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How to meet Disney characters at the parks

November 6th, 2009, 3:00 am · 7 Comments · posted by Sally French

buttontips“Your tips” is a feature where you can read and share your Disneyland Resort area tips with fellow Around Disney readers. If you have a tip to share, send it to stully@ocregister.com with the word ‘Tips’ in the subject line, or leave a comment below.

tiana-and-naveen-for-blog-10_09_dl_04409

Characters from two of Disney’s films are making their way into Disneyland as meet-and-greet characters.

Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen from “The Princess and the Frog,” which is due out next month, are set to start greeting guests starting today.

Terence, a character from “Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure” that was released on DVD, recently began appearing in the Pixie Hollow area.

We’ve compiled some tips for meeting Disney characters so you can make the most of meeting the latest additions to Disneyland’s cast.

  • To allow yourself more time to spend interacting with the characters, have your autograph books, cameras, and pens ready to go before you get to the front of the line.
  • When entering the park, grab an entertainment schedule at the turnstiles to see when characters will be out to sign autographs.
  • Plan on spending time in line to meet the characters, especially new additions like Princess Tiana.
  • Eat at a character meal. Characters will come up to your table for photos and autographs, eliminating the hassle of waiting in line at the parks.
  • terence-for-blog-10_09_dl_04040“When approaching a theme character, please make sure you stand in front of them, they have extremely poor visibility in most cases and will not see you if you are out of there direct line of site. They do not mean to seem rude to anyone and are more than polite in all cases. It’s just really hard to see what is not right in front of you,” wrote Around Disney reader OC Mommy.
  • Book a trip through the Walt Disney Travel Company and you will receive a voucher to Mickey’s Toontown Morning Madness, an event which allows you to enter Toontown an hour before it officially opens to watch a parade, become an honorary Toontown citizen and meet Mickey Mouse.
  • Other opportunities to see characters are in parades and shows.
  • Use Disney’s PhotoPass to get photos with the characters. Hand your PhotoPass card to photographers stationed around the resort and your photos will be stored so they can be viewed and purchased after the trip. Click here to read PhotoPass tips.

Photos courtesy of Disneyland.

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 7 Comments

  • Mark says:
    November 6, 2009 at 3:10 am

    The blog posted as my link is a GREAT resource with steps for meeting almost every character, from where you can find each one to when they are out at all of the parks. I highly recommend it!

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  • Loren says:
    November 6, 2009 at 6:22 am

    These are great! I would also recommend asking the character hosts (the cast members usually accompanying a character). They are usually very helpful if you want to know if and when a character you want to meet will come out. Do not get mad at them, though, if the character you want to meet is not available. Also, schedule changes can happen frequently during the day, so they are only giving you the best information they have at the moment. But, they can generally give you an idea of what time to line up or be in the area if you want to ensure you photo with a character that is there that day. Also, and I have seen this way too many times, don’t scream at them and act all entitled if they have to shut down the line because there are too many people for them to see in the time period they are out. Characters are only allowed to be out for a certain period of time before they must go backstage. Just calmly ask the host if there are other opportunities to meet this character and come back later.

    I have also found that the cast members at the queue of Pixie Hollow have a general idea of when the pixies will be out and when to get in line. Both times that I have met Terence, I have asked the cast member when the best time to get in line to meet him and they have not steered me wrong. Again, schedule changes happen, so don’t get upset if a character is not there. Just inquire and try again.

    Oh, and another thing…adults like to meet the characters, too. Usually, there is a line to meet a character, but, every so often, it can be free flowing and chaotic. Just be courteous and be aware of who was there before you. I have respectfully waited my turn only to be bypassed by a bunch of families who have kids not thinking I was waiting to take a picture of or with a character. I understand your kid wants a picture, but don’t be rude.

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  • urdoo says:
    November 6, 2009 at 8:41 am

    Is it just me or does anybody else think that kids asking for autographs from the Disney characters is sorta lame? Most of the time, the characters can barely see what they’re writing in the book, and if they do, it’s some scribble or chicken scratch because it’s tough to write with those big costumes. I’d rather just get a photo!

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    • Daniel says:
      November 6, 2009 at 10:07 am

      I agree. Besides it’s not like they are real celebrities. They’re just people in costumes.

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    • Loren says:
      November 6, 2009 at 11:22 pm

      I admit that it can be something that takes up more time than one would like and can be annoying when you’re in line and a character has 5 minutes left and you’re 15 people back, but I don’t think it’s lame, per say. I remember getting autographs as a child (and, believe me, they looked WAY more chicken scratchy than the ones I’ve seen today), but it meant the world to me to have those autographs and I still have that book today. It’s become part of a tradition that I imparted to my nephews when I was with them on their first visit in July.

      Post Reply
  • Anchorage says:
    November 7, 2009 at 4:55 am

    Excellent! I think this is a MUST for any family that is visiting the park that has small children.. thank you!

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  • Mark says:
    November 7, 2009 at 1:35 pm

    Daniel - The might not be real celebrities and just people in costumes to you, but to kids Mickey Mouse, Dug from Up, and Ariel are NOT just people in costumes. To kids, they ARE the celebrities. They don’t want to meet “real” celebrities, they’d rather meet Donald Duck than Alec Baldwin any day!

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