One of the best things about visiting Disney is meeting your favourite characters! But some adults feel uncomfortable doing this, so today I am going to give you some advice and tips on how to meet the Disney characters so that you can avoid an awkward experience and instead have an awesome experience!
I love the character interactions! You get some really amazing memories made and some great photographs. So these are some of the tips that I advise other people to use so that you don't feel awkward and you can make some of those magical memories with your favourite characters!
The first thing I would suggest is speak to them about their film or their story or other characters from their film. This way, you're setting yourself up to have a conversation about things you know they'll be super knowledgeable about that, and you have background knowledge about the film that they're in. This just makes the conversation flow. And you can also throw in some funny moments, ask them how other characters are doing, say how much you dislike a certain character. You can have really good fun doing this!
When I was doing a princess dining meal in Disneyland Paris one of the characters that you got to meet was Sleeping Beauty. In Disneyland Paris you have Sleeping Beauty Castle and underneath it they have the famous dragon. So I said to Sleeping Beauty, I don't mean to worry you, but there is a dragon I've seen underneath your castle. And then that prompted a really fun conversation. So all little things like this are really great to spark a little interaction that you could have together.
Another thing you could do is talk to them about things in the park or what you've experienced during your day. One time I met Snow White, and she asked me, what have you been doing today? And I told her that I'd been to see a show called Mickey and the Magician, and there was lots of magic and effects and it was really great. And she asked me, do you think I should take the dwarves to see it? And I said, absolutely, but the problem is Grumpy will enjoy it and be happy, and then you'll have two dwarfs called Happy. So what will you do? And then we had a fun conversation about what new name we could call Grumpy and it was just super fun!
It is good to remember that Disney characters can only speak about things that exist in the Disney universe. So if you start asking them about TikTok trends or something you may have seen on TV or a film that's not related to Disney, they won't be able to answer or know what you're talking about, because it doesn't exist to them. That being said they can still talk about different characters and things in the Disney universe. So for example, you could ask Ariel if she's ever seen Nemo when she's been swimming around and things like that, because these things do exist to them.
One thing I would say is don't be afraid to get into it! You can absolutely go in making up a full storyline or a scenario and the characters, especially the face characters that can talk back to you, will go along with it. They are trained actors, they know how to improvise and it can be really fun!
I always think it's really great if you can have a little conversation or a fun interaction, because you don't want to wait for a long time in a queue and then kind of just get there and stand next to them, and it's almost like they're a human prop. So it's nice to have these kind of little interactions and that's the thing you will remember far more than the photograph.
If you are a bit nervous about meeting characters, it's good to remember that face characters can talk back to you, so you can have interactions and speak, whereas the fur characters, like Mickey Mouse, that have the full costume on, can only interact with body language. So sometimes that can be a bit more awkward, because you're trying to interpret what they're trying to tell you, and you need to lead the conversation.
Whereas, if you're speaking to a face character, they are trained actors, so they will guide the conversation along so you don't have to feel so much pressure.
Some people do prefer interacting with fur characters as you don't need to talk as much. So it all comes down to what you are most comfortable with! A great way to test out meeting characters is at a character dining meal! This way you know they will come to meet you at your table, you won't have to wait for a long time in a queue, and you can interact for as long or short as you like. This can help you know if you enjoy meeting characters (plus you meet many characters at one time and get a meal too!).
One of the best character interactions I've ever had was with Lady Tremaine at 1900 Park Fare, which is a character dining restaurant at Walt Disney World. I am a big fan of the Disney Villains so I was super excited to meet her. And I also love cats, and she has a cat called Lucifer. So when she came to our table, I asked her straight away, how is Lucifer? How
is he doing? And she said, oh he's doing great, but Prince Charming doesn't allow him in the dining room. And I said, oh I'm sick of him, get rid of him. Kick the prince out, get the cat in! And we immediately became best friends! She sat down at the table and said oh we must meet up and play croquet and it was amazing! We had a really, really fun interaction that will stay with me forever. I think if you can go in with one little quote or tidbit or funny comment, it can then evolve into something and you can really roll with it and enjoy it.
If you are going to meet some of the fur characters they can only communicate with body language, but it is really impressive how they really get their messages across! I am always so wowed by this! Because of this you will need to lead the conversation a bit, but there are some topics you can always talk about.
One idea is complimenting their outfit. You could tell them something that you enjoyed during the day. I'm always wearing Disney ears whenever I meet Mickey so I always say I've grown my ears for you! This is a real simple and fun comment and Mickey's reaction is always great!
As a side note, if you ever meet Chip and Dale people often get confused about which one is Chip and which one is Dale. So how do you know? When I worked for the Disney Store they gave us a really easy thing to remember, and that is that Chip has a chocolate chip nose, so he has the brown nose. The red nose lets you know it's Dale.
Another tip is don't feel embarrassed if you say something silly or you feel a bit shy or awkward. It's totally normal! It is an unusual setting and the character will do everything they can to make you feel comfortable. So never worry about that! And also remember sometimes it happens the other way around. Sometimes the character might say something that's a bit silly or goofy or unexpected, and that's just the nature of improvising.
I actually had a funny experience again when I was at 1900 Park Fare. I don't know if the prince had heard me slagging him off earlier to Lady Tremaine but when I met him I said my parents are trying to marry me off and I've already had to meet Gaston this morning and now I've had to come to meet you. And he said to me I think you should go and hang out over there with the ugly stepsisters. Not so charming! It was one of those moments that came across awkward but he was going along with the storyline and it just didn't come out right. It's just one of those things where you're improvising or creating little stories up, these things will happen. And actually it was quite funny!
If playing along and having interactions like that is not something you enjoy, then it's perfectly fine just to go up and say hello and ask for a photograph. They are absolutely prepared for this, and they know that that is something that some people prefer to do, so never worry about that! You are absolutely entitled to just go and ask your photograph.
That being said if you do want a special photograph with a special pose, absolutely ask for that. If you meet some of the Star Wars characters, it can be really cool to pose with the Force. Or you can meet Minnie Mouse and like hold out your skirts together. There's all little things you can do. So do not be afraid to ask is it okay if we pose like this?
If you are going to have a photograph make sure that you have your camera ready beforehand. This way it makes it easier for whoever's taking the photograph for you to do the photograph and it just makes things speedy.
I was very lucky once to have a really amazing encounter with favourite Disney villain, Dr Facilier. He is hardly ever seen anywhere and is a very rare character to meet! I was in Disneyland he did a pop up meet and greet, where sometimes rare characters would just appear in the parks. So I was there at the right time and the right moment to run up to get a photograph. Sadly for me the person I was with who was taking the photograph didn't take the photo! So I was like oh no, what am I going to do? So I queued up again and asked the people behind me would they mind taking a photograph? They were super gracious and said yes. So When I met Dr Facilier again I told him that his voodoo magic was just too strong and the camera stopped working. And then he was quite happy to take more photographs. So things do happen, it's absolutely fine, but try and be as prepared as you can with your camera in advance.
If you do have Memory Maker or PhotoPass, any of these official Disney photo packages, then those photographers will take amazing photographs of you. Something I really love is they not only take the photographs of you posing, they also take candid photographs, which honestly ended up being my absolute favourite ones!
Another top tip is never be afraid to ask people to take your photograph, especially if you're traveling solo or maybe you're in a group and you'd like a photograph altogether. People visiting Disney tend to be really happy to help out other people (as we saw with my Dr Facilier photo!). And what I would say as a courtesy is to offer to then take their photograph afterwards.
Something that I really like is sometimes people also take candid photographs of you whilst you're having your photographs taken with your characters. And this is really nice, because you never expect it, so when you look on your phone you see all these amazing candid photographs perfectly capturing your interaction it's really, really nice. So if someone asks you to take their photo, make their day more magical by capturing these candid moments. I guarantee it will make their day when they see them on their phone!
One thing to be aware of is just be conscious of the time when you do meet characters. They won't rush you and the character attendant won't be tapping their watch at you, but just be aware that people have been queuing for a very long time, so try not to take up huge amounts of time with your character when you finally get to meet them.
Something that is of the utmost importance is to be kind, respectful and courteous of their personal space. Hugs are a big part of meeting Disney characters so take the opportunity when you can! But it's always good to ask is it okay if I have a hug?
Sometimes the queues to meet characters can be super, super long, so one way to get around this is to do a character dining meal. Now, these are a bit more expensive than regular restaurant prices, but you get to meet multiple characters at once and a meal, so you pay for the whole experience.
The characters will roam around the restaurant, come up to your table and you can have photographs and fun interactions. Character dining meals are a really fun way of getting to meet your favourite characters without standing in long queues.
Each character dining location will feature different characters and different cuisines so you can pick whichever one is the right fit for you!
And the most important tip is just to have fun! It's supposed to be a great time. You're getting to meet some of your favourite characters, make amazing memories and have great photographs together. So just enjoy it! Whatever feels natural for you will be perfect, and they will be happy to oblige.
I've been really lucky to have some incredible interactions with the Disney characters and go away with some amazing photographs and lifelong memories. So I really hope that these tips can help you have an awesome interaction, instead of an awkward interaction!
For more tips and advice on how to visit Disney World like a pro be sure to check out my YouTube Channel!
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