Hey there, Heather! Great to see you again here at the Disney Parks Moms Panel!
For us, meeting our favorite Disney characters is a must-do. We have so many great photos of our son with his pal Mickey Mouse, we could almost fill a photo album with just those pictures. Hmmm...file that idea away for future reference!
To make sure you have time to say hello to your favorite Disney friends, you first need to know when and where to find them. Luckily, Disney has a resource to help you do just that, before you even set foot in the Theme Parks. There's a complete list of all the character locations, along with the times you'll find them greeting their fans, here on the Entertainment page of the Walt Disney World website. Just be sure to click the calendar icon in the upper right corner of the page to search for a specific date, and keep in mind the further out from your travel date, the less complete the times list may be. If your favorites don't have schedules listed yet, keep checking as you get closer and you should be able to fill in the gaps.
Another fabulous resource for all things Walt Disney World characters-related is a website run by a Disney fan who goes by the moniker Kenny the Pirate, www.kennythepirate.com. He's got a listing of all the characters, including some that are harder to find, plus tips on getting the most out of your character meet and greets and ideas for staging some truly memorable photos. This is one pirate who knows his characters!
I hope this helps you have a vacation with real character, Heather! Please let us know if we can help you out again. We love to help your Disney dreams come true.
Have a magical day,
Kathy K.