What’s The Deal With Meeting Characters At Walt Disney World
⚠️ UPDATE: HUGS ARE BACK! ⚠️
As of April 18, 2022, guests can now meet, interact and even HUG their favorite Disney pals at the Walt Disney World Resort at both indoor and outdoor locations.
Donald Duck sprays for bugs behind a fence at Disney’s Hollywood Studios while waving to guests and stopping for photos.
NOTE: This post was originally made May 24, 2021. While quite a bit has changed since this post was originally written, much of the information is still relevant. Updates reflecting the current experience with characters at Walt Disney World have been posted above. The original post remains below for your reference. Any additional updates will be posted if/when it becomes necessary.
A lot has changed at Walt Disney World since the parks reopened last year. There have been new health and safety measures put into place, masks, social distancing. . . . the list goes on. There have also been changes made to the way some things at Walt Disney World area done. Walt Disney World Resort hotels are now being cleaned with “enhanced” methods, buffets have been modified and the way guests can meet Disney Pals looks a bit different too. In fact, it’s these character meet and greets that I want to focus on today.
So what exactly is the deal with character meet and greets at Walt Disney World right now?
Like most other things, character meet and greets at Walt Disney World have changed a bit from what you might be familiar with from past visits. Similar to other changes that have been made at Walt Disney World, the focus has been on reducing crowds and contact. As far as character meet and greets are concerned, this means no longer having designated spots and times to meet characters. In other words, no lines. It also means no hugs or autographs.
Now, I’m not going to beat around the Mickey Mouse shaped bush here. I know that there are some of you who are very disappointed or even frustrated to hear that this is the case; especially if you’re bringing a little one to Disney for the first time. I completely understand where you’re coming from. With meeting characters at the top of so many people’s “must do” list at Walt Disney World, a vacation just wouldn’t be the same without it. . . which is why I’m about to say something crazy! [Brace yourself!] I think you’re actually going to like this more than the way things used to be.
There are 2 ways you can currently see characters at Walt Disney World theme parks [without doing a character dining experience]. The first is by catching a cavalcade. Cavalcades are what you might describe as mini parades. They often include multiple characters on floats, in cars or even walking. Unlike parades, cavalcades are short and unscheduled which means they don’t cause the same type of traffic jams nor do you have to stake out a good spot hours in advance.
Even though cavalcades are unscheduled, you won’t find yourself missing out because you didn’t realize one was happening until it was too late. When a cavalcade is about to come by, you’ll hear a change in the music around you [both volume and the actual music itself] giving you a pretty good indication that you should stop what you’re doing and reach for your camera. The music usually precedes the cavalcade by at least 30 seconds giving you plenty of time to get yourself ready for the slow moving procession. Not only will you have plenty of time to grab for your camera and find a good spot to stand, or even position kids in the right place for a fun photo, but you’ve got lots of time to take lots of pics as the characters mosey on by.
Pluto, Goofy, Mickey and Minnie make their way around World Showcase at EPCOT.
If you happen to miss a cavalcade, not to worry! There are multiple cavalcades that happen throughout the day at any given Walt Disney World theme park. This not only includes multiple basses from the same characters, but also different characters and floats as well. At EPCOT, for example, you can see MIckey, Minnie and friends in one cavalcade and Disney Princesses in another. Again, though they are not scheduled and you can’t plan to see a cavalcade, the way they are done gives you plenty of opportunities to see one while you’re at the parks during the day.
During my visit, I was able to catch multiple cavalcades each day. This gave me the opportunity to see a lot of characters, some of which I’ve never had the chance to see before. I also had the opportunity to take a few selfies with some characters [including Gaston. . . that hunk!] while they were passing by. Because of the leisurely pace, I was also able to snap a few of the characters as they were coming and going. There was even plenty of time for some of them to pose as they were passing by.
As I mentioned, cavalcades aren’t the only way to see characters while at the Walt Disney World theme parks. There are also plenty of characters hanging out around the parks that you might find yourself stumbling into during the day. Similar to cavalcades, these opportunities to see your favorite Disney Pals aren’t scheduled nor are they something you can plan for. . . . which is part of what makes them so magical!
Green Army Men play the drums as part of a Pixar cavalcade at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. They were joined by Sully, Buzz Lightyear, The Incredibles and more!
Gaston rides on by while being critical of those us who didn’t show off our muscles along with him.
Because there is no set schedule or meet and greet locations, pinpointing exactly where you need to go and where is almost impossible. However, that doesn’t mean it will be impossible to see some characters while you’re at Walt Disney World. . . . it’s just not as easy as simply getting in line. Keeping an eye out and being aware of your surroundings while you’re walking through the parks is the very best thing you can do if spotting characters is a priority for you. I personally like to take a step off to the side once in a while, maybe grab a few sips of my water bottle, and give the surrounding area a good look. In fact, I was doing just that when I caught a glimpse of Donald Duck spraying for bugs [pictured above] and made my way over to snap a pic.
It might also be helpful to ask around or do some scrolling through social media to see where others have seen characters in the parks. This is an especially good idea if you’re hoping to see a specific character during your visit. For example, Mickey and Minnie are very often found up on the train platform as you’re exiting Magic Kingdom and I also caught them at the entrance to EPCOT off to the right. Buzz Lightyear has been spotted in Tomorrowland on the Tomorrowland Stage in Magic Kingdom. You can also find Donald Duck, Chip and Dale over at Hollywood Studios in the patches of grass just before the Chinese Theater. Of course, the list goes on and we can’t guarantee that you’ll see characters in these spots. We do recommend you keep an eye out though!
Mickey and Minnie Mouse greet guests at EPCOT from behind a barrier of bushes.
Once you’ve spotted a character you want to see and head over, you’ll notice that it looks a bit different than it has in the past. Unlike character meet and greets of yesteryear, there are no lines and there is no direct contact with the characters. In most cases, characters are standing behind some sort of physical barrier. This could include a gate [such as with Donald in the picture above] or may even be shrubbery [like Mickey and Minnie at EPCOT]. These barriers allow guests to get close, but not too close, while still interacting and taking photographs.
Liver Lips poses for some pictures after blowing lots of kisses my way at Country Bear Jamboree.
Though these physically distanced character encounters might not seem as personal as the one-on-one meet and greets you may be familiar with, there was something very magical about them. Because they are impromptu, they seem to be much less of a hassle and the lack of lines made it easy to squeeze in picture or two without killing an entire chunk of your day. I also found that despite not having that one-on-one time with the character, I still had plenty of interaction with everyone I saw. This includes being shown some serious love from Liver Lips over at Country Bear Jamboree. [Step aside Gaston! This bear knows how to treat a woman!]
I also found that despite the lack of line or organization, there didn’t seem to be a scramble to get kids [or even adults like myself] up close enough to take a picture. People seemed to move in when there was space, move out when they were done and it seemed to work nicely. The characters also did a great job moving along whatever barrier had been in place and giving every guest some attention and posing for pictures. Personally, I think that this is a great way to do character meet and greets. It felt very natural, like saying hi to a neighbor while on a walk.
Daisy, Pluto, MIckey, Minnie, Donald and their friends greet guest at Magic Kingdom.
Though meeting characters at Walt Disney World isn’t quite the same as what it has been in the past, I think that this is one of the changes made in the name of health and safety that has turned out to be an improvement. There’s just something so magical about stumbling upon someone like Donald Duck while strolling through the parks and snapping a picture without having to wait to make an event of it by waiting in a line. Of course, this is my experience, but we’d love to know what you think. Do you like the changes that have been made to character meet and greets at Walt Disney World since the parks reopened last year? Have you been to the parks and had any character encounters? Let us know all about it be leaving a comment below!