New Baymax / Hiro meet-and-greet

[DramaTurtle23]

I was so excited when I realized that my first Cali Disney trip was happening right after San Fransokyo Square was opening up at DCA...then I found out there's a Baymax meet-and-greet!!! Baymax might be my favorite Disney character of the last couple of decades and I would love to meet him!

However, I'm sure demand is crazy right now - I know it's only been open for a day, but if anyone can comment on the wait times and line length, I would be so grateful. I'll be doing DCA mainly on Sunday the 10th and I'm afraid it's going to be packed. I'm an East Coaster and don't know when I'll be back in Cali, so I don't want to use up too much park time if possible.

 

[Kidguile]

I watched a YouTube video about the San Fransokyo opening and in it - they said the meet and greet ran til 8 pm and that the last hour was Baymax so maybe try in the evening. Starts at 6:11 mark.

 

[skellinton]

I read somewhere that the wait was up to 3 hours, but I imagine that was a lot of first day stuff. I am sure the wait will be long for a bit, but I can't imagine it will be 3 hours everyday.

 

[DramaTurtle23]

Just boosting this to see how things might have changed through the weekend - I leave on Saturday for my first DL trip and I'm really excited!!

 

[midnight star]

I saw Baymax and Hiro on Friday (9/1). They are either out together or separate. I saw them separately. When I first arrived to the area, Hiro was out. The line was outside of the queue, and starting down the pathway. The line ended up being less than 20 minutes from that point.

I got back in line to see Baymax. He did come out, but had some sort of malfunction. So he left after 10 minutes. I left the line and came back an hour later and was able to see him with a 15 minute wait. The line does fill quickly when Baymax is out, but it didn’t look like it was 3 hours lol. Maybe 30 minutes or so?

 

[ktlm]

I think it is hit and miss on wait times. We were there all weekend. Park crowds weren’t bad for a holiday weekend- way lower than when we went in October. The times we went by, the line looked to be probably somewhere between 40 minutes and an hour. I think one time the attendant said 40 minutes. We decided not to wait. It definitely wasn’t 3 hours. I would try to go at a time that isn’t around the busiest meal times when a ton of people are over in that area to get food at the same time.

I will also say that my DD really wanted the Baymax bread and the line to get that was about 25 minutes! And yes... it is just bread--- good bread...but just bread. She loved it!

 

[DramaTurtle23]

I’m working on a full trip report but just wanted to let everyone know that Baymax comes out in 30 min spurts, then Hiro comes out, presumably also for 30 min, I got in line at 9:52am before they started. With two parties ahead of me, Baymax stopped meeting at 10:30 to “recharge” and Hiro came out. So it’s really luck of the draw who you get to meet. They were doing a ton of interaction with each person.

This was also a very hot day, and I wouldn’t be surprised that that also affects the timing for breaks.

I’m sad I didn’t get the chance to meet Baymax on this trip but maybe in the future!

Edit: just adding that a lot of people were really nasty around me in line. I heard people say they were going to complain about the “bait and switch.” Like yeah it’s frustrating, but like…there’s always a reason, my friends. No need to be so uptight about it. Would like to believe it’s no one in this thread…

 

[skellinton]

Thanks for letting us know. That is good information to have.

 

[Lisa24jks]

Edit: just adding that a lot of people were really nasty around me in line. I heard people say they were going to complain about the “bait and switch.” Like yeah it’s frustrating, but like…there’s always a reason, my friends. No need to be so uptight about it. Would like to believe it’s no one in this thread…

I swear, I think people forget that... hold on, magic about to be ruined... that there are actual people in those suits. Like, I get that in the haze of Disney, it's easy to forget that humans need breaks to hydrate, sit & cool down and he's not an actual robot, but sheesh.

 

[starlite_]

Edit: just adding that a lot of people were really nasty around me in line. I heard people say they were going to complain about the “bait and switch.” Like yeah it’s frustrating, but like…there’s always a reason, my friends. No need to be so uptight about it. Would like to believe it’s no one in this thread…

This is so dumb, they do this for so many other meet & greets so it's not like it's a new system.

 

[skellinton]

This is so dumb, they do this for so many other meet & greets so it's not like it's a new system.

Exactly, and in any event as I tell my students "it is ok to be upset or disappointed, it is not ok to be mean.".
I mean, I would be disappointed to just meet Hiro after waiting in line, but I would never ever show my disappointment to Hiro or the handlers or other people in line. No reason to act ugly.

 

[Kit Jackson]

This is so dumb, they do this for so many other meet & greets so it's not like it's a new system.

I know they do this near Midway Mania. Out of curiosity, where else do they have the rotating character system? During my last trip, I was waiting in line for one of the characters near Midway Mania. Whichever character was there left, and the little girl ahead of me was worried, so I told her that another character would be coming out soon, and then she was fine.

 

[starlite_]

I know they do this near Midway Mania. Out of curiosity, where else do they have the rotating character system? During my last trip, I was waiting in line for one of the characters near Midway Mania. Whichever character was there left, and the little girl ahead of me was worried, so I told her that another character would be coming out soon, and then she was fine.

I have seen it by the Big Bong store (might be the one you are mentioning?) and I have seen it at WDW a few years ago as well where characters come and go. I don't do meet & greets often tho so I might be missing a few places.

 

[sophy1996]

On a DCL (Wonder) they rotated characters, but they had a cutoff point and a CM stationed near the end of the line telling people after that cutoff point that X would be leaving, and they would instead be seeing Y. It helped cut down in on the disappointment. If people didn’t want Y, they didn’t use their time waiting.

 

[djmeredith]

When I was there last weekend, they had a CM coming to the back of the line to let us know about the upcoming switch of characters as it neared time for Baymax to end his time. They were sure to warn us that it could be either character or both by the time we got to the front.

 

[DramaTurtle23]

When I was there last weekend, they had a CM coming to the back of the line to let us know about the upcoming switch of characters as it neared time for Baymax to end his time. They were sure to warn us that it could be either character or both by the time we got to the front.

Yes, they did this as well. Didn’t help with some people’s disappointment however!

 

[LKing]

Isn't that standard protocol for most character meetings? We certainly see it in Pooh Corner and in Avengers Campus.