Where's the best place to see the characters?

[shagyk]

We will be taking our first Disney vacation in late May. Since this is our first visit we are so uncertain on what to do and what to see...DD14, DS11, DD7. Our youngest wants to see as many characters as she can, where is the best place to do that? Also, we want to do a character breakfast...any suggestions?

 

[KimKamMom]

We had the most luck at Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary. We had the dinner, but I've heard the breakfast is just as good. All the characters are there and they find you!!!!!
Have Fun!!!!

 

[imfortune8]

Seeing the Characters can be very magical. However, you need to have a plan for this. Your youngest wanting to see as many as they can, will take up alot of time. Time that I am sure your older kids want to be riding rides. So, here are my suggestions. Talk to your child, choose two or three characters that are musts for the day. Then research where these characters can be found and at what times. Characters don't wander around the parks like they used to. They will appear at scheduled times, but you have to be there a bit early, so you are sure you can see them during their time. They don't just wait until the line runs out to leave. Warning, these lines are long. There are places that several of the characters can be seen together, like princess, in the judges tent at Toon town, or the Winnie the Pooh gang at AK as you approach Dinoland. My plan is if I make sure I get the must sees done, then I can enjoy happening on to some of the others.

Also, an amazing way to greet the characters is at a character dining experience. My favorite is Cinderella's Royal Table. You see most of the princesses, but even better is the opportunity you have to dine inside the castle! We were seated right infront of the stained glass windows overlooking fantasyland. It was amazing! Pooh characters are at the Crystal Palace in MK, and the food is supposed to be great. Spend some time on the dining board to figure out which character dining is right for you.

Best wishes!

 

[HugsForEeyore]

Okay! Your DD wants to meet the most characters? There are spots in each park where you can meet many characters at once!

At Magic Kingdom, if you get there before noonish, there are usually many characters right after you enter, between City Hall and Exposition Hall. You can't miss 'em! The characters are all over, so look around! Some are in the center circle, and some near the buildings. If you don't see many, wait a few minutes and some more many come out.

As another said, also go to the ToonTown Hall of Fame. It looks like a gift shop between Mickey and Minnie's House, but it has much more! There are these roped-off lines to the right, and these lines lead to three rooms with characters. Usually there is one room of princesses (Cinderella and friends), one with Pooh and friends (usually Eeyore and Tigger), and I think some classic characters in the third room. Also check the front of the Castle - characters meet there often throughout the day. The Times Guide (with your park map) usually lists when they are there.

At Epcot, the most characters can be found on the "Characters on Holiday" bus. It's a big red bus that makes various stops in Epcot. There can be about 12 characters on it. The Times Guide lists where and when it stops. It's last stop is usually around 4:00.

At Animal Kingdom, there are characters right when you enter, between the bag search and the turnstiles. They meet on and off throughout the day. Also Camp Minnie-Mickey has Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy and probably a few others during the day. As another said, if you head to Dinoland, there is a dock where Pooh and friends meet throughout the day.

At MGM, there are two good spots (if nothing has changed by now!). One is near the entrance, usually in the late morning/early afternoons. The characters meet there once every hour, for about 25 minutes. I can't remember if they meet at the top of the hour (like 12:00 or 1:00) or on the half-hour (12:30 or 1:30). They are done for the day around 2:00 or 3:00 (can't remember which). We seen up to 12 characters at once here! The other good spot is the Big Hat at MGM, where characters also make appearances once every hour, for 25 minutes or so. They also meet here in late mornings/early afternoons, and stop around 2:00 or 3:00. Sometimes they will have another meet in the late afternoon after the parade, but not always.

This was probably way too much information, but character hunting is so much fun! Hope you find enough characters to make DD happy!