One of our favorite things to do while at the Disney World parks is get our pictures taken with various characters. While you will find characters roaming around various locations of the parks, there are some Disney World characters that have designated areas where you should be able to easily spot them.
We have compiled a list of where to find characters at Disney World so that you can bookmark and take it with you when you travel.
Where to Meet Disney World Characters
Disney Characters at Magic Kingdom
Main Street USA
- Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theater
Tomorrowland
- Buzz Lightyear
- Stitch
Adventureland
- Aladdin & Jasmine at Agrabah Bazaar
- Captain Jack Sparrow (Currently Closed)
Fantasyland
- Alice (and sometimes Mad Hatter &/or Rabbit) in Wonderland at the Tea Cups
- Ariel at her Grotto near Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid ride.
- Pluto, Daisy Duck, Donald Duck, and Goofy at Pete’s Silly Sideshow
- Gaston at his Gaston’s Tavern
- Merida at Fairytale Garden (Mirabel will start in the Fall)
- Peter Pan near the ride
- Rapunzel at Fairytale Hall
- Tiana at Fairytale Hall
- Elena of Avalon at Fairytale Hall
- Cinderella at Fairytale Hall
- Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet at Thotful Spot
- Belle at Enchanted Tales with Belle
- Fairy Godmother (or Step Mother & Sisters) in Fantasyland
Frontierland
- Chip & Dale
- Country Bears
Disney Characters at Epcot
Entrance
- Various Characters
Imagination Pavillion
- Vanellope von Schweetz in ImageWorks
- Joy in ImageWorks
- Figment will appear in late 2023
World Showcase
- Anna & Elsa at Royal Sommerhaus
- Alice &/ or Mary Poppins in United Kingdom (behind tea shop)
- Belle in France along Lake in France Pavilion
- Donald Duck in Mexico Pavilion
- Mulan in China Pavilion
- Snow White in Germany Pavilion
- Jasmine & Aladdin in Morocco Pavilion
Pixar Short Film Festival
- Mickey Mouse
Characters at Animal Kingdom (All Meet & Greets Currently Closed)
Africa
- Baloo and King Louie
DinoLand U.S.A.
- Goofy and Pluto
- Donald, Daisy, Scrooge McDuck and Launchpad McQuack
- Chip & Dale
Discovery Island
- Mickey & Minnie Mouse at Adventure Outpost
- Pocahontas at Character Landing
- Russel & Dug
- Moana
Tree of Life
- Tarzan
Pandora – The World of Avatar
- Pandora Ranger in Utility Suit
Rafiki’s Planet Watch
- Doc McStuffins at Conservation Station
- Rafiki
Disney World Characters at Hollywood Studios
- Minnie & Mickey at Red Carpet Dreams
Animation Courtyard
- Doc McStuffins
- Fancy Nancy
- Vamparina
Toy Story Land
- Buzz Lightyear
- Woody
- Jessie
Celebrity Spotlight
- Olaf
Star Wars Launchpad
- Chewbacca
Walt Disney Presents
- Sully
While there are other Disney World characters you might see in the parks, these are the ones that have designated meet & greet locations.
How to Know Which Disney Characters are Available to Meet
There are two ways to know where to find characters and the times that they are available for meet & greets.
My Disney Experience App
We have found that the most up to date and easiest way to find characters in Disney World is to use the app.
Disney World Times Guide
One thing that will make it easier to find Disney World characters no matter which park you are at is the Times Guide.
Each park has a Times Guide that tells you the times of shows, parades and where characters are for meet & greets throughout the day.
Tips for Meeting Characters at Disney World
1. Plan ahead
Decide which characters you would really like to meet.
Chances are you might stumble upon characters here & there on your trip, but many Disney characters have set meet & greet times and locations.
Use the Disney app to know where they will be.
If you know where and when characters will be, you can get there first!
2. Bring your Camera or Cell Phone
While many character meet & greets have a Disney Photopass photographer, not all do so you should be prepared.
Regardless if there is a photographer, I would take your own pictures too.
The cast member working the meet & greet area will gladly take a family picture for you if you would like to be in the picture too.
Not all characters will sign autographs, but for the ones that do, it is best to have the book open to the page you would like signed and a pen handy.
We have found that retractable sharpies work best because the character doesn’t have to try to pull off the pen lid with their large hands.
Don’t want to do an autograph book? There are other options to showcase your autographs.
4. Be Ready for a Line
Lines can get long. If you are willing to wait with children, bring a snack and an activity.
This keeps the kids occupied when they might otherwise get fidgety.
5. Reserve a Disney Character Meal
A Character meal is a great way to knock out meeting many characters at one time.
You get to meet characters while you eat so you are killing two birds with one stone!
6. Use the Genie+ system Lightning Lane
While there are a few occasions where using the Lightning Lane might be the best way to meet a character with minimal wait times, I think it is far better to use them on rides.
7. Disney Visa Card Holders can get access to special meet & greets.
One of the perks to having a Disney Visa Card through Chase is that you can get access to elite Disney Character Meet & Greets that aren’t available to the general public.
Take advantage of these as they are usually much shorter lines and with great characters!
8. Engage the characters
If you are wearing a Mickey Mouse shirt, show Mickey. Or better yet, show Donald! Characters love to be admired and teased!
They also make great photo ops!
Disney Autograph Book Ideas
If you are planning on meeting Disney characters, be sure to have a autograph book ready! When it comes to Disney autograph books, these are definitely some of the cutest we've seen!
