Tips about Characters and Epcot

Epcot - On our last trip to Epcot, we purchased the passport set that allows children (or adults who are children at heart) to visit the Kidcot stations in each country and get a passport stamp. On that day, my daughter happened to be wearing a Minnie Mouse shirt that was personalized with her name, Isabelle, on the front. That turned out to be wonderful, since every time she went to get her stamp, the Disney cast member would write her name in their native language. I think they normally do this, but they never had to ask her name since it was on her shirt and every cast member seemed to notice it right away. Now, she has a wonderful keepsake with her name written in several languages. - Teresa Frangakis

It rained on December 4 all day and we had trouble hunting down Princess Tiana. We were told by a number of cast members that she wouldn't be coming out at her usual meet and greet in front of Liberty Square Riverboat. We finally asked a cast member stationed at the tip board, who made a phone call and found out she was at the Town Square Exposition Hall. I never knew what was in there, but we found Princess Tiana, Santa, Pooh and Tigger, Woodland Donald, and Scrooge McDuck with hardly any lines. If it's raining, check there for characters. - Rebekah McMullan

Epcot - We went to WDW in October to avoid the crowds. It was almost sucessful! Epcot was jammed like New Year's Eve because of the Food and Wine Festival. My suggestion is to go to Epcot very early in the morning to catch the normal stuff and then come back later to enjoy the Festival! - William

Epcot - We went to WDW in October to avoid the crowds. It was almost sucessful! Epcot was jammed like New Year's Eve because of the Food and Wine Festival. My suggestion is to go to Epcot very early in the morning to catch the normal stuff and then come back later to enjoy the Festival! - William

EPCOT - My family was reminiscing about our trip last year and my husband reminded me of something I wanted to share: for the Illuminations show in Epcot, pay attention to which way the wind is blowing! We ended up sitting downwind and all the soot blew all over us. We had to close our eyes and duck our heads several times to avoid it! - Sharon Smith

EPCOT - My family was reminiscing about our trip last year and my husband reminded me of something I wanted to share: for the Illuminations show in Epcot, pay attention to which way the wind is blowing! We ended up sitting downwind and all the soot blew all over us. We had to close our eyes and duck our heads several times to avoid it! - Sharon Smith

Epcot - When in Epcot's World Showcase pavilions, I try to have my children say at least one phrase in the native language of the Kidcot host or hostess. It is amazing the response that can be elicited from a simple "Cheers!", "Hola, buenos dias!" or my favaorite "as salaam alekem" (Morocco). We have ALWAYS been met with incredible warmth and extra kindness. Take the time to learn a few easy phrases, stand back and watch a world of smiles unfold! - Tom McManus

Epcot - When in Epcot's World Showcase pavilions, I try to have my children say at least one phrase in the native language of the Kidcot host or hostess. It is amazing the response that can be elicited from a simple "Cheers!", "Hola, buenos dias!" or my favaorite "as salaam alekem" (Morocco). We have ALWAYS been met with incredible warmth and extra kindness. Take the time to learn a few easy phrases, stand back and watch a world of smiles unfold! - Tom McManus

Just a tip: one year, instead of using autograph books, we used the park maps to have autographed at the locations we saw the characters. The four park maps ended up being one of our favorite memories, and they were free, too! - Kim Camp

My daughter took a poster of all the princesses to Epcot. We unrolled it for each princess and the ladies said it was a good idea. We rolled it back up and kept it in a locker for the day. In the hotel we kept it in a frame. We drove so it was not an issue to take home. We just kept it in the frame. One of my daughter's favorite souvenirs of all of our trips. - Kim Peacock

I've read some great tips about bringing items (other than autograph books) for the characters to sign. We have also found that the books get forgotten once the vacation is over, so we've tried several different items. Here are a couple of additional thoughts: If you are bringing a shirt, they will not sign it if the child (or adult) is wearing it. Also if you are enjoying a character dinner, you will already know which characters you'll meet. Try to find a shirt that has those characters on it so each character can sign next to their image. When bringing an item (such as a t-shirt, hat, photo frame or ball) for the characters to sign, get the large chisel-tip markers. They are BIG so it's easier for the characters to grip and the signature shows up much better on the item. Don't be afraid to get creative! If you sew, bring fabric squares and make a quilt. How about buying the kids Disney backpacks or totes for the characters to sign? It will encourage them to carry their own stuff. Whatever you bring, just make sure it's something you don't mind hauling around the parks. So that Disney comforter is probably out of the question -- the pillowcase however... - Anne Cline Peterson

If you want any characters to sign clothing/pillowcases, you might want to invest in an embroidery hoop set (those two plastic or wooden rings that hold fabric taut). They're relatively cheap and come in all sizes. That, paired with a thicker marker will make it much easier for Mickey or Minnie to sign with their gloves. - Rachel L. Fridkin

I wanted to pass along that characters may not sign the shirt if a child is wearing it. Back in 2005 I did the same thing for my older daughter. She was 7 at the time. She wore a princess t-shirt that we'd purchased at the Disney Store to our breakfast at Cinderella's Royal Table. When we asked Snow White to sign the shirt, she said she couldn't if my daughter was wearing the shirt at the time. She said it was a rule that Disney has, I guess to protect the kids from inappropriate touching. So if you want a signed shirt, make sure you take the shirt instead of wearing it. - Beth McMeekin

When visiting a princess breakfast, bring along a Princess T-shirt from the Disney Store back home. Using a Sharpie, we asked the princesses to sign the shirt instead of an autograph book. (Our daughter is 3 and cannot read anyway.) Emma wore her Cinderella dress from home with shorts under to the breakfast. When the meal was over, we changed into the newly signed shirt and sent the Cinderella dress plus some new magnets back to the resort. She got compliments on the shirt all day long. Using a permanent Sharpie keeps the signatures looking like new. - Tracy Boylan

EDITOR'S NOTE: What really helps is if you have the shirt against something hard to write on, like the table or a clipboard. Also be sure to stretch out the fabric while it's being signed. Remember, not all characters may be able to sign T-shirts due to their "hands."

Every time we go to Disney I buy an autograph book so the girls can get their "needed" autographs and this can get quite expensive. I have tried in the past to buy a random book (not Disney) and that just would not do. I am also a scrapbooker (just a beginner) and after each visit I make a wonderful (in my opinion) scrapbook. Well, this year we are going to Disney and my youngest daughter is going to want to get autographs, so I decided to make a scrapbook page that the characters can sign. I will also have a place for my daughter's picture with the character. This will save me some money, plus it is a wonderful project for her and I to work on together, not to mention I will have the "whole" trip in one book autographs and all. - Teena Galatas