Has Disney World brought back character meet-and-greet? (2024)

Has Disney World brought back character meet-and-greet?

Character meets are now back at Disney World, the way we all know and love! That's right, real character meet and greets have returned with hugs and autographs for the guests! In fact, normal character meets came back to the Disney World theme parks on April 18, 2022, and have been going strong ever since.

Beginning April 18, 2022, the company will start reintroducing traditional character greetings at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, as well as aboard Disney Cruise Line and at Aulani Resort in Hawaii.

Other than that, if you're able to join a queue for a visit most characters will happily provide an autograph along with a high five, hugs, and posing for photos. You can purchase an autograph at many shops around the parks, as well as larger pens that make signing a little easier on some of our friends.

Individual Disney World Character Meet and Greets

Traditional character meet and greets have returned to Disney World. Wait in a traditional standby queue before having a fun, personal interaction which can once again include hugs with favorite Disney characters.

Disney has now confirmed, 4 character meet and greets which will be available at Walt Disney World in 2023. Let's take a look on the upcoming experiences guests will be able to enjoy...

Character meets are now back at Disney World, the way we all know and love! That's right, real character meet and greets have returned with hugs and autographs for the guests! In fact, normal character meets came back to the Disney World theme parks on April 18, 2022, and have been going strong ever since.

On April 18th, 2022, character meet and greets made their return but Disney informed us that more characters would start to appear later in the year. This is the first announcement we've gotten for the next round of characters joining us. I am so excited to meet all these friends and give them the biggest hugs!

You will be happy to hEAR that Disney characters are not restricted to signing only the autograph books sold at the theme parks and Disney Springs. Characters are actually able to sign most items, with a few restrictions.

Guests of all ages – both young and old – really get a kick out of snagging autographs from the characters at Walt Disney World. Character autographs are also one of the least expensive souvenirs you can bring back home with you.

Do any characters still walk around?” Characters no longer stroll around the parks but there are several different ways to meet them. Character dining is a great way to have a fabulous meal while the characters come to your table.

Can you hug characters at Disney now?

Seeing characters at the Disneyland Resort is such a magical part of visiting! I'm happy to say that you see and hug characters again! You can also have your photo taken by a Disney PhotoPass photographer, depending on the location, and you can also get an autograph!

Cinderella made brief, distanced appearances in the room, but traditional character dining was unavailable. Starting today, characters have returned for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Be respectful of the characters.

Remember that characters are people, too! Yes, you can hug them, but please be respectful with your body language and comments. Just like you would with any other person, keep your interaction appropriate and respectful.

April 18th, 2022 marks the day traditional meet and greets returned to the theme parks at Walt Disney World.

Walt Disney World in 2023 may just be the best year to visit. While you can still expect high costs, and high crowds, construction projects will finally begin to complete. So, make way for new rides, new spaces, and even more to fill your Disney Vacation.

Meet Tinker Bell throughout the day at the Town Square Theater on Main Street, to your right as you enter the park.

As of 2023, character dining at almost all of these restaurants has returned to normal! Cinderella's Royal Table is the last to return to normal character interactions, but that change is scheduled for February 28, 2023!

Ariel's Grotto will reopen to guests on January 22. Enchanted Tales with Belle will return on February 19, 2023. Both attractions will be offered as part of Genie+ as well, providing Lightning Lane access.

If you decide you do want a picture a PhotoPass Cast Member takes, there is a fee to obtain the picture.

Ariel does not appear at a traditional character meet and greet spot in Epcot, because she doesn't really represent any specific country but you can find her at the Akershush Royal Banquet Hall.

Can you still meet Gaston at Disney World?

He also can be spotted in parades in Magic Kingdom Park and at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Beauty and The Beast - Live on Stage.

While you don't necessarily need reservations, there are a few ways to ensure you can meet the characters during your visit. You can make an advanced dining reservation at a character dining location to reserve a time slot to meet the characters.

Some do not take photos at their tables, and only participate in "professional photo ops". But all celebrities do charge a fee for autographs and pictures. The prices are set by the celebrities, and 100% of that money goes directly to the celebrity guest.

Yes, they are! Guests can once again hug characters and have them sign autographs. At this time, all non-face (like Mickey and Minnie) character meals have returned.

Here is a breakdown of the new pricing details: Disney Character Hugs are $10 each. Autographs are $5 per autograph (limit 2) Photographs are $2 each and you must provide your own device (does not include photo pass)

To answer your question, you can meet and take photos with select characters. Character experiences are located throughout the parks, and I am sure that you will be able to connect with some of your favorites at some point. I hope this help.

You can also inquire at the concierge at your resort, City Hall in the Magic Kingdom or Guest Relations in the other parks for the most up-to-date character locations. Cast members sometimes have a special phone number to call for character locations.

A lot of people believe it isn't an infringement issue to sell products that incorporate Disney characters or use a Disney character's name in their product name. However, any item being sold that incorporates Disney's copyrighted or trademarked material is illegal.

Disney diversity and inclusion manager Vivian Ware says the company has eliminated all mentions of “ladies,” “gentlemen,” “boys,” and “girls” in its theme parks in order to create “that magical moment” for children who do not identify with traditional gender roles.

All Disney theme park guests are required to wear shirts and shoes at all times.

Does Disney have characters walking around?

Roaming Characters.

As we mentioned, roaming characters are rare at Walt Disney World. The most common spots to find them are Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge (where they are the norm), and Frontierland in Magic Kingdom (where the Country Bears often roam).

Disney cast members are strictly forbidden from taking costumes out of the park or wearing them when they're not on the clock. Even though Elsa's dress might be perfect for a Halloween costume, only the character performer who works as Elsa is allowed to wear it while she's working in the parks.

See Anna and Elsa at Royal Sommerhus | Walt Disney World Resort.

Walt Disney World has no rules on ages for any attractions or meets (except those relating to guest safety such as minimum height requirements), so if you want to meet characters as a childless adult, this is entirely your choice.

Crystal Palace was once home to character dining with friends from the Hundred Acre Wood, including Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, and more, and they're officially BACK!

Yes, finally! The princesses have returned to the castle and are meeting guests at their tables.

Just click the plus sign and select “Check Dining Availability” from the options that pop up. Since characters are back at The Crystal Palace, reservations may be harder to come by. If you aren't successful in securing a reservation initially, keep checking back daily leading up to your trip.

The real reason the cast members always use two fingers is that in some cultures — particularly in Asian cultures, where pointing tends to be associated with blame — it is considered extremely rude to point with your index finger.

There are several ways to give back to the pantry:

If you are local to the parks, Volunteer to work Saturday shifts to hand out food packages to Cast Members. Donate food, but donating the equivalent in cash is always a better way to support food banks.

This also goes for questions that could throw the character off and potentially get them to break character. Another significant rule is that the performers cannot hold babies. Performers or attendants would kindly let you know that holding a child is not allowed.

What is Disney getting rid of in 2023?

As many of you already know, Splash Mountain permanently closed on January 23rd, 2023. Although we were sad to say goodbye, the same flume-type ride is currently being reimagined to become Tiana's Bayou Adventure, which is set to open in late 2024!

Too few Walt Disney World fans know about the Kiss Goodnight at Magic Kingdom. If you just thought, “what's that?” you're not alone. The Kiss Goodnight is a little over 2-minutes long, and it is WDW's way of saying “goodbye” (or “go home!” depending upon your perspective) to guests at the end of a long day in the park.

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (also known as Oswald the Rabbit or Oswald Rabbit or just plain Oswald) is an animated cartoon character created in 1927 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks for Universal Pictures.

Cheapest Time of the Year at Disney World in 2023

As a rule, January, February, August, and September are the cheapest seasons, as long as you avoid any holidays in those months. November and December are also good, though the discounts are not quite as deep.

According to the findings of Time2Play, an astounding 92.6% of survey respondents agreed that the cost of a Disney World vacation was out of reach for the average household. The lowest price for a one-day ticket to visit just one of Disney World's four theme parks in 2022 costs $109.

As a general rule of thumb, EPCOT is the best Disney park for adults as it has some of the most thrilling rides in Walt Disney World including Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind, Test Track and Soarin. EPCOT is also known to have some of the best restaurants on Disney property.

Lizzy, at this time, most characters are back to signing autographs when asked. To make the process as efficient as possible, make sure that you have the book opened to where you want them to sign and that you have a writing utensil ready to go. I suggest a permanent marker!

It's rumored that Tink gets paid around $500 per flight across the Magic Kingdom's sky, which isn't bad for 30 seconds of work, if you ask us.

Characters are actually able to sign most items, with a few restrictions. They are not able to sign anything that a Guest is currently wearing and any item of clothing that is given to them should be clean.

The wake-up calls at WDW are a recorded character voice. Currently, there is no choice of characters. The recording does change from time to time, but most recently it has been Stitch and Mickey on the call. Enjoy your visit to WDW!

Are characters back at character dining?

As of 2023, character dining at almost all of these restaurants has returned to normal!

Now, guests can meet their favorite Disney friends without any social distancing barriers or restrictions! And to answer the million-dollar question, yes, you can now HUG Mickey Mouse.

Most characters at the character dining locations do, in fact, sign autographs. This is an easy and fun way to collect several great autographs to fill those autograph books up with! And just as we've stated above, you don't have to wait in line for the autographs.

Dumbo. As the least vocal main character in Disney's entire film library (Dumbo never speaks in the film named for him!), you'd think this pachyderm would at least get more of a chance to shine in the Disney parks.

The answer is the MagicBand! Your resort reservations are linked to your MagicBands through your My Disney Experience account, and, during Extra Magic Hours, you must scan your MagicBand to enter the park early. Or, during evening Extra Magic Hours, you must scan your MagicBand at any rides or attractions.

While not a trip phone call, you can call the Disney Bedtime Hotline toll free at 1-877-7-MICKEY or 1-877-7-642539. for an automated voice directory that lets you choose which character you want to wish your child sweet dreams.

Have your camera and autograph book ready. Traditional meet-and-greets can often involve some photos and autographs as well! A Disney PhotoPass photographer will usually be present at the meet-and-greet, but if you want some of your own pictures, be sure to have your phone or camera ready to go when it's your turn.

Feb 28, 2023 in "Cinderella's Royal Table" The Disney Princesses will return to the dining room of Cinderella's Royal Table on February 28 for the first time since the COVID closure.

REVIEW: Princess Character Dinner Returns to Cinderella's Royal Table at Magic Kingdom. Princess Character Dining has finally returned to Cinderella's Royal Table at the Magic Kingdom. The restaurant reopened in September 2020 for dinner service with no characters, and in August 2021 for breakfast.

Cinderella's Royal Table: $45 per adult and $29 per child. Akershus Royal Banquet Hall: Only dinner is available. 1900 Park Fare: Only dinner is available for princess dining. Artist Point: Only dinner is available.