5 Tips to Meeting Your Favorite Characters at Walt Disney World ~ Debbie

Meeting your favorite Disney character is a Must-Do while visiting Walt Disney World. Disney created these timeless characters to tell a story, and they truly have a lasting impact on our lives.  So, having a chat & capturing a photo with your beloved Disney character, will quickly become a highlight of your trip. It really doesn’t matter how old or young you are – capture those memories with your favorite Disney characters. Here are 5 tips to help you create those lasting memories. 

1.  One of the best ways to meet Disney characters is to make a reservation at a restaurant with Character Dining.  This is a great way to relax, enjoy some excellent food while meeting your favorite Disney Characters. Take a photo, get an autograph and have fun interactions with the characters – with no lines.  Some of my favorite character dining experiences have been at Topolino‘s Terrace at the Riviera Resort, Garden Grill at EPCOT, ‘Ohana at the Polynesian Resort, and Tusker House in Animal Kingdom.  The characters are dressed in a fun themed outfit and have unique interactions with each different restaurant.  Character Dining meals are very popular, so book your reservations early! Your travel advisor with Mystical Dream Travel will give recommendations and book those dining reservations for you.
2. You can find your favorite Disney characters at all four of the theme parks.  The best way to find what characters are at each park is to utilize your My Disney Experience app.  On your MDE app, select your map, then at the top select characters. You can click on show list – and this will list all of the Disney characters available for a meet and greet.  It will list the location and even the time frame of their appearance. You can even book a Disney genie+ lightning lane to avoid the lines. So, if you have a specific character that is a must to meet during your visit and you don’t want to wait in a 50 minute line – utilize the Disney Genie+.  If you are a Disney Visa Card Holder then you have access to exclusive character photo opportunity at EPCOT and Hollywood Studios.  The location and times are located in your MDE app as well.  
3. A fun experience is when you get to meet the characters unexpectedly. A lot of the characters will be “roaming” in the parks. You will often see Rey, Chewy, Kylo Ren, and the Storm Troopers in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge. Even the Mandalorian has been spotted roaming as well. Epcot has been a great place to meet Disney characters that you normally would not meet as they do not have regularly scheduled meet and greet opportunities. It’s such a fun experience as they will often just pop-up out of nowhere. With these Disney character experiences they will not have the Disney PhotoPass photographers with them – So, always have your phone/camera ready.   
4. A benefit to staying at a Disney Resort is that you can also meet characters at your resort. These are unplanned meet and greets, and can happen at the resorts throughout your stay.  It’s always a fun surprise and no matter how old you are – it provides lots of Disney Magic.  I recently was able to meet Chip n Dale at the Grand Floridian lobby – they were dressed up in their suits and interacted with the guests for a good time. Again, always be ready to take a photo.  
5. For more unique Disney Character meetings – consider attending Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party or Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.  You will find rare characters that normally do not have meet and greet opportunities. The characters will be dressed up for the party – which will make for extra special photos. With limited tickets for the party the wait times are usually not too long.  If you are a runner then consider a runDisney Race. runDisney races have characters along the course for you to stop and get a fun photo with – makes it even more memorable.  

 If your child or you prefer to see the Disney characters, but would rather not get a picture or autograph – then watching the Festival of Fantasy Parade is a great way to see lots of characters all at once.  You can be entertained with music and dancing, and catch some great photos of those favorite characters. The Disney Adventure Friends Cavalcade is a favorite of mine with some great characters like Mirabel from Encanto and Miguel from Coco. You can also find characters during specific shows at the parks – this is another way to see your favorite characters, and it allows children who are a bit shy to warm up to meeting them up close. You can find parade and show times in your MDE app.  

Ready to start planning your next adventure?