Disney Character Meals

Let’s face the facts; no trip to the Walt Disney World® Resort is complete without getting some great photos with the Disney characters.  Even for us “older kids”, there’s just something magical when Mickey puts his arm around you, Pluto ruffles your hair, or Stitch tries to pick your nose.  The problem is everyone finds that moment special, and pretty soon you might find yourself paying your park entry fee to stand in line to greet the characters.  While standing in line can’t be totally avoided when it comes to characters, here are a couple of tips to lessen the time:

1. Book a character meal.  Having had the pleasure of eating a few character breakfasts, we are pretty impressed with the amount of time each character spends with you and those with you.  You can enjoy your meal, and take pictures with the characters when they come to your table.  One extra tip for the character meals is to try to book the earliest possible reservation time that you can for the meal.  In other words, if a character breakfast begins at 7:30AM at a certain restaurant (and you have your own vehicle on property or are staying in the resort that hosts said meal), try to get that time.  You’ll have enough time to get your food before the characters show up, and the crowds usually don’t come for an hour or so after opening, so you’ll practically have the characters to yourself.  Chip and Dale can make interesting dining companions when they have nobody else with whom to chat!
2. Go to a party night at the Magic Kingdom® Park (Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party or Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party).  On specially selected nights, the Magic Kingdom® Park stays open for several hours after closing to those with tickets to the party.  Characters are in full force on party nights, and are often dressed in special attire.  Don’t go see them as soon as they arrive, but wait until about an hour before the scheduled closing time. If you can stay awake that long, you will have noticed many people already leaving, and you will have the characters all to yourself!
3. Utilize FASTPASS® for select characters. At the front of the Magic Kingdom® Park, inside Exposition Hall, you’ll find a host of Disney Princesses and Mickey & Minnie waiting to sign autographs and take pictures.  For this meet and greet, Disney has made FASTPASS® tickets available, and this might be a smart move for your family.  If the wait is less than 20-30 minutes, then you might be better off waiting in line, but if the wait is longer, then grab FastPass tickets for everyone in the family, come back later at your appointed time, and you’ll only have to wait a few minutes to see those world famous Disney Characters.

Mickey, Minne, and all your Disney friends await your visit, and hopefully, with these few tips, you won’t have to wait very long to see them!