Originally Posted By Witches of Morva ORDDU: The only reason this restaurant added a Princess meet and greet for breakfast is because the Princess meet and greet within Cinderella Castle was so popular that it became extremely difficult for guests to make reservations for it. So management came up with this additional area for a secondary way of satisfying the 'princess fix' that was needed by so many.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Maybe with the addition of the Beauty and The Beast restaurant and the Princess meet and greet they will go back to keeping the Disney Princesses where they belong.
Originally Posted By Scutr Not too keen on the princesses being in Epcot at all. Having said that however, I don't find Mary Poppins and Bert in England to be nearly as objectionable or as visually jarring.
Originally Posted By danyoung If you see Jasmine in Morocco, or Belle in France, or Rapunzel in Germany, those princesses in those locations make total sense and don't detract at all from the theme.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt I think if they were represented as literary interpretations (much like Bert and Mary Poppins) from the original stories I wouldn't have a problem with it, but the over the top beauty queen like appearance of the princesses and their trademark Disney costumes are jarring and out of place at EPCOT in my opinion. By the way, Princess Jasmine is based on Princess Badroulbadour from One Thousand and One Nights, a story that takes place in the Middle East not north Africa. Disney has been widely criticized for the cultural mish-mash represented in the Aladdin film. Disney's Princess Jasmine is out of step with a pavilion that is supposed to be an authentic representation of Moroccan culture.
Originally Posted By Witches of Morva ORDDU: Personally, if I had my way, there would be a Dr. Hans meet and greet set up whenever and wherever this particular doctor happened to be. That way I'd be able to satisfy my needs for a 'doctor fix'.
Originally Posted By Scutr >>I think if they were represented as literary interpretations (much like Bert and Mary Poppins) from the original stories I wouldn't have a problem with it, but the over the top beauty queen like appearance of the princesses and their trademark Disney costumes are jarring and out of place at EPCOT in my opinion. << Exactly! That's not an issue in the fairy-tale atmosphere of the MK, but they're far too flashy for a real-world setting.
Originally Posted By Witches of Morva ORDDU: The way they handle the character meetings and greetings at World Show Case isn't so bad. In France Princess Aurora is usually found behind the perfume shop where there is very little traffic. Beast and Belle are off near the water in an area that doesn't interfere with the rest of France. ORWEN: In England Mary Poppins and Alice are usually on the roadway toward the rear exits of Epcot. Pooh Bear and Tigger are inside one of the shops at the back of England's shopping area. ORDDU: Aladdin and Jasmine are near the water front in Morocco--except for cold rainy days when there is a space for them at the rear of the shops there. ORWEN: Snow White is off to the side of Germany near a cast member only exit. ORDDU: Mulan is found in a little knook off to the left of the big round building that houses a movie about China. ORWEN: They don't have Pinocchio or Gepetto out in Italy any more like they used to and the Brother Bear characters aren't found in Canada like they used to be. But Donald, Panchito and Jose Carioca can sometimes be found just outside the pyramid in Mexico. ORDDU: So we wouldn't say the characters found at World Showcase are too intrusive, really. They are out of the way--for the most part--and if you didn't know where to look for them you could easily pass them all by.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom I don't have a problem with the Princesses in the various pavillions around the World Showcase. Several of those countries are Constitutional Monarchies anyway. And then you have Italy which still has a royal family, but who live in recluse. Not to mention all those Barons and Baronesses all over the world. I was surprised to find out that Charles Shaughnessy from the TV show the Nanny is a Baron and a British peer having inherited a title from his American born great-grandfather, who later became president of the Canadian Pacific Railway.
