Thursday, January 20, 2011

Meeting Characters in Disneyland

I have been working on this particular blog for several days now. My biggest struggle is how to format this particular information in a way that is most helpful to you, the reader. The end result is…I am going to share my experiences with you based on location. Hopefully it will be helpful to you in your planning. Keep in mind that while we have met many characters there are still those we have not encountered and will not be listed here as a result. While characters can be found throughout the day after about 4 they are more elusive. Check the parks daily entertainment schedule for actual meet and greet times.


Town Square: This is a fun place to find random characters. Typically in the morning you will find Mickey or Minnie. We have also had wonderful experiences with Pluto, Pinocchio, Geppetto, Goofy, Donald, Mad Hatter and Cruella De Vil. Please Note: Mad Hatter has a rather large nose (as he does in the movie) and my daughter was a bit afraid of him the first couple of times she encountered him. Cruella is true to her character. She does, however, manage to be nice despite her bitterness at losing all those puppies.




Central Plaza (the Hub): Here we have encountered only Alice, Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit, Mary Poppins and Bert. Alice and her friends were outside of Refreshment Corner. She was preparing to leave and Ainsley asked if she would sign her autograph book. Alice took her hand and led her across the way just behind the Corn Dog Cart and visited with her for a bit. As a parent it is shocking to see a character take your child’s hand and lead them away not knowing where they are going. It ended up being a special moment that I was most grateful for. Pixie Hollow is located just between the entrances for Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. Here we have always met Tinker Bell and one of her fairy friends. For us that has either been Silver Mist of Rosetta. We did catch a glimpse of Vidia, but were unable to get a picture with her.

Fantasyland: We have encountered many characters here. Mary Poppins and Fairy God Mother have been seen to the right and the left of the castle just before entering. We had a great moment with Aurora right outside the entrance the Sleeping Beauty Castle Walk-Through. Alice and her friends have been known to perform a skit or two and Captain Hook has been seen looking for the elusive Peter Pan (he never finds him). Over in Princess Fantasy Faire we have met many princesses. However, Fairy God Mother did tell us that Cinderella, Snow White, Belle or Aurora typically open and close the attraction. Other princesses you will see throughout the day are: Jasmine, Belle, Ariel, and Tiana. Rapunzel was not greeting guests on our last trip. We are looking forward to seeing her for the first time in the fall of 2011.

Mickey’s Toontown: If you are looking to meet Mickey and Minnie this is a wonderful place to go. Head on over to Minnie’s House where she will welcome you and invite you to explore the inside of her home. Then walk through Mickey’s House to get to his Movie Barn. Mickey is working in the sound stage. Here you will be able to watch some of Mickey’s earlier movie shorts while you wait to greet him. Guests are ushered into the sound stage in groups, but given the opportunity to greet Mickey individually. Pluto is often found wandering through the streets here and Goofy likes to greet guests outside of his house. If you are able to participate in Mickey’s Toontown Morning Madness it is a fun time to greet many characters one on one. We have seen Goofy, Donald, Mickey, Minnie, Chip and Dale on the morning we were there.



Frontierland: Our experience meeting characters here is limited. We happened to be walking through one morning and ran into Woody on the backside of Thunder Mountain Railroad. On our only Christmas visit we were able to take some wonderful pictures with Santa at Santa’s Reindeer Round-up.

Adventureland: Aladdin and Jasmine can be found at Aladdin’s Oasis between the Enchanted Tiki Room and the Jungle Boat Cruise.

New Orleans Square: We greeted Princess Tiana inside of a wonderful little alcove here. 

Critter Country: Pooh and Friends can be found here. They have a wonderful little location right in the middle, you can’t miss it. Brer Bear and Brer Fox also wander around here, although, they are harder to meet.

Tomorrowland: Here we have met Buzz Lightyear. We saw him walking through Tomorrowland and followed him. He stopped right outside of the Astro Orbiters along the rock wall. That was a fun moment for Ainsley.

Minnie & Friends - Breakfast in the Park at the Plaza Inn: This is perhaps our favorite character meal. While it seems a bit chaotic at first it is a wonderful experience. Minnie, Pooh, Eeyore, Tigger, Chip, Dale, Pinocchio, Fairy God Mother, Captain Hook, Max, Susie, Perla, Baloo and more have been present at many of the meals we have eaten there. They may not all be present at the same time, but Minnie is always there. If you are eating here with small children leave an adult at the table for picture time while another brings a tray of food for the children. My daughter is often distracted by the characters here so we try and eat around 10:30 and call it brunch. On that day we will then eat an early dinner around 4:30.

A couple of things to note in Disneyland: if you can’t find who you are looking for stop by the information board in Central Plaza. The Cast Member present will do their best to help you find the information you are looking for. The most important tip I can give you is to just keep your eyes open. Often times you will see Photo Pass Photographers is random places. They are usually waiting for a character to appear. You can also watch for cast members wearing a pin that says, “Ask me about characters.” Check in with them for tips on where to find a character you are looking for.
 
This list is getting quite long. Check back and I will share our experiences with Characters in Disney’s California Adventure.

Until Next time,
Sean

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