"Delaying tactics" at character meals?

[Stimpy]

holcomb-mania, I don't think you are a jerk or a liar. I think you are a parent that wants to make the family trip to Disney special for your children. Please remember, every other mom and dad wants the same thing for their children too.

Kind of back to the OT, we have never had a problem with not having enough time with the characters. Our last trip we went to Chef Mickey's with me, DH and DS. 5 minutes after we got there, our DS-3 fell asleep on the table. Every character still stopped by our table and spent alot of time with us. They each cuddle my son and played around with DH and me. Some of our cutest pics are of Mickey and sleep DS.

Also, we usually find characters in MK in the place where you pick up the park pictures. They are in the back. We go about mid-day. While DH picks up the pics, I take DS to the back and he's usually one of the only kids there. The characters play games and everything with them. One time we had 3 dwarfs all to our selves for about 15 minutes.

 

[crisi]

We've also never had a problem. I wonder if there is a combination of choosing really popular character meals at really big locations and having a high set of expectations for character time that creates disappointment.

I've heard stories of a character stopping to color with a child or something, but I realize that those people have been exceptionally lucky to be in the right place at the right time. My expectation has always been that this is more like a wedding - where I expect the bride to shake my hand and thank me for coming in the receiving line, but not stop for a meaningful conversation. The logistics are such that the characters have to get through the entire restaurant before the tables turn over - sometimes they move quick enough so you see them twice - which is way better than missing them because they couldn't get through the whole restaurant.


Likewise, when we stop to see the characters in the parks, we aren't looking for meaningful time (I always laugh when the Disney vacation videos and commercials show characters riding Dumbo with little or strolling over the lawn with two or three children behind them - I know it happens from time to time - but it doesn't seem common by any means) - we are looking for my kids to get a hug or a pat on the head while my kids say something kid profound and us to get a picture.

I suspect that this is really a problem at Cindy's (where I have never been). Because the face characters talk back to you (and the little girls are all so excited and have so much to tell Cinderella and her friends), the time can seem quite short. Its possibly less of a problem with Chip and Dale - there is only so much of a conversation you can carry on in mime - and even only so much an excited four year old can tell Chip while he responds in nods and gestures..