If your family is anything like my family, then meeting Characters is high on your priority list when you visit Walt Disney World Resort.
And characters are everywhere at Disney. You can meet them in all four parks (Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom.) You can meet them at some Deluxe resorts during meals: the Grand Floridian, the Polynesian, the Contemporary, the Beach Club, the Boardwalk, and Wilderness Lodge all host character meals in one of their restaurants.
Some characters have a permanent year round meet and greet spot, whether it’s indoor or outdoor, and some characters only appear for special events, like Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. Some characters you can meet by using a FastPass, while other characters are walk up only, which means you have to wait in line. Some characters meet all throughout the day, from park open to close, while others are only available for a short time in either the morning or afternoon. If you’re unsure of where and when you can meet these characters, you can grab a Characters Times Guide at the front of the park (located near the maps) or check out My Disney Experience App (under “Wait Times”, choose “characters”.)
Some characters can talk to you and verbally interact. These are called face characters, and include characters like Gaston or Alice in Wonderland. Other characters, those whose costumes include a headpiece, like Donald or Stitch, called fur characters, interact with you using gestures.
While some characters meet at several parks, there are a few who are exclusive to one particular park. As of right now there are eight characters you can only meet at the Magic Kingdom. We chatted about them last time.
Today we’re going to talk about the additional six characters that you can meet at a table service meal as well as in the Magic Kingdom. While these characters only meet at one park location, you can skip the lines and the FastPass by booking a meal with them!
Ariel
Dinglehopper eduction session at Ariel’s Grotto. Check out that tail.
- Who: Ariel, from “The Little Mermaid”
- What: Face Character
- Where in the Magic Kingdom: Ariel’s Grotto, right next to her ride, Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid in Fantasyland.
- When: Usually from when the park opens to about 30 minutes before closing, but be sure to check the Character Times Guide.
- How…long do lines get: The lines of meeting Ariel tend to mirror the lines of her ride, as a lot of people go see her directly before or after riding Under the Sea. This is also a popular option because it is the only location where you can meet Ariel in her fins. All other opportunities to meet her, she’s got human legs and her beautiful green gown. The queue is in the shade (bonus) and there is a FastPass option.
- FastPass: Yes.
- Dining Options: Ariel is one of the rotating princesses at both Cinderella’s Royal Table in the Magic Kingdom and Akershus in Epcot, both of which serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner. But if you’d like to see her alongside Prince Eric, check out the Bon Voyage Breakfast at the Trattoria al Forno at the Boardwalk. They serve breakfast from 7:30am to 12pm.
Cinderella
Akershus was designed to accommodate a lot of fancy princess skirts.
- Who: Cinderella, from “Cinderella”
- What: Face Character
- Where in the Magic Kingdom: At Princess Fairytale Hall (not to be confused with Fairytale Garden), in Fantasyland. Behind Cinderella’s Castle, across from Prince Charming’s Carousel, in between Sir Mickey’s and the Friar’s Nook.
- When: Usually from when the park opens to about 30 minutes before closing, but be sure to check the Character Times Guide.
- How…long do lines get: Long. Elena and Cinderella share a meeting hall, which means you’re waiting for both. Both princess are extremely popular, so those lines can get long. The good news is, the queue for this one is indoors, so you can beat the heat. Even better news, there is FastPass available so if Cinderella is one of your must sees, I would definitely recommend using a FastPass.
- FastPass: Yes.
- Dining Options: Cinderella is one busy princess because that girl is hitting all the hot dining spots. She is the greeting princess/photo op at Cinderella’s Royal Table in the Magic Kingdom for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. She is the main draw at the Happily Ever After Dinner at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian, AND she is one of the rotating princesses who appear at Akershus for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Great news for you Cinderella fans, you could plan a whole day of dining with Cindy!
Rapunzel
Rapunzel getting down to my little’s level at Princess Fairy Tale Hall
- Who: Rapunzel
- What: Face Character
- Where in the Magic Kingdom: At Princess Fairytale Hall (not to be confused with Fairytale Garden), in Fantasyland. Behind Cinderella’s Castle, across from Prince Charming’s Carousel, in between Sir Mickey’s and the Friar’s Nook.
- When: Usually from when the park opens to about 30 minutes before closing, but be sure to check the Character Times Guide.
- How…long do lines get: Slightly less long than the waits for Cinderella and Elena. Rapunzel shares her hall with Tiana, and while both are popular, they’re not quite as new as Elena or as classic as Cinderella. Same deal with the indoor queue and the FastPass perks.
- FastPass: Yes.
- Dining Options: Grab your favorite frying pan and head over to the Bon Voyage Breakfast at the Trattoria al Forno at the Boardwalk to share some dreams with Rapunzel and that charming rogue, Flynn Ryder. Bonus points, Ariel and Eric will be there, too!
Winnie the Pooh & Tigger
Pooh was as sweet as honey at 1900 Park Fare.
- Who: Winnie the Pooh and Tigger
- What: Fur Characters
- Where in the Magic Kingdom: The Thotful Spot, next to the ride the Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh in Fastasyland.
- When: Usually mid-morning to early evening, around 10:30am-7pm, but be sure to check the Character Times Guide.
- How…long do lines get: Not terrible. Because this is an assigned spot designed for these characters, it tends to have a little structure than some of the meet and greets where the lines are held together by a rope and a dream. Plus, after your littles have meet Pooh and Tigger, they can blow off a little steam in the interactive queue for the many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. My Glass Slipper spent a very happy ten minutes playing in the house portion of the queue while the Frying Pan wanted to meet the Bear with Very Little Brain.
- FastPass: No.
- Dining Options: The Crystal Palace at the Magic Kingdom serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and features Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet. It is a beautiful location with great characters, but for my money, the Supercalifragilistic Breakfast at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian cannot be beat. Not only do you meet Pooh and Tigger, but you also get Alice, the Mad Hatter, and Mary Poppins.
Anastasia and Drizella
The Tremaines bring the fun at the Happily Ever After Dinner.
- Who: Anastasia and Drizella, the stepsisters from “Cinderella”
- What: Face Characters
- Where: The turrets that separate original Fantasyland from New Fantasyland, between Pinocchio’s Village Haus and Seven Dwarves Mine Train.
- When: Usually in the morning to afternoon. Sometimes they rotate with the Fairy Godmother. Check the Characters Times Guide and the My Disney Experience App.
- How…long do lines get: Longish, because these characters are a hoot. They love to joke around with people, and they bring a high, playful energy to the interaction. As such, people walking by who might not normally be interested in Lady Tremaine’s daughter join the queue because they want to be ribbed by the spoiled sisters, too!
- FastPass: No.
- Dining Options: Along with their step sister, her Prince Charming, and their mother, you can meet Anastasia and Drizella at the Happily Ever After Dinner at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian, served from 4pm-9pm.
These character meals, like most character meals, are extremely popular. If you really want to take advantage of some delicious food and a great opportunity to spend a little extra time with these six fantastic characters, it is highly recommended that you make your reservations at the 180 day mark.
Which of these six characters is your favorite? Do you prefer to meet them in the Magic Kingdom or over a meal? Are there other characters you wish would get a meal in addition to their meet and greet? Tell me about it in the comments!
Kristen B. is wife to the best Prince around, mama to the spunkiest little princesses, and lover of all things Disney. She started her savings journey three years ago and is now dedicated to making her family’s wishes come true one coupon at a time. She is so excited to take her love of saving to the next level and share her journey with you! Click here to catch up on Kristen’s Savings and join in on your own savings adventure!