FP for characters?

[Mickey ears all my years]

when we visit our children will be 6 and 4 and we know we will want to see the majority of characters available in the parks. We will also be doing the vast majority of character meals as we are there for 21 days and are on the DDP.
I understand that some character meet and greets offer FP+. In your experience, is FP necessary? Do the stand by lines get far too long? Would we be wasting FPs on characters? We are good waiting 20-30 minutes but I'm not really sure what the average wait for a character meet and greet is.

 

[Shanti]

when we visit our children will be 6 and 4 and we know we will want to see the majority of characters available in the parks. We will also be doing the vast majority of character meals as we are there for 21 days and are on the DDP.
I understand that some character meet and greets offer FP+. In your experience, is FP necessary? Do the stand by lines get far too long? Would we be wasting FPs on characters? We are good waiting 20-30 minutes but I'm not really sure what the average wait for a character meet and greet is.

Imo, meet and greets are one of the best uses of FP, especially during longer trips when you'll have other days to use them on rides. Meet & greet lines tend to move slowly, as the people in them aren't just getting on a ride, but are instead stopping to talk with, pose with, and sometimes get autographs signed by a character. Waits for popular characters are not uncommonly 30-60 minutes, or even higher at peak periods. I recommend either FastPassing characters, getting to them first thing in the morning, or for temporary characters, getting there 10 - 15 minutes prior to their station opening.

 

[tobikaye]

The characters at MK that have FP tend to have longish lines that even during slow times can get to be about 60 minutes. For the length of time you are there, you could probably get FP ad a #4 or #5 if you find you cannot catch the character elsewhere.

 

[pitpat]

I would recommend subscribing to Kenny the Pirate's Character Locator site. It is well worth it for the character expertise he has.

 

[mesaboy2]

when we visit our children will be 6 and 4 and we know we will want to see the majority of characters available in the parks. We will also be doing the vast majority of character meals as we are there for 21 days and are on the DDP.
I understand that some character meet and greets offer FP+. In your experience, is FP necessary? Do the stand by lines get far too long? Would we be wasting FPs on characters? We are good waiting 20-30 minutes but I'm not really sure what the average wait for a character meet and greet is.

Character meets can be long, but so can many other attractions. For my attempt at an unbiased prioritized list with character meets in that context, refer to Post #8 in the FP FAQ.

 

[JPM4]

I used an FP for Epcot character spot and it was 100% worth it! You got a good amount of time with them and the standby was posted at 45 min. We were in and out in about 15 without feeling rushed.