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Disneyluvr
04-06-2005, 03:10 PM
We are going to DLR at the end of May. My kids really want to meet as many characters as possible, and being a scrapbooker I really want lots of pics. We were going to do the Princess Breakfast but after hearing about it I'm not sure if it's worth it. Any tips on when and where to see all the favorites? Are there any other Character Meals that have a lot of characters?

SCUBAbe
04-06-2005, 03:25 PM
they come out at certain times during the day for a queue style meet and greet. Most people love goofy's charcater meal. I saw some of the areils grotto one. Chip and dale were there. I love chip and dale..:) I think you can get a schedule at city hall.

also over at DCA they seem to wonder more freely about..:)

amarvel
04-06-2005, 03:32 PM
Check the program for the day, it will list what characters will be where. Also the characters seem to come out from about 9am-3pm, I usually find the most during these hours. Look around the castle, pooh area, and main street, I usually get about 20-30 different characters at least every trip. good luck!!

Oh and I dont go to the character things. They use to be worth it, but i have found in recent years to be too much the cost for the food you get, when you can see just about the same characters in the park. If you find that you dont see the characters you want and it gets close to the end of your trip, then i would book a meal at a character dining place.

Surfingstitch
04-06-2005, 03:37 PM
What characters are you looking for?

bradk
04-06-2005, 03:38 PM
if you are looking for someone specific, you can always ask a CM who should be able to refer you to a toonfinder

nmjohnston874
04-06-2005, 04:41 PM
How often and where does he come out. He's a favorite of this 50 year old.

3894
04-06-2005, 05:01 PM
Mill around, have fun, and you'll run into characters. Disneyland is nothing if not one giant photo op!

Cherene
04-06-2005, 05:09 PM
We just got back from Dl and being a fellow scrapper I know what you mean :)

We did two character breakfasts (stayed out of the rain :) and did fine with those and saw the characters. Also we would ask at the information booths in both parks for the certain characters that my dd wanted to see.

The only two she wanted to see that weren't schedule to be out were Peter Pan and Wendy. We did see them flying through the park one day but I have no idea where they went and they weren't schd. to be out.

Have fun and you will see characters all over. Look at your map and see where they are usually located, and that will help.

Oh, also over at CA there is the animation bldg. on hollywood blvd (I think that is what it is called) They have princesses that rotate in and out on every 15-30 minutes inside and then a few other characters that mill around inside and outside of there. Including the Incredibles and Frozone, these guys can be found outside.

Have fun! Let me know how the pages turn out. I am always on the lookout for good pages for inspiration :) And beware, we took over 2000 photos (thankfully they are digital!)

Fozzie
04-06-2005, 06:19 PM
We are going to DLR at the end of May. My kids really want to meet as many characters as possible, and being a scrapbooker I really want lots of pics. We were going to do the Princess Breakfast but after hearing about it I'm not sure if it's worth it. Any tips on when and where to see all the favorites? Are there any other Character Meals that have a lot of characters?

You cannot miss the characters at the following locations. If you line up, you'll get a chance to meet them:

Toontown - Mickey and Minnie are always inside their homes during posted hours.

Critter Country - Pooh and company can be found in the meet and greet area during posted hours.

Characters also appear in Town Square, around Toontown, and a few other random places - but you're not guarenteed a visit or autograph. It's a mix of luck and "first come, first served." Most guests don't usually understand that.

I'd also recommend Ariel's Grotto over in DCA. The character interaction has been very good over there recently. It's a little smaller and usually a bit less crowded than Goofy's Kitchen.

mkcbunny
04-06-2005, 08:07 PM
Check the program for the day, it will list what characters will be where.

And see response #9, about where. The program is good for folks who need to greet the "big ones," like Mickey and the Pooh clan.

Best bet for random characters is right at park opening. Be there early to get in right at opening, and there are often several characters in the Main Street area. I've seen Mary Poppins, the whole Wonderland group [but when are they going to make a Cheshire Cat costume?!], Chip 'n' Dale, and others. The princesses hang around the castle, and one year, I saw the Evil Queen [never again tho] inside the castle area where the Villains Shop used to be a few years back.

If you just want to see a bunch of characters and not necessarily greet them, then be sure to see a parade. And if you are REALLY energetic and purposeful, you can try to get into the parade and dance with the characters. If you do that, be sure someone in your group stays as a spectator to take pictures, though....

mkcbunny
04-06-2005, 08:12 PM
I should add that if you DO get into the parade, you don't have any choice over which character you are paired with. So, that may be disappointing for a kid if they get a character they don't know or like. In my case, my parade karma was superb. I got the White Rabbit, which was my absolute number one choice. I don't know how I lucked out like that. The Disney fates were with me, I guess. I was practically hyperventillating, I was so excited.

There were only two of us, so no one was outside to take our pictures. The only picture I got was of me saying goodbye to the W.R. at the end.

sdfilmcritic
04-06-2005, 08:12 PM
My DLR Characters tip of the day:

When Belle comes out to greet everyone just scream loudly like one of the girls in the front row of a Beatles concert. (Suddenly I picture myself acting like something from a Will Ferrel comedy routine.)

mkcbunny
04-06-2005, 09:01 PM
My DLR Characters tip of the day:

And DON'T skip a character in a group.

One year, we were visiting the Pooh characters. It was Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore. You were supposed to wait in one line and then visit them in that order. But after Pooh, the line for Tigger was super long. No one was moving on to poor Eeyore. So we went directly from Pooh to Eeyore, figuring, the Tigger line's long, and we can move on. We weren't big Tigger fans, and all of the kids were taking a lot of time with him.

Well, after we were done with Eeyore, Tigger went on break. As he passed by with his handler, the handler said, "Look, Tigger, it's those girls who ignored you." And Tigger looked all hurt and turned his head the other way.

So, on the one hand, we felt bad for Tigger. On the other, we thought the CM handler was being a little rude to us about it. She was pointing at and mocking us. Poor Eeyore had no one, and Tigger was mobbed with kids who were never going to leave him. We didn't think we were doing anything wrong.

Anyway, don't snub a character.

Dream Again
04-06-2005, 10:08 PM
At the end of the Aladdin's Oasis show, Aladdin, Jasmine, and the narrator (I think) offer oppurtunities to get autographs/pictures. I'm not sure if it's open, though?

WITron
04-06-2005, 10:13 PM
When we went last year to the storybook time at Tink's toy shop after the story Cinderella stayed and was giving autographs and taking pics. Unfortunately the line was too long so we did not stick around. Hopefully it won't be as crowded when we go in Dec and my DD can get a pic with her, since she is her favorite princess.

Ulysses
04-07-2005, 05:48 AM
I should add that if you DO get into the parade, you don't have any choice over which character you are paired with.

FYI, the Parade of the Stars, featuring guest participation, is over with. There is no parade at DL right now, just the little mini character "celebrations". The new parade, Parade of Dreams, is in rehearsal. I don't know if guests will be included in that parade; I kind of doubt it.

ChipmunkStar
04-07-2005, 08:19 AM
FYI, the Parade of the Stars, featuring guest participation, is over with. There is no parade at DL right now, just the little mini character "celebrations". The new parade, Parade of Dreams, is in rehearsal. I don't know if guests will be included in that parade; I kind of doubt it.

Well, younger guests are invited to join in the dancing at certain points during the Celebrations. During the Silly Song for the Princess Celebration, and during the Frontierland Hoedown for the Magic Kingdom one. There are also a few instrument handed out during the Adventureland segment to a few younger guests as well. I also heard a rumor that Mickey's Magic Kingdom Celebration would be running longer than it's originally anticipated time (possibly through the 50th).

I don't know much about the choreography for PoD, so who knows, there could be guest participation during the show stops (a la Party Gras) or not. We'll just have to wait and see.

mkcbunny
04-07-2005, 11:49 AM
FYI, the Parade of the Stars, featuring guest participation, is over with. There is no parade at DL right now, just the little mini character "celebrations". The new parade, Parade of Dreams, is in rehearsal. I don't know if guests will be included in that parade; I kind of doubt it.

Ah. Interesting. Well, I guess it'd be something to ask about when visiting in the future, whether guests can get into the parade that's going on at the specific time you are visiting. Glad we did it while we could!