by Soarin’ Diva
Everyone has their own all time personal favorite character. From beautiful princesses to goofy dogs with long ears, Walt Disney has provided so much joy through his fun-loving characters. I’ll never forget the first time I spotted a character on my very first visit to Walt Disney World. It was none other than the big cheese himself…Mickey Mouse. I felt like a little kid again, spotting her world-famous hero. I was giddy with excitement and my husband actually laughed at my reaction.
The interaction between guests and the characters at the Disney parks is an amazing experience for young or old. As much as we love meeting all of the characters, I have discovered that I do have a few favorite character interactions we have experienced through the years. I’ve decided to narrow the list down to my top six favorites, otherwise, the list could go on and on.
6. Goofy – He doesn’t speak with his mouth, but what he says with his body language is hysterical. Goofy can entertain you and your kids with his actions better than some of the characters can by speaking with you. He’s managed to convey to my husband, who was wearing a Mets cap, that he, too, was a large Mets fan, as well as keeping my boys laughing at his antics at the same time.
5. Gaston – At this point, if you haven’t already seen a video showcasing how funny the character interactions with Gaston are, you have probably been living under a rock. He’s incredibly arrogant, very much in love with himself, and quick to tell the women they should get back to the kitchen where a good little lady belongs. All of this is done in good fun and has become one of the most sought after character interactions.
4. Peter Pan – This face character speaks, and he speaks a LOT!! I don’t think he stopped talking the entire time my boys were having a picture made with him. When he’s talking, you actually believe you are truly speaking to the one and only Peter Pan. He portrays the character so believably, you can’t help but feel young at heart again and you are ready to become a lost boy so you can fly off to Neverland with Peter, Wendy and the others.
3. Lady Tremaine, Anastasia and Drizella – I know, I know…these are actually three characters. They are three characters who are always together, though, so we will count them as one character interaction. These ladies may seem slightly evil in the story of Cinderella, but when you meet them, you can’t help but fall in love with them. They are hilarious, quirky and so much fun to interact with. Anastasia latched on to my 14yr old son last year, demanding a very large diamond ring and informing him they were to be married. He was slightly embarrassed, but still thought she was amazingly funny. Our whole family loved this character interaction.
2. Mr. Smee – Mr. Smee is another character that doesn’t speak, and may not be a favorite of everyone, but meeting Mr. Smee on our last trip was a huge highlight of the trip for both my husband and I. There’s just something so very lovable about the bumbling, fumbling Mr. Smee. He is the dastardly Captain Hook’s sidekick, but he has such a gentle nature, we can’t help but love him. There is no set meet and greet for Mr. Smee as there are for the other characters, we just happened upon him by chance, and we were so very excited to meet him.
1. Mickey Mouse (Town Square Theater) – Well…it IS Walt Disney World, and it DID all start with a mouse, so of course he is the number one character interaction. I specify the Town Square Theater Mickey Mouse because he is the only one that speaks. It’s really an amazing experience to enter the room and have the one and only Mickey Mouse speak to you. Not only speak, but last time we saw him, my son was wearing a birthday button and Mickey sang Happy Birthday to him.
If you haven’t had the opportunity to meet any of these characters and you would like to, my Soarin’ Diva Tip would be to grab the park map and schedule at the entrance of whichever park you are at for the day. Each one lists where all the character meet and greets are, and what time frames they occur in. Keep your eyes peeled as well, often times there are unscheduled meet and greets that you can happen upon. Take advantage of those, sometimes they are with very rarely seen characters you may never have the opportunity to meet again. The My Disney Experience app also lists which characters are at which locations as well, so if you forget to grab that map and schedule, make sure you have downloaded the app. These were my personal favorite top six character interactions, but you may have a different idea of what your favorite interaction will be. My suggestion is to just meet as many characters as you possibly can, have fun with them, enjoy the moment and savor those memories.
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