Characters, Cavalcades & Taking in Disneyland?

[Rilli]

Hi!

I went to Disneyland back in November 2018 and one moment that stuck out to me the most was Belle walking by, Gaston right behind her. We dropped our plans and followed them and had a really magical moment while Belle read Beauty & The Beast.

I know moments like that aren't going to be happening for a while, but I found during that trip that we were really itching to just get on a couple rides first thing then have lunch before we were ready for characters - only to find that they'd (mostly) disappeared for the day! A couple were still spotted around here and there, like Mary Poppins, or of course character meals - but we really enjoy the "walk around and have a magic moment" happen with a character. Like when we walked off Splash Mountain and I was having a meltdown, Santa Claus came out of nowhere and wished me a happy birthday and disappeared into the crowds.

I'm (hoping) to be going in November again for my birthday this year, and I know characters won't be the same this time around. I've seen the meet & greet locations, I know to check the app, and I know about dining and the cavalcades.

My questions are:

1) Just how late do characters seem to be staying out? In 2018, we noticed almost no characters after about 1PM and we asked cast members a couple times. Some things came up last time and we missed quite a few of our early mornings, so characters were mostly gone by the time we got to the park. I know to plan to go earlier this time around, but do I leave the mornings completely open?
2) Are characters' hours longer as park hours increase?
3) Do cavalcades happen ALL DAY or just kind of in the early morning/early afternoon? What's a good time to plan to be on Main Street and for how long in order to see at least a couple characters?

I know cavalcades and the like are sporadic with no schedule to prevent crowds gathering and that they come by fairly frequently, but I also don't want to spend the entire day on Main Street. I've also noticed most princesses meeting at the Faire tend to be Ariel, Belle, Tiana, Merida from what I can see from YouTube videos and photos - if I ask for rough whereabouts of Aurora (who is for sure the most important character for us to meet), will castmembers be able to help or am I just going to get a "they appear during the morningtime" kind of response? ):

I'm coming from Canada, so I find myself very much in a rush to just kind of get in and get started no matter how many times I sat down and tried to enjoy things. I've planned to have at least a couple of snack breaks (30ish minutes) in places I know characters to pop around, or spend a little more time lingering in Fantasyland and an hour during the morning to browse Main Street. Is this enough time? I want to take in Disneyland and just sit and enjoy it, but I also have a lot of rides that would really ruin my entire trip if I didn't go on them 900 times in a row until I know the names and faces of every cast member working there that day (looking at you, Indiana Jones.)

We're not looking to plan every second and to go with the flow, but characters are a huge part of what makes Disneyland magical for my group and I know no matter what the trip will be great, but if I know to spend an hour on Mainstreet every morning or that Princesses disappear by the afternoon then we can do mornings in Fantasyland instead of trying to avoid crowds.

Answers, tips, advice, feedback would be really helpful! Thanks so much!

 

[smartlabelprint]

There was a guy with special needs that was totally into the characters on a different mice board chat a long time ago. I don’t know if he still is but I’d pop over there to check. If anyone would know these answers it would be him.

 

[GBRforWDW]

Hello, I'm at DL now.

I will say I have seen characters in different spots throughout the day, especially at the town square area in California Adventure and just outside of it's a small world, but they're also in other areas too, but usually in a distanced place, with the character handlers close by during movement.

As far as cavalcades I've unfortunately only seen 1 and it was while eating at lamplight lounge and the Toy Story Cavalcade was going along the path outside the little mermaid and Golden Zephyr.

I have been keeping a running trip report here if you want to see some of the characters, though I'm not sure most of what we've seen will be helpful.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/we’re-off-to-see-the-magic-tr.3847377/

 

[gelatoni fan]

Hello, I'm at DL now.

I will say I have seen characters in different spots throughout the day, especially at the town square area in California Adventure and just outside of it's a small world, but they're also in other areas too, but usually in a distanced place, with the character handlers close by during movement.

As far as cavalcades I've unfortunately only seen 1 and it was while eating at lamplight lounge and the Toy Story Cavalcade was going along the path outside the little mermaid and Golden Zephyr.

I have been keeping a running trip report here if you want to see some of the characters, though I'm not sure most of what we've seen will be helpful.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/we’re-off-to-see-the-magic-tr.3847377/

If you'd be willing to look into the info of the pictures of characters/cavalcades and post when they were taken, it would be super helpful. For example, if I knew that someone took a picture with a character at a particular spot at say, 1:12PM, I may pay extra attention to that spot just after 1PM because I know that a character was there on a previous day. I know that character times will likely not be 100% the same on any two days but if there's any patterns, this info can definitely help.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

If you'd be willing to look into the info of the pictures of characters/cavalcades and post when they were taken, it would be super helpful. For example, if I knew that someone took a picture with a character at a particular spot at say, 1:12PM, I may pay extra attention to that spot just after 1PM because I know that a character was there on a previous day. I know that character times will likely not be 100% the same on any two days but if there's any patterns, this info can definitely help.

You can get much more helpful info by talking to the character host CMs the day you’re in the parks. Schedules are changing frequently (VERY frequently). There are mostly consistent locations and set times, but who is there (if anyone) can really vary.

You will occasionally hit a host who’s not super forthcoming. In that case, just hit up another one somewhere else. If you’re friendly and kind, and act hopeful/polite rather than entitled, they will usually be very helpful.

Stuff like, “We are really looking forward to seeing some characters today - do you have any tips as to when and where would be the best places for that?” Or “We have a real (insert character) lover here - any idea if he/she might be around anywhere today?”

My understanding is that most of the CMs don’t know when the cavalcades are happening, though, so they may not be able to help you there…

 

[Angel141925]

They jus announced the princess breakfast was coming back if you had the budget for it. That’s probably going to be your best chance of seeing sleeping beauty.

 

[Rilli]

Toy Story Cavalcade? Hadn't even heard of there being one! That's exciting for sure, we fell in love with Woody on our last trip. Helpful or not, I love seeing trip reports! Thank you so much for reaching out to me when you're enjoying your own vacation, I really apprecite you taking the time to do that. I'm sure I can find a lot of other helpful stuff so I'll be reading along! Enjoy your time!

Absolutely, this was why I was asking here - I ran into a couple of CM's and I was turned away by most of them. CM's work super hard so I always remember to be kind and patient with them even if they can't help. But, sometimes in situations like this, people who're in the parks every day and are maybe looking out for these things can pick up on patterns. On my last visit, we asked about Tinkerbell. It was in 2018 so I don't remember exact wording but something like, "Hi! Are Tinkerbell or any of her other fairy friends in sometime today? We're really hoping to meet Fawn or Tink herself, we love the fairies."

CM crossed his arms, shrugged, said fairies only came out in the Springtime. Came back the next day (were just walking by) and Tinkerbell was there. I've been a bit nervous to approach CM's about characters after that one and I was hoping a seasoned guest would maybe know some patterns and what the best course of action would be.

Yes, we heard about it and we're super excited! We're planning to go to Plaza Inn since we prefer the food there, but we might have to splurge a little if this winds up being the only way. I've seen her in a couple of videos in Fantasyland for distanced meet-and-greets, but she seems fairly rare. ):

Thank you everyone for your responses!! It's so nice to have so many people willing to step in and lend a hand, I really appreciate it.

(sorry for no quotes to directly reply, for some reason it gets flagged as spam, maybe because my account is new)

 

[gelatoni fan]

Toy Story Cavalcade? Hadn't even heard of there being one! That's exciting for sure, we fell in love with Woody on our last trip. Helpful or not, I love seeing trip reports! Thank you so much for reaching out to me when you're enjoying your own vacation, I really apprecite you taking the time to do that. I'm sure I can find a lot of other helpful stuff so I'll be reading along! Enjoy your time!

Absolutely, this was why I was asking here - I ran into a couple of CM's and I was turned away by most of them. CM's work super hard so I always remember to be kind and patient with them even if they can't help. But, sometimes in situations like this, people who're in the parks every day and are maybe looking out for these things can pick up on patterns. On my last visit, we asked about Tinkerbell. It was in 2018 so I don't remember exact wording but something like, "Hi! Are Tinkerbell or any of her other fairy friends in sometime today? We're really hoping to meet Fawn or Tink herself, we love the fairies."

CM crossed his arms, shrugged, said fairies only came out in the Springtime. Came back the next day (were just walking by) and Tinkerbell was there. I've been a bit nervous to approach CM's about characters after that one and I was hoping a seasoned guest would maybe know some patterns and what the best course of action would be.

Yes, we heard about it and we're super excited! We're planning to go to Plaza Inn since we prefer the food there, but we might have to splurge a little if this winds up being the only way. I've seen her in a couple of videos in Fantasyland for distanced meet-and-greets, but she seems fairly rare. ):

Thank you everyone for your responses!! It's so nice to have so many people willing to step in and lend a hand, I really appreciate it.

(sorry for no quotes to directly reply, for some reason it gets flagged as spam, maybe because my account is new)

I have also had mixed experiences getting good information from CMs with some providing loads of helpful info and others seeming to intentionally hide information that they know. I am particularly anxious that some CMs may be less forthcoming than pre-pandemic times because they may not want crowds forming due to social distancing.

Anyway, I hope you manage to meet the characters you want to see on your trip!

 

[GBRforWDW]

Toy Story Cavalcade? Hadn't even heard of there being one! That's exciting for sure, we fell in love with Woody on our last trip. Helpful or not, I love seeing trip reports! Thank you so much for reaching out to me when you're enjoying your own vacation, I really apprecite you taking the time to do that. I'm sure I can find a lot of other helpful stuff so I'll be reading along! Enjoy your time!

Yes, the Toy Story Cavalcade is brand new and looks super cute. We asked our server about it and she said it debuted just a couple weeks ago. She also said the same thing about asking the CMs in tan outfits to see what other times they'd be out. We did not get a chance to do that though unfortunately.

Speaking of Tink, have you seen her WDW cavalcade? When we went in January, we arrived to Magic Kingdom a little late in the day, but as soon as we were on main street, she was coming down main street. Its such a cute and quick little cavalcade, but my daughter loved it.

If you'd be willing to look into the info of the pictures of characters/cavalcades and post when they were taken, it would be super helpful

I've edited my posts with characters to add times. Just scroll til you find characters, the time is usually right above, but may have done a couple below pictures.

I agree, it's definitely helpful to know what times some characters might be out. Always fun to be in the area and spot em!

 

[Karin1984]

You can get much more helpful info by talking to the character host CMs the day you’re in the parks. Schedules are changing frequently (VERY frequently). There are mostly consistent locations and set times, but who is there (if anyone) can really vary.

You will occasionally hit a host who’s not super forthcoming. In that case, just hit up another one somewhere else. If you’re friendly and kind, and act hopeful/polite rather than entitled, they will usually be very helpful.

Stuff like, “We are really looking forward to seeing some characters today - do you have any tips as to when and where would be the best places for that?” Or “We have a real (insert character) lover here - any idea if he/she might be around anywhere today?”

My understanding is that most of the CMs don’t know when the cavalcades are happening, though, so they may not be able to help you there…

I have exactly the same experience in Disneyland Paris. The character handlers carry a piece of paper with the calvacade times with them and were willing to share.

The guest flow CMs either didn't know or weren't allowed to share.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Just to clarify - makes sure you ask character hosts, not just any CM.

I know a lot of character hosts IRL, and I promise that most of them want to be helpful about characters!

 

[gelatoni fan]

I've edited my posts with characters to add times. Just scroll til you find characters, the time is usually right above, but may have done a couple below pictures.

I agree, it's definitely helpful to know what times some characters might be out. Always fun to be in the area and spot em!

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this!
I hope you're having a wonderful trip!

 

[GBRforWDW]

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this!
I hope you're having a wonderful trip!

You're welcome!

It's been pretty great so far. It's rest and relax day today. Daughter is getting antsy for the pool though, so guess we better check it out soon!

We changed hotels yesterday and now have a small water park!

 

[smartlabelprint]

You're welcome!

It's been pretty great so far. It's rest and relax day today. Daughter is getting antsy for the pool though, so guess we better check it out soon!

We changed hotels yesterday and now have a small water park!

Which hotels were you at? I can’t recall from your TR.

 

[GBRforWDW]

Which hotels were you at? I can’t recall from your TR.

We're at the Cambria today.

 

[BriannaRuth]

Just to clarify - makes sure you ask character hosts, not just any CM.

I know a lot of character hosts IRL, and I promise that most of them want to be helpful about characters!

Are the character hosts the ones who are wearing tan?

 

[Rilli]

It seems to be a fairly mixed bag, and I fully understand some of them aren't able to give out some information or just don't know it. I wouldn't say that CM was rude to me, I had a far worse experience while I was there, but it was fairly offputting enough that I get too anxious to walk up to someone. I completely respect they're not wanting crowds to form which is why I was hoping to get some info on just general patterns, and sort of what hours I need to free up to plan where to be roughly and what the kind of absolute latest is to see cavalcades.

I've never been to WDW myself but I have seen pictures of it and it was adorable! You're an absolute lifesaver with the times, I really appreciate you taking the time to do that, thank you! I'm sure I'll learn a lot from it.

Of course! They're the ones I asked, yes - with the "ask me about characters" buttons/pins/etc. But I was hoping to try and get a rough pattern or sort things out before I went, so I know when to plan to be in certain areas. Roughly, of course! I know it's not really planned out and won't be shared to prevent crowds, but I was just hoping for a general idea. Especially for the latest time they'll be appearing. Don't want to wander mainstreet at 3PM and then find out they stopped coming out around 1.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

No one cares about crowds remotely at this point…

Are the character hosts the ones who are wearing tan?

They usually have “ask me about character” pins or you can tell they’re monitoring/accompanying characters. The ones in the Fantasy Faire area are usually good, but YMMV.

 

[GBRforWDW]

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this!
I hope you're having a wonderful trip!

Not sure if you followed my trip report, but wanted to let you know I added a new post with characters and more info I was able to get from character CMs on Saturday!

It's currently the last post on the trip report.

 

[I❤MICKEY]

Hello, I'm at DL now.

I will say I have seen characters in different spots throughout the day, especially at the town square area in California Adventure and just outside of it's a small world, but they're also in other areas too, but usually in a distanced place, with the character handlers close by during movement.

As far as cavalcades I've unfortunately only seen 1 and it was while eating at lamplight lounge and the Toy Story Cavalcade was going along the path outside the little mermaid and Golden Zephyr.

I have been keeping a running trip report here if you want to see some of the characters, though I'm not sure most of what we've seen will be helpful.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/we’re-off-to-see-the-magic-tr.3847377/

Did the characters with their handlers have photopass photographers with them?