Hello Melissa,
Thanks for stopping by planDisney with your question! Oh my goodness, I'm sure you must be thrilled for your niece and nephew! The first Disney trip is such an exciting event, my nieces are actually going to Walt Disney World for the first time too in a few weeks, and I think I might be just as excited as they are! Be sure to pick up a First Visit button at Guest Relations in any of the parks so that cast members can welcome them and maybe sprinkle a little extra pixie dust on their magical vacation!
Character dining is slowly starting to return with some modifications. Right now characters will come near, but not right up to your table, so no hugs or autograph signing just yet. However, they still do a great job interacting with the guests and helping you create your own special moments. Things are changing all of the time, so by June it's possible that your character experience could be different than it would be if you were visiting today.
Some fun options for character dining right now include,
Tusker House in
Animal Kingdom,
Garden Grill in
EPCOT, breakfast at
Topolino's Terrace in Disney's Riviera Resort,
Chef Mickey's at Disney's Contemporary Resort, and
Hollywood & Vine in Disney's Hollywood Studios.
The same is true with
character meet and greets in the parks. They are starting to bring more back. You can meet
Mickey in Magic Kingdom and now in
Disney's Hollywood Studios as well. Princesses can be found in their countries in EPCOT as well as in
Fairytale Hall at Magic Kingdom, and more and more characters show up each day. Similar to character dining, these meet and greets are still kept at a distance, but you'll still be able to talk to them, take some cute distanced photos, and create some special memories.
Hope this helps. Have a magical vacation!
Diane