Disney World Character Meet & Greet Tips
Meeting Disney World characters at breakfasts and other meals, as well as at character meet & greet locations, can be a fun experience for both kids and adults who visit Walt Disney World. Character meet & greets have gone from unorganized mob scenes in the 1980s and 1990s to highly thought out experiences that continue to evolve, the pinnacle of which is seen in “Enchanted Tales with Belle” in New Fantasyland.
Character meet & greets have become just as important (or more important) as attractions to some Walt Disney World guests, and many Disney fans are passionate “character hunters,” who make it their mission to find rare characters in the parks! If you’d like to have more fun and get more out of the character meet & greet experiences, this is the guide for you!
Here are our tips for photos and fun interactions with the characters. While this article is written with references to Walt Disney World, it applies equally to Disneyland with the obvious exception of the references to specific locations.
Finding characters is a condition precedent to meeting the characters. Finding characters is really quite simple. Obviously, if you’re at a character meal like Garden Grill, Crystal Palace, or Cinderella’s Royal Table, you won’t have to look too hard. These characters will come right to you. In the air conditioning.
While you will pay a bit of a premium for these dining experiences, if the alternative is waiting in line for 40 minutes in the sweltering sun (and many of the Disney character meet & greet lines are not shaded), it might be money well spent.
Plus, the food is often quite good at these meals. Our big exception to that is Chef Mickey’s, which despite its status as Walt Disney World’s most popular character meal, is actually not very good for dinner. Go for the characters, or a good meal for breakfast, but do not have high expectations–or even moderate ones–for the food at dinner.
If you are not doing character meals, you’re going to have to do a little more legwork to find characters. Well, not much. Your best bet is to look at the park map or the My Disney Experience app for the park you’re in and its accompanying times guide. The map will have a little glove surrounded by red in locations where there are pre-determined character meets.
The accompanying times guide will indicate what times you can expect characters in the aforementioned locations. The only work you have to do after that is walking to the various locations and standing in line! If you’re really into characters, the best resource for finding characters is Kenny the Pirate’s Character Locator app, which is more thorough than a park map.
Another strategy, I won’t call it great, is to wander around aimlessly and see who you see. Now, this isn’t the most efficient use of time, but you are bound to find some characters this way. You may also find some surprise characters who just happen to be out. These surprise encounters are becoming increasingly rare in Walt Disney World and Disneyland, but they still do happen occasionally. Sometimes, a character might just ride an attraction with your party!
If you are looking for rare characters, these free roaming characters are your best bet. It’s…uh…rare for rare characters to appear at scheduled meet & greets in static locations, and character dining always involves the same set of characters. Rare characters are most commonly used for training purposes, and during this time they appear at several (seemingly) random spots in the parks. This makes searching for rare Disney characters a hunt, indeed!
What To Do When You Meet Characters
The tried and true method most Disney Guests use is to go stand next to the character, and have their photo taken with the character, as if the character were a prop. The thing is, after waiting in line for up to an hour to see these characters, is that really good bang for your buck? Of course not. Realizing this, some parents purchase autograph books for their kids to have the characters sign. We don’t recommend doing this, but you should definitely have a little fun with it, and interact with the characters.
As childless twenty-somethings, perhaps our advice concerning autograph books will be disregarded by most parents, but we think parents should think twice before purchasing an autograph book, unless that is what the child really wants. We meet a lot of characters, and invariably, we see parents while we’re in line waiting who push (figuratively) their kids to get their autograph book signed. In a lot of these cases, the kid doesn’t interact with the character at all, and instead the character becomes part of a “gotta get them all” scavenger hunt for scribbles in a book.
These kids, mostly, don’t have real interactions with the characters, and it seems many of their parents have an attitude along the lines of, “we paid a lot of money for this trip and that autograph book, so you’re going to get autographs and you’re going to like it. So go make some great memories!!!!” Obviously, it’s a bad idea for parents to try to force their kids to maximize their “fun quotient” just because the parents spent a lot of money on the trip. Editorializing here, but I am curious as to how, at the end of the day, a book with pages of largely unintelligible scribbles constitutes a good souvenir, much less good “memories.”
That said, if your child does seem genuinely intrigued by the autograph book, by all means, purchase it and pursue it with them. However, our recommendation is that instead of an autograph book, encourage interactions with the characters (or interact with them yourself). While waiting in line, think of something clever to say.
Here are some of our favorite prompts:
- Jokingly call Winnie the Pooh “Brer Bear” and go with his reaction.
- Ask a character why he isn’t wearing pants.
- Ask Ariel if she’s ever raced Nemo.
- Intentionally “confuse” one character for another (i.e. Pluto for Goofy)
- Compliment a character on their attire.
- Ask Chip or Dale what breed of squirrels they are.
- Tell a villain that you’ve seen whatever film they’re in, and you really admire their work and their persistence.
- Find a penny behind Scrooge McDuck’s ear.
- Press Buzz Lightyear’s buttons (literally).
- Challenge Gaston to a ‘feat of strength’.
- Bring a plastic fork and present it to Ariel.
- Ask Buzz Lightyear if he is the Spanish version.
- Call the Mad Hatter Peter Pan. When he corrects you, apologize and reference his large nose. (Mad Hatter is GREAT for interactions.)
- Tell Chip or Dale that your Christmas tree was infested with chipmunks, but your dog caught them.
- Ask Chip or Dale if their in the same animal-family as Mickey Mouse.
- Ask Mickey Mouse if he built the park by himself, or if he had help.
- When meeting Donald Duck, say, “where’s Mickey Mouse, I’d rather meet him!”
- Flirt with a character. (Works especially well with Chip & Dale.)
- Ask Mary Poppins if you can take Bert’s place.
- Compliment a character on their outfit.
- Reference something a character did in their film, and congratulate them on their fine work.
- Inquire as to whether the character does their own stunts and ask for a demonstration.
- Tell Gaston you’re stronger or braver than him.
You get the idea–go in with something to say, and let the character take the interaction from there. The best things to say are funny or slightly contradictory to the character’s persona. Just remember not to be downright hostile or to try something too complex. You don’t want to cross the line between humorous/lighthearted and rude. Plus, non-face characters can’t verbally respond, so if your prompt is too convoluted and something they can’t respond to with body language, it might be a bit of a dud.
If you have kids and they have trouble doing this on their own, tell the character that your kid is a friend of that character’s nemesis. I’m not suggesting that you force some sort of carefully scripted scenario, but at least enable a potentially fun, and funny, conversation.
As an example, back when Liberty Tree Tavern was a character meal, Chip and Dale noticed Sarah’s engagement ring, and attempted to “steal” her away from me. The 10-minute plus interaction ultimately ended with all of the characters being involved and a kung-fu match between Chip and me. When we finally returned to our table, Chip followed and sat down next to us, where I informed him that I’d be encouraging Goofy to prepare some chipmunk stew later. He motioned that he “had his eyes on me”, and moved on. Every time he walked near our table for the rest of our meal, he would blow kisses to Sarah, and make the “eyes on you” motion to me. To this day, Sarah and I both distinctly remember this, and many other, character experiences.
If you don’t want to “play” with the characters, at least think up some fun poses that fit the characters you’re meeting. Meeting Donald Duck? Pretend you have a duck bill. Buzz Lightyear? Give a nice salute to Star Command. You get the idea. Even something as simple as this will make the experience more fun, and will make the characters more than just “breathing props.”
Tips for Character Photos
These are more technical tips, rather than “make fun poses” type tips. First, whether you’re indoors or outdoors, always turn on your flash. This may seem counter-intuitive if you’re outdoors in bright light, but depending upon the sun’s location, you can end up with odd and harsh shadows on faces of your subjects if you don’t use flash. Just turn it on, take a practice shot before your party to make sure everything looks good, and let loose.
Next, if you’re using a DSLR, you need to determine which lens to use. I like backing up and using longer (50mm and above) lenses with a low aperture that will produce a shallow–but not too shallow–depth of field, if I’m just photographing Sarah or just the character. This gives nice separation from the background, which creates a pleasing image. If you’re handing your camera off to a character attendant or a PhotoPass photographer, I’d avoid using a longer lens or a prime lens, as the Cast Member may have difficulty handling these types of lenses. In these cases, it’s best to keep things as simple as possible: 18-55mm (or similar) zoom lens, auto-mode, with flash on.
As far as technical tips, that’s really it. Character photos are really easy from a technical standpoint. In addition to these technical recommendations, I recommend that you start taking photos before your subjects pose, as these candid shots can be some of the most fun ones. Similarly, if you have really small children who might be awestruck by the characters, shoot candid shots exclusively. These expressions of awe will be far more priceless than any “canned” pose photo, and trying to get your child to sit still and look at the camera may be more frustrating than anything.
Obviously, these are just the tips of two people based upon what we’ve seen and experienced at Disney character meet & greets and character meals. You may completely disagree with us on the topic of autograph books, or you may think character meet and greets are an outright waste of time to begin with.
We happen to think that candid photos and unique experiences are the best way to enjoy character meet and greets, and this type of experience will create the best, and longest lasting, memories. If you disagree, you should do what makes you or your children happy. Obviously, variety is the spice of life.
Looking for Disney trip planning tips? Make sure to read our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide and Disneyland Trip Planning Guide.
Your Thoughts…
What tips for meeting characters do you have? Any super-secret locations where rare characters often appear? Any verbal prompts you have used on characters to illicit fun reactions and interactions? Share your tips and feedback in the comments!
A tip that another Disney fan gave us & that worked well is to bring a thin, lightweight paperback storybook to have the characters sign. It helped my son to not be so intimidated by the characters by actually having something to focus on during the interaction. And now at home, every time we read the book, we revisit the signatures.
I had my magic band decorated and when I met Ariel I showed it to her and she excitedly grabbed my hand, held it out to the Photo Pass people and went “Look she knows Flounder!”
Curious about the autographs–can you actually read them when you get home? (I’m thinking of the characters in costume who might have a hard time holding a sharpie.) This is our first trip; thinking we’ll give the autograph book a shot but not force the issue. Thanks for all the tips!
The signatures are, for the most part, illegible. It’s hard for the characters to grip the pens. The best bet is, for us, funny pictures! Interaction and hamming it up are key.
i think disney world is a great place to visit (florida)
Hi Tom, how are character interactions with teenagers? My 17 year old daughter and her friends around the same age are going to disney world by themselves. Will the characters give them the same ” magic” as they would little kids? My daughter is willing to have fun and participate, but will the characters respond well in your experience ?
They won’t break character for anyone, of any age, regardless of how hard you try.
100, they will treat everyone the same way.
Sorry, messed up the formatting.
What I meant to say was that whether your less than 1 year old or older than 100, they’ll treat everyone the same.
(That’s what I get for taking a short cut with less/greater than signs in an HTML space.)
Our teens had a good time once they got over being embarrassed. Fake kissing Donald on the cheek or “proposing” to a princess makes for fun, cute photos.
Great tips Tom, especially the use of Flash. The one Greet & Meet I took pix of in December that I didn’t changed my mind immediately.
I can’t emphasize the use of “Burst Mode” enough. I start firing away as soon as my kids get near the character. You never know what special moment you’ll get and if wait until it happens you’ll miss it.
I love these tips! We leave in two weeks for WDW and we’re bringing autograph books for my daughters (ages 7 & 4). My sister, who is my daughters’ (fairy) godmother is making the books. She’s going to write a personal message on the front page and sign in from Your Fairy Godmother. Then she’s making pages in the back to use as a passport for Epcot to get stamped. And then I found journal pages that the girls can fill out while they’re there – favorite ride/food/character and I’ll put them in the book once we get home. I think it will make a great keepsake thanks to my sister!
I noticed where in someone’s journal they had put various size sticky labels … Like mail labels.. And kids did journaling on the labels. That way they don’t have to take a whole page up just to write a sentence or two ! Use different sizes on each page !!
We loved having our autographs. I have a friend that makes photo books for people. She took the autographs and added them to the pages with the character pictures. It came out looking great!
We are AP holders and go to DW multiple times a year with our 4,7 and 16 year old. My 4 year old daughter has many autograph books filled with princess signatures and that idea is boring now. On our last trip we did a pillow case. She loves it! We bought a militi pack of sharpies and she picked what color she thought each would like. Blue for Elsa, pink for Sleeping beauty, ect. It is a much better souniver to bring home then a book. Many of the characters commented on the pillow case. It is very difficult for characters like Pluto to sign bc he can’t see it when he signs, so hold the material tight and have a hard surface to sign on. We brought a mini clip board.
Great character pics! We found the chipmunks were the naughtiest of all though!
We enjoy creating these unique interactions with the characters.
I had my funniest interaction at 1900 Park Fare. Just tell the Evil stepmother or the stepsisters that you did not like the way they treated Cinderella–The responses are hilarious!
Also, if there’s a guy in your group ask the stepsisters when they plan on getting married, they may fight over the guy in your group! They were jokingly fighting over my 3 year old nephew. They asked how old he was and he said, “3” and Drizella said, “well I guess you’ll do in 15 years.” lol 🙂
Great tips! We happen to love autograph books, but with a twist. My kids spend hours and hours making their own autograph books before our trip. We devote one page to each character we think we will meet. We have made characters from our Cricut machine, hand drawn them, and used cut out pictures. The characters we meet LOVE these books and really interact with the kids. We find this to be the best way to encourage the interaction, since my kids get a little shy around the characters. They love showing the characters their books that they made!
Walt Disney World
Chip and Dale at EPCOT The Land, Garden Grill
Tigger and Pooh in EPCOT England
Disneyland
Chip and Dale Breakfast at Storyteller’s Cafe, Grand Californian
Interacting definitely adds to the encounter. Chip kept making a pass at the single girl at our table and then trying to sneak a piece of bacon off my plate. Each time he came by he would sneak up and try and get the bacon.
We have done the whoel autograph book thing and, like several others have already mentioned, the characters flip through the book and comment occasionally, making fun of some other character or what not. Or last trip our kids obviously weren’t interested in autograph book (being 17 & 15) but would you believe my husband bought a Disney t-shirt while we were on a DCL cruise and had characters sign it. We then took the same signed shirt to the parks for characters we had not seen on the ship – well the reaction from some of the characters was priceless, especially when they saw Capt Jack Sparrow and Capt Hook signatures on there. Made for some really interesting conversations I can tell you.
These are great tips! I love character greetings that are fun and not just another scribble in an autograph book. My oldest wanted an autograph book when she was 4 and went to Disneyland for the first time. She really loved it and still treasures it, so I know there is a time and place for them. But I’m a bigger fan of the character greetings with some fun. My 5-year-old had the wedding veil Mickey ears, and Chip decided he should marry her. He proposed, put her veil over her face, lifted it up and kissed her – and she loved it!
Character interactions really do create the best memories! I’ll never forget Peter Pan playing “follow the leader” with my kids all through Adventureland! Chip and Dale instructing my 2 year old on how to properly pick his nose was also priceless 🙂 Ariel showing us how to use a “dinglehopper” is another family favorite. Thank you for the posing tips…we will definitely try to have some more fun with that during our next trip! I love the monster stance, etc. I really enjoy reading your posts-thanks again!
We’re from Ohio, so maybe I’ll see if I can get the characters to do the whole O-H-I-O pose!
Rapunzel did the O-H-I-O for us upon hearing we were from Ohio when we said it to the photopass photographer. It was fun.
My daughter also brought her small plastic frying pa to bring to Rapunzel, although Aurora had more fun with it.
On our very first trip to DL my kids were abt 11 & 9. They were lined up to see Mad Hatter and he made them follow him around the fountain in single file and then processed to do a silly dance with my daughter – she was in her glory and the photos prove it. Love it
Thanks….can’t wait to use the tips!
Great article! My family and I just came back from our Disney trip. I did the autograph book with my five year old son. I purchased a spiral bound sketch book and he helped me decorate it with Mickey Mouse duct tape before we left, bought four brand new colored sharpies and found a small bag to be the keeper of the autograph book and markers. We had a lot of character meals planned this trip and found lots of characters along the way. My son loved seeing how different everyone’s signature looked and that Buzz Lightyear used a stamp instead. Once we got home, he used his book as a way of retelling his trip to friends and family. Will we use it again on our next trip….who knows it will be up to him but right now that book is a treasured souvenir that was worth the 5 bucks.
I’m a 20something with no kids who visits Disney for race weekends every year. I’ve had a homemade autograph book (dollar store journal with stickers on it, made in college!). I add to it every year and when I get home, I put the character photos next to the autograph. It seems silly, but the best character interaction I’ve had was with Peter Pan at Disneyland. He and Wendy were on their way back to beyond the cast member gates but I stopped him anyway. He flipped through the book and found another photo of me with Peter Pan. He said “I knew I had met you before! I’m so glad you’re back!” He held out his arm and we skipped through Fantasyland. One of my best Disney experiences!
Plus I’m a preschool teacher, so it makes a fun conversation piece with my littles 🙂 Love your blog, its so great to read Disney touring ideas from people my age and without strollers!
Michelle,
Your Peter Pan interaction is awesome! Reading that brought a smile to my face! Thanks for sharing!!
we are frequent visitors who started out like y’all as young without kiddos and now we have a 6- & 3-year old. we have found that getting autographs can be helpful for kids who may be start struck since it gives them a task or ice breaker, if you will. I do recommend, however, getting something other than a plain old autograph book signed. since we go at least annually, we make a photobook of last year’s character pictures. AWESOME conversation/interaction starter. we’ve done a photo calendar as well which is fun to use until our next visit. one year we brought several of the classic Disney little golden books and the characters loved having those to sign and they made wonderful souvenirs that we still treasure and use!