strategies for meeting characters?

[dsdisneywish]

Hi -

We are going to the Magic Kingdom for one day the first week in March with our 4yo daughter. Does anyone have any tips or strategies for meeting up with as many characters (especially the princesses, of course!) as possible? I don't think we will be able to afford the princess breakfast, though. We are planning on making the castle, the Cinderellabration show, and parades the main events of our day. I'm sure if our daughter can meet up with characters she will remember that the most. Thanks!

 

[Annette_VA]

to the DIS!!!

- Always grab a Times Guide when you enter the park (they're with the maps). These will tell you when characters are having greetings

- MK has character greeting areas in Toon Town

- AK has character greeting trails in Camp Minnie Mickey

- EPCOT has the Character Connection, right near the Fountainview Bakery & Cafe

You can also often find characters at the entrance to AK, MK and MGM

Just keep your eyes peeled - they're everywhere!

 

[all4fun]

I think one thing you could do is utilize Guest relations and the Character Location Guide (see FAQ link below) to find out where and when the characters you're most interested in will be that day.

Here's the Characters at a Glance, MK which will show you where the characters typically are located and Character Meet & Greet FAQ which has a lot of tips that you might also find helpful...

hth!

 

[mommystieg]

A good place for meeting characters is the Judges' Tent in Toontown--the biggest drawback to that is having to wait in line. We visited with Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White when we were there last June but we probably waited about 20 minutes....

 

[loopner67]

Head to Toon Town! In the Judge's Tent there are "Set up" meet and greets. There are usually three lines and one is for the Princesses. Depending on when you go, there could be light lines or bigger lines - hate to say that the princess line is usually the longest. BUT it's handy to see a bunch of characters at one time and might be worth the wait. I also know someone who just went and she saw Jasmine w/Aladdin over in Adventureland.

 

[daisyduck123]

Head to the Princess Line in Toontown at park opening or whenever they begin.
Then maybe there won't be a line & you'll get in right away.

 

[tjmw2727]

Unfortunately, I don't have any real stratgies except what others have posted. Head to toontown and the judges tent when it opens, IIRC 10am. Then on your guidemap as well as the times guide (pick them up under the train station when you enter) check for the character greeting spots and times. On the map you will see the mickey glove that indicates character greeting spots and times.

Unfortunately there is no fastpass type strategy, if your child wants to meet the character then you just have to wait the line. Opening, parade times and later in the evening are better times. FWIW its usually well worth the wait!!

Here is a website that I love - scroll way down to the character greeting section to get an idea of what characters are where this week. This can help you plan for your trip.

eta - Click on the drop down menu at the top, select Magic Kingdom and then scroll down:
http://pages.prodigy.net/stevesoares/
HTH
TJ

 

[ReneeQ]

My nephew isn't into the characters as much as when he was younger, but this is the system I came up with. For some reason we were often lucky enough to catch the characters right as they were coming out, and we could be one of the first, if not the first, in line. But we were never "ready" which was frustrating for everyone, and people would try to jump in front of us.

I got a small child size fanny pack and kept his authograph book and pen in that. I would clip it around the stroller handle. When we saw a character line forming, we could snap it off and zip over to the character, and not have to fumble for anything. I even started keeping a disposable camera in there too, in case my camera was too hard to get to down in the stroller. When we got in line, or had plenty of notice, I'd use my "good" camera. But this made for a good back up.

Also, as soon as the lines start forming, have every adult member of your party get in a separate character line. (This is when the characters are outside, not in the Judge's Tent). The kids need to be with the adult in the shortest line. As soon as they're done, that adult takes the kids over to the other family member, then that adult can go get in yet another line. If you have 2-3 adults in your party, you can zip through the characters pretty quickly. If an adult gets to the front of the line before the kids get to them, let others go ahead of you until your kids get there.

These ideas worked great for us. Have fun!

 

[Doting Grandma]

Just returned from a trip with my 4yo DGD. We arrived at Toon Town a few minutes before 10 AM (when it opened) and went straight to the Judges Tent. We were 4th in line for the princessess. This was one of our best memories and my DGD is still talking about it. They don't guarantee any particular princess but she was able to sit and talk with Aurora, Cinderella and Snow White. Can't say enough about how wonderful these cast members are with the kids. And -- we didn't feel at all rushed.