Making the Most Out of Meeting the Characters

[Sleepless Knight]

I think one reason why Disneyland is so popular and beloved is because of the characters. Where else can you meet your childhood heroes and even childhood friends? As you plan your visit to Disneyland, you start checking out websites such as the DIS and reading trip reports and you start to see all these guests having such a great time with the characters. And you think of how much your child (or you) loves a certain character and you would very much like to have that "magical moment" for yourself (or your child). So you wonder what you can do to help make that moment happen.

In all reality those meetings with the characters are very brief. After all, you're not the only person who's been waiting for what seems like ages to meet Mickey or Sleeping Beauty. You have maybe a couple of minutes at best to have that moment you'll never forget. It seems like such a short time, but with a plan you can make the magic happen.

I hope here to share some of what I've learned here on the DIS and from going to the parks. If you have any questions, please ask and don't feel like your question is silly. Asking questions is a great way to find out what to expect and how to maximize those precious character moments. I've learned a lot from here on the DIS, so I would also love to see anyone post their own memories and moments.

1. Who can meet the characters?

I almost wouldn't think of posting this question, but I've read many posts on many different websites from adults and teenagers who really want to meet the characters, but are afraid that they're too old. Nothing could be further from the truth. The characters don't care if you're a single adult all by yourself and that you've come to see them. They understand that you may really enjoy their film or animated shorts. In addition to being for the young, Disneyland (and all her sister parks) are for the young at heart. It's perfectly okay for you to want to meet the characters. Most other guests in line are probably wrapped up in their own vacations to worry about you being there anyways.

2. Who are the characters?

Characters tend to be classified into two groups, furry/fuzzy or face characters. In short, if the CM's face is covered up by a mask of some sort of gigantic head, they're considered a fuzzy. Examples would be Chip and Dale or The Incredibles (because you can't see their face).

Face characters are pretty much self explanatory since you're seeing the face of the CM and they can talk to you. Examples would be princesses, Mary Poppins, Bert, the Mad Hatter, and Alice.

2. Know who the characters are and the story or stories they're in.

Just about every memorable character moment I've had has come about in way or another because I did something to show the character that I knew who they were. There are always going to be people who get in line to meet the characters because that's what you do at Disneyland. But if you give the character an indication that you are there to see them, your chances of having that magical moment increase because you can now interact with them. Ask them a question about a specific aspect of their movie. Ask them how their friends from said movie are doing. Just do something positive that shows they're more than just a CM in a costume.

In short, don't be afraid to play around with the characters. When Disney hires CMs to portray the characters, they have to watch the films and animated shorts extensively so they know who they're supposed to be before going out to meet guests. They are more than just people wearing costumes, so talk to them. Have fun. Be excited to see them and tailor your approach to who they are. For instance, it's a lot of fun for guys to drop to a knee and kiss Minnie's hand, though not a good idea to kiss a princess on the hand. When meeting a princess, you can have some fun with a simple bow or curtsy.

3. Dress for Success

There are two ways to approach this one. For little children under age 10, they can literally dress up like the characters and many parents take their little girls to get the princess makeover. If that's in your budget, that will almost always get a reaction from a princess especially when your little Belle meets the real Belle. Aurora likewise gets excited to see little future Prince Philips wielding their swords and shields.

But what if that's not in your budget? Or what if you're an adult who is not allowed to dress up in costume inside the parks except for the Halloween party? Fortunately there are options for you as well. Wear a shirt with your favorite character on it. If you're a pin trader, show off your favorite characters on your lanyard. It can and will make for fun new experiences meeting the characters.

As many will guess, my favorite movies are Star Wars and Sleeping Beauty, and my lanyard reflects it. Because of this, I've gotten excited (and hungry) reactions about my Star Wars pins from Chip, Dale, and Goofy. Both Minnie and Princess Aurora really like my Mickey and Minnie as Phillip and Aurora pin. Again an outward show that you like a character can help you take advantage of the time you have.

While shirts and pins are easy enough to find, the website zazzle.com features a make your own shirt option that uses a huge variety of Disney characters and allows you to add your own phrase to that shirt (provided that it meets Disney's guidelines).

I hope these tips help and please feel free to add your own or share your own experiences.

[toddbushman]

Great post!

I've heard good ideas are to ask specific questions:

For example, ask Belle what book she is reading.

I'm wondering what other questions people have come up with that have let there be good interactions with characters.

[Desert Dwellers]

My daughter has an American Girl doll that she brought to DL with her, because we made a side trip during our DL vacation to visit the American Girl Place in LA. We bought the doll mini-sized Mickey Ears at the Build-a-Bear in DTD.

Well, the doll went with us to the character breakfast at Paradise Pier. The characters couldn't get enough of the doll and made many trips back at to our table to visit. The doll and her ears were a definite hit. Sleepless Knight has a point with the Dress for Success.

[tripletlyblessed]

Thanks for these great tips! I'll be sure to prompt my girls about questions they can ask. One of them is very inquisitive and will ask about their clothes, but one is very shy and the other usually clams up until all the photos and autographs are done.

[Sleepless Knight]

Desert Dwellers, you bring up a great point. I saw one lady at WDW get a special moment with Princess Leia Minnie as Minnie left the meet and greet because this lady had a Jedi Mickey plush toy that Minnie adored. Many other guests in line did not get this chance because Minnie noticed a plush Mickey. Giving the characters something to play with works wonders. You can also try giving them little gifts such as a picture you or your children drew, or snack peanuts from the flight to Chip and Dale.

toddbushman, here are some questions that I've tried or read about.

Ask Cinderella how the mice are doing.

Tell Sleeping Beauty you like the blue dress better.

Say "make it blue" to Flora if you see her during a parade. I've started "color fights" between her and Merryweather by doing this.

Make tick tock sounds around Captain Hook.

See Chip and Dale with no pins on your lanyard of them (or vice versa).

Ask Donald where Chip and Dale are.

Ask Chip and Dale is they're tormenting Donald and/or behaving themselves.

Ask Ariel what human treasure she's discovered recently.

Tell Cruella De Vil you like her sense of fashion.

Ask Mary Poppins how she's doing or ask her how to say her famous word backwards. (I love this one).

If anyone has other characters and questions, please share.

A word of note about questions and character meals. If you know that certain characters will or could likely be there, be prepared with questions for each of the possible characters. Also note that if you opt to use the dress for success option, you will probably be asked if he or she is your favorite, and you may have a character wonder why they're not included.

[Aussie Princess]

I wore my mickey mouse shirt i bought from a store here in Australia when i went to meet Mickey and i had a jacket on and he still noticed the shirt and made a big deal out of it.

except my husband has a pic where i am showing mickey the shirt and it looks like im flashing him which is totally not happening in the pic.

I got a massive kick of him noticing the shirt and bought the shirt especially before we left on our trip *** i wanted something i could wear before i got there and bought merchandise

[prettyprincessbelle]

We brought a small Stitch plush to Lilo and Stitch breakfast and both Lilo and Stitch got a kick out of it.

I also love asking the princesses about their princes. Aw, love.

Wonderful thread, SK!

[Sleepless Knight]

Originally Posted by prettyprincessbelle

I also love asking the princesses about their princes. Aw, love.

Wonderful thread, SK!

That is. I've heard of one instance where a husband and wife met Aurora in Disneyland and she told the wife how much safer the kingdom was since Phillip had slain all the dragons.