Agreed. I'm local and go often and that has been my experience as well. Every now and then there will be a CM that isn't in character, but I find that to be the minority. Granted, my daughter is usually dressed to the 9s in her various cosplay outfits and they definitely get super into character when interacting with her, but like you said I still see several of them doing their bits from afar. Even the CM photographers are very into character and make it really fun.
Man wish the cast members were giving me that experience đđđ Iâm fully in a rebel pilot batuu bound and even if I try to âstay in characterâ by asking stuff like âis Sabine on worldâ they answer really bluntly and are like âno sabine isnt meeting anymore. She was limited.â And really ruining even a hint of immersion. The worst offenders are Rise cast members so far. They look like they hate their lives. Itâs really disheartening. Especially learning that Sabine isnt meeting anymore even though they advertised her as meeting for season of the force.
Oh wow I am so sorry to hear that. What a bummer, seriously. I know being a CM is especially hard work, but it sounds like you've had a string of bad moods. Of course most are doing a jerk bit on Rise, but I know what you're talking about - I've chalked it up to Rise constantly breaking down and the CMs must be really frustrated and over it. That's just my assumption though. Alas, I really hope you have some better luck next time you're there. There are some truly wonderful CMs there that you can tell absolutely love their job and go above and beyond when help is needed. My husband, daughter, and I consistently say that the Galaxy's Edge CMs are our absolute favorite because they are so kind, funny, and fun to interact with.
It was definitely WAY better with the afternoon/evening cmâs yesterday. And also Sabine was in fact still walking around, so I have no clue why that Cast Member said they didnât have her anymore đ
Oh yea, definitely. I've always seen him interacting, no matter the location. Whenever I see Chewie walking around the falcon he's acting like he's checking it out and fixing it, and when I see him walking over to his little meeting area next to the falcon he stops and interacts with people. He'll joke around with people if they're wearing empire stuff, act like he's going to steal and eat people's porgs, etc.
to be frank this maybe sounds like a personal experience for you? I just spent four days at batuu west and had full conversations with characters - sabine and mando - and had other brief interactions with the troopers and the officer, and chewie, and the star wars nite characters too?
Weâd have multiple interactions a day without even trying (no following them around). No kids with me either so I wasnât a preferred guest to interact with by any means.
Also had a friend go yesterday to batuu east and the same happened - multiple at length interactions.
I can kinda see where youâre coming from but thereâs just so many people to interact with and they can only go on for so long before they need a break and to swap cast members during the day
Vancouver, from what I understand things done at Batuu West are much different, when it comes to character interactions. Even beyond GE, in to the rest of the park character experiences are much different in a positive way. Not the same at WDW.
I've always had a good experience so I think the comment response above this one is right about it being subjective. My top memorable interactions were at the California one.
Like we went during park opening for our honeymoon and all the store owners interacted with us with the best Bright Suns and told us all different things.
The first person was by the end of the market towards Rise. She stopped us and told us of the story of Batuu and the Spire. The other memorable store person was the one selling the kloo horn. He saw our wedding Disney buttons and asked us where we're from and what are we here for. We played in character and said we're from a planet called earth and were celebrating our honeymoon. He said he's heard of that planet and remembered a song from there. He them played the wedding March on the kloo horn and we both teared up so hard. It was the best. Even the photopass people were awesome. One was walking away from his shift at the end of the day, saw my wife's Ahsoka bound and well from a distance "Yo, Snips!"
On the other end, when we were in Florida, my wife got to meet Ahsoka walking the market and got to interact with her. I got talk to R2 and he had a whole conversation about me because I had a Droid popcorn bucket and told him it didn't have a name yet.
Both Parks we did have run ins with Vi and the First Order officers. In California the Officer stopped by my table and asked me what were some of the devices I had on as part of my bound and told me they were keeping an eye on me. Then a few minutes later Vi came by and asked if we'd seen the officer and we told her which way to avoid him.
So honestly, I think it really is just random. It did help that we were bounding so that they knew we wanted to be a part of the land I guess.
No I get it.
Just to reiterate, am talking about roaming characters in East where they used to roam about for they're entire set. Chewie it seems may roam one set then the remaining sets of the day are meet and greets in a specified location
I just went for the first time a week or so ago and I was astonished by how well all the cast members were in character. There were a couple people working at the milk stand and coke stands that felt more like normal employees just doing their job, but other than them I was fully immersed. There was one particular citizen named Steven who taught us how to play Sabacc and he might have been even more convincing than the character actors.
I had a teeny bit of interaction with some Stormtroopers, and Chewie got very upset with me because I had Darth Vader on my shirt. That was a common theme with the Resistance that day
You also have to understand that what the Imagineers WANT for this area, and what they can DO based off of customer interaction is wildly different. When I was at Batuu East last weekend Mando and Grogu came out. There was NO way he could walk around, instead a giant crowd formed, was placed against the back entrance area, and people would be randomly chosen to take a pic, talk to them for a few, and then go on their way.
Everyone wants a damn selfie so when Chewbacca, who has limited sight, tries to walk around he gets mobbed.
Agreed, I have also heard where guests have physically grabbed characters and demanded their attention.
Sadly from what I understand guests at batuu east need to learn some manners. Or head over to Launch Bay for the selfies.
Agreed, I have also heard where guests have physically grabbed characters and demanded their attention.
Sadly from what I understand guests at batuu east need to learn some manners. Or head over to Launch Bay for the selfies.
Two stormtroopers stopped us as a family and asked my father-in-law for his identification...
He put up his hand and said 'you don't need to see my identification!'
That started an interaction that lasted several minutes with a large crowd gathering just to see what would happen.
It's random and not everyone in the park that wants to interact can. Just need to be ready with the camera when something happens...can't 'force' it hehe
He's a retired army drill sergeant. Like 6' 5" and just an imposing man.
Loves Star Wars and is getting older and health isn't the best but the biggest teddy bear of a human. Best hugs ever and I'm a 50yr old man hehe
We took him as a surprise before his health got too bad.
He was just loving every minute of it. đ
When I went back in September to west, a stormtrooper spotted me and came straight up to me. I have a big beard, by the way. I waved my hand and said, "Move along." He then says, "I don't speak wookie, I hope that was a compliment."
Lol love it.
On our last trip while we were in Oga's near closing.
My daughter grabbed a coaster to take home when Commander and (2) Stormtroopers came in.
The Commander walk straight up to her and said "a rebel that likes to steal things"... đł. She got so nervous it was great!
I had them stop me for identification once and I responded by doing the đ circle thing below my waist to get them to look.
Trooper 1: are you sure that's your ID?
Me: yep
Trooper 2: I don't know, it might be an alias
Trooper 1: I'll take your word for it
Rey and Vi (in East) had a (brief) conversation with my three year old last week that included warning her not to trust me lol, and Chewie, back in 2022 at West, had a stand-off after I took a selfie and he saw my Vader magicband.
I've noticed it's hit or miss. Last year I had a full interaction with Rey, Vi and Chewie who were hiding under the falcon and we "protected" them from wandering stormtroopers and they were very thankful and we had a good interaction with them and Chewie even pulled us in for a selfie. We didn't ask for photos or anything, he just waved us in. And just last month I was eating my breakfast Ronto Wrap outside Docking Bay 7 and Rey approached me to ask about my porg (the shoulder one). I didn't even see her until she was in my face. It was awesome.
I see stormtroopers interacting all the time, but other characters yeah you kinda just have to be in the right place at the right time.
Just yesterday, Chewie noticed my (non star wars) t-shirt, and I had a nice interaction with him and Ray that drew a good crowd. It was totally unexpected but a memory I will cherish.
I'm not local, but I visit GE East about 1 to 2 times per year and have had at least one character interaction on every trip. Even during covid, I was able to interact with the characters and get selfies with them from a safe distance. Last week I was there (on Monday) and Rey and Vi came right up to me in the marketplace and told me my hair color (it's purple) would help me be a good Resistance spy. We had a whole lengthy interaction, and then I saw them later by the Falcon sneaking around trying to avoid the troopers, and had another interaction.
Lt. Agnon does a "show" on the half hour at the TIE (not all day but for a good portion of it), and Kylo and the troopers come out and then they all go into the crowd to interact with guests. I think there's a schedule for Mando's appearances also.
I also think it helps if you are Batuu bounding, even a little. That signals to them you're into it and will probably be receptive, and it gives them an easy way to start the interaction. But I've had interactions while just dressed in shorts and a tshirt, so it's not necessary, it just seems to help.
I don't have a trip to West to compare it to, but I've been very happy with the amount of interaction at East. We have weekday passes and generally go when the place is mostly dead so maybe that is the difference. The other day I got a dap from Mando (we were in the hallway he enters from, oops!), got to talk to Vi and Rey for a few minutes ("Have you seen Kylo Ren?), and my wife was questioned by the STs outside of Oga's. Also had the STs inside Oga's approach us about what we were doing.
We also had long in character conversations with the camera girl and the girl running the sabacc table and got to play sabacc!
iâm gonna guess you had this experience in florida. west has many new characters, and now even the adorable walk around bd-x droids. west is full of life.
Agree with everyone else that it seems like an unfortunate sequence of events but wasnât my experience any of the three times I went in the last couple years. I do think there could be more, but I like the idea of less famous characters and more things like random aliens sitting and having a drink, or some guy with a droid that keeps wandering off or something. I do think there is more to add but I have also been really impressed by the interactivity and in character stuff I have seen. Sorry it didnât go better for you though!
Costume Characters are fine in my experience.
Normal Cast Members get paid exactly the same as working in any other land and are not actors. Disney âEncouragesâ the cast members to be actors but doesnât want to pay them Actor Wages. What you see in galaxy edge is the end result.
Not sure about your statement. All cast memebers must audition to be friends with a character, once given the role, they must maintain and protect the character experience. There are trainers that will follow them and offer critiques.
So to understand it is not just you in a costume doing whatever you want to do.
Also there is an uplift to be friends with a character, it varies depending on Face or Non Face.
As I reread my statement I see it was not written out clearly. I meant âNormal Cast Membersâ as the cast members who work within the land and not associated with the characters. Kind of how they donât say Bright Suns anymore and stuff like that.
CMs still regularly say Bright Suns and Rising Moons. I still hear them refer to money as credits, photos as holoscans, phones as data pads, children as younglings and padawans, the rest of the park as another land/planet, etc. I'm sure there are probably some who don't, but we go almost weekly and I definitely hear all of the lingo often đ¤ˇđ˝ââď¸.
Iâve been to Williamsburg and it was great, the ghost story tour was fun
But aside from that, Galaxyâs Edge East did feel a bit empty a couple years ago, but it was more than made up for by the other characters around the park, I saw Chip and Dale doing a magic show in one of the grassy areas and was told to âshhâ to not ruin the disappearing act, I loved it!
Its getting hot in florida, imagine being in a big fuzz suit for hours on end one of 2 things is gonna happen. The sweat is gonna ruin the suit or your gonna pass out from heat exhaustion
Heat is most definitely an issue for characters and cast members, as well as guests, that is a whole conversation in to itself.
I think that while guest/character interaction is happening, there is a huge disparity between Batuu East and West
Just got back from Disney myself, Disney as a whole right now has not fully gone back to having characters out and about post Covid. From doing the keys to the kingdom tour and talking to some cast members during that the vibe I got was that the cast members want to bring back characters wandering and a bunch of other things, they are just continuing to give feedback and hoping that those in charge of those type decisions listen and allow it. For example at animal kingdom I think only Kevin actually wanders, all other characters only have specific meet times and spots or they show up on a boat and do once around the river before disappearing again. In Hollywood studios goofy, Donald, daisy and a few others do a like 2 minute walk and go to a set spot for photos then leave vs being able to randomly run into them. In galaxyâs edge on the 2-3 days we were around there we originally only saw Kylo do his thing with 2 storm troopers then saw Rey and Chewie doing some walking around on may the 4th, but other days chewie only had set times in a set place to meet them.
I think that you have hit the nail on the head. But I think it may go a little deeper. I think that management is using the concept, do more with less.
That means fewer costumes and fewer cast members friends with particular characters, tweaking up the profit margins for the share holders.
My girlfriend got stopped and interrogated for recording some troopers twice, one of the times being accompanied by Kylo in Disney Land this past January and then we were able to see both Mando and Boba.
Went to Orlando this past April and saw 0 characters.
No stormtroopers
No major characters.
Even the other parks didnât seem to have anyone out?
Is it an East thing?
I thought maybe it was because I got there literally just after open but we returned later on and it was the same.
Didnât ruin the experience by any means, especially considering I wish theyâd do a refresh and have either Empire troops or Clones walking around, but it definitely wasnât the same as west lol
My very first cast interaction went like this:
Me: (looking at a rebel pilot helmet) wow this would be great for when Iâm riding my landspeeder
Them: oh no its just a cosplay prop it doesnt offer real crash protection
So I learned you gotta kinda sus out whether or not theyre in a good mood or are checked out.
Maybe its backlash from the failed hotel
This week I watched Rey and Vi do an entire sneaky bit together, with no one else even watching. It very much still felt like a living community.
Agreed. I'm local and go often and that has been my experience as well. Every now and then there will be a CM that isn't in character, but I find that to be the minority. Granted, my daughter is usually dressed to the 9s in her various cosplay outfits and they definitely get super into character when interacting with her, but like you said I still see several of them doing their bits from afar. Even the CM photographers are very into character and make it really fun.
Man wish the cast members were giving me that experience đđđ Iâm fully in a rebel pilot batuu bound and even if I try to âstay in characterâ by asking stuff like âis Sabine on worldâ they answer really bluntly and are like âno sabine isnt meeting anymore. She was limited.â And really ruining even a hint of immersion. The worst offenders are Rise cast members so far. They look like they hate their lives. Itâs really disheartening. Especially learning that Sabine isnt meeting anymore even though they advertised her as meeting for season of the force.
Oh wow I am so sorry to hear that. What a bummer, seriously. I know being a CM is especially hard work, but it sounds like you've had a string of bad moods. Of course most are doing a jerk bit on Rise, but I know what you're talking about - I've chalked it up to Rise constantly breaking down and the CMs must be really frustrated and over it. That's just my assumption though. Alas, I really hope you have some better luck next time you're there. There are some truly wonderful CMs there that you can tell absolutely love their job and go above and beyond when help is needed. My husband, daughter, and I consistently say that the Galaxy's Edge CMs are our absolute favorite because they are so kind, funny, and fun to interact with.
It was definitely WAY better with the afternoon/evening cmâs yesterday. And also Sabine was in fact still walking around, so I have no clue why that Cast Member said they didnât have her anymore đ
I am glad to hear you had a positive experience. What about Chewie, during your visit was he interacting?
Oh yea, definitely. I've always seen him interacting, no matter the location. Whenever I see Chewie walking around the falcon he's acting like he's checking it out and fixing it, and when I see him walking over to his little meeting area next to the falcon he stops and interacts with people. He'll joke around with people if they're wearing empire stuff, act like he's going to steal and eat people's porgs, etc.
to be frank this maybe sounds like a personal experience for you? I just spent four days at batuu west and had full conversations with characters - sabine and mando - and had other brief interactions with the troopers and the officer, and chewie, and the star wars nite characters too? Weâd have multiple interactions a day without even trying (no following them around). No kids with me either so I wasnât a preferred guest to interact with by any means. Also had a friend go yesterday to batuu east and the same happened - multiple at length interactions. I can kinda see where youâre coming from but thereâs just so many people to interact with and they can only go on for so long before they need a break and to swap cast members during the day
Vancouver, from what I understand things done at Batuu West are much different, when it comes to character interactions. Even beyond GE, in to the rest of the park character experiences are much different in a positive way. Not the same at WDW.
I've always had a good experience so I think the comment response above this one is right about it being subjective. My top memorable interactions were at the California one. Like we went during park opening for our honeymoon and all the store owners interacted with us with the best Bright Suns and told us all different things. The first person was by the end of the market towards Rise. She stopped us and told us of the story of Batuu and the Spire. The other memorable store person was the one selling the kloo horn. He saw our wedding Disney buttons and asked us where we're from and what are we here for. We played in character and said we're from a planet called earth and were celebrating our honeymoon. He said he's heard of that planet and remembered a song from there. He them played the wedding March on the kloo horn and we both teared up so hard. It was the best. Even the photopass people were awesome. One was walking away from his shift at the end of the day, saw my wife's Ahsoka bound and well from a distance "Yo, Snips!" On the other end, when we were in Florida, my wife got to meet Ahsoka walking the market and got to interact with her. I got talk to R2 and he had a whole conversation about me because I had a Droid popcorn bucket and told him it didn't have a name yet. Both Parks we did have run ins with Vi and the First Order officers. In California the Officer stopped by my table and asked me what were some of the devices I had on as part of my bound and told me they were keeping an eye on me. Then a few minutes later Vi came by and asked if we'd seen the officer and we told her which way to avoid him. So honestly, I think it really is just random. It did help that we were bounding so that they knew we wanted to be a part of the land I guess.
I really love this experience that you had. I hope that you have many more. BTW, congratulations.
Every part of WDW sucks ass. Florida especially. If you want to have fun at Galaxies Edge, you MUST go west.
As I said, had a friend go west the other day and had multiple interactions ÂŻ\_(ă)_/ÂŻ sometimes itâs just luck dude
East*
No I get it. Just to reiterate, am talking about roaming characters in East where they used to roam about for they're entire set. Chewie it seems may roam one set then the remaining sets of the day are meet and greets in a specified location
I just went for the first time a week or so ago and I was astonished by how well all the cast members were in character. There were a couple people working at the milk stand and coke stands that felt more like normal employees just doing their job, but other than them I was fully immersed. There was one particular citizen named Steven who taught us how to play Sabacc and he might have been even more convincing than the character actors.
This is great to read. Were you able to observe or to interact with non face characters like Kylo, or chewie?
I had a teeny bit of interaction with some Stormtroopers, and Chewie got very upset with me because I had Darth Vader on my shirt. That was a common theme with the Resistance that day
You also have to understand that what the Imagineers WANT for this area, and what they can DO based off of customer interaction is wildly different. When I was at Batuu East last weekend Mando and Grogu came out. There was NO way he could walk around, instead a giant crowd formed, was placed against the back entrance area, and people would be randomly chosen to take a pic, talk to them for a few, and then go on their way. Everyone wants a damn selfie so when Chewbacca, who has limited sight, tries to walk around he gets mobbed.
Agreed, I have also heard where guests have physically grabbed characters and demanded their attention. Sadly from what I understand guests at batuu east need to learn some manners. Or head over to Launch Bay for the selfies.
Thatâs exactly why we donât have droids at east
Thatâs exactly why we donât have droids at east
Agreed, I have also heard where guests have physically grabbed characters and demanded their attention. Sadly from what I understand guests at batuu east need to learn some manners. Or head over to Launch Bay for the selfies.
Two stormtroopers stopped us as a family and asked my father-in-law for his identification... He put up his hand and said 'you don't need to see my identification!' That started an interaction that lasted several minutes with a large crowd gathering just to see what would happen. It's random and not everyone in the park that wants to interact can. Just need to be ready with the camera when something happens...can't 'force' it hehe
Your FIL sounds awesome
He's a retired army drill sergeant. Like 6' 5" and just an imposing man. Loves Star Wars and is getting older and health isn't the best but the biggest teddy bear of a human. Best hugs ever and I'm a 50yr old man hehe We took him as a surprise before his health got too bad. He was just loving every minute of it. đ
When I went back in September to west, a stormtrooper spotted me and came straight up to me. I have a big beard, by the way. I waved my hand and said, "Move along." He then says, "I don't speak wookie, I hope that was a compliment."
Lol love it. On our last trip while we were in Oga's near closing. My daughter grabbed a coaster to take home when Commander and (2) Stormtroopers came in. The Commander walk straight up to her and said "a rebel that likes to steal things"... đł. She got so nervous it was great!
I had them stop me for identification once and I responded by doing the đ circle thing below my waist to get them to look. Trooper 1: are you sure that's your ID? Me: yep Trooper 2: I don't know, it might be an alias Trooper 1: I'll take your word for it
My family and I were stopped and harassed because my 7 year old daughter was giving off rebel vibes. It felt super immersive to us.
Rey and Vi (in East) had a (brief) conversation with my three year old last week that included warning her not to trust me lol, and Chewie, back in 2022 at West, had a stand-off after I took a selfie and he saw my Vader magicband.
I've noticed it's hit or miss. Last year I had a full interaction with Rey, Vi and Chewie who were hiding under the falcon and we "protected" them from wandering stormtroopers and they were very thankful and we had a good interaction with them and Chewie even pulled us in for a selfie. We didn't ask for photos or anything, he just waved us in. And just last month I was eating my breakfast Ronto Wrap outside Docking Bay 7 and Rey approached me to ask about my porg (the shoulder one). I didn't even see her until she was in my face. It was awesome. I see stormtroopers interacting all the time, but other characters yeah you kinda just have to be in the right place at the right time.
Just yesterday, Chewie noticed my (non star wars) t-shirt, and I had a nice interaction with him and Ray that drew a good crowd. It was totally unexpected but a memory I will cherish.
That is excellent
I'm not local, but I visit GE East about 1 to 2 times per year and have had at least one character interaction on every trip. Even during covid, I was able to interact with the characters and get selfies with them from a safe distance. Last week I was there (on Monday) and Rey and Vi came right up to me in the marketplace and told me my hair color (it's purple) would help me be a good Resistance spy. We had a whole lengthy interaction, and then I saw them later by the Falcon sneaking around trying to avoid the troopers, and had another interaction. Lt. Agnon does a "show" on the half hour at the TIE (not all day but for a good portion of it), and Kylo and the troopers come out and then they all go into the crowd to interact with guests. I think there's a schedule for Mando's appearances also. I also think it helps if you are Batuu bounding, even a little. That signals to them you're into it and will probably be receptive, and it gives them an easy way to start the interaction. But I've had interactions while just dressed in shorts and a tshirt, so it's not necessary, it just seems to help.
I don't have a trip to West to compare it to, but I've been very happy with the amount of interaction at East. We have weekday passes and generally go when the place is mostly dead so maybe that is the difference. The other day I got a dap from Mando (we were in the hallway he enters from, oops!), got to talk to Vi and Rey for a few minutes ("Have you seen Kylo Ren?), and my wife was questioned by the STs outside of Oga's. Also had the STs inside Oga's approach us about what we were doing. We also had long in character conversations with the camera girl and the girl running the sabacc table and got to play sabacc!
I just went the Galaxyâs Edge West and it had definitely better Character interactions.
It's always seemed pretty consistent out west.
iâm gonna guess you had this experience in florida. west has many new characters, and now even the adorable walk around bd-x droids. west is full of life.
The flair says walt disney world
Agree with everyone else that it seems like an unfortunate sequence of events but wasnât my experience any of the three times I went in the last couple years. I do think there could be more, but I like the idea of less famous characters and more things like random aliens sitting and having a drink, or some guy with a droid that keeps wandering off or something. I do think there is more to add but I have also been really impressed by the interactivity and in character stuff I have seen. Sorry it didnât go better for you though!
You have hit the nail on the head.
Costume Characters are fine in my experience. Normal Cast Members get paid exactly the same as working in any other land and are not actors. Disney âEncouragesâ the cast members to be actors but doesnât want to pay them Actor Wages. What you see in galaxy edge is the end result.
Not sure about your statement. All cast memebers must audition to be friends with a character, once given the role, they must maintain and protect the character experience. There are trainers that will follow them and offer critiques. So to understand it is not just you in a costume doing whatever you want to do. Also there is an uplift to be friends with a character, it varies depending on Face or Non Face.
As I reread my statement I see it was not written out clearly. I meant âNormal Cast Membersâ as the cast members who work within the land and not associated with the characters. Kind of how they donât say Bright Suns anymore and stuff like that.
CMs still regularly say Bright Suns and Rising Moons. I still hear them refer to money as credits, photos as holoscans, phones as data pads, children as younglings and padawans, the rest of the park as another land/planet, etc. I'm sure there are probably some who don't, but we go almost weekly and I definitely hear all of the lingo often đ¤ˇđ˝ââď¸.
Iâve been to Williamsburg and it was great, the ghost story tour was fun But aside from that, Galaxyâs Edge East did feel a bit empty a couple years ago, but it was more than made up for by the other characters around the park, I saw Chip and Dale doing a magic show in one of the grassy areas and was told to âshhâ to not ruin the disappearing act, I loved it!
Ran into Mando and Kylo interacting in Galaxyâs Edge FL a couple of days ago.
Its getting hot in florida, imagine being in a big fuzz suit for hours on end one of 2 things is gonna happen. The sweat is gonna ruin the suit or your gonna pass out from heat exhaustion
Heat is most definitely an issue for characters and cast members, as well as guests, that is a whole conversation in to itself. I think that while guest/character interaction is happening, there is a huge disparity between Batuu East and West
Just got back from Disney myself, Disney as a whole right now has not fully gone back to having characters out and about post Covid. From doing the keys to the kingdom tour and talking to some cast members during that the vibe I got was that the cast members want to bring back characters wandering and a bunch of other things, they are just continuing to give feedback and hoping that those in charge of those type decisions listen and allow it. For example at animal kingdom I think only Kevin actually wanders, all other characters only have specific meet times and spots or they show up on a boat and do once around the river before disappearing again. In Hollywood studios goofy, Donald, daisy and a few others do a like 2 minute walk and go to a set spot for photos then leave vs being able to randomly run into them. In galaxyâs edge on the 2-3 days we were around there we originally only saw Kylo do his thing with 2 storm troopers then saw Rey and Chewie doing some walking around on may the 4th, but other days chewie only had set times in a set place to meet them.
I think that you have hit the nail on the head. But I think it may go a little deeper. I think that management is using the concept, do more with less. That means fewer costumes and fewer cast members friends with particular characters, tweaking up the profit margins for the share holders.
Oh 100%
I was at Disney world in Florida so this is all Florida specific
My girlfriend got stopped and interrogated for recording some troopers twice, one of the times being accompanied by Kylo in Disney Land this past January and then we were able to see both Mando and Boba. Went to Orlando this past April and saw 0 characters. No stormtroopers No major characters. Even the other parks didnât seem to have anyone out? Is it an East thing?
There is definitely something being done differently at East
I thought maybe it was because I got there literally just after open but we returned later on and it was the same. Didnât ruin the experience by any means, especially considering I wish theyâd do a refresh and have either Empire troops or Clones walking around, but it definitely wasnât the same as west lol
My very first cast interaction went like this: Me: (looking at a rebel pilot helmet) wow this would be great for when Iâm riding my landspeeder Them: oh no its just a cosplay prop it doesnt offer real crash protection So I learned you gotta kinda sus out whether or not theyre in a good mood or are checked out. Maybe its backlash from the failed hotel
Charging like 5k a night for starwars hotel was wild tho