Character Interactions

[Mags2002]

That's basically what she said to us. She said let's take a portrait. I was a little disappointed because Belle is one of my favorite characters and my daughter and I were going to ask her some questions about the Beast and favorite books. She just quickly went to taking a portrait though so we didn't get an opportunity to say anything. She wasn't unfriendly, just quick to get the picture and move on. I think it stood out more because she was the 4th princess and we had just had some fun interactions with the other 3.

I’m sorry you had this experience. Hopefully next time you have the opportunity to meet Belle you are able to chat with her about her favorite books. I know that once she is on this topic she can talk forever!

 

[Karin1984]

Characters are not supposed to just go straight to a photo. The whole point is to have an interaction with the Guest.
Lol what kind of questions? Princesses are somewhat limited in what they can say

The most asked question by princesses is "how is your day? / "how are you doing today?". Sometimes "where are you from?".

I sometimes wonder if they ask this particular question to speed up. It is a short question with a short answer. It was some kind of interaction and as soon as this question is answered, it is easy for her to go to "let's take a picture". Sometimes this is helped by a bored photographer waiting for the interaction to be over so he can make some posed pictures. Same with the character handlers. If the actor, the handler and the photographer all like each other and having a good day together, you can notice it. They are all three in a good mood and that improves guest experience. In my opinion.

I do get (some) princesses have a harder time with interactions and that they have more limitations, but it is not impossible. I think it is mainly knowing your movie/universe very well and knowing how you can refer to it in any situation.

 

[Mags2002]

The most asked question by princesses is "how is your day? / "how are you doing today?". Sometimes "where are you from?".

I sometimes wonder if they ask this particular question to speed up. It is a short question with a short answer. It was some kind of interaction and as soon as this question is answered, it is easy for her to go to "let's take a picture". Sometimes this is helped by a bored photographer waiting for the interaction to be over so he can make some posed pictures. Same with the character handlers. If the actor, the handler and the photographer all like each other and having a good day together, you can notice it. They are all three in a good mood and that improves guest experience. In my opinion.

I do get (some) princesses have a harder time with interactions and that they have more limitations, but it is not impossible. I think it is mainly knowing your movie/universe very well and knowing how you can refer to it in any situation.

I have been friends with different Princesses for quite a few years now, I always ask someone how they are or how their day has been. But then I use their answer to ask a follow up question and try and reference it back to my character.
As always, some people are better at doing this than others, and some characters are more fun to hang out with (I LOVE spending time with Anna and Rapunzel) but that doesn’t mean I don’t try my hardest to make sure that Guests who come to meet my character have a special interaction

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

I Disney Bound and when I wear a particular outfit I try to do character meets.

This year in Disneyland California I wore a Frozen / Elsa themed outfit. I was on a Norwegian Fjords cruise last year, so I went to the Elsa Meet and Greet in California Adventures. I tried to start the conversation by telling Elsa I had been Arendale on a big sailing ship last year, and the conversation died. I wanted to talk about how beautiful the country is, with the mountains and waterfalls, and that being on the water in the ship was just magical. The poor girl had no clue how to respond or what I was talking about. I thought at least that the friend of Elsa would make the connection between Arandale and Norway, considering thats where movie is set.

On another day, I meet Belle in the Princess Pavilion in Disneyland California. I said Bonjour when I walked to meet her and Au Revoir when I left, and again the friend of Belle had no idea how to respond. Beauty and The Beast is set in France so I would have thought the friend of Belle would know the basic hello and good bye in French.

Maybe I'm setting my expectations too high, but these just seem basic to me???

 

[Mags2002]

I Disney Bound and when I wear a particular outfit I try to do character meets.

This year in Disneyland California I wore a Frozen / Elsa themed outfit. I was on a Norwegian Fjords cruise last year, so I went to the Elsa Meet and Greet in California Adventures. I tried to start the conversation by telling Elsa I had been Arendale on a big sailing ship last year, and the conversation died. I wanted to talk about how beautiful the country is, with the mountains and waterfalls, and that being on the water in the ship was just magical. The poor girl had no clue how to respond or what I was talking about. I thought at least that the friend of Elsa would make the connection between Arandale and Norway, considering thats where movie is set.

On another day, I meet Belle in the Princess Pavilion in Disneyland California. I said Bonjour when I walked to meet her and Au Revoir when I left, and again the friend of Belle had no idea how to respond. Beauty and The Beast is set in France so I would have thought the friend of Belle would know the basic hello and good bye in French.

Maybe I'm setting my expectations too high, but these just seem basic to me???

Locations can be tricky. Arendelle is inspired by Norway, not set there. So if you said Norway and not Arendelle then she wouldn’t know where that is. If you specifically said Arendelle then she should have been able to talk about her own kingdom at least based on the landscape you can see in the movie.
Belle should know bonjour. I would have said something like “oh hello! How clever of you to know that bonjour is how we say hello where I come from. Did you learn that from a book? Maybe Beast and I can read that one together”.
I have definitely been asked questions at times that I was like “how the heck do I answer this?” and I think people are becoming bolder and more demanding in what they expect the Princesses to be able to answer

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Locations can be tricky. Arendelle is inspired by Norway, not set there. So if you said Norway and not Arendelle then she wouldn’t know where that is. If you specifically said Arendelle then she should have been able to talk about her own kingdom at least based on the landscape you can see in the movie.
Belle should know bonjour. I would have said something like “oh hello! How clever of you to know that bonjour is how we say hello where I come from. Did you learn that from a book? Maybe Beast and I can read that one together”.
I have definitely been asked questions at times that I was like “how the heck do I answer this?” and I think people are becoming bolder and more demanding in what they expect the Princesses to be able to answer

Oh I agree people are becoming more demanding with conversations with Princess, but I specifically said Arendelle, so I thought it odd the friend of Elsa couldnt continue the conversation about her own kingdom. Maybe she thought who is this weird person thinking Arendalle is a real place. I know some people have a negative view of adults doing character meets, and while the friend of Else was very professional maybe I just got her on an off moment.

I only started doing character meets in the last few years so I have been researching online about how to converse with princesses especially and to keep conversations in world. Its kinda made me hesitant to do them on my next trip, as its kinda a waste of time to research online what to say to keep the conversation in world and then the friend of the character not be able to continue the conversation.

 

[Mags2002]

Oh I agree people are becoming more demanding with conversations with Princess, but I specifically said Arendelle, so I thought it odd the friend of Elsa couldnt continue the conversation about her own kingdom. Maybe she thought who is this weird person thinking Arendalle is a real place. I know some people have a negative view of adults doing character meets, and while the friend of Else was very professional maybe I just got her on an off moment.

I only started doing character meets in the last few years so I have been researching online about how to converse with princesses especially and to keep conversations in world. Its kinda made me hesitant to do them on my next trip, as its kinda a waste of time to research online what to say to keep the conversation in world and then the friend of the character not be able to continue the conversation.

Yes maybe she was having an off day.
It is absolutely not weird for adults to come and meet the characters!
Perhaps relax a little on your next Disney vacation and instead of researching things to ask, allow the character to lead and see where it goes

 

[Flossbolna]

I have been follow your threads and really love to read about your perspective. I have a question after some really lovely character interactions on the Wonder in August: we actually ran i to quite a few characters just roaming the ship, Pluto, Goofy, the chipmunks. So, all non talking. They all had a character handler with them and these CMs were really great at making the interactions more fun. I never know what to say to the non-talking characters, but in the Wonder the character handlers really did a fantastic job at “interpreting”. Just as if they were used to being the character themselves. Is that the case? Do friends of characters switch roles and are character handlers to other characters?

 

[Mags2002]

I have been follow your threads and really love to read about your perspective. I have a question after some really lovely character interactions on the Wonder in August: we actually ran i to quite a few characters just roaming the ship, Pluto, Goofy, the chipmunks. So, all non talking. They all had a character handler with them and these CMs were really great at making the interactions more fun. I never know what to say to the non-talking characters, but in the Wonder the character handlers really did a fantastic job at “interpreting”. Just as if they were used to being the character themselves. Is that the case? Do friends of characters switch roles and are character handlers to other characters?

Thanks for following my thread!
Yes the character attendants are most often other members of the Cast

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

Characters are not supposed to just go straight to a photo. The whole point is to have an interaction with the Guest.
Lol what kind of questions? Princesses are somewhat limited in what they can say

Characters are not supposed to just go straight to a photo. The whole point is to have an interaction with the Guest.
Lol what kind of questions? Princesses are somewhat limited in what they can say

Did you explore new parts of the world today?

I think it was more the wording that put me off than the question. The first time I was even more like -euh?- cause it was a seaday hahaha

 

[Kit Jackson]

I never know what to say to the non-talking characters

This interactions were Disneyland, not one of the ships. When I saw Stitch I told him I was a big fan of Elvis too. I would say anything appropriate to the plush characters (the same kind of thing I would say to the face characters). I have seen some great reactions from the plush/non-talking characters based on what I have been wearing. Chip and Dale appreciated my Rescue Rangers shirt (and this was years before the new movie came out on Disney+).

 

[Kennywood]

This may be a silly question, but I'm overly paranoid about it because I don't want to be weird or creepy.
When standing next to the princesses for pictures, I instinctively put my right arm behind their back. Not to grab their waist or pull them closer, my arm is just kind of there and I don't know what to do with it standing so close.
Is that weird or creepy? I'm socially awkward when it comes to character photos.
(talking with them is the easy part!)

When Keanu Reeves poses with female fans, this is what he does with his hands in every picture:

 

[Karin1984]

Of course character performers can have an off day. Everyone does. And of course you will always get performers who love their role and will be more enthusiastic and animated than others. I myself have watched YouTube videos of some of my character friends and have thought “what on Earth are they doing/saying?”
If a Guest feels that they don’t have a great experience, they usually complain. Which is why sharing positive comments about characters you meet goes a long way in helping Management determine if the performer is indeed having an off day or it is becoming the norm for them

I am a big fan of leaving feedback, it is the only way to improve. Over the years I have left plenty of cast compliments and on occasion reported bad behaviour by CMs. When it is 8-10 out of 10 or 4 or lower.

I wouldn't do it for bland behaviour. If someone has just passed because they looked the part and were friendly, it is just something I tend to forget over time. Which of course doesn't improve the service/product.

For example, on my last cruise, my m&g with Moana was disappointing. And that was because all she could talk about during the interactions with myself and my friend was Maui. Moana is an interesting and well-written character in her own right, she doesn’t have to talk about the man in her story constantly. Was it a bad m&g, no. Was it good, no. I was just glad that the lines on a cruise are shorter than in the parks and that I had met her, because Moana was missing in my list of characters to meet.

I had some feedback about things going wrong on this cruise, I have sent to DCL, but I left out Moana. Mainly because when i tried to put it down to paper, I felt like I was nitpicking. And I didn't think it would help.

 

[Mags2002]

I am a big fan of leaving feedback, it is the only way to improve. Over the years I have left plenty of cast compliments and on occasion reported bad behaviour by CMs. When it is 8-10 out of 10 or 4 or lower.

I wouldn't do it for bland behaviour. If someone has just passed because they looked the part and were friendly, it is just something I tend to forget over time. Which of course doesn't improve the service/product.

For example, on my last cruise, my m&g with Moana was disappointing. And that was because all she could talk about during the interactions with myself and my friend was Maui. Moana is an interesting and well-written character in her own right, she doesn’t have to talk about the man in her story constantly. Was it a bad m&g, no. Was it good, no. I was just glad that the lines on a cruise are shorter than in the parks and that I had met her, because Moana was missing in my list of characters to meet.

I had some feedback about things going wrong on this cruise, I have sent to DCL, but I left out Moana. Mainly because when i tried to put it down to paper, I felt like I was nitpicking. And I didn't think it would help.

To be honest, character performers are becoming more and more nervous about meeting Guests because people are often asking random, out of left field questions and making ridiculous complaints.
People think it is easy portraying a Princess. Yeah, put on a fancy dress and smile and wave. It is so much more than that.
I had a Guest recently ask Cinderella a question regarding Cinderella 3, and then stated to their friend “I bet she doesn’t know”. Of course Cinderella knew the answer. They were not happy.
I understand that people have extremely high expectations when meeting the characters. We are all doing the best we can to meet those expectations. For us on ships, sometimes we have to go onstage when we are not at our best because there is no one to replace us. Does this impact our performance? Probably. The alternative is to take that Princess out of the lineup which would then result in complaints. But most Guests are just happy to meet the character, and leave with a picture and an autograph

 

[Mags2002]

Did you explore new parts of the world today?

I think it was more the wording that put me off than the question. The first time I was even more like -euh?- cause it was a seaday hahaha

I have asked people that kind of question before. It is relevant to your life (being on vacation) and to the Princess who has probably gone on some kind of adventure in her own story

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

I have asked people that kind of question before. It is relevant to your life (being on vacation) and to the Princess who has probably gone on some kind of adventure in her own story

Yeah but this is in a context of seeing the same friend and literally getting that same question every single time you meet her; even if its like twice in the same day

 

[Mags2002]

Yeah but this is in a context of seeing the same friend and literally getting that same question every single time you meet her; even if its like twice in the same day

I wouldn’t read too much into it. She may have forgotten she already met you or that she’d already asked you that

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

To be honest, character performers are becoming more and more nervous about meeting Guests because people are often asking random, out of left field questions and making ridiculous complaints.
People think it is easy portraying a Princess. Yeah, put on a fancy dress and smile and wave. It is so much more than that.
I had a Guest recently ask Cinderella a question regarding Cinderella 3, and then stated to their friend “I bet she doesn’t know”. Of course Cinderella knew the answer. They were not happy.
I understand that people have extremely high expectations when meeting the characters. We are all doing the best we can to meet those expectations. For us on ships, sometimes we have to go onstage when we are not at our best because there is no one to replace us. Does this impact our performance? Probably. The alternative is to take that Princess out of the lineup which would then result in complaints. But most Guests are just happy to meet the character, and leave with a picture and an autograph

I hahe it when people test characters or CM. Like seriously its all about the memory you re making so what is the added value in knowing whether that friend knows the answer or not that whatever trivia question you re trying to trick them with.
I looove to talk the characters but rarely ask them questions and def not -content- related questions unless they are like superonvious ones like Rapunzel something about her hair or whatever. People are dumb àd I really feel like social media has changed the game of meeting characters a lot. Im also allergic to character -counters-. People that meet characters just to tick off a box on the counter

 

[Chipmunkmaniac]

By the way IM IN SOUTHAMPTON ready to take the Dream to the states tomorrow

 

[Mags2002]

By the way IM IN SOUTHAMPTON ready to take the Dream to the states tomorrow

Yay! I hope you have a great time!