One of my favorite things to do at Walt Disney World is to meet different characters. To me, it just makes the movie more meaningful and magical. I have had so many fun Disney Character interactions over the years. I have learned a lot over the years about how to maximize the fun when meeting with characters. Here are my 10 Best Disney Character Meet & Greet Tips!
Disney Character Meet & Greet Tips
Character Dining. To really get the most amount of characters seen in a shorter time period, schedule a character dining experience. To see several of the princesses dine at Akershus. To see the Fab Five dine at either Tusker House or Chef Mickey’s. Hollywood and Vine has many of the Disney Junior characters. You can dine with Pooh and friends at the Crystal Palace. 1900 Park Fair has Cinderella and friends.
Character Autographs. Many of the characters sign autographs. You could do the typical autograph book, but I have seen and done several other cool options. One of my favorites that I have seen is getting the autographs in the book, Junior Encyclopedia of Animated Characters. It has all the Disney characters listed and tells a little about them. Use permanent markers or acid free pens. I am working on an autographed Christmas tree skirt. I will be embroidering over the names to make it last. Think outside of the autograph book!
Take your time. Don’t feel rushed when interacting with the characters. When you are with them, you are with them. Only during special events are character interactions a little rushed.
Use Fastpass+. The following characters have fastpass+ reservations available.
- Magician Mickey Mouse (talks) at Magic Kingdom Theater, during peak times this is helpful. Not totally needed during slow times of the year.
- Tinker Bell at Magic Kingdom Theater, during peak times this is helpful. Not totally needed during slow times of the year.
- Anna and Elsa at Princess FairyTale Hall. This is a FP must-do! Waits are still pretty crazy for this Frozen duo.
- Rapunzel and Cinderella at Princess Fairytale Hall. If you go during the Fireworks or late at night the wait is usually small. During peak times this would be a must do Fastpass.
- Mickey and Minnie Mouse together at Animal Kingdom. Usually not that much of a wait, have used as an additional Fastpass after my first 3 were used to have a very short wait time.
- Mickey, Minnie, Goofy at Epcot Character Spot. Fastpass only needed during peak seasons.
Participate in the Dance Parties. At the Magic Kingdom you can interact with the Incredibles at the TomorrowLand Dance Party. At Hollywood Studios several characters come out during the dance party that happens in front of the Chinese Theater. I have seen the Genie, Sebastian, Bolt, Chip & Dale dressed as Rescue Rangers, Robin Hood, Baloo, and the White Rabbit. It is always fun to dance with your favorite character and snap a selfie. During the Move It, Shake It, Play It Dance Party Parade at the Magic Kingdom you can see Jesse, Stitch, Baloo, Genie, Phineas & Ferb.
Special Events. Some characters you can only see at special events like the Halloween or Christmas party. You can also meet them during #runDisney events, special holidays like Valentine’s Day, and special dining events like Club Villain (set only to run through March 2016). This past Valentine’s Day, Atta was out with Flik, John Smith was out with Pocahontas, and Jane was out with Tarzan. I had a blast meeting these rare characters. I have also heard from a cast member that a week or so before special events like #runDisney that they have character training at Epcot and sometimes you can catch a rarely seen character there.
Chat with the character about things in their story. Some ideas are to ask Rapunzel how she takes care of her hair, ask Merida about her brothers, give Ariel a dinglehopper, and give Cinderella some shoelaces so she doesn’t lose her shoes again. One time I was visiting Cinderella and the park was opened past midnight and I asked Cinderella if she was going to have to go before midnight and she said that the Fairy Godmother granted her a special wish that day and she was allowed out past midnight.
Be a kid again! Forget your age and fully immerse yourself into the experience. Don’t care what others around you are thinking. I had such a fun time bouncing with Tigger, but probably looked silly doing it.
Take pictures. Use Photopass/Memory Maker and your own camera. The Disney photographers catch every moment and many times those photos come out so precious. I especially like seeing photos of little children meeting their hero for the first time. It usually isn’t a posed photo and you can see the pure joy in their eyes!
Make a list of characters that are a must-do for you. Seeing every character during one trip is impossible. Make a list of ones you want to see on your trip and plan out times to see them. Right now I have Jesse and Woody on my must-do list. It seems like their line is always too long. Since it is a priority for me right now, they will be first on my list once I enter the Magic Kingdom
For even more character fun, check out my friend’s post, Must Have Character Pictures on her blog Enjoying the Days!
What has been your most favorite character interaction? Let me know in the comments!
Bonus Tip: Consider planning and booking your next Disney trip with an Authorized Disney Vacation Planner you can trust like A2M Travel. They’ll help you get the best price for your vacation, share expert advice, and their services are totally FREE!
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