least it will be a safer experience while still being able to see your favorite characters. 

So, as I was doing my research, and I noticed on the Disney World website that it says the character experiences were “temporarily unavailable,” so I was SO bummed! But, it is because it has been completely reimagined for 2020. Disney World has been doing a mix of a couple different versions of socially distant meet and greets and I personally think they are pretty cleaver. 

• Version 1. From the examples of Joy, Alice, and Mary Poppins - They are behind a gated area and although the characters themselves are not masked, the companion that is with them is more than six feet away and completely masked. 

• Version 2. From examples of Mickey and Minnie, and the main princess - It is more mini parade style but they are in an open air car. Everyone except the characters are masked even the drivers and the characters themselves are also six feet apart. 

• Version 3. From the examples of Elsa, Pluto and Goofy - The characters are walking with attendants to keep everyone six feet apart. Again, the characters are NOT masked but the attendants are masked. 

So far, I’ve seen a variation on all three versions and sometimes a mix of a couple. (Mostly version 2 & 3). What I like about these versions of meet and greets is that the characters are easily accessible, it is open air, you are still socially distant AND it seems like more people can see your favorite characters faster especially when you are talking about the open air car version. Also, without the parades and stuff happening, it is like having a mini parade without having to wait for the long procession. 

Is this before the shut down Disney...No, but would I rather have THIS safer Disney than NO Disney...YES!! 

That’s it for today companions! If you want to see this in video form, you can click here! I found it on youtube and thought it was the MOST helpful in explanation. 

“I never look back, darling! It distracts me from the now.”

-Edna Mode from The Incredibles

Your Companion, 

Susan

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