Meeting characters in DLR. (WDW vet.)

[momof2n2]

Suddenly planning a vacation to SoCal that will include 4 days at DLR. I am very early in my planning and need to give myself a crash course. I plan on reading all the Hydroguy threads ASAP.

That said, we just did WDW in 2016 and in our typical commando fashion met more characters than I could possibly count. We also managed a Princess Grand Slam.

I won't lie - it was a little stressful.

So - I'm now wondering what people can share about meeting characters at DLR.

Is there any expert for DLR similar to Kenny the Pirate for WDW?
Is there anything like Characterpalooza?
Is it even possible to meet all the princesses (and one queen) in DLR on a typical visit?
Are there any characters that are easier to meet at DLR than WDW?
Hmmmm - are characters even as big a deal at DLR as they are at WDW?
Are they possibly a bigger deal?
Who has FastPass/MaxPass options?
And most importantly! - Is Marie the Cat anywhere at DLR?

 

[figment_jii]

I can't answer all of your questions, but...

Is there any expert for DLR similar to Kenny the Pirate for WDW?

I haven't seen anything quite like Kenny the Pirate for DLR. He has been branching out and doing more at DLR, so perhaps his site has some DLR info that could help you.

Is it even possible to meet all the princesses (and one queen) in DLR on a typical visit?

Do you mean Snow White, Cinderella, Aurora, Ariel, Belle, Jasmine, Pocahontas, Mulan, Tiana, Rapunzel, and Merida, plus Elsa? I think you can find many of them, but I'd be hesitant to say that you'll be able to find all of them. It probably depends on when you are going because the busier times of the year tend to have more characters out and about. You'll find many of them rotating through Princess Fantasy Faire and in the main entrance area, but it does vary by day.

Are there any characters that are easier to meet at DLR than WDW?

There are some characters at DLR that you can't meet at WDW. The ones that come to mind are the Marvel characters and Oswald. In terms of the characters at both parks, I'd be inclined to say that "yes" they're easier to meet because you don't have to deal with as long of lines (usually) and FP+, but "no" because you can't necessarily plan ahead to meet them. I'd take a look at the Disneyland App and check out the character schedule to see who's out and about (and where) each day.

I feel like at DLR, you see characters more often because they're not in building and they're frequently in high traffic areas (e.g., Buena Vista Street, Town Square). I don't know if this means they're actually easier to meet, it just feels like there are more "random" chances to see a character. On the flip side, I think WDW has more characters in general because there are more parks.

Hmmmm - are characters even as big a deal at DLR as they are at WDW?

I'd tentatively say that are not...in that, guests like the characters, but they don't seem to need to have meets that are quite as structured as they are at WDW. You'll often find characters roaming around areas. There are some fixed meet and greet locations (like Pixie Hollow and Princess Fantasy Faire), but you'll also find characters in not-random, but not fixed locations throughout the parks (e.g., look around Fantasyland, you might find Peter Pan and friends or Pinocchio and friends, keep your eyes open in Tomorrowland and you might find some Stormtroopers).

Who has FastPass/MaxPass options?

I don't think any of the characters meet and greets are using FP/MP at this point. That could change, but none come to mind at this point.

And most importantly! - Is Marie the Cat anywhere at DLR?

I don't think she's a regular anywhere...at least not at this point.

 

[momof2n2]

Thank you so much @figment_jii !

And -OhSnap!- MARVEL?!?!!??

I seriously just took it up a level in enthusiasm.

Whom can we hope to meet? I totally forgot they can meet west of the Mississippi! I just knew I couldn’t afford DCL with Marvel day.

And are there lots of Star Wars guys, or just Storm Troopers?

@mom2rtk advised me to download the app today so I will start playing with it.

Thank you!

 

[LilyJC]

Is there any expert for DLR similar to Kenny the Pirate for WDW?

I enjoy following Casey at Disneyland Daily. She has a fun Facebook page or you can check out her website https://disneylanddaily.com/

Tom Bricker has the Disney Tourist Blog and covers both DLR and WDW. He also has a FB page and website. http://www.disneytouristblog.com/

My family has never been fans of character interactions, so I can’t help you there!

 

[Minnie17]

Check out disneyland daily, she’s at DLR about once a week. Her website has some great advice and touring plans. Also listen to some ( or a bunch) of the dis unplugged Disneyland podcast, lots of great info. I also appreciated hydro guys thread.


As far as characters go I had all boys with me. Launch bay was great, saw the storm troopers a few times. It was so relaxed at DLR compared to WDW. Now the best part for me during our trip: it was our last day my youngest wanted to meet Oswald. We were at Disneyland so we headed down Main to to go to DCA. My youngest spotted Pluto ( another favorite) and started walking towards him (Pluto was alone) some girls jumped in front of my son when he got close. Pluto put up his paw towards my son indicating he was next. After the girls were done Pluto took my son by his hand and walked him down Main Street, skipping and playing having a magical time. Then took my son to Daisy who danced with him until it was Minnie’s turn . It was so amazing and I’m sure that doesn’t happen everyday but WOW. I was smiling thru my tears.

Minnie waved bye after her interaction and we went to DCA and waited just a few minutes to meet Oswald.

Hope you find some similar magic!

 

[smartlabelprint]

There are 2 marvel chracters at the Star Wars building. Then random walk bys of the storm troopers. I’m not sure you can do photos with them though.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

Thank you so much @figment_jii !

And are there lots of Star Wars guys, or just Storm Troopers?

At the Star Wars Launch Bay you can meet with Darth Vader and Chewbacca, and sometime Kylo Ren and another guy, the name is escaping me. A fighter pilot for the rebellion I believe.

 

[chris1212]

We are WDW vets and just got back from our first DL trip. I found lines to meet characters were usually much shorter than WDW. Also was so strange to just see characters roaming the streets, something I have never seen at WDW.

For example, we met Anna and Elsa at DCA earlier this week and basically walked in and met them in a minute or two. The line for them at WDW has always been very very long when we have been there.

No Fastpasses were available to meet characters when we were just there.

 

[Disney_Alli]

At the Star Wars Launch Bay you can meet with Darth Vader and Chewbacca, and sometime Kylo Ren and another guy, the name is escaping me. A fighter pilot for the rebellion I believe.

YOU CAN MEET POE DAMERON?!?!?!?!?!?!

I just got more excited for my DLR trip in September if that's the case

 

[Lesley Wake]

Thank you so much @figment_jii !

And -OhSnap!- MARVEL?!?!!??

I seriously just took it up a level in enthusiasm.

Whom can we hope to meet? I totally forgot they can meet west of the Mississippi! I just knew I couldn’t afford DCL with Marvel day.

And are there lots of Star Wars guys, or just Storm Troopers?

@mom2rtk advised me to download the app today so I will start playing with it.

Thank you!

Marvel is all at DCA. There is Captain America and Spiderman. Right now there is a Thor and Loki meet, but I know Black Panther should be arriving soon-don’t know if they will be replaced. And in front of Guardians of the Galaxy, there is a dance-off with Starlord and Gamora, but they don’t typically stay for photos (sometimes you can find them around but that is rare); but once that is over you can get photos with adult Groot, which is cool!

The characters at DLR are more roaming, so just walk around and you stop them to take a photo. Fantasyland in the morning is the best, with Gaston strutting by, Peter Pan making fun of him behind, and Captain Hook following behind! Dr Facillier is also great in New Orleans Square.

Getting all of the princesses may be hard-Merida and Pocahontas are rare. BUT, you do get to see Anna and Elsa together, which is cool, and Moana is available.

The Cars in Carsland are really cool and there are 3-4 who do proper meets!

The main characters (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Daisy) also have different costumes in each park, and meet near the entrance.

 

[SOCALMouseMommy]

YOU CAN MEET POE DAMERON?!?!?!?!?!?!

I just got more excited for my DLR trip in September if that's the case

I'm really not sure who it was. I hope someone else can confirm. My son was "afraid" of whoever it was and so I wasn't able to get over to see the name (although according to him, "Darth Vader is not scary," ).
Edited to add that I see I got it wrong as another poster confirmed it's Bobba Fett, not a fighter pilot, oops!

 

[alisonleigh21]

There are 2 marvel chracters at the Star Wars building. Then random walk bys of the storm troopers. I’m not sure you can do photos with them though.

This is no longer accurate, Marvel characters now meet in DCA. Marvel Characters you can meet as of right now are Thor, Loki, Captain America, Spiderman (I think), Groot, and I think you can meet Star Lord/Gamora after the Dance thing they do.

You can meet Chewbacca, Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, and Bobba Fett (sometimes) in Star Wars land. No Poe Dameron meet and greets.

One nice thing about Disneyland is that they have more spontaneous character meet and greets than DW. You will randomly find rare characters like Honest John, Gepetto, etc. wandering around. Use the App to find when/where characters are meeting!

PS: If characters are your thing, I highly recommend Minnie's Breakfast at Plaza Inn. There are usually 10-12 characters, including a couple of rare ones. I've seen Perla & Susie (mice from Cinderella), Fairy Godmother, Rafikki, and Max.

 

[smartlabelprint]

This is no longer accurate, Marvel characters now meet in DCA. Marvel Characters you can meet as of right now are Thor, Loki, Captain America, Spiderman (I think), Groot, and I think you can meet Star Lord/Gamora after the Dance thing they do.

You can meet Chewbacca, Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, and Bobba Fett (sometimes) in Star Wars land. No Poe Dameron meet and greets.

One nice thing about Disneyland is that they have more spontaneous character meet and greets than DW. You will randomly find rare characters like Honest John, Gepetto, etc. wandering around. Use the App to find when/where characters are meeting!

PS: If characters are your thing, I highly recommend Minnie's Breakfast at Plaza Inn. There are usually 10-12 characters, including a couple of rare ones. I've seen Perla & Susie (mice from Cinderella), Fairy Godmother, Rafikki, and Max.

My DH would be ashamed. lol
I meant Chewbacca et al.

 

[Haley R]

There are 2 marvel chracters at the Star Wars building. Then random walk bys of the storm troopers. I’m not sure you can do photos with them though.

You can if you take a quick selfie

 

[Vala]

Pocahontas is really rare, the best bet to find her is at one of the Halloween parties. Merida is in the courtyard of the Princess Fantasy Faire if she's out. She is rare, but not as hard to catch as Pocahontas.

Starlord and Gamorra do not officially meet after the Dance Off. They walk back slowly to a cast exit door after - they give kids high fives and that. If you are brave enough to ask for a selfie they seem to let you take one. Or maybe they took pity on me because I was so obviously an overexcited tourist. I was lucky and even got proper photos cause my friend hadn't put her phone away and took the pictures for me.

One character no one has mentioned yet who's not in WDW is Kristoff. In the Frozen meet for Anna and Elsa there's two rooms. First room is Olaf and Kristoff (not necessarily both of them though, sometimes neither one is there) and second one Anna and Elsa.

Dr. Facilier was roaming New Orleans Square in November, pretty much saw him every day. I was even lucky enough to run into Jack Sparrow near the rafts to Pirates Lair one morning.

 

[momof2n2]

Marvel is all at DCA. There is Captain America and Spiderman. Right now there is a Thor and Loki meet, but I know Black Panther should be arriving soon-don’t know if they will be replaced. And in front of Guardians of the Galaxy, there is a dance-off with Starlord and Gamora, but they don’t typically stay for photos (sometimes you can find them around but that is rare); but once that is over you can get photos with adult Groot, which is cool!

The characters at DLR are more roaming, so just walk around and you stop them to take a photo. Fantasyland in the morning is the best, with Gaston strutting by, Peter Pan making fun of him behind, and Captain Hook following behind! Dr Facillier is also great in New Orleans Square.

Getting all of the princesses may be hard-Merida and Pocahontas are rare. BUT, you do get to see Anna and Elsa together, which is cool, and Moana is available.

The Cars in Carsland are really cool and there are 3-4 who do proper meets!

The main characters (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Daisy) also have different costumes in each park, and meet near the entrance.

GOTG.
Moana.
Cars.
Loki.

My kids will be over the moon!!!

These responses are blowing me away. Thank you.
I need to figure out how to download Podcasts. That would be a great idea. I also now know I should never put my camera way!

 

[Vala]

I also now know I should never put my camera way!

Yes, always be prepared. My friend still is angry at herself for not having her phone ready when Starlord pulled me in for one part of the audience participation at the Dance Off. I'm trying to stay vague here, not sure if you want to go in unspoilered with absolutely no idea of what's happening. I did and in hindsight I have to say it wasn't my best idea.

I just remembered another thing that wasn't mentioned before. Rapunzel's normally with Flynn when she meets. Flynn usually gets my East Coast friends bouncing.

They often meet in the Princess Fantasy Faire Courtyard, same place where Merida and Jasmine/Aladdin meet too. When you go to the Royal Theater in Fantasy Faire and catch a performance there they usually come out to meet in the theater after the first two shows. Lines are much shorter there. Don't leave the theater after the performance, they won't allow you back in. Same goes for Belle after the Beauty and the Beast performances - she's not with Beast though.

 

[figment_jii]

I've seen Lightning McQueen, Mater, Red (the fire engine), and Cruz Ramirez in Carsland. The main meeting spot is by the Cozy Cones, but during the busy periods, I've also seen them up by Filmore's and along the back walkway across from Luigi's. DJ also comes out as part of the dance party, but he doesn't do a meet & greet like the others. The Carsland meets are fun because they're interactive (the Cars will talk and make noises). During HalloweenTime (last year), they had on costumes (e.g., Red was a clown, McQueen was a super hero, Cruz was a pirate and Mater was a vampire) and during the Holidays, Mater wears a Santa Hat.

 

[Haley R]

I've seen Lightning McQueen, Mater, Red (the fire engine), and Cruz Ramirez in Carsland. The main meeting spot is by the Cozy Cones, but during the busy periods, I've also seen them up by Filmore's and along the back walkway across from Luigi's. DJ also comes out as part of the dance party, but he doesn't do a meet & greet like the others. The Carsland meets are fun because they're interactive (the Cars will talk and make noises). During HalloweenTime (last year), they had on costumes (e.g., Red was a clown, McQueen was a super hero, Cruz was a pirate and Mater was a vampire) and during the Holidays, Mater wears a Santa Hat.

Is it super weird to meet the cars characters? I just imagine it to be really weird.

 

[figment_jii]

It depends on what you mean by weird...in some ways, it's no different than meeting Mickey or Minnie or any of the other characters. These characters just happen to be Cars. They're generally almost life-sized (Red is smaller than a typical fire engine, but he's bigger than the other cars in Carsland).