Character meet-and-greets have been back in Disney World for a while, but they had been modified for quite some time, until that all CHANGED in 2022 when traditional meet-and-greets, with hugs and autographs, returned!
Traditional meet-and-greets are officially BACK, which means you can hug characters, stand right next to them for pictures, and get their autographs. So, in order for you to know which characters you can meet on your trip, let’s take a look at ALL of the character meet-and-greets in Disney World right now!
Magic Kingdom
The characters that have traditional meet-and-greets in Magic Kingdom again are:
- Anastasia and Drizella at the Gazebo in Liberty Square
- Rapunzel at Princess Fairytale Hall
- Tiana at Princess Fairytale Hall
- Cinderella at Princess Fairytale Hall
- Elena of Avalor at Princess Fairytale Hall
- Peter Pan near Peter Pan’s Flight
- Captain Jack Sparrow in Adventureland
- Aladdin and Jasmine in Adventureland
- Belle at Maurice’s Cottage
- Chip ‘n’ Dale at Storybook Circus
- Mickey and Minnie Mouse at Town Square Theater
- Merida at Fairytale Gardens
- Snow White at the Town Square Theater Porch
- Tigger and Winnie the Pooh near The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Donald, Goofy, Daisy, and Minnie at Pete’s Silly Sideshow
Some character meet-and-greets are listed as “sightings” right now, meaning they are still happening from a distance. These include:
- Stitch in Tomorrowland — Rocket Tower Plaza Stage
- Buzz Lightyear in Tomorrowland — Rocket Tower Plaza Stage
- Country Bears at Frontierland Balcony/Country Bear Jamboree Balcony
There also may be other character sightings that pop up from time to time. In the past, we’ve seen some characters near the Train Station on Main Street, U.S.A. in Magic Kingdom, so keep those eyes open!
Looking for a character meal in Magic Kingdom? Here’s what you need to know:
- Characters have returned to Crystal Palace restaurant!
- You can meet Cinderella briefly before eating at Cinderella’s Royal Table, however this character meal will return to normal on February 28th, 2023.
- You can spot the Beast as he walks past your table (briefly and quickly!) at Be Our Guest Restaurant (note that this is modified from how it used to be pre-pandemic)
You can also watch for characters during the Festival of Fantasy Parade and the cavalcades available in the park.
Remember that character meet-and-greets can vary and change, so be sure to check and see which characters are available during your trip!
Animal Kingdom
The characters meeting traditionally in Disney’s Animal Kingdom are:
- Mickey and Minnie at Adventurer’s Outpost
- Chip ‘n’ Dale in DinoLand U.S.A. — Upper Cretaceous Trail (as part of Donald’s Dino-Bash!)
- Daisy Duck in DinoLand U.S.A. — Daisy’s Design Studio (as part of Donald’s Dino-Bash!)
- Donald Duck in DinoLand U.S.A. — Welcome Center (as part of Donald’s Dino-Bash!)
- Kevin in Discovery Island (roaming around)
We have also seen the following characters out and about taking pictures at times:
- Russell on Discovery Island (but he is now featured on the Adventure Flotilla so look for him out on the water!)
While it’s not a traditional meet-and-greet, keep an eye out for the character flotillas, which can feature some of your favorite characters! There is the Mickey and Friends Flotilla, Discovery Island Drummers Flotilla, Discovery River Character Cruise, Adventurer’s Flotilla — Disney Ducks (featuring Scrooge McDuck and Launchpad McQuack), and the Adventurer’s Flotilla — Up (featuring Russell and Dug).
Character dining is also available in Animal Kingdom at Tusker House. There, you can often see Mickey, Daisy, Donald, and Goofy in their best adventuring outfits!
We’ll be on the lookout to see if any more meet-and-greets are added and we’ll let you know what we find!
Hollywood Studios
The characters you can expect to meet in Hollywood Studios are:
- Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight
- Minnie Mouse at Red Carpet Dreams
- Mickey Mouse at Red Carpet Dreams
- Vampirina at Animation Courtyard
- Fancy Nancy at Animation Courtyard
- Doc McStuffins at Animation Courtyard
- Sulley at Animation Courtyard
- Pluto at Animation Courtyard
The character sightings still happening at a distance in Hollywood Studios are:
- Chip ‘n’ Dale on the Brown Derby Lawn
- Daisy Duck on the Front Entrance Balcony
- Donald Duck on the Front Entrance Balcony
- Goofy on the Tower of Terror Balcony
- Max on the Tower of Terror Balcony
- Rey in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
- First Order Stormtroopers in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
- Kylo Ren in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
- Vi Moradi in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
These characters don’t come out at scheduled times, so you never know when exactly you’ll run into the First Order!
Want to enjoy some character dining in Disney’s Hollywood Studios? Stop by Hollywood & Vine! At breakfast time, you’ll get to enjoy food with Disney Junior stars including Doc McStuffins, Sofia the First, Vampirina, and Roadster Goofy.
At lunch and dinner, this spot switches to Minnie’s Seasonal Dine, where you’ll get to see other characters including Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Pluto.
More characters are set to return in the future to Hollywood Studios. Specifically, the Green Army Drum Corps and some of the toys in Toy Story Land will be returning soon, but a set date for that has not yet been announced!
EPCOT
The traditional character meet-and-greets back in EPCOT are:
- Joy at ImageWorks — The “What If” Labs
- Vanellope von Schweetz at ImageWorks — The “What If” Labs
- Donald Duck in the Mexico Pavilion
- Anna and Elsa at Royal Sommerhaus — Norway Pavilion
- Mulan in the China Pavilion Gardens (sometimes you’ll find her meeting inside the China pavilion in the pre-show area before Reflections of China)
- Snow White at the Germany Pavilion Wishing Well
- Jasmine in the Morocco Pavilion
- Alice in the UK Pavilion Gardens
- Mary Poppins in the UK Pavilion Courtyard
- Belle in the France Pavilion Promenade
- Princess Aurora in the France Pavilion Promenade
- Goofy near EPCOT’s Main Entrance
- Pluto near EPCOT’s Main Entrance
- Minnie Mouse at the World Showcase Friendship Ambassador Gazeebo
- Mickey Mouse at the Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival
- Daisy Duck at International Gateway
The only distanced “sighting” happening in EPCOT right now is Winnie the Pooh in the Gardens near the Imagination Pavilion.
Like what we saw in Magic Kingdom, there are characters that can pop up by surprise around EPCOT! One day, we got to see Tigger out near the World Showcase and get his autograph! You may even spot some seriously rare characters in EPCOT from time to time.
At EPCOT, you can also dine with characters by stopping by the Garden Grill Restaurant.
Here, you’ll find farmer Mickey, Pluto, and Chip ‘n’ Dale.
Disney World Hotels
At Disney World’s hotels, you’ll sometimes see characters pop up unannounced! These are generally random character interactions that are unscheduled, so keep those eyes peeled.
At Disney World’s hotels (and one non-Disney hotel) you can also enjoy character meals. Here’s a full list:
- Chef Mickey’s at Disney’s Contemporary Resort
- Topolino’s Terrace — Flavors of the Riviera (Breakfast only) at Disney’s Riviera Resort
- Ravello (breakfast only on select days when offered) at the Four Seasons Resort Orlando
- Storybook Dining at Artist Point with Snow White at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
Characters will return to breakfast at Cape May Cafe at Disney’s Beach Club Resort in October of 2022. And characters are set to return to breakfast at ‘Ohana at Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort in September of 2022.
There you have it — those are ALL of the character meet-and-greets in Disney World right now! Stay tuned to All Ears for more Disney World news, info, and updates.
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Which character are you the most excited to meet at Disney World? Tell us in the comments!
Tinkerbell and Ariel Coming to Magkc Kingdom end of November. Fingers crossed!
Peter Pan & Aladdin.
Where at?