Is there any expert for DLR similar to Kenny the Pirate for WDW?
Kenny has some good information on DLR too. Also,
Disneyland's app has character listings and where they will be. Note- it is not always accurate, you can't completely count on it, but it is helpful. Note- unlike at WDW, at DL the characters often roam around and they do not always stop to meet and greet in the same spot. If you go to the area where the app is showing a character is going to be and can't find the character- ask a CM around that area- they sometimes have a really good idea where that character likes to hang out. Also- we definitely have seen characters pop up that don't show up on the app.
Is there anything like Characterpalooza?
Not to my knowledge
Is it even possible to meet all the princesses (and one queen) in DLR on a typical visit?
In our experience, it has been pretty difficult to meet all the Princesses in one visit at DLR. Sleeping Beauty is surprisingly hard to find considering she actually has a castle at DL. Because of Pixar Pier- the one Princess Character meal- Ariel's Grotto just closed. That was the best place to pick up a variety of Princesses (I think that is the only place we have seen Mulan at DLR and we did run into Pochahontas there once). No word of whether they are going to put a new Princess meal somewhere. As popular as it was, I would certainly hope so. There is Princess Fantasy Faire, and usually a couple of Princesses rotate meets right outside of Fantasy Faire. Anna, Elsa, Olaf and Kristoff can usually be found at CA. We ran into Pochahontas by Frontierland last summer, but that was the only time we have seen her outside of Ariel's Grotto. Tiana can be hard to find but she sometimes hangs out around New Orleans Square.
On the bright side, we have seen Snow White's Evil Queen every trip for years! She is generally not hard to find!
Also- the lines typically aren't as bad as WDW- but I don't know what the Princess meal closure will do to that. We typically only wait 10 minutes for Princess Fantasy Faire in the afternoon in July (just don't go right as the Princess show just across from it is getting out because people go straight from there to the line. Last summer when we were there Moana's line was consistently insane. DD just had to meet her so we waited 60 minutes. Elena's was also consistently long, but I think we got out in 20 or 30 minutes. Like at WDW- you want to get there a little bit BEFORE the characters come out if they have sets. Seems like Moana and Elena were out all day and just taking breaks. We were able to hit all the Marvel characters without much of a wait with just a little planning ahead as they were meeting in sets and we found the posted times on the app or maybe Kenny's website- or found timing tips here on the boards.
Are there any characters that are easier to meet at DLR than WDW?
Yes!! Evil Queen; Cruella; Captain Hook; Bert; Mad Hatter; Oswald and recently some of the Marvel Characters (last summer it was Groot, Gamora Captain America, Spider Man, Black Widow and Hawkeye for meet and greet lines and you could see Starlord/Peter Quill at the dance party and Thor occasionally walked about- those have changed up some and probably will again before this summer).
The first time I saw Cruella out for a meet and greet which was on one of our first family DL trips and back before we had been to the WDW
MNSSHP, I screamed and went running towards her like a 5 year old and I thought DH and DD were going to fall over they were laughing so hard.
Also- I would absolutely recommend Minnie's Breakfast. The minimum number of characters we have met there is 7 and we have met up to 12. They have some characters that you about always see there like Minnie, Captain Hook, Max (Goofy's son), Fairy Godmother, and you can run into Pooh,Tigger, Eeyore, Chip and/or Dale pretty regularly. Every time we have been there we have pretty much had a fun surprise character or two. Last summer it was Suzy and Perla (the mice from Cinderella), in past years we have seen Brer Fox, Penguin from Mary Poppins, Gepetto, Tweedle Dum (or was it Dee); Pinnochio; Mad Hatter and Alice, and I'm sure more that I'm I can't think of off the top of my head.
Also- back at Mickey's house- you never know how he is going to be dressed. It could be regular Mickey, or Sorcerer Robe mickey, or Bandleader Mickey or Steamboat Willie! Don't trust the wait time posted- we have seen the sign say 60 minutes when it was 5 or 10. Also, if you get in there and it is a really long line- leave and come back later- it really fluctuates and we have almost always been able to catch it at 15 minutes or less.
Hmmmm - are characters even as big a deal at DLR as they are at WDW?
Are they possibly a bigger deal?
They are a different deal, and can be more fun. We love that there are almost always surprises. Also, they have some structured meet and greets, but many are not as structured at WDW and they don't always have a CM handler with them. There are several characters that roam and play instead of doing formal meet and greets. For example- last summer we found where Peter Pan was going to be on the app and got there about 5 minutes before he was scheduled to come out. When he got there, in Peter Pan style he announced that he thought formal meetings were stuffy and boring and he didn't want to just stand there while picture took pictures of him, he wanted to play. He then proceeded to play Hide and Seek and Red Light/Green light with the kids in the area and any adults he could get to join in for half an hour. DD had an absolutely wonderful time, and towards the end he did sign some autographs and pose for a few pictures with the kids that had stuck around and played with him. Also, sometimes Mary Poppins and Bert simply stroll. If you stroll along with them they might sign a book or pause for a photo. Mad Hatter and Alice sometimes stop and hold "unbirthday parties" instead of formal meets. It can really often be a lot more fun than just standing in a long line for a quick picture and autograph, although you will find some characters around DLR with formal lines too. It is a good mix.
Who has FastPass/MaxPass options?
Haven't seen anyone with a FP option since Anna and Elsa were new. Can't speak to maxpass because it started in the middle of our last trip so we did not use it.
And most importantly! - Is Marie the Cat anywhere at DLR?[/QUOTE]
Sorry- but we have been at DLR every summer for the last 8 years and I don't think we have ever seen Marie there.
Does DLR have pre-park opening breakfasts? I’d love to do Minnie and friends but I hate to take out touring time. We are going at a very busy time.
When are you going? If it is summer, it may not be as bad as you are expecting (unless you are going the last few days before the Socal pass summer blackout). Also, the first couple of hours in the morning are usually great. I don't think they usually do pre-park as the park usually opens at 8:00 am. with early hours at 7:00 a.m.- at least in the summer. I would recommend booking between 10: 00 a.m. and 10:45- that way you get a couple of hours of short lines first. Minnie'si is our favorite character meal from both WDW and DLR. It has more characters and it is not standardized so you still have surprises of who you might see!
But she did.
) with our granddaughter on her first trip (she will be 3 and 1/2). She is over the top into Princesses (especially Anna and Elsa) as well as Minnie Mouse. I am just starting to educate myself on all of this. 
