Walt Disney World Resort has significantly changed how guests access the popular Frozen (2013) character meet-and-greet experience. Starting September 25, the Central Florida Disney park has introduced a new system that gives priority access to Disney Visa Cardholders during certain hours of the day.
The closure of Animation Courtyard on Thursday brought several overnight changes to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Disney is clearing space for the upcoming Walt Disney Studios Lot, inspired by the Walt Disney Animation Studios campus in Burbank, California. The update will include a new Disney Junior show and a refreshed version of a retired attraction: “The Magic of Disney Animation.”
Now that Star Wars Launch Bay is closed, Darth Vader and Chewbacca have moved to other parts of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The Sith Lord has moved to Star Tours – The Adventures Continue, while Chewie can be found near the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
The end of Star Wars Launch Bay also meant the end of the exclusive Disney Visa Cardmember character meet-and-greet at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. In its place, Disney is offering Cardholders premium access to Meet Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight, located in the Echo Lake area of the park.
As reported by @Laughing_Place on X (formerly known as Twitter), Disney Visa Cardholders can now bypass the general line for the Frozen experience and enjoy priority access between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. each day. Although standby access is still available, this new system gives those with Disney Visa cards a sort of Lightning Lane-like advantage, cutting down wait times.
With the closure of Star Wars Launch Bay, Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight is now the park’s Disney-Visa meet & greet. Between 9am-12pm, cardholders get priority access – but anyone can get in line. #WaltDisneyWorld
With the closure of Star Wars Launch Bay, Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight is now the park’s Disney-Visa meet & greet. Between 9am-12pm, cardholders get priority access – but anyone can get in line. #WaltDisneyWorld pic.twitter.com/6yuuswFQlz
— LaughingPlace.com (@laughing_place) September 25, 2025
Disney Visa Cardholders also enjoy an exclusive meet-and-greet experience near the Imagination! Pavilion at EPCOT, where they can meet a random pair of Disney’s “Fab Five” characters: Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald Duck.
Have you ever met Olaf at Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Share your favorite memories with Disney Fanatic in the comments!
So, another money grab from Disney, the exorbitant prices to get into the parks isn’t enough, now you want the customers to pay for what was once a free service from the park, imagine telling your young daughter that no we didn’t budget extra money to pay for the meet and greet of your favorite character, or more likely you stand in the standby line just to get shut out by the ones willing to pay extra to jump into the front of the line. As much as it might have seemed a good idea to pay extra to get extra services or privileges, I really wish Disney would go back to the old ways of First Come, First served. The last time I visited Disneyland they were just implementing the pay to jump the line scheme, it really felt unfair to stand in line for an hour or more just to have someone whose been walking the park doing stuff while you’re standing there waiting your turn, then just walk up bi-passing the line and getting on ahead of you, It put a rather sour taste in my mouth. And that taste is getting worse by the day when I see another price increase or once free service now having charges added, Its getting to the place where only the rich and affluent will be able to visit the parks.