Disney Character Greetings

One of the most popular Walt Disney World Resort activities, especially for families with younger children, is character greetings. In the past 15 years Disney has capitalized on this as only Disney can. Gone are the days of hoping for a chance meeting of your child’s favorite characters and the occasional battle of the parents to get the coveted character autograph.

Each of the four Disney World theme parks has designated character greeting areas and greeting schedules. Some of the character greeting areas are, shall we say, more formal than others, for example, in Epcot’s Future World adjacent to Innoventions – West there is a “Character Spot” which has several different themes which correspond to various characters. There is a queue where guests wait for their turn to meet, get autographs and have photos taken by the Disney Photopass photographers, with each character. Of all the Disney World character greetings, this may be the best: it is indoors and not only offers air conditioning for guests, but the characters as well. This allows for characters to be available for longer periods of time.

Across the lagoon in Epcot’s World Showcase, characters appear in designated areas in each country. Guests line up and wait for a Cast Member to wave them over for their turn. Because these greetings are outdoors, as the majority of greeting areas are, characters have to take frequent breaks due to the heat. When this happens guests must either wait patiently for the characters to return, or wait for another opportunity. Greetings may also be canceled due to inclement weather.

Another popular place to find favorite characters is at a Character Dining restaurant. Reservations for Character Dining is a must and you will want to make them as soon as possible. The great thing about Character Dining is there’s no need to wait in line, the characters come right to your table. However, you do have to factor in the cost of the meal: Dinner at Cinderella’s Royal Table in the Magic Kingdom is the most expensive at $57 for adults, $34 for children ages 3 – 9, however this does include photos taken with Cinderella. Optional photo packages are offered at some venues, like Chef Mickey’s at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, for an additional charge of about $25 for the package. For other Character Meals, breakfast ranges from $19 – $32 for adults, $11 – $22 for children, lunch prices range from $21 – $34 for adults, $12 – $23 for children, and most character dinners are $29 for adults, $14 for children. If you purchase the Disney Dining Plan, you can use table-service credits; Cinderella’s Royal Table will require 2 table-service credits per person.

So, now the big question: how can you find your child’s favorite characters?
Answer: Walt Disney World Character Hunt website: http://sites.google.com/site/wdwcharacterhunt/home. This website has all you need to find the Disney characters: a Park Index that lists which characters can be found in which parks, a Dining Index listing each dining venue and the characters you will be dining with, as well as Tips and Tricks. Of course, you will need to pick up a Times Guide when you enter the parks to find out Character Greeting schedules, but knowing where to find the characters can help with planning your itinerary.


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