New And/Or Unusual Characters We "Found" On Our Most Recent Trip to Walt Disney World

Like most people, we're happy to "hunt" for things while at the most magical place on earth.  Whether it is hidden Mickey's or short attraction lines or coveted desserts or great viewing spots for parades and fireworks or Disney trading pins or unusual Disney characters we hunt for it.  It's all part of the adventure.  And, our most recent trip to Walt Disney World was no exception when it came to meeting either new to us or not typically found characters.

Meeting Baymax from Big Hero 6 was new for all of us.  His meet and greet location in EPCOT in Innoventions West across the breezeway from the EPCOT Character Spot was easy to find and had minimal wait.  All objects must be removed--bags, lanyards, etc.--prior to greeting Baymax.  The background of the workshop is cool too!  We asked about meeting characters from "Inside Out" and a cast member pretended not to know what we were talking about but I made reference to the wall that was painted and he then gave it up--said that construction was delayed.  Recent updates do indicate that Joy and Sadness will be coming to EPCOT soon!

 The addition of the Star Wars Launch Bay at Disney's Hollywood Studios has added some definitely new to us characters.  We met Chewbacca and Kylo Ren.  Disney Reward Visa has a meet and greet in the same area--Imperial Meet and Greet--and we were hopeful to meet Darth Vader.  We met Kylo Ren again.  When I asked the cast member about it, I was told that it was only Kylo Ren.

We also bumped into Storm Troopers--the would not pose for a photo!  And Jawas characters milling around inside the Launch Bay.  If you have something shiny, the Jawas may give you extra attention.

 Also at Disney's Hollywood Studios we found Robin Hood and the White Rabbit greeting guests just outside The Great Movie Ride.  Of course, the White Rabbit thought he was late for something. . . what could it be?

At Disney's Animal Kingdom, we bumped into Tarzan who we also had never met before.  He was soon joined by is sidekick Terk.  Interestingly, we had met Terk during another visit to the park a few years ago.

Also at Disney's Animal Kingdom, we were able to say hello to Flik from "A Bug's Life."  He was a character we had met on a trip several years ago.  I don't think he remembered us, but we did ask him to say hello to Atta for us.

At Magic Kingdom the fellows found Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum.  I'm not sure which is which, but the boy decided to play rock, paper, scissors with one of them.  We had met these characters before but it had been a while!

Also at Magic Kingdom were Gaston, Lady Tremaine's daughters and Cincerella's step-sisters Anastasia and Drizella, and Alice and the Mad Hatter.  We had met all of these characters previously, but they can sometimes be difficult to find.  Based on the lines for Gaston, near his tavern in the New Fantasyland, he is becoming more and more popular.  Anastasia and Drizella were wandering around behind the Castle without their mother.  Alice and the Mad Hatter, who heartily wished me a Happy Birthday, were near the Teacups of course.

How do we find these characters?  One way is to pick-up a Times Guide along with a park map when you enter a park.  Various character meet and greets will be listed in the Times Guide.  Another way is to be on the look-out and know whether or not you have time in your day to stop and possibly wait a few minutes to say hello to a character.  The boy is excellent at scoping out characters.  I lookout for Photopass photographers.  Often they arrive at a meet and greet before a character.  The photographers can often tell you who is coming, when, and where to wait.  We've been in the front of lines when characters arrive because of this tip.

We already know which characters we will be hunting for on our next trip! 

Summer 2015 Disneyland Character Meet and Greet Plans

Anticipation for our upcoming Summer 2015 Williams Family Vacation continues to grow.  The husband has put his fingers on the character happenings at Disneyland and has already put together his wish list!

Oswald the Lucky Rabbit is advertised as greeting guest at Disney California Adventure.  This would be a new to us character and the husband is destined to make this meet and greet.

Both the husband and the boy have designs on introducing themselves to Captain American, greeting guests in Disneyland, and Thor, the Mighty Avenger.

I’ve got my eye out for an Olaf meet and greet at Disney California Adventure.  His friends, Anna and Elsa, are there too.  Interestingly, all FROZEN activities—character meet and greets, or the First Time In Forever FROZEN Sing-a-long—require FastPass (which is still the paper system).

Any other characters will be icing on an already sweet vacation cake.  Although the husband has  stated that if the Big Bad Wolf is anywhere near, we’re going to “DEFCON 10” as he puts it and stopping all plans in their tracks.  He has his priorities.

Getting character autographs on a pillow case during our Summer 2014 Walt Disney World vacation

Speaking of character meetings, we have a new white pillow-case ready to capture character autographs using fabric markers just for the occasion. (Wal-Mart had a package of 2 micro-fiber pillow cases for less than $5.)

P.S.  There are also character meet and greets at Legoland, including Character Dining!

We Met 13 "New To Us" Disney Characters!

At some point during our trips to Walt Disney World, finding and meeting new Disney characters became a goal.  I am not sure when it happened, but possibly when we met all seven of the dwarfs along with Snow White during Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.  Yeah, that could be when it started.

So before each trip we set out to meet Disney characters that we have yet to meet.  Our most recent trip was a bonanza of “new to us” characters.  Take a look. . .

The Br'er's were greeting guests at Magic Kingdom during Long Lost Friends week, which was a Limited Time Magic theme.  The husband informed me that we have previously met Br'er Fox, so meeting Br'er Bear and Br'er Rabbit were new for us.  New character count:  2

Dr. Facilier and Louis the alligator from The Princess and the Frog were also greeting guests at the Magic Kingdom as a part of Long Lost Friends week.  New character count: 4

Merida from Disney/Pixar's BRAVE was found at the Magic Kingdom, too.  She greets guests at the Fairytale Garden near Cinderella's Castle.  Her bright blue eyes are more vivid than her dress.  It was great to meet her.   New character count:  5.

Abby Mallard, also know as the Ugly Duckling, and Chicken Littler were found at the Magic Kingdom as a part of Long Lost Friends week.  New character count:  7.

Jake, part of the Never Land Pirates was greeting guests inside the Magic of Disney Animation at Disney's Hollywood Studios.  We took a moment to say hello.  Note:  Jake and his friend Handy Manny can usually be found greeting guests outside near Playhouse Disney, but due to inclement weather, there meet and greet had been moved inside to the nearby Magic of Disney Animation building.  New character count:  8.

Vain as ever, Gaston from Beauty and the Beast was allowing guests to admire him near his new tavern in the expanded Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom.  New character count:  9.

Robin Hood brought along Friar Tuck, the Sheriff of Nottingham, and Prince John to meet guests at the Magic Kingdom, which was also part of Disney's Long Lost Friends Limited Time Magic theme.  The husband was beside himself.  New character count:  13!

There you have it.  13 new to us Disney characters found and greeting during our most recent Walt Disney World vacation.

Notice that we didn't take random "drive by" photos of the characters in mid greet with someone else as other guests do, but actually took the time to say an official hello or even a more friendly greeting like a hug.

The characters that were a part of Long Lost Friends week gave out autograph cards rather than signing autographs, which would have taken a long time.  Jake, Merida, and Gaston were all able to sign autographs.

The husband has yet to find what he refers to as his holy grail and that is Big Bad Wolf.  We will keep up the search!

New To Us Disney Characters During Our Most Recent Walt Disney World Visit

We all like hunts, missions, and challenges.  So, it comes as no surprise that while visiting Walt Disney World, our family hunts for Disney Characters to meet, greet, photograph, and get an autograph,  It’s a quest.  And, while we enjoy meeting any Disney Characters, it especially fun to meet characters that are “new” to us; ones we haven’t met before.

On our last trip to Walt Disney World, we met three “new to us” characters and they were ALL bunnies! 

Alice appeared at the Magic Kingdom near her teacup attraction and the White Rabbit was with her.  A first for us.  Well, actually, a first for the husband and the boy as I was holding our place in the Rapunzel line, but it still counts!

The same day, we met Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny on the Town Square at the Magic Kingdom.  I had overheard some other guests talking about meeting the Easter Bunny, so I checked my map and Times Guide.  Sure enough, Mr. and Mrs. Easter Bunny were listed in the Times Guide so we made a stop before exiting the park for dinner.

Speaking of bunnies, we met a total of 5 bunnies during our Walt Disney World visit if you add Thumper and Miss Bunny that we met in Animal Kingdom.

What are you favorite Disney characters to meet?

New To Us Characters

A part of each of our Disney trips is a quest to find and meet characters that we haven't met before. During our last trip to the Walt Disney World Resort, we found the following first time for us characters. . .

Thumper and Ms. Bunny from Bambi were found at Camp Mickey and Minnie character greeting trails at Disney's Animal Kingdom.

While we had previously met Disney's newest princess, Princess Tiana (click here to read more), we had yet to meet Prince Naveen.

At the entrance to what used to be her attraction, we found Pocahantas in Camp Mickey and Minnie in Disney's Animal Kingdom. And, we saw her again that same day at Rafiki's Planet Watch at Animal Kingdom. A few days later, we met her again along with her side-kick Meeko, the racoon, at the Magic of Disney Animation in Disney Hollywood Studios during what we call the "Character Explosion."

Marie, from Aristocats, was greeting fans and guests at the France Pavilion in EPCOT. We later learned that she is a regular here.

We had met several of the Disney Fairies previously, but not Iridessa, a light fairy. We met her in Pixie Hollow, part of Toontown Hall of Fame in Toontown at the Magic Kingdom. Click here to read more about meeting Disney Fairies.

We were exicited to meet so many new to us characters while still finding characters we have met previously. Collecting photos and autographs of Disney characters is just one of the experiences the whole family can participate in at the Walt Disney World Resort, and it can be relatively inexpensive.

Here are a few hints and tips for greeting characters:

• Check the park map and times guide for character meet and greet times and locations. You can also use a mobile app., ask character handlers, or check in guest services for information regarding a specific character you want to find. (Character handlers are dressed in light blue shirts and khaki pants or shorts. If it is chilly, they have navy coats.)
• When you see a character, check to see if a queue has already formed. Most likely it has, so join the queue. The handler may close or end a line if it is time for the character to leave. Don't be disappointed or argue (we've seen it happen!), just ask when the character will return. Sometimes it will be just moments, so you may want to wait in the line.
• It is OK to ask the handler how much longer the character will be out before joining the queue. This allows you to make a decision before joining the line and alleviate potential disappointment.
• When in the character queue, get your autograph book(s), pens, cameras, and photopass cards ready. This allows the line to go much faster. I woud add to that list--take children out of strollers, etc
• If you child is hesitant to meet the character (large costumed creatures can be scary), be Ok with it and try another time. Or, give another adult your camera so you can hold your child in the photo. Sometimes character meals can be a better place to meet characters. Side Note: The boy is so well practiced with posing with characters that we were recently at a local function featuring a dog character. The boy greeted with the name and a hug, then turned to me with a smile ready for a photo. I didn't have my camera, but we pretended to snap a photo anyway.
• Interact with the character(s) briefly. Ask a question they would respond to as their character or say one of their well known lines. For example, when we meet Captain Hook, we say "Tick, Tock." Now, we know this will make him angry, so we wait until after the photos and autographs. Passporter. com has a downloadable e-book-- Character Yearbook The cost is less than $5.00 and it lists all or most of the Disney characters, where they can be found, and other tidbits--well known lines, questions, etc. It can be a good Disney primer.
• Have fun!