Ever since Disney World reopened in July 2020, we’ve been interacting with Disney characters from a distance.
Recently, however, Disney announced their plan to resume doing character meet and greets with more one-on-one time, albeit a bit modified and now called “sightings.” Today we got to see what this new character interaction looks like, so take a look!
When we headed into Magic Kingdom this morning, we were delightfully surprised to find that Town Square Theater had reopened as a character sighting with Mickey Mouse! We couldn’t resist heading inside to check it out.
These modified “character sightings” weren’t supposed to arrive until November, so this one’s here pretty early! They’re also not listed in the My Disney Experience app yet.
Outside, the wait time sign is up and running again. It was only a short 10-minute wait when we arrived!
The inside queue of the theater has stayed pretty much the same. Boy, it’s exciting to be back in here!
And then we headed in to meet Mickey! With these modified meet and greets, you won’t be able to hug the characters or get autographs, but you can get some one-on-one time.
Mickey looking dapper at his first meet and greets in over a year! 🥳 pic.twitter.com/NBbS8wbgru
— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) October 28, 2021
During our visit, there was a rope between us and Mickey, but we still got the chance to say hi…
…share some laughs…
…tell a few stories…
…and enjoy a truly magical interaction with our main mouse! We’re so glad to have him back here in his old home, this time decked out in his 50th Anniversary best.
And if you look around the room, you’ll find nods to the old “Magician Mickey” meet and greet that was here previously. How cool!
Disney really goes all-in on the details. We can’t wait to see what the other “character sightings” look like when they arrive!
UPDATE: We didn’t have to wait very long, because nearby in Fantasyland, Princess Fairytale Hall had reopened as well!
Here, you can meet either Cinderella and Elena or Rapunzel and Tiana. You’ll have to choose a side when entering the building.
First, we headed for Cinderella and Elena. The queue here is very regal, with portraits of several fan-favorite Disney Princesses lining the walls.
Once we got inside the meet and greet area, the setup was similar to what Mickey had. The princesses stand distanced behind a rope as guests walk up to meet them. You won’t be able to get hugs or autographs, and you’ll need to keep your mask on throughout your visit since this is indoors.
We got the chance to chat with some of our favorite ladies — it’s always a pleasure to visit with Cinderella!
And Elena struck a pose for the camera as well!
During our visit, there were lots of families with young kids in line, this meet and greet coming back will be a great addition for those kinds of guests.
Cinderella and her friends are BACK at Princess Fairytale Hall! 👑 pic.twitter.com/FDZU8MKKXW
— AllEars.Net (@AllEarsNet) October 28, 2021
After our chat with Cinderella and Elena, we exited the building and got back in line on the Rapunzel and Tiana side.
Rapunzel was delighted to see us again, here she’s dressed in her daytime dress, including her (impressively) long braid!
And Tiana was camera-ready, giving us her best princess poses. We love her lilypad-inspired green ball gown!
We’ll continue checking around the parks for more meet and greets in the coming days and weeks. Stay tuned to AllEars for more updates on these character sightings, along with all the details about other things that are reopening!
Read more about the character meet and greet name change here!
Have you done a modified character meet and greet yet? Tell us in the comments!
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The indoor princesses need to have their masks on. The are breaking the rules!
Glad to see normalcy starting to return (even if it isn’t quite as normal as it used to be).
Really the best news is that these “sightings” will provide another attraction for guests and should open up more space for more guests as the holiday season approaches.