Hi Simon,
Welcome to planDisney and thank you so much for asking us a question!
I completely agree with you: meeting Gaston outside of
Gaston’s Tavern was always a real hoot! A picture with him and all of my medals from a
runDisney event was always a “must do” for me during race weekends. I’m really sad that, unfortunately, this classic
Disney Character Experience still isn’t back at Magic Kingdom Park in 2023.
That being said, character experiences are returning all the time, so I wouldn’t give up hope for your wife’s dream yet! For example,
Enchanted tales with Belle just started greeting Guests again about 2 months ago and
Ariel just returned to her Grotto, too! Plus, Gaston was available for a meet-and-greet at last year’s edition of
Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party, so there’s a good chance he’ll be there, too. Please keep checking the
Disney Parks Blog for up-to-the-minute information regarding your Disney Parks vacation. They do announce new character greetings there and because Gaston is so popular (yes… he knows!) they’ll be sure to announce his return with the fanfare it deserves!
Please don’t hesitate to come back and see us if you have any other questions. We would love to help you make some of your wife’s other Disney Dreams come true!
Have a Magical Day,
Lynne