Monday, February 28, 2011

Mickey Mouse Getting Fastpass


Mickey Mouse is getting a Fastpass! Huh? That’s right. The Mouse himself, since moving from the now demolished Toontown Fair, will be greeting guests inside the refurbished Exposition Town Hall with Fastpass added along with an interactive queue slated to open this spring. (Click here to read more about Disney’s Fastpass system.)




This announcement, along with others, were a part of the Disney Investor’s Conference held last week.



Exposition Hall is located to the right on Town Square, just after the tunnel under the railroad. Exposition Hall is one of our favorite stops, with the mini-theater and memorabilia that could be found in the way back. Exposition Hall is a stop for all things Photopass along with an assortment of accessories to purchase. We like to get our family picture taken in the small studio, but alas, it was closed for refurbishment when we were there in November.



Will the new reference of Exposition Hall Theater, now mean the queue to Mickey will include the mini-theater in the back? Will the “interactive queue” mean using the cut-outs already at the back of Exposition Hall as a part of the queue to get to see the Mouse himself? (This would be similar to the queue at Buzz and Woody’s Picture Shootin’ Corral.)



As far as this character meet and greet becoming a Fastpass queue, we will have to consider whether or not to take advantage of that given our typical touring plan. I wouldn’t want to grab a Fastpass for Mickey on our way in the gate and then have to wait longer to grab that Splash Mountain Fastpass. I’m sure this will be a similar dilemma for other Disney guests. We’re more likely to queue up to meet Mickey and send the husband off to get the Fastpasses, yet, like most character meet and greets—and the previous Toontown schedule, it is likely that the meet and greet won’t begin until well after the Magic Kingdom opens.



The upside to this will be that Exposition Hall will now get more guest traffic, as guests typically speed on by. We have rocked in the white wicker rocking chairs out front and watched the world go by—literally. We have meandered the recesses and found ourselves smiling and relaxed. We have utilized the friendly Photopass staff at their stations. And, we have eaten at Tony’s, which is just next door and shares one of the smallest bathrooms on Disney property with Exposition Hall.



No date has yet been set for Mickey to appear at his new meet and greet location.  Rumor has it that the Disney Princesses may be joining this location as well!

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