End of autographs at character dining?

I agree. I think that the point of a character meal is having the characters visit your table. If you get an autograph then great but if you don't, you still get what you paid for- characters.

People arr paying for different parts of the whole package. What you value may not be what someone else does and is "paying for"
 
People arr paying for different parts of the whole package. What you value may not be what someone else does and is "paying for"

But I'm not talking about what people value, of course that is different for everyone. I'm talking about what Disney guarantee's you will get from your character meal. Unless Disney specifically says that by paying for a character meal you are guaranteed an autograph then you really are just getting a bonus by getting one.
 
But I'm not talking about what people value, of course that is different for everyone. I'm talking about what Disney guarantee's you will get from your character meal.
But isn't what Disney guarantees at a character meal pretty much whatever they decide to offer? There's really no point in discussing that because they're going to do what they're going to do.
 
It already happens, and has for some time. Most the M&G at the special spot in DHS Animation, they handed you the autograph card as you entered and told you no signing, at specialty ones over the years, same thing.

It will be easy to handle the transition until it's the norm. When you book your ADR ... just like the warning if it is during a Party, there will be a warning the characters do not sign but you will get a meal customized autograph card, when you arrive for your ADR the hostess will remind you as they seat you and hand you the cards and a small tent sign can be on the table reminding you no autographs just wonderful character interaction and photos .. maybe shaped like your autograph card (CP is a honey pot).

I never did any of the special M&G in DHS Animation or any parties, so I've never experienced this. Thanks for the knowledge.
 


But isn't what Disney guarantees at a character meal pretty much whatever they decide to offer? There's really no point in discussing that because they're going to do what they're going to do.

If the they you are talking about are the people who will complain over not getting something they weren't guaranteed then yes they will continue to do that. Some people will never be happy, they will put expectations on Disney and blame Disney when those expectations arent met, even if they were things that weren't specifically guaranteed.

If the they is Disney, yes they will do what they are going to do.
 
If the they you are talking about are the people who will complain over not getting something they weren't guaranteed then yes they will continue to do that. Some people will never be happy, they will put expectations on Disney and blame Disney when those expectations arent met, even if they were things that weren't specifically guaranteed.

If the they is Disney, yes they will do what they are going to do.
The "they" was in reference to Disney.
 
The "they" was in reference to Disney.

Then yes they will do what they are going to do. They aren't going to make everyone happy, there will be those who complain, there will be those who will just deal with it, and there will be those who have a great time and love everything.
Finding a happy medium works, for those who want autographs, they will get their card, for those who want character interaction and pic they will get that and for those who just want to eat, they will get that. Everyone wins, at least to Disney they do.
 


Side note, this topic has come up on a thread I am following on Facebook and someone posted that her friend contacted Disney about it and got a couple of responses. Basically they said there is no change as of now but they don't know what will happen in the future

Character Dining note.jpg
 
Maybe for some it is. But for others, the kids need that little bit of time during the autograph to actually warm up and break the ice. Take that away and the character is gone as soon as Mom or Dad takes a quick photo.

I honestly thought one huge advantage to autograph books is they become a nice ice breaker for very young or shy children. It give the child a purpose to approach and start interacting with the character. Banning autographs will make some interactions better, and some interactions will become more shy and awkward. The other problem is for years Disney has built a market based on autographs and autograph books to the point of being a tradition. I do like the idea if they are going to swap to autographs, standardize them and put out associated collectable book to hold the new autograph cards. It would make the transition much more natural than the autograph books they have been successfully marketing for years just disappearing.

For us, this is absolutely the case. Our family needs the icebreaker. My daughter for years wouldn't talk to new people but give an autograph book to break the ice and she knew what to do. No need to stress out and talk when the "celebrity" approaches. Then she was warmed up and ready for more interaction and wonderful memories. I'm honestly not sure if she still needs it, but she definitely still loves that souvenir.

Again, they can try to discourage (and those who are less interested will happily take the card), but this whole banning of a long-standing tradition seems awful.
 
For us, this is absolutely the case. Our family needs the icebreaker. My daughter for years wouldn't talk to new people but give an autograph book to break the ice and she knew what to do. No need to stress out and talk when the "celebrity" approaches. Then she was warmed up and ready for more interaction and wonderful memories. I'm honestly not sure if she still needs it, but she definitely still loves that souvenir.

Again, they can try to discourage (and those who are less interested will happily take the card), but this whole banning of a long-standing tradition seems awful.

I am all for that - be it just sort of passively by providing the pre-signed card or even if they hand it to you and word it like "we are now providing these pre-signed keepsakes as an alternative to have the characters sign table side" - but that they will still sign for those that truly want it ... I think that could make everyone happy (ok, not everyone, some people just like to find things to complain about) but could be a good compromise and still help with some of the efficiencies/cost savings/quickening the table turnover they are looking for
 
We ate at CP on August 27. We were never given a honey pot. All characters signed. Same at Trattoria. Perhaps it is done when there is a "helper" filling in who doesn't know the true autograph? :rolleyes:
 
We ate at CP on August 27. We were never given a honey pot. All characters signed. Same at Trattoria. Perhaps it is done when there is a "helper" filling in who doesn't know the true autograph? :rolleyes:
That was my guess. I was wondering if maybe they did it as a last resort when they couldn't get a trained CM, due to illness or whatever.
 
I am all for that - be it just sort of passively by providing the pre-signed card or even if they hand it to you and word it like "we are now providing these pre-signed keepsakes as an alternative to have the characters sign table side" - but that they will still sign for those that truly want it ... I think that could make everyone happy (ok, not everyone, some people just like to find things to complain about) but could be a good compromise and still help with some of the efficiencies/cost savings/quickening the table turnover they are looking for

"Sign for everyone that truly want it"?!?

...you know better...every slope in a Disney park is as slippery as a greased pig.

You can't have "flexible rules"...it doesn't work and never will again.
 
But I'm not talking about what people value, of course that is different for everyone. I'm talking about what Disney guarantee's you will get from your character meal. Unless Disney specifically says that by paying for a character meal you are guaranteed an autograph then you really are just getting a bonus by getting one.

Currently disney says you are paying for autographs as well. It doesn't have to be in writing, in fact, most of what disney offers for things you pay for isn't in writing. But its part of what you are paying for.
 
If the they you are talking about are the people who will complain over not getting something they weren't guaranteed then yes they will continue to do that. Some people will never be happy, they will put expectations on Disney and blame Disney when those expectations arent met, even if they were things that weren't specifically guaranteed.

If the they is Disney, yes they will do what they are going to do.

Disney doesn't guarantee anything, beyond entry. I mean read the description of Chef Mickey's, they say you can enjoy the meal with "disney friends" and get "photos and autographs", but they aren't guaranteeing you anything, even though its in writing that you are supposed to enjoy photos and autographs.

But Disney doesn't say how many "Disney Friends" nor do I think it says Which Friends. It doesn't say how long you are going to spend with them, or how much they will interact with your party. Are you saying that if only one came by and gave you a high five and then walked away "No reason to complain" because Disney didn't guarantee you anything.

Or if they decide to shut down all the attractions in MK but still let you in ... totally cool, no basis for complaint because disney didn't guarantee you anything beyond park entry.

Saying "for those who want autographs they get cards" .... then "Everyone wins" ... no no they don't. The people who used to pay $XX amount of money and got autographs, and now pay $XX amount of money and don't, they lose.
 
Disney doesn't guarantee anything, beyond entry. I mean read the description of Chef Mickey's, they say you can enjoy the meal with "disney friends" and get "photos and autographs", but they aren't guaranteeing you anything, even though its in writing that you are supposed to enjoy photos and autographs.

But Disney doesn't say how many "Disney Friends" nor do I think it says Which Friends. It doesn't say how long you are going to spend with them, or how much they will interact with your party. Are you saying that if only one came by and gave you a high five and then walked away "No reason to complain" because Disney didn't guarantee you anything.

Or if they decide to shut down all the attractions in MK but still let you in ... totally cool, no basis for complaint because disney didn't guarantee you anything beyond park entry.

Saying "for those who want autographs they get cards" .... then "Everyone wins" ... no no they don't. The people who used to pay $XX amount of money and got autographs, and now pay $XX amount of money and don't, they lose.

That is your opinion, and I disagree. A card with a signature is still an autograph.
You can complain all you want, and I can think complaints about being ripped off are a overly dramatic.
 
That is your opinion, and I disagree. A card with a signature is still an autograph.
You can complain all you want, and I can think complaints about being ripped off are a overly dramatic.

So if I have a baseball card with a pre-printed signature of Babe Ruth it's still an autograph? I don't think that the memorabilia shops would agree that a pre-printed signature is the same as a hand-signed ink autograph. Or that the pre-printed baseball card is the same as a baseball or bat or mitt or jersey with an ink autograph?

Yes, I know the characters aren't the same as Babe Ruth and that my autograph collection has absolutely no monetary value. But the point remains that pre-printed is not the same as a real signature on my choice of item. To many they might have the same value and that's great. But to many others it's not the same intrinsic value. And regardless of equal value or not, they're not the same.

And so we shall agree to disagree on the value. To you (and many others), the value of a pre-printed signature is the same as a hand-signed autograph. To me (and many others) the value is different. In the end as an economic term, that's what value is -- how much is one person willing to pay for something or how important is it to someone. I understand why people would pay a bunch of money for the Babe Ruth autograph in the example. But I personally don't value it at all and so any price would be too much. That doesn't make it wrong for someone to value that Babe Ruth autograph highly and I wouldn't want to take that away from them, but it means I'll spend my resources (money, time) elsewhere.
 
So if I have a baseball card with a pre-printed signature of Babe Ruth it's still an autograph? I don't think that the memorabilia shops would agree that a pre-printed signature is the same as a hand-signed ink autograph. Or that the pre-printed baseball card is the same as a baseball or bat or mitt or jersey with an ink autograph?

Yes, I know the characters aren't the same as Babe Ruth and that my autograph collection has absolutely no monetary value. But the point remains that pre-printed is not the same as a real signature on my choice of item. To many they might have the same value and that's great. But to many others it's not the same intrinsic value. And regardless of equal value or not, they're not the same.

And so we shall agree to disagree on the value. To you (and many others), the value of a pre-printed signature is the same as a hand-signed autograph. To me (and many others) the value is different. In the end as an economic term, that's what value is -- how much is one person willing to pay for something or how important is it to someone. I understand why people would pay a bunch of money for the Babe Ruth autograph in the example. But I personally don't value it at all and so any price would be too much. That doesn't make it wrong for someone to value that Babe Ruth autograph highly and I wouldn't want to take that away from them, but it means I'll spend my resources (money, time) elsewhere.


I see your point about valuing whatever you want. I get that and it is an individual opinion. But your analogy is simply wrong. There WAS a Babe Ruth who could do things on a baseball field that no one else could do at the time. There is no Winnie the Pooh. There are many people that dress up as Winnie the Pooh, but none of them ARE Winnie the Pooh or have done the things that made Winnie the Pooh famous. So yeah, a signature from one person in a Winnie the Pooh suit is no different than a signature from someone else in a Winnie the Pooh suit or a computer pretending to be an actor in a Winnie the Pooh suit. It's all the same because there is no single Winnie the Pooh that DID what makes Winnie the Pooh famous. There was, however, a Babe Ruth.

Now you can enjoy watching one poor actor or another with his oversized costume hands trying desperately to mimic a signature that someone else created for Winnie the Pooh over and over while he wanders around a room of tourists, and that is fine. You have the right to enjoy that. But no, it is nothing at all like owning an actual piece of memorabilia signed by a historic figure.
 
I see your point about valuing whatever you want. I get that and it is an individual opinion. But your analogy is simply wrong. There WAS a Babe Ruth who could do things on a baseball field that no one else could do at the time. There is no Winnie the Pooh. There are many people that dress up as Winnie the Pooh, but none of them ARE Winnie the Pooh or have done the things that made Winnie the Pooh famous. So yeah, a signature from one person in a Winnie the Pooh suit is no different than a signature from someone else in a Winnie the Pooh suit or a computer pretending to be an actor in a Winnie the Pooh suit. It's all the same because there is no single Winnie the Pooh that DID what makes Winnie the Pooh famous. There was, however, a Babe Ruth.

Now you can enjoy watching one poor actor or another with his oversized costume hands trying desperately to mimic a signature that someone else created for Winnie the Pooh over and over while he wanders around a room of tourists, and that is fine. You have the right to enjoy that. But no, it is nothing at all like owning an actual piece of memorabilia signed by a historic figure.

I think his larger point was that an autograph is an autograph. Its not a matter of opinion (as the PP tried to assert) what an autograph is. Either you are getting an autograph (by and actor or a baseball player) or you are getting a card with pre printed (not autographed) signatures.

The value of that to different people is different of course, but we do still live in a world where real things exist, and autograph is an autograph, a printed card is a printed card.
 

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