Every time we go to Disneyland there has been one thing that the girls have wanted to do and that is to see and meet characters. On our first trip when our oldest wasn’t yet 2, we were new to everything Disney and didn’t know how to go about finding characters. We, unfortunately, didn’t meet many characters until part way through our trip. So, just where do you go to see and meet the characters in Disneyland?
CHARACTER DINING EXPERIENCES
Character dining is something we have done twice now and it’s a great way to meet multiple characters in one spot! We’ve enjoyed Breakfast at Goofy’s Kitchen and attended Minie & Friend’s – Breakfast in the Park. With young kids, this is a fantastic way to see all sorts of beloved characters. We enjoyed the meals that we picked from the breakfast buffet while different characters came up to our table.
Often there are unique characters that tend to only show up when at these dining experiences. I’m not going to give any spoilers as to who, but you may be pleasantly surprised by who comes up to your table side. One of my favourite memories is celebrating my daughter’s birthday and having Chip and Dale come to join us as Happy Birthday was sung and a cupcake was brought to the table.
If you are looking for a way to cross two things off your Disneyland wishlist… food and characters, this is the way to go!
CHECK OUT THE ENTERTAINMENT!
Disneyland has all sorts of entertainment all throughout the park. There’s parades, dance parties, storytelling and so much more. Be sure to check the schedule of events for when you are in the parks. You just never know what may be happening that day.
Something we just stumbled upon is when Mickey and all his friends march down Main Street with the marching band and meet up with The Dapper Dans in front of the train station. Some special songs are sung and the characters there all do some great choreographed dances. You’ll be dancing along too!
The parades are wonderful to watch as each float goes past with characters. They are a great opportunity to sit and relax, have a snack and just enjoy! Watch as your kid’s eyes light up as they spot Minnie or Elsa. Pop into the Refreshment Corner on Main Street, get a Mickey shaped pretzel and some mustard, find your perfect spot on the sidewalk and watch the parade. This has proven to be a favourite for us each trip and one of the easiest ways to see lots of characters at once.
There are all sorts of entertainment happening in Disneyland providing lots of unique opportunities to see characters.
WELCOME TO TOONTOWN
Everyday Toontown has a character welcome when it opens. The gates to Toontown open an hour after the scheduled park opening time (ie. if the park opened at 8am, Toontown opens at 9am). When it opens theres between 1 -4 characters who greet everyone waiting there.
I highly recommend arriving to the gates 15 minutes before opening and be ready for some incredibly precious photo opportunities. On our big family trip we got there at the perfect time to be front and centre. The girls were greeted by Mickey, Pluto, Goofy and Minnie! But that wasn’t the best part.
Each of the girls got to walk through Toontown holding the hand of a character. At one point they both joined Minnie and she led them through her house to where she has her meet & greets. The lines to meet the classic characters that reside in Toontown can be long. Walking with Minnie into her house meant they were the very first to meet with her that day. They had a great little visit!
Arrive early to Toontown if you also love these classic characters and have your autograph book with you!
MEET AND GREET LOCATIONS
Some characters have special locations that you can almost be guaranteed to meet them at. A great example of this is finding Tinker Bell in Pixie Hallow, which is tucked between Tomorrowland and the Matterhorn Bobsleds. You’ll find yourself shrinking down to her size as you walk to her teapot house. Tinker Bell is a great character to meet, often taking a few minutes to talk to the kids (and kids at heart) and sometimes playing games like peekaboo with younger children. She’s always a favourite to visit.
Many other characters have places that they can be found in. A great way of figuring out where they are is by using the Disneyland App on your mobile device. This has been a game changer for us when visiting. If there is a certain character you absolutely want to see, bring up the map in the Disneyland App and select characters from the drop down menu. You’ll see who is where inside the park!
Thank you Disney for making meeting the Disney characters so much easier. As a parent, I greatly appreciate this when kids have their heart set on meeting someone.
FIND THE SECRET DOORS
When in Disneyland you will realize that there are all sorts of doors that are specifically for cast members and characters. Pay attention to who is coming out of the doors. You want to find the secret doors that the characters come out of. Why? Because often something magical will happen!
In the photos below you’ll see one of my favourite doors to wait at with the girls. We take our time and remain patient. This is one of the doors characters go in and out of. Watching as my girls have hurried up to their favourite characters and give them a big hug has brought me to tears every time. But it’s always gotten better.
Those characters have often grabbed the hand of my child and then walked over to their spot for meet and greets. The smile that crosses their face is worth the wait. They love walking around Main Street or even Buena Vista Street over in California Adventure while holding the hand of Minnie or Mickey.
A moment I will always remember is when my youngest was Disney Bounding as Daisy Duck and Daisy rushed over to her, taking her hand and they marched over to Donald Duck. Daisy was showing off her mini-me to Donald. They both proceeded to gush over my daughter and I got a cute photo of the three of them together.
Now, unfortunately, I am not going to share exactly where this door is but once you see it while there you cannot miss it!
Keep your eyes open and watch for these places where characters come out and if this doesn’t work, talk to the cast member who handles the characters, they are often standing near them. They can help you out and are amazing at making Disney magic happen.
MEETING CHARACTERS IS INCREDIBLE
These are some of the ways we go about meeting and seeing Disney characters when we are visiting Disneyland. I’d love to know, who is your all time favourite Disney character or do you have a favourite moment from a trip to Disneyland when you’ve met a character? Maybe you’ve had one almost go out of character, like when our youngest met Merida and had her in a fit of giggles that she almost lost her accent. Share your moment or character in the comments below!
My sister is getting ready to take her kids to Disney next year. I will have to share this with her.
Love visiting Disneyland! We’ve made some great memories as a family there and I can’t wait to go back. It’s still so great for any age of person to visit. So much fun!! Cute pictures!
Great suggestions! Definitely good to have some sort of plan if seeing characters is high on your list.
My kids loved meeting them on the cruise, at least the lineups weren’t that bad!
I’ve only been to DisneyWorld once with my kids but we also found the character meals and parades were the best places to meet characters. Plus, if you book a character breakfast, you can get into the park early.
So stinkin cute! I loved seeing that characters when I was little!