By Fantasmic Diva
One of the greatest things I have learned from spending a lot of time at the Walt Disney World resort is how amazing character interactions can be! The characters love interaction as much as we guests do so, make the most of them!
If you have a favorite character that you know does a meet and greet at the park that you are attending that day, be sure to head to their character spot early. Lines are closed by the attendant when there are as many guests in line as the character will be able to meet in their current time set. They do need a lot of breaks, they need to check up on their gardens or grab a cheesecake bite once in a while! Depending on the season, their set times may be shorter, so be sure to adhere to the schedule in the times guide at the front of the park.
Now that you know the basics of meeting the characters, how do you make the most of your short time with them? Well, definitely think about what you want to say to them and how how you want to pose with them for the photo before hand, have your photo pass and camera ready as well as your autograph books. If they are your favorite character, tell them! It makes them so happy! Definitely relate to their movie, tell Mickey how awesome it was to meet Minnie earlier, ask Gaston how his quest for Belle is going, ask Cinderella how the mice or fairy godmother are doing, or ask the stepsisters how living in the kingdom is since Cinderella moved to the palace. This gives the characters a starting point for conversation.
I also always try to wear something that relates to the character that I am meeting. I wore black pants, brown boots, and a red shirt when I met Gaston. He was highly flattered. I always try to connect with the characters on a level of their story. They love sharing their stories with us and helping us create new ones to tell! Some of the most fun characters to meet are the ones with the biggest personalities- of course the classics like Mickey and Minnie are just wonderful. Some of the funniest interactions I have had have been with Frozone, Vanelope, Gaston and the Stepsisters. The other ones are always heart warming and magical but to get to the down right hilarious, the comedic or the villains are the way to go!
Characters are a great way to get kids of come out of their shell a little bit or to make adults feel like a kid again! So get out there and meet as many characters as you can! If you are a pass holder or a very frequent visitor, why not make a whole day out of it? I have and it was incredibly fun!!
