Meeting characters at Walt Disney World is one of the most magical parts of your visit! No matter whether it’s your 1st visit or 100th visit, each and every interaction make you feel like your stepping right into their story. Being able to meet your favorite Disney princesses, heroes, villains, and other characters is a truly magical experience for people of all ages. No matter your age, meeting Mickey Mouse will always be exciting, making you feel like a kid again!
If it’s your first trip or if you regularly visit the parks, Pink and Pixie Dust is here to help with our guide to meeting characters at Walt Disney World!
Where to Find Characters:
Each theme park at Walt Disney World has a wide array of characters that you can meet! Most characters have a designated meeting location, as well as meeting times throughout the day. These are typically consistent times and locations, but they’re always subject to change. We recommend the day of your visit checking the My Disney Experience app or the WDW website for the day’s character meeting times.
In addition to meeting characters, you may see them in different entertainment offerings, such as parades and shows. Both of these are a great way to simply see characters if you are alright with viewing them from afar! It’s also a great way to see rarer characters that don’t have a designated meet and greet.
Besides regularly scheduled meet and greets, you never know when you’ll spot characters roaming or doing a surprise meet and greets. These happen unannounced, so always be on the lookout, you never know who you might meet! Characters do surprise visits at both the parks as well as the WDW resorts.
Interacting with Characters:
When you meet each and every character, you will have wonderful interactions with them! A fun way to interact with characters are to ask them questions about their story. For example, ask Anna what her favorite way to eat her favorite food, chocolate, is? Hot chocolate, chocolate cake, brownies… Or you could ask Ariel what are Sebastian and Flounder up to today? You could also share with characters your favorite part of their story. For example, you can tell Aladdin and Jasmine how you would love to fly on a magic carpet just like them someday!
Autographs and Photos:
When you meet each character, a fun way to remember your interaction with them is to ask for an autograph or a photo! Most characters at Walt Disney World sign autographs and are more than happy to sign their autograph for you. Most individuals will collect autographs inside of an autograph book. These are small books that have pages where you can ask a character to sign and also add in a photo of you and the character later. Autograph books can be purchased at most merchandise locations at Walt Disney World or you can bring one from home. When collecting autographs, you’ll want to make sure you have a pen they can sign with as well. The best type of pens for them to sign with are a standard black pen, a permanent marker, or another color pen/marker that is easily readable.
Autographs are a really special memory to look back on after your visit! Some other cute and fun ways people will collect character autographs is by asking the characters to sign a picture frame, a tote bag, or Disney postcards. Each of these make really special souvenirs!
When meeting characters, you can also ask to take a photo with them! Many character meet and greet locations have a Disney photopass photographer there to take your photo. These photos are professional, high-quality pictures that can be purchased through Disney photopass. If you would just like a photo on your phone, many photopass photographers are happy to take a photo for you as well using your device. Some character meet and greet locations may not have a photopass photographer available to take pictures. If this is the case, you can kindly ask the character attendant if they would be willing to take a picture of you with the character and they are typically happy to do so!
Character Dining:
One great way to meet multiple characters at once is through character dining. Character dining is offered at select restaurants and each offers a different group of characters to meet. During your meal, typically 3-5 characters will come to visit you at your table. During each of their visits, you can interact with them, they will sign your autograph book, and you can take a photo just like at a traditional meet and greet. The major advantage of this is you are able to meet many characters in a short amount of time without needing to wait in line. All while enjoying a delicious meal! Because of this exciting feature of being able to meet characters, these character dining meals are typically a little bit more expensive than a normal table service dining restaurant meal.
You’ll need to consider if character dining is a good fit for your family, such as if meeting all of the princesses is a big priority, then character dining is perfect! At Pink and Pixie Dust we highly recommend character dining at least once, especially if it’s your first visit! It is a truly magical experience you will never forget.
At Pink and Pixie Dust, our favorite character dining locations we highly recommend include:
Cinderella’s Royal Table at Magic Kingdom
Located inside of Cinderella’s castle in Magic Kingdom park, this restaurant is like stepping into a fairytale! During your meal, you’ll be able to meet Cinderella, as well as a few of her princess friends. Character dining is offered during breakfast, lunch, and dinner at Cinderella’s Royal table.
Akershus Royal Banquet Hall at Epcot
Featuring delicious Norwegian fare served family style, Akershus Royal Banquet Hall is a delicious dining option for both amazing food and meeting characters! During your meal, you will be able to meet a couple of the Disney princesses. It may vary in which princesses are visiting from their kingdoms that day, but some princesses you might meet are Snow White, Jasmine, Ariel, Aurora, Tiana, or Belle! Character dining is offered during breakfast, lunch, and dinner at Akershus Royal Banquet Hall.
Topolino’s Terrace at Disney’s Riviera Resort
Found at the very top of Disney’s Riviera Resort, Topolino’s Terrace is a truly fantastic dining experience. Inspired by the French and Italian Rivieras, Topolino’s Terrace is very quaint and charming. During you meal, you will be greeted by Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Daisy Duck. Each character has been learning about a different form of art and you’ll be able to meet them in their artistic best! For example, Daisy has been learning ballet and Mickey has been learning to paint. Character dining is offered only during breakfast at Topolino’s Terrace.
‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort is a joyful and delicious meal. Breakfast at ‘Ohana is served family style, featuring traditional American breakfast fare and Polynesian-inspired breakfast dishes. During your meal, you’ll be greeted by Mickey Mouse, Pluto, Lilo, and Stitch. Character dining is offered only during breakfast at ‘Ohana.
Who is your favorite Disney character? Share with us in the comments below!
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