What is Disney with out all the wonderful characters? Where else will you meet Merida, Rapunzel, Alice, Peter Pan & Wendy, Mickey & Minnie, and so many other wonderful childhood memories brought to life?
Disney is a unique destination that brings back memories of your own youth, right along with the fresh memories of your children’s youth. From Peter & Wendy, up to Anna & Elsa.
They also mean line, upon line, upon line. Some lines are short and sweet- 5 minutes to meet King Louie? Why not! Others are not. Anna and Elsa have joined the ranks as Disney’s newest Princesses, and the wait has regularly seen times ranging from 2-3 hours.
Thankfully, Disney offers another option- Character Meals. While you won’t see every character on your list, you can check off quite a few with a meal or two. Each meal is unique, and offers a varied cast of lovable characters waiting to come straight to your table to meet you.
I found that this was a nice way for my own daughter to get up close and cuddly with characters, without the long lines that can be challenging not just for parents with special needs children, but parents with antsy toddlers, hyper pre-schoolers, and kids just way too excited to meet their hero.
Character meals can be done in about 60-90 minutes, and offer a break off your feet in an air conditioned environment, while getting that pesky eating out of the way.
I have done several character meals now, and I definitely have my favorites- both from a food stand point, and a character stand point.
Our personal favorites currently are Garden Grill at Epcot featuring Chip, Dale, Pluto, and Mickey in his Farmer outfit, and Tusker House at Animal Kingdom, featuring Donald waiting to greet you with a photo before entering, and Mickey, Daisy, and Goofy all in Safari gear.
If character dining is out of your budget, or does not fit your diet, stop by Fort Wilderness Campground in the evenings (weather permitting) for some free (yes, really!) fun with Chip & Dale’s Campfire Sing-A-Long. This is a fun way to end the evening, especially on a non-park day of relaxing at your resort. This Sing-A-Long is open to all, and can be easily reached by arriving at Magic Kingdom, and then taking a boat to Fort Wilderness. Check with your resort concierge for the start time, as it can vary through out the year.
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