by Beth Keating
Commentary
DisneyBizJournal.com
September 15, 2019
My family members are collectors of “stuff.” They will bring home a treasure trove of Funko Pops and assorted ride attraction tee shirts. There was also the anxiety-inducing “How are we going to get a lightsaber home on the plane” debate. Me? I don’t collect stuff. I collect PhotoPass pictures and Magic Shots. They are my souvenirs, and I will hunt down elusive Magic Shots with dogged determination, much to my son’s irritation.
Memory Maker is typically my first purchase after booking a trip. PhotoPass photographers are among my favorite people at Disney, and they have creatively cataloged some of the most significant moments of my life, including honeymoons, anniversaries, graduations, and baby’s first visits.
I just heard a rumor that the dreaded automated cameras have been expanded to the Mickey and Minnie Meet and Greet at Town Square Theatre. (If you are unfamiliar with the automated cameras, they are set on timers and are cued to take a half dozen or so shots of the guests while the character attendant points you in the right direction.)
Tinkerbell allegedly already had a “Photobox” at her Town Square location, but since I didn’t take a picture with Tinkerbell, I can neither confirm nor deny. When last we were at Disney, there was still a lovely PhotoPass photographer in Mickey’s dressing room, and she caught fun candids of Mickey asking me about my Not So Scary Halloween Party shirt, as well as the standard pose-and-smile-for-the-camera shot. The results were wonderful, and I will happily add the snaps of Mickey and Minnie in their birthday celebration outfits to my album. (It was a priority picture for me on this trip.)
Not so with my pictures of Chewbacca and Darth Vader at Star Wars Launch Bay, where automated cameras were already in use. The shots of Chewie never showed up in my PhotoPass account (Yes, we did remember to scan our Magic Band on the way out!) and the pictures in Darth Vader’s Meet and Greet have a charming picture of… my left shoulder. As an added bonus, when we tapped our Magic Band at the exit kiosk, we received some fabulous photos … of someone else’s family. They were great shots, by the way, of the couple looking appropriately contrite as Vader lectured them on their loyalties. I’m sure they would have enjoyed those pictures. I’ll probably steal that pose idea for my next trip.
Disney is known for its wonderful Cast interactions and their customer service. We hadn’t even gotten home yet when the first of several surveys about our Disney World experience arrived in my email. Cast Members are encouraged to sprinkle Pixie Dust along their way each day – and we saw numerous instances of Cast Members interacting cheerfully with families throughout the parks during our recent stay. It was especially evident as they tried their best to accommodate all of us whose vacation plans were impacted by Hurricane Dorian. I know Cast Members were working odd shifts and scrambling to keep up with changing weather conditions, but you’d never know it by their usual sunny demeanor and enthusiasm.
Why, then, would Disney eliminate PhotoPass photographers at such iconic locations as their Mickey Meet and Greet? Those pics are destined to hang over the fireplaces of families across the United States. Why mess with such a visible (and positive public relations inducing) family tradition? Here’s hoping that these “Photoboxes” are just a test run, and Disney will see the error of this decision and quickly reverse course.
Beth Keating is a regular contributor to DisneyBizJournal.
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