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Hi all!
I just thought I would post an update live from our second port of call, Charlotte Amalie in the US Virgin Islands!
Here is a cute picture from the excellent Pirates in the Caribbean Night, last night aboard our ship, the Disney Magic.
More updates later in the week!
Dan. |
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 | And we're off! | |
| DisneyDan
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 6:43:11 AM |
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Hi all,
Just a note to say that we are now officially off on our Walt Disney World trip, and first trip ever aboard the Disney Cruise Line!
We won't be at our desks for 10 days, and will repsond to all messages upon our return.
We will try to make some small updates where possible - that depends on the availability of Internet access.
If we do make any updates, it is likely to be to Twitter or Facebook, as they are easier to access while mobile, so be sure to follow us on both of those if you don't already, for the latest updates from WDW and the Magic!
Dan and Jon. |
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Hi all,
Sorry it has been a few days since our last update, but we have been very busy preparing for WDW and the Disney Cruise in just a couple of days time! Very exciting!
Anyway, here's what we have from the last few days...
In California, Loren has been busy keeping us updated with all the latest happenings.
Be sure to check out his updates from the Blue Bayou Bash and Valentine's Day here, the launch of the brand new DCA show 'Minnie's Fly Girls' here (which features talking Minnie!), and some cool news about atmosphere characters to appear on the new Buena Vista Street when it opens (think Citizens of Hollywood and Main Street at WDW!).
Loren also reported that there is a chance of some rare characters at DL's Leap Day event. I have to admit that I have been so busy I haven't had chance to check properly, but as far as I know, nothing else has been announced yet for DL, and everything so far is just rumour.
On the other hand, over in Florida, WDW announced the schedule for their Leap Day event. As was expected, there is nothing special about the announced programme. Extra character entertainment includes the Main Street Electrical Parade, extended times for the the regular character meet 'n' greets and the Frontierland Hoedown in the middle if the night.
We have heard form a few different sources across the Internet that some other random characters may appear. So far nothing seems to be confirmed but a few different websites are reporting everything from Jack Sparrow, the Seven Dwarfs and Mickey and Minnie in their PJs. Of course there is no official word on any of this, and anything can change last minute. Nobody will know for sure until they are in the park sadly!
We'd love to hear from you if you are going to be there. Let us know what characters you got to meet. Just hit the Discuss button at the bottom of this article (if you're on the article page)!
Disneyland Paris held their annual meeting, and they had a sneak preview of the brand new outfits for the VIPs during the 20th anniversary. You can check out the video here, which also includes the Three Good Fairies, the Blue Fairy and Merlin all dancing along to the brand new Parade song!
Finally, this video was released for DLP's 20th anniversary, and is a "brief history" of the Resort's 20 magical years. It includes of course some very interesting character moments!
Ok, that's all for now,
Dan.
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 | Happy 62nd Anniversary Cinderella! | |
| DisneyDan
Wednesday, February 15, 2012 8:58:26 AM |
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Today is the 62nd anniversary of the original release of Walt Disney's masterpiece, Cinderella.
On this day in 1950, the world would be introduced to the immortal words of 'So This is Love', and the now much (maybe over) used 'Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo'.
So, in true Character Central style, celebrate with us, and enjoy the following cavalcade of Cinderella themed character pictures from our fun at the Disney Parks. [ Read More... ] |
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 | Happy Valentine's Day! | |
| DisneyDan
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 7:35:41 AM |
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Happy Valentine's Day everyone from Character Central!
Even if you don't "celebrate" Valentine's Day, you can join us in celebrating it's message of love and happiness.
As always we have a cavalcade of pictures to share, to celebrate the occasion!
So here's all your favourite Disney couples and romantics at their best! [ Read More... ] |
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Welcome to this third edition 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 the second, we visited Disneyland Paris.
In this third edition we look at Disneyland California'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 Park!
1. Main Street USA - We begin our character hunting on Main Street. In Town Square you can frequently find any number of the VIPs (Goofy, Pluto, Chip, Dale etc) greeting their fans. Alice, the Mad Hatter and Cruella de Vil also makes appearances regularly.
Further up the street at the Refreshment Corner you may find any combination of Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, Bert, Alice, the Mad Hatter or the Queen of Hearts.
At the Carnation Plaza area you can randomly find Princesses or Mary Poppins. This is a great place to meet them as there are rarely people even in this area, let alone lines!
It should be noted though that the Carnation Plaza area will soon be closed to become the new Fantasy Faire in Fantasyland.
2. Princess Fantasy Faire - Over in Fantasyland why not stop by Fantasy Faire to meet the Princesses? Although any three of the Big 5 are the usual suspects here, you may be lucky and get Pocahontas or Mulan (we have in the past!). If the line is long, instead of waiting in the heat for an hour, standing up, why not check back when the Royal Coronation Ceremony is taking place? You can have a nice seat, enjoy the show, AND get to meet the Princesses afterwards with relatively no line! (and I bet you're in and out before you would have even gotten to the front of the regular meet 'n' greet line!)
3. Fantasyland - Aside from Fantasy Faire, Fantasyland itself is worth a separate mention on our Top 10 list. Here you can often find Peter Pan, Alice, the Mad Hatter or the Queen of Hearts all roaming.
Fantasyland also hosts Pixie Hollow, home to Tinker Bell and her Fairy friends. As well as Tink herself you could meet any other one or two Fairies who may be visiting from Neverland, such as Terence, Vidia or Silvermist to name a few!
Over by the Wishing Well you can often find The Fairy Godmother, The Queen or Snow White.
In the Castle Courtyard, Rapunzel has her own private indoor meet 'n' greet area, and sometimes around the Castle you find some random Princesses too, such as Aurora or Cinderella.
4. Critter Country - Critter Country regularly features the Pooh friends. These are usually Pooh himself, Tigger and Eeyore, but Rabbit has been known to make appearances from time to time also.
Brer Fox and Brer Bear randomly roam about Critter Country, so watch out for that villainous pair while down by the bayou!
5. Minnie's Breakfast in the Park at the Plaza Inn - Back on Main Street you should get reservations for breakfast at Minnie's Breakfast in the Park at the Plaza Inn. The food is quite good, and is buffet style. There are always a bunch of random characters (as well as Minnie herself of course, donning her cooking apron!). In the past we have met Captain Hook, Max Goof, Eeyore, Rafiki and the Fairy Godmother here, to name but a few unusual ones!
6. Toontown - Toontown is a good place to meet all your favourite pals such as
Goofy, Pluto, Chip and Dale. They can often be found wandering about.
Minnie Mouse meets her fans at her house.
Mickey also meets his fans at his house, in the Movie Barn. The experience of waiting in line is interesting in itself, as you get to go through some neat areas. I won't spoil the surprise! When you finally get to Mickey himself, depending on which cartoon he is working on that day you could find him in his Steamboat Mickey outfit, his Sorcerer's Apprentice robes, Band Leader costume or just in his regular attire.
7. Holidays and Seasons - One of the best times to visit Disneyland is during some sort of holiday, festival or celebration. Christmas and Halloween seasons both see the VIPs greeting their fans on Main Street (or sometimes other areas of the park) in appropriate attire. You may find Count Mickey at Halloween for example, or Chip 'n' Dale in their winter knit wear.
As well as the VIPs in costumes, you can also meet some neat characters that aren't normally out. Halloween is a lot of fun, as the Villains come out to play regularly in Fantasyland. Last year Dr. Facilier, the Tremaines and Foulfellow all appeared, to name a few.
Also, at Halloween Time, be sure to attend the special Halloween Parties (ticketed events), where some really cool characters come out to play! Last year (2011) for example none other than Perry the Platypus was there!
At Christmas you can meet Santa and Mrs Claus in Frontierland.
Now let's hop over to Disney California Adventure...
8. Hollywood Pictures Backlot - Hollywood Pictures Backlot (soon to be renamed Hollywoodland - a nod to the original sign up on the hill!) features a number of good character opportunities. Sulley, Mr and Mrs Incredible, and Jake from the Neverland Pirates all meet here regularly. In the past Handy Manny, Goofy and Max have also hung out here, but I'm not sure of their fate more recently to be honest.
If you hang around after the Disney Dance Crew show at the Backlot Stage, you can have the chance to meet Mickey in his hip hop outfit! He only comes down for a brief set though, so be waiting near the front as soon as the show ends!
If you have a Disney Visa credit card, you can also take advantage of the free, private, meet 'n' greet which is open at select times only. You can meet Chip and Dale in cute, unique, Hollywood agent outfits. They do switch with Pluto (who doesn't have a special outfit sadly), so you may want to sneakily try to grab a glimpse around the corner if you really want the twins!
9. Paradise Pier - Although there aren't too many character appearances in Paradise Pier, there are a couple worth mentioning. You can meet Mickey and Duffy (separately) in their sailor outfits near Ariel's Grotto.
Woody, Jessie and Green Army Men sometimes appear down near the Midway Mania attraction, and Goofy has recently been greeting fans in his pilot's outfit or California vacation wear, near the Little Mermaid attraction.
I'll also give a passing mention to Ariel's Grotto Princess Dining where you can eat with Ariel and her Princess friends. To be honest, the food here is pretty dire, and I have utter contempt for the restaurant itself - it's a completely miserable looking place. So unless you are sure beyond doubt you want to meet the Princesses here, then my advice would be to try meet them at any of the other places I listed above!
Finally we travel to the Hotels of the Disneyland Resort...
10. Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel - Goofy's Kitchen is a great place to either start the day with a buffet breakfast, or end the day with a buffet meal! You will get the chance to meet Goofy, Pluto, Minnie, Chip and Dale in their special chef outfits, as well as a number of other random characters. In the past we have seen everyone from the Mad Hatter, Prince Phillip and Princesses such as Cinderella and Jasmine. It's a good restaurant, with a good number of random characters, so be sure to dine here!
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 article in this series, which will be Tokyo Disney Resort and Hong Kong Disneyland's Top 10!
Dan. |
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 | Something Magical, Coming Soon... | |
| DisneyDan
Sunday, February 12, 2012 12:42:09 PM |
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Hi all,
Tonight I am very proud to be able to share with you for the first time, one of the first images from the brand new version of this site that is coming in the Spring!
Some of the new things which can be seen in this image below include:
- A brand new logo designed exclusively by us!
- New site-wide log-in capability for members (not just forum based).
- New site-wide profile pages (not just forum based).
- New "'rotating" banner (different phrases upon refresh), and new menu layout.
- New interactive features such as being able to "check off" characters you have met, and have them show on your profile.
... and much more!!
Of course things can change, and we are a way off yet from the launch, but we couldn't wait any longer to give you a small glimpse into what is going on behind the scenes here!
We thank you all for you continued support for this site, and we appreciate all your comments and feedback. Please do let us know what you think of this very small sneak peek!
Dan. |
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Hi all,
Not much again on the news front, but let's take a look at some of the things I've heard this week regarding DLP's 20th Anniversary.
The new version of the Character Express, as expected will feature the VIPs in their new sorcerer outfits, but surprisingly the train will feature Mickey Mouse, as well as the increasingly uncommon Clarice!
In all previous incarnations of the train Mickey has not featured - he is the Big Cheese - you have to make the special effort to go meet him on Main Street (or soon at his new home in Fantasyland, which I'll come to in a minute...).
It is great to hear that they will be making scheduled stops in Central Plaza and the whole gang will be there, including Clarice, and we really look forward to seeing them all in April for the 20th Anniversary!
Above, I mentioned Mickey's meet 'n' greet. As we all know by now, he is moving into the former Fantasy Festival Stage at the back of Fantasyland. We now hear that this has been delayed a bit, and will not open right at the start of the 20th celebrations, but is more likely to be May (which means we'll see it for the first time in June).
DLR Today posted this article suggesting that the new version of the parade will begin soft openings from the 26th March! Of course this could mean that some elements are not yet complete, or may not even run the new version at all some days from then 'til official launch, but nonetheless, if you're there at the end of March you should be i nfor an early 20th treat!
Finally, you might want to check out my latest in my special article series revealing the top 10 places at the Disney Parks and Resorts for meeting characters.
Ok, that's all for now,
Dan. |
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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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