Voice of Travel

If someone in your party want to see Disney characters at the parks, there are a few different ways to do so.

Depending on what you do ahead of time, how busy the parks are, and how close everyone wants to get to the characters will help you decide which is best for you.

1. Get a Fastpass+ – If there are some characters that are VERY important for you to see on your vacation, and to have some interaction with, you can get a Fastpass+ for them. This is only available for the most popular of characters, such as Mickey Mouse, Anna and Elsa, Cinderella and Rapunzel, etc. You can make your FastPass+ reservations before you even get to the parks, and you’ll be sure to meet them.  When you’re making your FastPass+ reservations, you’ll see what characters have Fastpass+ associated with them and available at the time.
2. Stand in Line – While you’re walking around, you’ll notice that there are many characters you can just get in line for. This is where you’ll get to meet Chip & Dale, Goofy, Donald Duck, and many others. Usually it’s just luck that they’re there when you’re walking by, and that the line isn’t too long. You can also stand in line for the characters in the above section, although since there is Fastpass+, it’s possible those lines will be very long.
3. Dine with Characters – If you don’t want to stand in line, but you still want one on one interaction with the characters, have breakfast, lunch, or dinner with them! If you book a restaurant that has characters, they’ll all come to your table to give you and your children attention while you’re eating. You don’t have to stand in line at all.
4. Go to Parades – If it’s a busy day and you just don’t have time to get in line because they’re too long, and you haven’t been lucky to come across a character with a short line, and you haven’t booked a reservation to dine with the characters, but you still want to see the characters, watch the parades. Not only will you get to see plenty of characters that don’t walk around the park, but some of them sometimes come up to kids who are dancing on the side, and will get a little interaction with them while they do so! It’s not the best option, but sometimes it’s the only way to get to see the characters. This is especially great if you don’t think you’re child would do well with meeting them one on one.

If you’d like to see other tips as they become available, check out 365 Days of Disney World Tips!

Enjoy,