Very disappointing Character Breakfast on Pixar!

[bobbiwoz]

I got this picture last week.

I got this picture on the TA cruise in September 2019

I see news here about a different sort of Character Breakfast now on Pixar cruises. I was disappointed, and told them so.

 

[PezRuth]

I am a bit confused. Why were you disappointed?

 

[bobbiwoz]

No interaction. Just seeing from afar.

 

[Mommb]

We attended the new Toy Story character breakfast, and it is true that Woody, Jessie, and Bullseye walked around the room but did not visit at each table. My guess is that DCL tried to maximize the number of guests who could attend by reducing the time each table stayed, since guests didn’t need to wait for the characters to come by. That is just a guess, though — the change might be due to staffing restrictions or something else.

Before the cruise it had appeared that brunch was sold out on the 2 or 3 days it was offered, but when we checked while in the terminal before boarding, spots were available. At our breakfast the room did not look full, but I don’t know the maximum number of tables allowed.

 

[PurplePencil]

I also attended the new Toy Story character breakfast, but multiple CMs emphasized it was not a traditional character breakfast, rather it was a "breakfast show" with characters singing and moving around. They staggered seating so regardless of arrival time, you would still get the experience.

 

[Cheburashka]

Bummer. That's lame.

 

[bcwife76]

Ugh, that's not a real character breakfast is it? I'm sorry, that's disappointing.

 

[ladyofthetramp]

oh? Well that stinks. That is a "show" not a character breakfast by my definition.

 

[yourpalAL]

Totally different take on this for us -- I find traditional character breakfasts where they visit each table to take painstakingly long with a small kid (and honestly wasn't where I'd want to spend my time on a cruise), while this breakfast was under an hour with fun music and dancing. Plus the characters were able to meet at other times on the ship!

 

[mjkacmom]

I suspect it’s a Covid thing not wanting the characters to get close and comfy with thousands of guests.

 

[Cheburashka]

I suspect it’s a Covid thing not wanting the characters to get close and comfy with thousands of guests.

Given that the characters are back to hugs with guests, I doubt it.

 

[5Texans]

Sad. It would have been a great way to decrease meet and greet lines if they stopped at the tables for photos etc.

I was hoping this meant they were bringing back character breakfasts, but seeing characters walk through the restaurant would likely not be worth my cruise time.

 

[lwilliam]

No interaction. Just seeing from afar.

I heard only two characters, so we skipped it

 

[SleepyDeb]

Last week it was Jessie, Bullseye, and Woody. (Pixar Day at Sea.) It was fun, not great for this couple in their 60's. It was early for a night owl. Second seating at 7:45 AM (That's SOOOO Early for me.) If I compare to a character breakfast in the park, I think it was better bc there was no additional expense.

 

[Melissa S]

What are the odds of getting tickets on board? It was completely sold out when I logged in at midnight at 30 day check in.

Interesting to hear that breakfast is half empty. Are they limiting tickets that much or are people snagging them and not showing up.

 

[TBLaube]

What are the odds of getting tickets on board? It was completely sold out when I logged in at midnight at 30 day check in.

Interesting to hear that breakfast is half empty. Are they limiting tickets that much or are people snagging them and not showing up.

Try to get on the DCL app when you get to the port. Once you can connect, you can try and book online. On our cruise, many people were able to book a spot.

 

[TBLaube]

I also assumed it was called a character breakfast, but in rereading the description, it doesn't say it. It is described as an interactive experience where a cowboy plays guitar, and we can sing along, and Jessie, Buzz, and Bullseye make an appearance. Also, the 45-minute time allotment was listed, which is not much time.

Not trying to start anything - I want people going on the future ones this season to manage expectations. There are meet & greets with them that you can reserve. Also, on our cruise, an additional meet-up was available, and we didn't need a reservation later in the cruise.

The little show was cute. The songs were total earworms, although we were pretty rushed, but we understood it was to accommodate as many people as possible.

 

[holula]

I think what Disney needs to do is change the wording. To me character breakfast = interaction. They even said on their most recent advertising for it “including a breakfast with Woody and friends” so I can see why people are disappointed that there isn’t any interaction.

 

[DodgerGirl]

Just like the character breakfasts seen in Disney Parks this may be a sign that the character breakfasts on Disney Cruise Line are going downhill too. And why I think the new Toy Story character breakfast at Disney Cruise Line doesn't permit characters to meet and greet with guests and do autographs is simply because of money and time. I think what you saw was a breakfast show and you probably missed the meet and greet with Jessie Woody and Bullseye because it used to be after each show at Disney Parks the characters would have a 20 minute meet and greet with guests for autographs and pictures. Maybe you should've asked if the characters were doing meet and greets after the show was over and then you could've known better before booking this breakfast. I think when it comes to characters on Disney Cruise Line cruises they have different rules than what Disney Parks have because I think Disney Cruise Line has more chances to meet characters than you do at the parks. I think what you should do is write an email to DCL and tell them about your experience because I can't imagine going to a character breakfast on a cruise with no character interaction and no autographs
Hope this advice helps Bobbiwoz
Dodger

 

[bobbiwoz]

I got the extra survey after the cruise. When asked what I did not like about the cruise, I did mention this. There were things that I did like about the cruise for sure, but the “Pixar theme” was not there to the extent that I wanted.

One very special mention I gave was about our room attendant. Imagine going back to the room and finding these things. It was not our anniversary, but, we’ve been married 54 years!

And this