how important are the autograph books?

[violet13]

I want to take my 4 boys to a character meal if I can, but why do I need to have an autograph book. Is that a requirement to go to these special meals? A 2 & 3 year old just doesn't care about autographs, and I'd rather just save my $$. I am more interested in gettting pictures. We are allowed to use our own camera, aren't we?? Thanks.

 

[Barb D]

They are most certainly not necessary. Your 2yo could care less, and your 3yo probably won't care either. Are your other boys older? If they are, they might really enjoy getting the autographs, but there's no rule that says you have to do it. One year I got a spiral bound book of index cards from WalMart for one of my kids. It only cost a couple of dollars. My idea was to separate the pages when we got home, add the photographs, laminate the pages, and hook them together on a key ring. I never got around to it, but I still think it's a good idea! (The reason I got the spiral bound index cards was so that they wouldn't get scattered around at WDW.)

Anyway, the official autograph books only cost about $5 or $6, and they are a lot of fun. You can buy them at any store or kiosk in WDW.

Yes, you can use your own camera anywhere. You can use it at the character meals (I don't think they even have cast members (CMs) there with cameras) and you can even use it at the character meet-and-greet places in the parks where they DO have CMs with cameras. The CMs will even use your camera to take a picture of your entire family.

 

[ellyn2000]

My kids have always enjoyed the autograph books, but you can use any type of book you like. I would just get a pocket size spiral bound notebook (you can find them with Disney characters on them) and a fat pen and use that if you decide it's something your children would enjoy. They REALLY enjoy the Epcot passports and these things make great souveniers when you come home. Either way, just do what you think your children will enjoy and you'll be fine. You can get really cheap disposable cameras at WalMart and your older children may enjoy having their own pictures when they come home. Have a great trip!!!

 

[pajamommy]

We've gone the last 2 years with our kids, the last time they were 4 and 2, and we did not do the autograph books, they never even noticed others with them, it was enough for them to meet the characters. This next time, we'll get the autograph books, with them being 3 and 5, I think they'll enjoy it this year. Have fun!

 

[Kallison]

We have used the same autograph books for each trip and the kids like to take a trip down memory lane and remember which characters they saw. My daughter was 4 on her first trip and now will be 7 on her 3rd trip and loves to look at her autographs. Also on our first trip we got white painters hats at the craft store for $1.50 and the characters autographed them with fat fabric pens. That was a nice souveneir, plus they wore them on their trip. Now they sit on their bedposts.

 

[carrieann]

Even if you don't have an autograph book the characters will find something to sign! At Donald's Breakfastosaurus Donald, Mickey, Goofy and Pluto all signed a ''Dinoland newspaper" for my son. At the Ice cream Social the characters signed the coloring page - you might want to at least take a fat marker as the crayons at the restaurants are hard for the characters to hold.

 

[Super Mom]

On our last trip, my DS's were 5 & 3 and did not do autograph books. This trip, they are 9 & 7 with a 3 year old brother. We bought really cool notepads at the Dollar Store. One is a circle, one is a square and one is a triangle, They are sturdy, spiral bound with solid colored pages and psychedelic covers. These are their "autograph books" for our trip next month.

 

[MiknMinMouse]

We've used the same autograph books for going on 3 years now ~VBG. If this is your only trip to Disney for awhile then go ahead and splurge ~ they don't cost much. We also use them for the stickers that you can get from some cast members or if we buy any so they serve a dual purpose. It's nice for shy kids to have something to do as well ~ if they have the action of handing the character something to sign, it can sometimes break the ice. ALSO, sometimes the characters will do something special on a page that makes a great memory. My son wore a Doug shirt to MGM one day. Well the person playing Doug saw him (at that time he was the only kid with a Doug shirt on) so he posed for several photos and signed a really neat autograph saying it was to his #1 fan. My son still loves that autograph 2 years later.

 

[sha_lyn]

Autographs were very improtant to our 2 1/2 DD. I have a very funny story that tells just how impotant. We were at MGM on the animation tour. We had just finish the part where the cartoonist drws and does a little talk on Disney animation. As we were leaving DD grabbed me and startign crying like crasy trying to open my fanny pack. Finally we got her calmed down enough so she could tell us what was wrong, she wanted the cartoonist's autograph. We walked back to him and he very gladly drew her a picture of Mickey and autographed it. She loves getting the autographs and looking at the book once we got home.