The parks have gone through some MAJOR changes since they first reopened in 2020.
Ever since then, we’ve seen Disney World slowly return to the “normal” we knew prior to when the parks initially closed due to the pandemic. One major factor that has been different since the reopening is characters, with character meet-and-greets done at a distance, instead referred to as “character sightings.” This has been done in Disney World and Disneyland (with the exception of the Star Wars Hotel), as well as during character dining experiences. However, that is all about to change!
Along with the news that traditional meet-and-greets would return to Walt Disney World and Disneyland, Disney has also hinted that character dining will be making a major change as well!
Currently, meeting characters at restaurants is done at a distance, not too dissimilar to what we’ve seen in the parks. However, with the return of traditional meet-and-greets, we’re expecting that we will soon be able to hug characters once again, get autographs, and take pictures up close.
The changes to meet-and-greets are starting as early as April 18th, and Disney hinted that the change could apply to character dining locations as well. This could include the following restaurants in Disney world:
- Chef Mickey’s at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Artist Pointe at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
- Garden Grill at EPCOT
- Cinderella’s Royal Table at Magic Kingdom
- Tusker House at Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Hollywood and Vine at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Topolino’s Terrace at Disney’s Riviera Resort
And we’re expecting to see the change happen over at Disneyland as well!
Although we know that traditional meet-and-greets are returning outside of the restaurants, it looks like these changes will come to dining locations as well, based on some images from the announcement that Disney released, such as this one of Goofy!
Disney noted that all of the experiences won’t return at once, and they’ll be making the changes gradually over the spring and summer this year.
So get your autograph ready, and book your character dining experiences for April 18th or later to hopefully be able to experience the return to traditional character dining! And stay tuned to AllEars for more of the latest Disney news and updates!
Check out What the NEW “Normal” Looks Like in Disney World HERE!
Are you excited for the return of character meet-and-greets? Let us know in the comments!
Do you think this means that Be Our Guest will be back to what it was pre-pandemic?
Now we await for information about the return of the DDP as promised nearly a year ago.
Yes!! Anxiously awaiting that news. I love not having to worry about the bill