best ways to see the most characters?

[HerbivoreMom]

Going to Disneyland with my four-year-old son and my husband. This will only be our second trip there ever - none of us had ever been prior to our last visit.

My son seems to enjoy meeting the characters the most. He's really not very interested in many rides and has very little patience for waiting in long lines. That said, he liked It's A Small World last time. He seemed to have a very good time, which is why we're going again.

Can anyone suggest the best ways to see the most characters with the shortest wait times? We can't get in early and we're only going one day.

 

[kapicka]

Going to Disneyland with my four-year-old son and my husband. This will only be our second trip there ever - none of us had ever been prior to our last visit.

My son seems to enjoy meeting the characters the most. He's really not very interested in many rides and has very little patience for waiting in long lines. That said, he liked It's A Small World last time. He seemed to have a very good time, which is why we're going again.

Can anyone suggest the best ways to see the most characters with the shortest wait times? We can't get in early and we're only going one day.

The character breakfast at the Plaza Inn on Main street. Last month in one visit we saw: minnie, hook, peter pan, pooh, eeyore, tigger, fairy godmother, and others.

 

[Speechphi]

I second the character meals. My now 6yo dd only goes to DLR for characters, and couldn't care less about most rides. Minnie's has GREAT character interactions, and so does Surf's Up.

 

[Speechphi]

Oh, and I'll add that we saw 9 at Minnie's this past June.

 

[HerbivoreMom]

Thanks, everyone.
How about princesses?

 

[rms123]

When are you going? At Halloween and Christmas there are lots of characters roaming around Thunder Ranch. For the princesses, head to the Royal Hall in the morning or eat at Ariel's Grotto.

 

[HerbivoreMom]

We're going this Friday. There's nothing for us to eat at Ariel's Grotto

Last time we went we did not get to see the Frozen princesses or Tinkerbelle, both of which were important to my son so I want to make sure we do that this time.

How is this itinerary?

8am: enter park, go to Fantasyland
One parent go get Frozen return ticket and then meet in Royal Hall
Other parent and kiddo go to Royal Hall to meet princesses (Fantasyland)

9:20am: Breakfast at The Plaza Inn (Main street) - get mini Mickey waffles and hashbrowns (plus juice and coffee)

Pixie Hollow to meet Tinkerbelle (Fantasyland)

11:15am or 12:20pm: Mickey and the Magical Map (Royal Theater in Fantasyland)

Lunch in New Orleans Square: vegan gumbo at Royal Street Veranda and vegetable jambalaya at French Market

Disneyland RR to Mickey's Toontown

visit Minnie's and Mickey's houses (Mickey's Toontown)

4:30pm: Mickey's Soundsational Parade on Main Street (starts at 5:30, get there early for good seating and to see the Frozen preshow)

*Return to see Frozen Princesses whenever time says
*Whenever time between things allows, fit in a ride

 

[valiamo]

If you are going this Friday, the Mickey Halloween Party is on, and you will have to clear out of the park by early evening, 6PM I think.

 

[HerbivoreMom]

If you are going this Friday, the Mickey Halloween Party is on, and you will have to clear out of the park by early evening, 6PM I think.

It said the hours for the park would be until 7pm. I know there is a Halloween Party and it starts at 7pm. That works fine for us. We will be tired by then.

Oh, it's also GAY DAYS. Hmmm, that could mean it will be extra busy. But it could also be really great

 

[rms123]

The Halloween carnival in the ranch should be going on so you could go there to meet Mickey, Minnie, etc with relatively no lines. As for Tink, get to Pixie Hollow right when it opens. That line builds faster than the princesses and is horribly slow.

 

[pudinhd]

As for Tink, get to Pixie Hollow right when it opens. That line builds faster than the princesses and is horribly slow.

It's also very deceptive... Even what looks like a short line lasts FOREVER!

 

[Disneyland 1951]

A few more things that should fit into your schedule.

Look for Peter Pan & Capt Hook out at the right path in front of the castle, near the Snow White wishing well. Mornings, or 1:40, or 2:40.


A fun thing that is not on any schedule is to play Musical Chairs with Alice in Wonderland and the Mad Hatter at 2:30. NO line no waiting just walk up and sit down. It is normally at the Coke Corner, but this week they moved the piano to the Jolly Holliday.



You can find Princesses out at the Fantasy Fair most of the time: Merida or Belle [morning] Rapunzel with Flynn [afternoon starting at 3:15]. Mary Poppins and Bert usually perform at the Castle at 1:00 & 2:00, and meet guests at the Coke Corner in the mornings, and at 3:15 in the Afternoon.

Suggestion: Go see Tinkerbell first thing. You can see the Princessses in the Royal Hall with a short line. The lines are very short during the Shows and the Parade.

PS: Ask the Cast Members at the Fantasy Faire with the big D on their chest, they have a list of which characters are scheduled when and where.

 

[HerbivoreMom]

Thank you all so much!

We were able to meet
Minnie Mouse
Pooh
Tigger
Eeyore
Captain Hook
Chip and or Dale (sorry not sure which)
The Mad Hatter
Alice
Elsa
Anna

We were able to see
Belle
Rapunzel

My son decided not to see Mickey or snow White even though the option was available. And he did more rides this time, still loving Its A Small World.

We basically stuck to the schedule except the parade was canceled due to the Halloween Party. I was really annoyed by that because I checked the website show times for that day. We wanted to see Tiana in the parade and the new Frozen pre-parade show.

Overall it was a good trip. Personally, I enjoyed it more this time.

Our last trip the highlight was seeing Asimo, we love that robot. But we only did a few rides and they were disappointing, for example the jungle cruise is terribly racist and we were incredibly disturbed. Then also, our last trip was on a much busier day (Spring Break) and dealing with the large crowds (and in particular the parents yelling at their children) was nerve-wracking. So, a little planning and this trip was so much better. We had a great time.

 

[petals]

Chip and or Dale (sorry not sure which)

Chip is the one with the black nose like a chocolate chip. One of the CM's in the Dublin Disney store told me that once as an easy way to remember which is which. Dale has a red nose

 

[vladimir p]

a fun thing that is not on any schedule is to play musical chairs with alice in wonderland and the mad hatter at 2:30. No line no waiting just walk up and sit down. It is normally at the coke corner, but this week they moved the piano to the jolly holliday.

what!!!!??? Why??????

 

[HerbivoreMom]

Chip is the one with the black nose like a chocolate chip. One of the CM's in the Dublin Disney store told me that once as an easy way to remember which is which. Dale has a red nose

Thanks!
It was Chip we met, then

 

[Crisi83]

Beside Elsa and Anna (who seem to have their own strategy -_-), Merida and Rapunzel are important to meet. Especially if we can also meet Flynn. Whats our best plan for them?

And, any advice or encouragement on Anna and Elsa?

 

[Diszona]

what!!!!??? Why??????

They are doing a referb of the Coke Corner. You can still sit there but the area where the piano normally sits is behind a construction wall. Unfortunately we didn't figure out where the piano moved to until AFTER our visit was done. Well, something to look forward to on our next visit.

 

[scrappymel]

They are doing a referb of the Coke Corner. You can still sit there but the area where the piano normally sits is behind a construction wall. Unfortunately we didn't figure out where the piano moved to until AFTER our visit was done. Well, something to look forward to on our next visit.

Is this still the case this week?