[2Princesses4us]

Does anyone have a sure fire strategy for meeting all of the characters? We are taking our 3 & 4 year old DD's to WDW in November (13th thru 23rd) for a total of 8 full park days so I don't think time will be an issue. We will be spending five days @ WDW (park hopper passes) & three days @ Universal (Shrek!!!) & Sea World.
Of course I am going to get a PS for Cinderella's Royal Table Character Breakfast but it is the rest of areas of the parks that I'm unsure of. Are the characters in one spot all day? Do they roam? Three of our days/nights we'll be bunking @ ASM, do any characters visit the value resorts?

Thank you to anyone that responds.
This site has been very helpful!!!
How does anyone absorb all of this info?:)

[SusanC]

When we were there in October 2002, the characters were scattered everywhere in the parks. Just look for the lines of people. My son was 6 and all he wanted to do was look for characters to get his picture with and autograph and pin trading. We stood in line for this than for rides/attractions. It is great!

I don't think the characters visit any of the resorts other than at character meals. We have had breakfast at O'Hanas 2 times and they often had to run people out of the restaurants that are not dining. They want the characters spend time with paying customers and visit you at your tables and not get distracted by others who just stop in.

[KarenT]

If there is a specific character you want to meet, I would make a PS for character dinning if possible.
When you get to a park look at the guide map, it shows all the character meet and greet areas.
Then you can plan who you want to see and when to see them.
Karen

[DisneyHog6]

Jerry, Welcome to Disney Central. You should be able to find answers to all your questions here.

First thing, make sure you get guide maps when you enter each park. The guides show you all the spots where character meets are held throughout the day.

At MK, characters are always waiting for you in Mickey's Toontown Fair, all day long. They also always come down off the stage after Cinderella's Surprise Celebration which can be seen throughout the day. Characters make frequent visits to the area just inside the park, around the flag pole also.

At Epcot, the guide should list the times you can see the Character Caravan. This is a big double-decker bus that drives around, stops in designated places (listed on map) sing a song, and then get off the bus to meet people. Also, characters can be met in different pavilions around WS. Belle and Beast in France, Aladdin and Jasmine in Morrocco, etc. These should also be listed in the guide.

At MGM, the characters come out every hour or so right in front of the icon Sorceror Hat. They sing a quick song (when I was there in Oct, it was an Elvis song from Lilo & Stitch) and come out to meet people. You can also meet characters out by the Backlot Tour entrance. I can't remember the name of the street, but you will see little silver camping trailers, that's where they will be. Mickey also has a permanant spot on this same street. He is there most of the day.

At AK, the characters are often out right as you walk in the gates throughout the day. There is also a spot where Pooh and friends hang out. Go to the bridge that leads to Dinoland USA. The entrance is just to your right, before you cross the bridge. The best spot for characters in AK is Camp Minnie Mickey. You will find lots of characters in safari gear here to meet you.

I hope this helped ya. Be sure to share some of those pics with us when you return. Have a great trip.
:)

[2Princesses4us]

Thanks for such quick a responses, Belle & Cinderella are tops on the list and since we now have a digital camera I'm sure we'll be taking a gazillion pictures. I've got extra memory cards just waiting to be filled and rechargable batteries to be used.
My DW is worried because I have Disney on the brain all of the time, I just can't wait to see the looks on my little girls faces when we finally get there.

[CaribBeachNut]

Piglet, Pooh and Eyeore are at the Crystal Palace every day during lunch and dinner. I can't remember if Kanga or Roo is there. But last summer, the waiter asked my daughter her age and when she said 16, he dropped to his knees and proposed marriage to her. She turned beat red with smiles. I grabbed my camera and snapped away! Terrific memories. What a GREAT CM! (I left a very big gratuity.)

[Amneris]

Sorry if I missed this in skimming the responses, but you can ask at the information place in each park, e.g. the City Hall in MK what characters will be where at what times. The maps show where characters are, but they (obviously) come and go. If you ask at one park, they should even be able to tell you where, for example, Belle will be that day at all the parks.

[MissDisney]

Mickey's Toontown Fair has several lines you can get into -- one may be for Mickey, another for Villains, etc... you can get phots, etc... it's a sure thing. The Princesses and Peter Pan are at Cinderella's Table, and the best character breakfast is 1900 Park Fare at GF, which has Mary Poppins and tons of other characters! The Pooh characters are at Crystal Palace. See? If you eat enough buffets, you'll eventually get all the signatures!

[DougiesMommy]

To me the character meals are the best way to get the majority of all the autographs. This allows you not to spend the bulk of your time in the parks worrying about the autographs and entertains the children while eating.

Of course not all characters are at the meals so you still may have to do a little at the parks but the other characters (not Mickey, Cindrella, Pooh, etc.) usually don't have a huge line.

Pulled this from a website

Magic Kingdom Park
Get the latest Daily Entertainment Schedule at Guest Relations at City Hall in the Magic Kingdom Park, and be sure to catch all the Characters!

Mickey's Toontown Fair
Mickey Mouse at the Judge's Tent; Minnie Mouse in the Toontown Hall of Fame; various Disney Characters in the Toontown Hall of Fame. Daily appearances.

Characters also appear daily at the following locations:

Adventureland
Captain Hood and Mr. Smee at Pirates of the Caribbean.
Characters from Aladdin near The Magic Carpets of Aladdin

Fantasyland
Mad Tea Party
Fantasyland Character Festival
Ariel's Grotto

Castle Forecourt Stage
Visit with the "stars" of Cinderella's Surprise Celebration - see guide map for show times.

Epcot
Discover Disney Characters on Holiday every day at the Fountain of Nations - see guide map for times.

Disney-MGM Studios
Find out where the Characters are in action in the Daily Entertainment Schedule, available at the Guest Relations at Crossroads of the World in the Disney-MGM Studios.

Mickey Avenue
Featuring Mickey Mouse, daily, and other Disney Characters appearing throughout the day.

Al's Toy Barn
Operation: TOY STORY. It's your chance to meet Buzz, Woody, and all of your favorites in special Character appearances held daily.

Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park
Visit Camp Minnie-Mickey, an old-fashioned summer camp where the characters go when they're on vacation. Throughout the day, this is where you'll find Mickey and his pals waiting to greet you!

Discovery Island Character Landing
Your favorite friends from the 100 Acre Woods appear daily.

[Metalfan]

I don't wait in line for them...lol...I mean I dont have kids so it's strange for an adult to wait in line (well not strange, but I dont want to be infront of some little kid whose dream it is lol)..but if I see them around and there sint a line I'll stop and say hi!

[2Princesses4us]

Thanks to all, I copied & pasted the lists to my every growing .doc
of disney stuff.
It seems so far away.... I think I'm going to have to go to my local disney store and wonder around a bit.
By the way how far in advance does everyone start planning for the big trip, I started a couple of months ago which would make it about a 13 to 14 months, We had to get our timeshare trade in early (thanks to the in-laws for Orange Lake Resort)

[Metalfan]

Jerry, I just noticed this but according to your countdown, you'll be there exactly a day after I am there!

[2Princesses4us]

Metalfan, It' a small world after all, oops I'm oozing Disney all over my keyboard. By the looks of it youv'e been there quite a few times. My DW & I were there in '95 and loved it now we have little ones and want to make the most of it so any advice from an expert would help.

By the way if Priestrcks means Judas Priest
then You gotta another thing coming & Scream'n for vegance
top the list.