Character Meets Return to Disney World | Updates & Changes

One of the biggest things that have been missing from Walt Disney World since the reopening are themed character meets with guests. So when are real character meets coming back to Disney World?

We have good news! Character meets are now back at Disney World, the way we all know and love! That’s right, real character meet and greets have returned with hugs and autographs for the guests!

In fact, normal character meets came back to the Disney World theme parks on April 18, 2022, and have been going strong ever since.

(UPDATE) – Disney World is now bringing back 2 more popular character meets at the Magic Kingdom. Keep reading below for more info…

Sure the characters were still in the parks since the reopening, just not in the traditional way. Disney came up with character cavalcades, flotillas, and distanced character experiences in the parks, just not the normal indoor meets we are used to.

Any parent who has visited one of the Disney World theme parks with their children knows how important it is to your trip to get to see the characters. Not only see them, but get up close with them, get your picture together, and give them a big hug!

Ok, sometimes this is important even to adults without kids!

No matter if you are going to the Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, or the Animal Kingdom, character meet and greets are a huge part of the Disney experience for guests of all ages. And now with the latest changes, they will continue to be that way.

In this post, we will go over all the changes with character meets coming back to Walt Disney World, why they stopped in the first place, and what to expect when you visit. We’ll also update you with any info that comes out so you can best plan your next trip.

Before we get started, read our post on Disney World Reopening FAQs to learn about all the new changes in the parks you need to know about.

Also, don’t forget to sign up for our FREE Weekly E-Mail Newsletter. We will update you as soon as we know when the character meets are fully coming back to the parks, and share the latest vacation planning tips. You can sign up here: Join our E-Mail Newsletter!

(UPDATE) More Characters Return to Walt Disney World

Disney has recently announced that two more character meets are returning to Disney’s Magic Kingdom in January and February 2023.

First up, the popular Meet Ariel at Her Grotto in Fantasyland will open on January 22, 2023. The Little Mermaid fans will love this meet and it is set among her treasures, gadgets, and gizmos.

The second is Enchanted Tales with Belle, also located in Fantasyland which is opening on February 19, 2023.

These are two of the last remaining character meets that did not yet reopen since the parks came back in 2020. All of the others have now been running since mid-2022.

Disney has also announced that both the Meet Ariel at Her Grotto meet and Enchanted Tales with Belle will be available as Genie+ selections when they reopen. From our experience, they won’t be very good uses of a Geneie+ selection, as it’s better to use them on the big E-Ticket attractions like the roller coasters.

Read our Genie+ and Lightning Lanes Guide at Disney’s Magic Kingdom for more strategies on how to tour the park when you visit.

(UPDATE) Character Meets Returned to Disney World on April 18

We’ve all been waiting patiently for character meets to come back to normal in the Disney World theme parks, and now it is finally happening after all this time!

Disney just took a huge step forward to returning the theme parks to normal operation by bringing back traditional character meets and removing the physical distancing requirements.

Starting April 18, 2022, regular character meets with hugs and autographs returned to the Disney World parks. That’s right, you now will be able to get a hug or autograph from your favorite characters once again. No more rushing through your meet and distanced selfies!

The descriptions for the character meets even changed in the My Disney Experience app where the word “See” has been replaced by “Meet” in order to show guests things are back to normal again.

This isn’t just for Walt Disney World, but also for Disneyland, the Disney Cruise Line, and Aulani.

This is great timing as crowds have been very high in recent months and more experiences should shorten the lines in other attractions. So far this has been the case and the lines for character meets have been much longer than before the change.

This also confirms the rumors and the comments from some of the executives within the company who have been saying character meets were coming back for some time.

At Morgan Stanley’s 2022 Technology Media & Telecom Conference, Disney CFO, Christine McCarthy said that character meet and greets would be returning to the theme parks “soon.”

Of course, since the parks reopened, we’ve had character meet and greets, but McCarthy was referring to traditional meet and greets where the guests are able to hug the characters and get autographs. Those haven’t occurred since before the parks closed in 2020.

This also makes sense as traditional character meet and greets have already returned to other Disney parks around the world like in Disneyland Paris.

There, all physical distancing protocols have been removed for some time, and guests are allowed to get close to the characters and give them hugs and get autographs like old times.

We even saw removal of the distancing measures with characters onboard the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel. Ever since the opening day, all the characters there get right up close with the guests, giving hugs and taking photos with them, all without wearing masks too.

This makes total sense as Disney has been slowly removing all the reopening procedures over the past year or so, and it was only a matter of time before the regular character meets came back too.

The character cavalcades and random character experiences will continue, but these individual character meets, plus more entertainment returning to the parks are definitely positive developments and bring us one step closer to a normal Disney World experience.

Even though there are still a few things missing, we have taken one step closer in the right direction to getting back to normal.

Keep reading for more details about what to expect now that this change has been announced.

(UPDATE) Character Meets Added to Genie+

By this point, I’m sure you are well aware of the new Genie+ service and Lightning Lanes. Well now they aren’t only for attractions, but characters are also being added too.

Since 2022, select character sightings have been added to the lineup of available reservations on the Genie+ service in multiple parks.

Right now, characters available in Genie+ include:

Magic Kingdom

• Ariel – (Meet Ariel at Her Grotto)
• Cinderella – (Princess Fairytale Hall)
• Tiana and a Visiting Princess – (Princess Fairytale Hall)
• Mickey Mouse – (Town Square Theater)

Hollywood Studios

• Olaf – (Celebrity Spotlight)

All of these character sightings are still available using a standby queue, but since they are some of the most popular ones, skipping the lines can be pretty helpful.

Check out our Guide to Lightning Lanes & Genie+ for a more detailed look at how to skip the lines at your favorite attractions.

Can I Get Close to the Characters?

Yes, you absolutely can. Since April 18, 2022, you can get right up next to the characters to hug them, get autographs from them, and get regular photographs.

Can I Hug the Characters?

Yes, you can. Since April 18, 2022 guests can hug the characters once again.

Which Character Meets are Running in Disney World?

Normally, the Walt Disney World theme parks could each have 5-10 character meets running at the same time for guests to enjoy. Since bringing character meets back is just in the early stages, the number of them running is limited. We may even hear about more reopening in the coming weeks.

Let’s look at them from park to park:

Characters at the Magic Kingdom

Let’s start in the Magic Kingdom. Here there are 9 individual indoor character meets apart from the many characters you see in the cavalcades down Main Street U.S.A and other distanced experiences.

• Mickey Mouse backstage at Town Square Theater on Main Street, U.S.A
• Snow White backstage at Town Square Theater on Main Street, U.S.A
• Rapunzel at Princess Fairytale Hall
• Tiana at Princess Fairytale Hall
• Cinderella at Princess Fairytale Hall
• Elena at Princess Fairytale Hall
• Donal Duck at Pete’s Silly Side Show
• Goofy at Pete’s Silly Side Show
• Minnie Mouse at Pete’s Silly Side Show

Here are some of the more randomized character meets:

• Anastasia – Cinderella Castle Balcony
• Buzz Lightyear – Tomorrowland
• Stitch – Tomorrowland
• Captain Jack Sparrow – Adventureland
• Chip – Fantasyland (Storybook Circus)
• Dale – Fantasyland (Storybook Circus)
• Drizella – Cinderella Castle Balcony
• Big Al – Frontierland
• Shaker – Frontierland
• Liver Lips – Frontierland
• Wendell – Frontierland
• Peter Pan – Fantasyland
• Aladdin – Adventureland
• Jasmine – Adventureland
• Merida – Fantasyland, Fairytale Garden
• Winnie the Pooh – (Coming Soon)
• Tigger – (Coming Soon)
• The Great Goofini – (Coming Soon)

Characters in EPCOT

For now, EPCOT only has four of the new indoor character meet and greets, and most of the others are the random, distanced sightings we’ve seen now for more than a year.

Here are the characters you can meet at EPCOT :

• Anna and Elsa – (at Royal Sommerhus in Norway pavilion)
• JOY from Inside Out! – (Inside ImageWorks in Imagination Pavilion)
• Mickey Mouse – (Disney and Pixar Short Film Festival in World Celebration)
• Minnie Mouse – (near Showplace Plaza in World Showcase)
• Goofy – (Near EPCOT Main Entrance)
• Minnie Mouse – (Near EPCOT Main Entrance)
• Pluto – World Showcase Friendship Ambassador Gazebo
• Vanellope – (Inside ImageWorks in Imagination Pavilion)
• Alice – (UK Pavilion)
• Aurora – (Between France and Morocco pavilions)
• Belle – (Between France and Morocco pavilions)
• Daisy Duck – (World Discovery near Guardians of the Galaxy)
• Donald Duck – (Mexico Pavilion)
• Jasmine – (Lamps of Wonder Meet in Morocco pavilion)
• Mary Poppins – (UK Pavilion)
• Mulan – (China pavilion)
• Snow White – (Germany pavilion)
• Winnie the Pooh – (Gardens near Imagination! in World Nature)

Characters at Hollywood Studios

Right now Hollywood Studios has 8 indoor character sightings available to guests in November.

• BB-8 – at Star Wars Launch Bay
• Chewbacca – at Star Wars Launch Bay
• Darth Vader – at Star Wars Launch Bay
• Disney Junior Stars in the Animation Courtyard
• Mickey Mouse at Red Carpet Dreams
• Minnie Mouse at Red Carpet Dreams
• Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight near Echo Lake
• Sulley at Animation Courtyard in Walt Disney Presents

Besides the above-listed characters, you can find some of your favorite Star Wars characters in Galaxy’s Edge.

• Buzz Lightyear
• Chip
• Dale
• Daisy Duck
• Donald Duck
• Goofy
• Max
• Jessie
• Kylo Ren
• First Order Stormtroopers
• Rey
• Chewbacca
• Vi Moradi
• Woody

They are commonly seen walking around on the skywalk above the sidewalk waving to guests.

Characters at Animal Kingdom

Besides the character cruises that pass down Discovery River, there aren’t many characters to see at this time at the Animal Kingdom.

Don’ts Dino-Bash is currently not open, but it was announced that we will see them back shortly. These happened outdoors so it would be really easy to bring them back. The only issue is when they will have enough Cast Members to do it.

Character Meets include:

• Donald and Friends at “Donald’s Dino-Bash!” – (Coming Soon)

Some of the characters on the river cruise boats include:

• Chip
• Dale
• Daisy Duck
• Donald Duck
• Kevin
• Mickey Mouse

Why Did Disney Suspend Character Meets?

Ever since the Walt Disney World Resort reopened in July 2020, many of the experiences were, and still are missing as compared to what we are normally used to.

For example, some attractions were temporarily closed, most entertainment and shows were suspended, and there were big changes to the restaurants and hotels on the property. Character meets were among these suspended experiences.

Why did Disney decide to stop doing character meets?

One of the main reasons is that because of the current health crisis, Disney implemented a bunch of new safety guidelines both for guests and Cast Members, one of which was distancing them from each other. Guests gathering in small, closed locations with the characters was not ideal, and signing autographs, giving hugs, and posing for photos together while keeping a safe distance was impossible.

On top of that, Disney was enforcing strict face mask rules since the reopening, especially in closed spaces. For most of this period, Disney couldn’t put the characters out there near guests without a face covering, and think it would be pretty terrible seeing Cinderella or Snow White with a face mask on

Disney was looking out for everyone’s safety involved, both Cast Members and guests. So while disappointing, there was no other choice to make at the time.

Now things have changed completely with character meets back to normal again.

When Will Character Meet & Greets Return to Normal at Disney World?

(Traditional Character Meets returned to Walt Disney World starting April 18, 2022.)

As you know, character meets were already running at Walt Disney World since 2020, just without hugs and autographs and calling them character sightings.

So why did the normal character meet and greets come back? Obviously, there was tremendous demand for them since the characters are one of the most popular draws to the theme parks for families, and there were some changes in 2022 that made this possible.

Disney recently changed its company policy to require all Cast Members to be vaccinated by October 22, 2021. Disney has to feel more comfortable now putting its Cast Members in close proximity to guests knowing that they are all vaccinated.

Also, vaccines being available to kids under 12 is another reason Disney can feel more at ease about putting guests near characters.

The amount of new cases nationwide, and more specifically in Florida also plays a part. Last Fall, Florida saw a sharp increase in infections throughout the state which made character meets harder to have at that time.

It is strange that Princesses were among the indoor character sightings to return. The fact that Disney didn’t want to cover their faces with masks clued us in to the fact that they were removing the Disney World face covering policy and making it optional throughout the entire resort.

Other Disney parks around the world such as Disneyland Paris had already removed their physical distancing requirements for character meets and guests were getting autographs and hugs from the characters before the domestic parks.

We also saw this in Walt Disney World before April. On the Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser for example, the characters get right up close with the guests and can make physical contact with them for hugs and autographs.

These changes were all a precursor for removing the distancing measures at the character meet and greets around the parks too.

Since the traditional character meets have come back, crowds have flocked back to them once again and they continue to be a huge draw. Everything has been running quite smoothly and no big issues have come up in recent months.

We are extremely happy to have them back as the parks are really starting to feel like Walt Disney World again, even if some other areas still need attention.

We’ll keep you posted as soon as we have more updates.

What About Character Cavalcades?

In the meantime, the popular character cavalcades are staying in the Disney World theme parks and you should be able to see them on your next trip.

Right now they can be seen in all 3 of the 4 parks, with each one having anywhere from 2-4 different cavalcades.

EPCOT is the only park to remove all of its cavalcades which means right now the only way to find characters there is with the random character interactions and distanced meets outside.

In the long term, it will be interesting to see if the character cavalcades stick around. From our experience in the parks, they seem to get much more attention in the 3 parks other than EPCOT. It draws a much older crowd than the Magic Kingdom for example, and watching Mickey and Minnie drive by in the middle of the Food and Wine Festival is probably not very high on most guests’ lists there.

We like the randomness of them and think they work especially well at the Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom.

While they could bring back the Magic Kingdom parade at any time, we think these character cavalcades are here for the long haul, or at least through Disney World’s 50th Anniversary celebration.

Read our Guide to Character Cavalcades in Disney World for a more in-depth look and details about each one.

For more information on planning your vacation to Walt Disney World here are three of our most useful posts:

• Disney World Crowd Calendar
• Disney World Vacation Planning – The Ultimate Guide
• When Is the Best Time to Visit Disney World?

Your Thoughts

I want to know what you think about the Disney World character meets coming back…

• Does this change your mind about visiting Walt Disney World?
• When should Disney allow normal character meets in the parks?

Let us know in the comments section below!

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