Character Schedules

[Joeandkate2]

We will be at the Disneyland resort February 6-11. While we have been a few times, this is our first trip with our little one - she's a year and a half. I imagine we will be doing a lot of character meet & greets. I downloaded the Disneyland App so I could start prepping for which characters might be available, general locations, and schedules...

..What is with some of the characters coming out for 5 minutes hours apart???

I think Aurora was out today at the Wishing Well from like 2:30-2:35 and then again from 3:45-3:50. How does that work when there are crowds? Do you just show up where the character is supposed to be hoping they arrive and that you are far enough up in line that you actually get to see them?

Sounds like a tough trip if we have to plan down to the minute in order to see certain characters...
Help a Mama out with tips and tricks for seeing everyone we want to. TIA!

 

[Love Tink]

We had a really hard time meeting characters when we were there in December. We go to WDW more often and found that at DL, the characters are less available and the schedule is less reliable. Now, the lack of so much of a schedule leads to some nice things, like the characters being more free to roam around and interact with guests. But multiple times we saw a character and a time on the app, went to that place at that time, and then were unable to find the character. We would ask around and get a lot of, "Yeah, they are here sometimes" from the CMs in the surrounding area. Twice my sons and I sat for 15 minutes, waiting for the Mad Hatter to appear, and he didn't show.

We were able to track down the characters that really mattered to us (Mad Hatter, Oswald, and Jack Skellington). But all of them took multiple attempts or - in Jack's case - walking around for 20 minutes trying to find a CM who could accurately point us to where he was meeting.

We also found that the outdoor characters are less likely to have CM escorts and PhotoPass photographers than they are at WDW. That was its own kind of frustration because there was no one to cut off the lines. More than once (Peter Pan, evil queen, Cruella de Ville) we waited in line, only to have the character suddenly disappear without more than a wave goodbye.

So my short answer is that I wouldn't be surprised if characters actually show up for 5 minutes. It all seems like a very fluid system. My advice is that, if a character is really important to you, try to meet them early in your day/trip. Give yourself multiple chances so if you miss them or they don't show up, you can try again. I am a character collector and I was really mad that over four days there were several characters we were never able to meet, despite in some cases multiple attempts.

 

[Carathryn]

We just got back from a short trip. I was in the parks from 1/6-1/8. Overall the app was often wrong with character times.
We tried 3 times to meet the genie but he kept having to leave and wasn't coming back for a while.
For the most part character attendants were helpful in letting us know what time a character would be back.
If you aren't looking for specific characters I would recommend just checking around the entrance to DL, in the center before Main Street really starts. I was able to meet Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel, Minnie, chip and dale, and Cruella with really short waits and not any planning.
If you really want to find a character the best way to go seems to be tracking down a helpful cast member who is in the know. I personally couldn't find any other optione.

 

[Vala]

Last October the app was a walking mess. I spoke to a photopass CM when I couldn't find the Incredibles and they told me that "they weren't back on that schedule yet" - so whoever is handling the app uploaded a schedule, but not the one the character department was walking by.

Those 5 minute appearances are definitely not right. Sets are usually 20 to 25 minutes at least.

The Town Square characters usually have handlers. They will have a button "ask me about characters." Those CMs have the schedules. Ask them if you need help. Even their schedules are sometimes wrong, but at least they are more reliable than the app.

As for characters running off without notice: the princesses, Alice and Hatter and such are usually handling their own line and have been pretty good at telling people "5 more minutes and we have to go." I've never experienced a face character walking off without warning.

 

[mom2rtk]

OP, you have finally found the bright side to the app being wrong so much! LOL.

FWIW, we used it in October, but as more of a rough guide than anything. We would show up just ahead of the time it said someone should appear, then we'd hang out and start looking for CMs in the area to ask where they usually show up when they are there. Sometimes you just need to plan on being in the area for a bit and keep an eye on various spots you have seen other characters pop up. Sometimes the times are off, sometimes the locations are off, but the app usually got us in the right ballpark and we generally saw who we needed to.

Just take everything with a big old grain of salt. You could ask one CM where the Mad Hatter appears, they could show you, and you might sit there for 30 minutes......all while the Mad Hatter is meeting people up around the corner.

 

[Epek]

I was just there with my 20 month old and we were easily able to catch all her favorites! I loved using the app. I found that those 5 min times were the aproximate start time of the meet. We would try and show up just before. Sometimes that means getting in line for the character that shares the spot so you get the one you want when they switch over.
As others have said, the CMs are also very helpful.