Hi Christine!
Welcome to planDisney!
I think it's a lovely idea to bring your foster grandson to The Most Magical Place on Earth, and I also think it's never too early to start experiencing the magic that Walt Disney World Resort brings to us. My son was 3 when he visited for the first time, and has wonderful memories from every age up until now (he's 22!). Where characters are concerned, I remember he enjoyed viewing them from afar as much as some of the close-up encounters, and there are many characters experiences to enjoy right now. At varying times, at every theme park, our favourites will appear on a cavalcade or motorcade, or just a promenade, and can also be spied at more unexpected places and times, such as Mickey and friends at the Main Street Railroad Station at Magic Kingdom Park and Alice in Wonderland and Mary Poppins in the UK Gazebo at EPCOT.
There is still some character dining to enjoy when Disney friends will walk through the restaurant and interact with you at a safe distance - and if you are skilled at taking selfie photos, they will happily pose for you from across the room. Reservations can be made up to 60 days in advance at these locations:
Topolino's Terrace - Mickey & Minnie, Donald and Daisy Duck (Disney's Riviera Resort);
Garden Grill - Chip 'n' Dale and Mickey Mouse (The Land at EPCOT);
Be our Guest Restaurant - Beast (dinner service only at Be Our Guest Restaurant in Fantasyland, Magic Kingdom Park);
Ravello - Goofy and friends (Four Seasons Resort);
Chef Mickey's - Mickey and friends (at Disney's Contemporary Resort).
At this time, DVDs are no longer mailed out to Guests, but we do have many other resources that might interest you. Many of our planDisney panelists feature in our wide selection of planning videos in our own
video library, and we cover subjects relating to many popular planning questions, including individual videos about
Magic Kingdom Must Dos with Little Ones and
Toy Story Land Unique Experiences. There are also many unofficial Walt Disney World Resort videos to be found on YouTube.
Please come back and visit us again if you have any further questions. We will be happy to help you plan your magical vacation.
Sue