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Hi all,
Welcome to this second in a special series of articles looking at the top 10 best places for meeting the Disney Characters at the Disney Parks and Resorts. Our first edition looked at Walt Disney World in Florida.
In this second edition we look at Disneyland Paris's top ten. Throughout the article you can click the links to the specific places mentioned to find more detailed information about meeting characters there. At the end of the top ten, be sure to check our links to other hints and tips pages on this site!
Ok, here we go! First up, Disneyland Parc...
1. Main Street USA - Main Street USA has some fantastic character meeting opportunities, which are both structured and random.
There are regularly scheduled appearances by Mickey and Duffy in Town Square at the Boarding House, and also Pooh up at Casey's Corner. Although, Mickey will soon be leaving for his new home in Fantasyland come the spring - but Duffy will remain.
Throughout the day in Town Square you can quite often find a random selection of pretty much any character! These appearances aren't always announced, but if they are there once, there is a good chance they'll be out again later in the day - good to know if you miss one of your favourites!
In the past we have seen everyone from Stitch, Piglet, King Louie, the Wonderland characters (any or all of them), Peter Pan, any combination of the Big 8 and more!
At Christmas, Santa Goofy makes regular appearances at the gazebo, and you can sometimes find Elves wandering around too!
Early in the morning you may find Mickey riding around Main Street on his Mousemobile, which can be fun to see.
2. Fantasyland - Fantasyland in Disneyland Paris is probably one of the best places to meet random and cool characters at Disneyland Paris, if not anywhere.
Let's start with the scheduled appearances. The Princesses meet all day at the Princess Pavilion, and can include Aurora, Belle, Tiana and any number of the other main Princesses.
Soon, Mickey will start greeting his fans at his new home at the Fantasyland Theatre. This is expected to be somewhat similar to the Town Square Theater experience at the Magic Kingdom in Florida.
Throughout the day, and unannounced, you can nearly always find any number of random characters throughout Fantasyland, but namely near the "it's a small world" gates. Character do roam though, so be sure to keep an eye out. Fantasyland in Paris is probably one of the best places at any Disney Park, in our experience. We have met everyone from Maleficent, the Pooh friends, Big 8/VIPs, Alice friends, Peter Pan gang, Chicken Little, Abby Mallard, Princes and Princesses, other random classic characters and many, many more. The list is quite extensive to say the least!
3. Adventureland - Adventureland, like Fantasyland and Main Street offers it's own fair share of cool characters.
Making regularly scheduled appearances (listed on the times guide), are normally Aladdin and friends, Jungle friends and Jack Sparrow.
Throughout the day you are also likely to encounter other random pals, such as the Big 8/VIPs in safari outfits, other random critter or jungle characters, or classics such as Peter Pan or Hook and Smee.
We love to wander through Adventureland to see who we can find, and some of the backdrops of the land make for some excellent pictures!
Be sure to check near Colonel Hathi's Pizza Outpost or near Adventureland Bazaar for the best selection of random characters.
Next we step into the Disneyland Hotel...
4. Inventions - Despite being a very high end restaurant, Inventions does offer probably the most diverse character dining experiences of any Disney Park or Resort. Based in the Main Street Lounge area of the fabulous Disneyland Hotel, and with stunning views over Disneyland Park, you cannot beat the setting. The food is amazing, and consists of a fantastic hot and cold buffet. The theming is superb, and the service very good.
Of course, we're here to talk about characters though! On any given evening, characters join guests for dinner, and can vary wildly from the Pooh friends, Villains, Big 8/VIPs to Launchpad, Clopin and others!
Aside from the dinner mentioned above, Inventions offers Sunday Brunch, usually with a theme of the week. We know for sure they have French, Italian, British, Hawaiian, Princess and African to name but a few. It isn't just the food that is "themed", the characters are too, and you'll find the VIPs in their special costumes (African, safari, royal - you name it!) to mark which ever Brunch it is, as well as characters from that theme too - so for the Italian Brunch they had the Pinocchio characters, for example. We LOVE these Brunches, and definitely recommend them as the character variety is excellent and the dining experience fabulous.
5. Disneyland Hotel Main Lobby & Main Street Lounge - I had to mention the other areas of the hotel separately as the restaurant experience is quite different (and is a pay service of course), but for those who just want to meet characters, you can stop by the Main Street Lounge at the Rotunda every morning from early 'til just before lunch, and meet a whole manner of friends. We love to check out this area every morning before venturing into the park, as it can vary wildly from day to day. From the VIPs, Pooh friends, White Rabbit, Friar Tuck and even Hyacinth Hippo, you never quite know who you'll find at the Rotunda!
Later in the day (check location for exact times), usually after lunch, there are some rotating sets of characters in the main lobby. These are a little less random than the Rotunda, but can again vary a lot, and include Princesses.
In the late afternoon, during weekday peak times, and weekends, there is something called a "Magical Moment" down in the lobby. A random selection of characters will come and sing and dance to some music, before taking the time to meet their fans. It is a cute ceremony, and just adds a touch more Disney magic to your day! As with everything else at DLP, these can be fairly random, and the theme can also change from day to day. We have seen everything from Christmas, Halloween, Valentine's and Alice in Wonderland versions of these musical happenings, so they are well worth checking out!
So as you can see, a days' character hunting at the Disneyland Hotel alone can be quite exciting!
Now it's off to the Walt Disney Studios Parc...
6. Toon Studio - Toon Studio in Walt Disney Studios offers a random variety of characters throughout the day as well as some scheduled ones. In the past we have encountered Jafar, Abu, Big 8/VIPs, Rafiki, Sulley, Buzz Lightyear, Stitch and more. Check on the day of your visit to see who is about as it tends to change quite a lot!
7. Production Courtyard - Across the other side of the park from Toon Studio, in Production Courtyard, again you will often find a random selection of friends near the Stitch Live! attraction. In the past we have seen Stitch, Friar Tuck, Big 8/VIPs, Villains and more! Again, check on the day of your visit to see who is about as it tends to change quite a lot!
We leave the parks now, and head to Disney Village...
8. Café Mickey - I don't like to have two character dining options on here really, as I prefer to provide hints and tips for the Parks and other "free" areas (those already included in your vacation, not "extra"), but DLP is so diverse in it's character range - and that includes dining - that Café Mickey in Disney Village deserves a mention also.
In the past we have had some very interesting character meals at Café Mickey, and you should go there expecting the unexpected! The food is pretty good for the relatively cheap price as they offer a menu, so potentially you can choose the cheapest option and still sit there all night - unlike other character dining. The restaurant is very popular and busy, and can be very noisy also. There are always a multitude of birthdays going on, which causes mass eruptions of dancing and music from everybody - cast, guests and characters alike - as well as regular, lively, dance parties around the room, and on the furniture. It is not uncommon to see Goofy table dancing in Café Mickey - so be warned!
The variety of characters has admittedly become more static these days, but can still be quite varied (VIPs, Pooh pals, Stitch, Villains) as with the rest of DLP, and for the price and sheer experience of the crazy place, it is well worth it!
Finally, we take a look at some additional options for character hunting...
9. Seasonal Celebrations - Disneyland Paris loves to celebrate the various holidays throughout the year, even more so than the US Parks to be honest.
In February for the days surrounding Valentine's you can expect to find the VIPs in special outfits, and special Disney "couples" out and about, sometimes in special dress too.
In March, Disneyland Paris likes to celebrate both St David's Welsh Festival and St. Patrick's Day. The Big 8/VIPs can be found wearing special outfits, and special entertainment is offered.
Come October and Halloween Season again sees special outfits during the day, and special characters - namely the Disney Villains, including the hilarious Witch from Snow White (who in DLP is a face character. Trust me, she is amazing!).
Be sure to attend Disney's Halloween Party on the 31st of October. In recent years there have been some truly amazing characters including Hades, Philoctetes, Pain, and Panic, amongst other really rare ones!
From November through January Christmas Season brings a sprinkling of extra magic, and you can find the characters in special costumes, as well as seasonal characters such as elves, and Père Noël himself!
10. The other Disney Hotels - I tried to resist putting this in it's own category, as I had already mentioned the Disneyland Hotel, but I felt that the DL Hotel was in a league of it's own really, and so the other hotels also deserved a mention.
As with the Disneyland Hotel, you don't have to be a guest staying at any of the Hotels around Lake Disney to be able to experience some of the cool characters they have.
All of them offer the VIPs, but usually in themed outfits for that hotel (Hispanic/Mexican at the Santa Fe, Cowboy/Indian the Cheyenne etc), as well as a mix of other characters appropriate to that "destination" (maybe Jessie at the Santa Fe, or if you're VERY lucky Robin Hood at the Sequoia Lodge, etc).
Though the range may not be as diverse as elsewhere across the Resort, we do think that the morning hotel meet 'n' greets offer some nice interactions and different costumes - with relatively short lines - and so it is worth checking them out before park open.
I hope you all found that useful!
You might also want to check out our special Hints and Tips Blog Post here, and join our members discussion about hints and tips for meeting characters here on our Forum. Other users have posted some great tips, so be sure to check those out and maybe make your own contributions!
Stay tuned over the next few days for my next in this series which will be Disneyland Resort in California's Top 10!
Dan. |
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 | Happy 11th Birthday Disney California Adventure! | |
| DisneyDan
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 7:16:25 AM |
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Eleven years ago today, the then named Disney's California Adventure Park opened at the newly branded Disneyland Resort in California, becoming Disney's 8th theme park around the world.
The park has seen many changes over the years, and this year is going to experience the grand opening it's most daring project yet!
So let's celebrate by taking a look back at our character adventures at Disney California Adventure, with many more to come! [ Read More... ] |
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 | Happy 72nd Anniversary Pinocchio! | |
| DisneyDan
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 8:30:10 AM |
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Today is the 72nd anniversary of Walt Disney's 1940 animated feature film, Pinocchio.
Premièring at the Central Theatre in New York City, it features probably the most famous of all Disney songs, When You Wish Upon a Star.
So, join us in celebrating Pinocchio and all his friend's birthdays in this character picture filled cavalcade!
Today is also the birthday of the late Wayne Allwine, who was the unmistakable voice of Mickey Mouse for over thirty years.
So in tribute to him, here is Mickey and Pinocchio together with Jiminy Cricket.
Dan. |
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Hi all,
There isn't much to report today, but thought I'd update nonetheless!
Over in Disneyland, it was announced that Mardi Gras would once again return to New Orleans Square in the form of the New Orleans Bayou Bash. It sounds as though it has been lifted right from last year's similar events during the Character Fan Weekends, but has a more extended run dedicated solely to this theme.
According to the Parks Blog there will be "special entertainment will include performances by Princess Tiana, Louis and Naveen and meet & greet opportunities with Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald, Goofy, Pluto and Chip ‘n’ Dale – all dressed up in their Mardi Gras finest!"
You can find out more information, including dates on our Forum post about it here.
Loren has posted his most recent weekly character update from Disneyland, and that can also be found here on our Forum.
At Walt Disney World this afternoon, there was a special mini-parade to celebrate the Big Game that happened this weekend. Although I don't have pictures to share, I know that Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Chip and Dale were there on the parade route dressed in their special sports outfits, along with cheerleaders and balloon vendors selling special football shaped balloons!
In Tokyo last week they announced that Easter Wonderland would be returning. This high energy event has a long run through the Spring period, and is very popular, as with all seasonal events at the Japanese parks. You can find out more information about this here in Jon's post on our Forum.
Be sure to check out my first in a series of special articles for character hunting at the Disney Parks and Resorts, which includes our top 10 places. The first Resort is Walt Disney World, which can be found here. Check back in the next few days to find similar articles for Disneyland and Disneyland Paris!
We celebrated Peter Pan's birthday yesterday with a special tribute blog post, which you can see here.
Finally, we know there have been some issues with being able to access the site since Sunday, and we are working with our host to resolve these issues. Please be patient, but be assured we will be fully back on line as soon as possible!
As always we thank you all for your continued support. We really appreciate it.
Dan. |
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 | Happy Anniversary Peter Pan! | |
| DisneyDan
Sunday, February 5, 2012 5:40:30 AM |
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Today is the 59th anniversary of Walt Disney's masterpiece, Peter Pan.
Peter Pan premièred at the Roxy Theatre in New York City on this day in 1953, and is an adaptation of Sir J M Barrie's 1904 play.
In true Character Central tradition, we are celebrating this occasion by showcasing some our favourite shots from the Parks and Resorts over the years. We have had some wonderful, magical memories with the Peter Pan gang and hope to have many, many more!
Ok everybody, here we go! Off to Neverland!
Happy Birthday to Peter Pan, the Lost Boys and all their friends - and foes! - in Neverland!
Dan. |
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Hi all,
Welcome to this first in a special series of articles looking at the top 10 best places for meeting the Disney Characters at the Disney Parks and Resorts.
In this first edition we look at Walt Disney World Resort's top ten. Throughout the article you can click the links to the specific places mentioned to find more detailed information about meeting characters there. At the end of the top ten, be sure to check our links to other hints and tips pages on this site!
So, let us begin in the Magic Kingdom...
1. Town Square - Town Square has a number of different character meet 'n' greet oppportunities, namely the Town Square Theater. At Town Square Theater you can meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse at Mickey's backstage dressing room. In a separate room of the theatre you can also meet the Disney Princesses. There are usually three, and are usually from the main 5 (Belle, Aurora, Cinderella, Ariel or Snow White), although Tiana and Rapunzel are there from time to time also.
Outside in the street, by the flagpole you can normally meet Daisy Duck or Pluto. Sometimes Pinocchio makes appearances too. You may bump into the Citizens of Main Street from time to time, including Mayor Weaver, Victoria Trumpetto and Fire Chief Smokey Miller.
2. Adventureland - Adventureland is the new home of the Fairies of Pixie Hollow, who were evicted from their previous location last year to make way for the new Fantasyland expansion. Tinker Bell is almost a dead cert, and these days either Terence or Vidia with her, although you may find any one of the other 4 Fairies instead (Silvermist, Fawn, Rosetta or Iridessa).
Adventureland is also the home to Pirate Goofy, Aladdin and Jasmine. For a small area of the park you can meet a good number of characters in a short space of time!
3. Halloween or Christmas Parties - These are EXCELLENT opportunities for meeting some neat characters, and meeting characters in special outfits. They can vary from year to year, but most recently the two different seasonal events have seen the likes of the Seven Dwarfs, Gaston and the Princes, to name but a few. Mickey and Minnie are on hand to meet fans at the Town Square Theater, and will be in special themed costumes, and look out for other favourite characteres around the park wearing seasonal attire approriate for that party.
Now let's take the Monorail over to EPCOT...
4. Future World - Future World is home to the EPCOT Character Spot (opposite Innoventions West), where you can meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto all in one go. Opposite the Character Spot, Chip and Dale usually meet their fans. Inside Innoventions West, for those who hold a Disney VISA card you can have a special meet 'n' greet with two random characters (you'll need to show your card and ID, and will not know which characters are inside until you enter).
At the main entrance in Future World you will often find Stitch or Daisy Duck meeting near Spaceship Earth.
Sometimes, if you're lucky you can find random/rare characters inside the hallway behind the Character Spot.
5. World Showcase - World Showcase offers some fantastic character meeting opportunities. Here are some of our favourites:
Mexican Donald at Mexico
Mary Poppins, Alice and three random Pooh friends at the United Kingom
Marie, Aurora, Belle and Beast at France
There are more, but those are the more noteworthy ones!
At Christmas World Showcase offers the fantastic Holidays Around the World Celebration, which means you can meet a whole load more special seasonal characters, from the Monkey King in China, the Three Kings in Mexico, the Nutcracker in Germany and many more!
On occasion you may also find random characters appearing at International Gateway, World Showplace (near Canada and UK pavilions) or to the side of the American Adventure. Recently fans have met the likes of John Smith, Meg and Foulfellow to name but a few rare ones!
We exit through the International Gateway and make our way down the river to Hollywood Studios now...
6. Animation Building - The Animation Building is home to Sorcerer Mickey, the Incredibles (any combination of Mr, Mrs or Frozone), plus lots of random ones down on the floor later the day. These can vary widely from day to day but can include Goofy, Mulan, Aladdin, Pocahontas and more! We think this is a great place to cool off, and meet some random characters!
7. Star Wars Weekends - During the early summer (May/June), Hollywood Studios hosts the ridiculously popular Star Wars Weekends. A fantastic experience, but immensly busy, you can meet Stormtroopers, Anakin, Darth Vader, Ewoks, Leia, Luke and many, many more (there are far too many to list). On top of that, the Fab 5 friends get in on the act too, and you can find Jedi Mickey, Vader Goofy, Stormtrooper Donald and Leia Minnie! We highly recommend these weekends to anyone, especially Star Wars and Character fans, but be prepared for long waits!
Let us cool off now under the shade and trees of Animal Kingdom...
8. Discovery Island - At Discovery Island you can find Flik and any given three Pooh friends (nearly always Pooh, Tigger and Eeyore - but Piglet has been known to appear also).
9. Camp Minnie-Mickey - probably the best place in the park for characters, here you can meet Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald or Daisy all dressed in their Camp Councillor outfits at the Greetings Trails. Wandering around Camp Minnie-Mickey you can almost always find some other loveable pals to hang out with.
Thumper, Miss Bunny and Chip 'n' Dale are nearly always there. We have also seen Meeko, Pocahontas, Brer Bear and Brer Rabbit there recently. In the past Koda and Kenai would meet fairly often too, but not so much any more.
Finally for our top 10 WDW character hot spots is something special at the Grand Floridian...
10. 1900 Park Fare - Although 1900 Park Fare is a character meal which you have to pay extra for, there variety of characters is good, and can vary depending on the time of day/type of meal. You can meet the Tremaines, Cinderella, Prince Charming, Mary Poppins, Alice, Pooh, the Mad Hatter or others depending on the time of your visit, making it probably the most varied character meal on property (the others are very specific such as Princesses, Playhouse Disney or Fab 5, where as this one can vary).
I hope you all found that useful!
You might also want to check out our special Hints and Tips Blog Post here, and join our members discussion about hints and tips for meeting characters here on our Forum. Other users have posted some great tips, so be sure to check those out and maybe make your own contributions!
Stay tuned over the next few days for my next in this series which will be Disneyland Paris's Top 10!
Dan. |
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Hi all,
There hasn't been much in the way of news recently, but I do have just a couple of things to share.
We have been hearing for a while that Princess Merida will appear at WDW later this year, once the new PIXAR movie 'Brave' is released.
We now hear from several different sources that Merida will be appearing with her brothers, but with a twist! We hear that they are going to be moving into Caspian's old location in Hollywood Studios, and Merida will be a face character (PIXAR's first!) and her three brothers will be puppets! We're not sure how this will work as yet, but will keep you posted as always when we hear more.
Over at Disneyland, Loren took part in another marathon, this time the brand new Never Land 5K. He got to meet some awesome characters, so why not check out his character picture filled post about here on our Forum!
We have been working hard as always to add more and more content to the site. Many, many pages have a lot of new photos showing in their "Most Recent" sections, so next time you visit a location or character page be sure to scroll down to see if there is anything new.
We have also added a new section to our Forum - Collector's Corner, where you can discuss all things collectible! From Vinylmations to Pin Trading, we have it covered!
Ok, that's about it for now. I have some special new articles coming later this week so be sure to check back for those!
Dan. |
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 | 54 Years of Walking Once Upon a Dream... | |
| DisneyDan
Sunday, January 29, 2012 6:23:58 AM |
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Today is the 54th anniversary of the premier of Walt Disney's masterpiece, Sleeping Beauty.
Although it is thought the fairytale of Sleeping Beauty goes back even further, the first actual written account of the story was by French author Charles Perrault in the late 17th century.
Let us take a look now at the character filled magic of Sleeping Beauty at the Disney Parks and Resorts worldwide, and what better way to begin than with Charles Perrault himself (as featured at Disneyland Paris in 2011). [ Read More... ] |
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 | Happy 51st Anniversary 101 Dalmatians! | |
| DisneyDan
Wednesday, January 25, 2012 9:09:32 AM |
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Today is the 51st anniversary of Disney's 17th animated classic, 101 Dalmatians.
Sadly the only character to ever have real representation in the parks is the villainous Cruella de Vil.
Her bumbling henchmen did briefly make appearances during the Disney Cinema Parade in Paris some years ago, but haven't been seen in a very long time.
But, nonetheless, let's celebrate as we always do, by taking a look at some of Cruella's highlights from her appearances in the parks.
Dan. |
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 | Toontown Celebrates 19 years! | |
| DisneyDan
Tuesday, January 24, 2012 9:19:38 AM |
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On this day 19 years ago, Disneyland was allowed to open up the magical portal to the world of Toontown - the place where all Disney's most cherished animated Characters live, work, and play!
So let's celebrate the occasion with some of our Character filled memories of Toontown over the years!
Why not start your day in the big city with an introductory ceremony for all new visitors. You'll become an honorary citizen of the most colourful place on Earth!
You never know who you might find wandering around Toontown...
Finally, why not take the time to visit Mickey Mouse at home. You might be lucky enough to find him wearing an outfit from one of his most famous starring roles...
Here's to another 19 years of magic at Toontown!
Dan. |
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