How many characters will we meet on a cruise?

[xQuizx]

Use your DCL App on your phone. It will tell you how many times a certain character will appear during your cruise. We did this to ensure we were able to meet characters that only came out once of twice during the cruise. What's nice is you can star which characters you want to meet and then your phone will give you a reminder.

I suggest getting in line early for popular characters like Jack Sparrow. We got in line 15 minutes before he was set to come out and we were the 10th person/group in line.

 

[jdb in AZ]

And there are two kinds of unscheduled character meetings. One is when characters wonder around and meet a person/family here or there as they go. Another is when they set up a line and meet a bunch of families in a row, but not at a scheduled time and place. Both are great, and in addition to the scheduled meets and greets.

We were in the hallway near the art gallery when three of Cinderelly's mice walked by and posed for pictures with us. We also attended the Castaway Cay Club mtg (for passengers who have cruised with DCL more than 5 times) and Captain Mickey posed with the ship's captain and anyone who wanted their pictures taken.

 

[DrHickenlocher]

And there are two kinds of unscheduled character meetings. One is when characters wonder around and meet a person/family here or there as they go. Another is when they set up a line and meet a bunch of families in a row, but not at a scheduled time and place. Both are great, and in addition to the scheduled meets and greets.

We were out on the Disney Wonder Deck 4 Promenade after our 9am Anna/Elsa character greeting at the cruiseport of Ensenada when "Mexican" Goofy walked out. He came right up to my daughter and gave her a big hug while she still had a shuffleboard stick in her hand. He then salsa danced with me before pairing up with my wife and doing a quick couples dance with her. Priceless! After that, he went over to the railing and started waving to all the people down on the dock.

 

[ninergrl6]

The lines to meet characters on the cruise are MUCH shorter than at the theme parks (10-15 min vs. 30-60 min). Characters are fairly easy to meet on the ship, planned and unplanned. Skip Goofy's Kitchen (although they sell Dole Whip with rum at the coffee shop next door -- don't skip that lol).

The character dining I recommend in Anaheim is breakfast at Storyteller's Cafe at the Grand Californian, not for the characters (Brother Bear, Chip and Dale, Meeko) but for the delicious food. I love that restaurant.

 

[ninergrl6]

We were out on the Disney Wonder Deck 4 Promenade after our 9am Anna/Elsa character greeting at the cruiseport of Ensenada when "Mexican" Goofy walked out. He came right up to my daughter and gave her a big hug while she still had a shuffleboard stick in her hand. He then salsa danced with me before pairing up with my wife and doing a quick couples dance with her. Priceless! After that, he went over to the railing and started waving to all the people down on the dock.

I LOVE when the characters are in their regional outfits! I'm an adult with no kids and I stand in line for them. lol Got 4 in less than an hour on my UK/Iceland/Norway cruise. Goofy in a kilt was hilarious!

 

[MichelleCanada]

And there are two kinds of unscheduled character meetings. One is when characters wonder around and meet a person/family here or there as they go. Another is when they set up a line and meet a bunch of families in a row, but not at a scheduled time and place. Both are great, and in addition to the scheduled meets and greets.

We had Chip and Dale come out and just dance and joke around with some kids on the pool deck on the Wonder when it wasn't very busy. Stitch did the same thing on a different day. Goofy was walking through the hallway one day and took some pictures with our DH6. I like seeing all of the characters in their nautical outfits.

We have stood in long lines at WDW to meet characters and found it easy and not very time-consuming on the cruise!

 

[HuskyGal]

They will also have open houses in the kids club where everyone can go and experience special activities. I did one with DS10 on our Fantasy cruise in March and we met (and did "magic") with Dr. Strange. So, there are a ton of character meet opportunities on the ship!

Dh and ds would love to meet Dr. Strange!

 

[HuskyGal]

The lines to meet characters on the cruise are MUCH shorter than at the theme parks (10-15 min vs. 30-60 min). Characters are fairly easy to meet on the ship, planned and unplanned. Skip Goofy's Kitchen (although they sell Dole Whip with rum at the coffee shop next door -- don't skip that lol).

The character dining I recommend in Anaheim is breakfast at Storyteller's Cafe at the Grand Californian, not for the characters (Brother Bear, Chip and Dale, Meeko) but for the delicious food. I love that restaurant.

Thank you for the time range! Very encouraging. There’s no way my DS would wait any longer. Would love to fit Fantasmic and World of Color dining packages into the budget Lol. I’ve been debating whether or not to upgrade from hungry bear to blue bayou for the Fantasmic package. I feel like blue bayou would be too fancy for us.

 

[HuskyGal]

We had Chip and Dale come out and just dance and joke around with some kids on the pool deck on the Wonder when it wasn't very busy. Stitch did the same thing on a different day. Goofy was walking through the hallway one day and took some pictures with our DH6. I like seeing all of the characters in their nautical outfits.

We have stood in long lines at WDW to meet characters and found it easy and not very time-consuming on the cruise!

Thank you!

 

[HuskyGal]

We were out on the Disney Wonder Deck 4 Promenade after our 9am Anna/Elsa character greeting at the cruiseport of Ensenada when "Mexican" Goofy walked out. He came right up to my daughter and gave her a big hug while she still had a shuffleboard stick in her hand. He then salsa danced with me before pairing up with my wife and doing a quick couples dance with her. Priceless! After that, he went over to the railing and started waving to all the people down on the dock.

Can’t wait for Mexican goofy.

 

[HuskyGal]

We were in the hallway near the art gallery when three of Cinderelly's mice walked by and posed for pictures with us. We also attended the Castaway Cay Club mtg (for passengers who have cruised with DCL more than 5 times) and Captain Mickey posed with the ship's captain and anyone who wanted their pictures taken.

I didn’t think rare characters like the mice would be on a cruise. That would be exciting!

 

[HuskyGal]

Use your DCL App on your phone. It will tell you how many times a certain character will appear during your cruise. We did this to ensure we were able to meet characters that only came out once of twice during the cruise. What's nice is you can star which characters you want to meet and then your phone will give you a reminder.

I suggest getting in line early for popular characters like Jack Sparrow. We got in line 15 minutes before he was set to come out and we were the 10th person/group in line.

Super helpful. Thank you so much. I’m very glad to know I can check the app.

 

[HuskyGal]

Thank you for the reminder to buy pirate gear for the cruise. I added a reminder for myself for post halloweeen sales!

 

[ninergrl6]

Thank you for the time range! Very encouraging. There’s no way my DS would wait any longer. Would love to fit Fantasmic and World of Color dining packages into the budget Lol. I’ve been debating whether or not to upgrade from hungry bear to blue bayou for the Fantasmic package. I feel like blue bayou would be too fancy for us.

IMO the ambiance is better than the food at Blue Bayou. I'd stick with Hungry Bear. I also think World of Color is better than Fantasmic.

 

[GPaLarry]

Not all characters are in costume. Yes, i know, a number of your fellow cruisers are characters, some good, some bad. However, when we were on our B2B Med./WBTA a couple of years ago we got to know the cast member who was responsible for our section of deck during the safety drill...he even gave us a quick tour of one of the lifeboats. During the "Tangled" show I thought the thug with a hook ("I have a dream" song) looked familiar...wow, it was our guy!! Since we were on the Magic for two weeks, we interacted with him a number of times. Often he was one of the handlers for costumed characters. Other members of the show also gave back stage tours and managed other special events...very cool. When Disney calls their employees "cast members" that means they are always on stage and a character of sorts.

 

[HuskyGal]

IMO the ambiance is better than the food at Blue Bayou. I'd stick with Hungry Bear. I also think World of Color is better than Fantasmic.

Thank you! I’m eyeing that World of Color dessert

 

[cadien]

We were in the hallway near the art gallery when three of Cinderelly's mice walked by and posed for pictures with us. We also attended the Castaway Cay Club mtg (for passengers who have cruised with DCL more than 5 times) and Captain Mickey posed with the ship's captain and anyone who wanted their pictures taken.

This is the first I’ve heard of the mice being on a cruise! Are there specific ones they’re most likely to be on?

 

[cadien]

Thank you for the reminder to buy pirate gear for the cruise. I added a reminder for myself for post halloweeen sales!

I was amazed by how many people wore pirate gear. It felt like over 50%.

Something else to factor in is all the costume changes for the mascots. So catching one photo may not be enough. On our five day cruise, I think there were five sets of outfits on Mickey etc.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

This is the first I’ve heard of the mice being on a cruise! Are there specific ones they’re most likely to be on?

My guess - the Magic (since it has the Twice Charmed show - based on Cinderella)

 

[cadien]

Dang it, we were on the Magic. Now I’ll have to comb through old navigators to see if it’s a particular itinerary.

This matters because my husband’s name is Gus.

Edit: Seems to be Panama Canal. Ouch.