Character Autographs

One mission you may find yourself on while at Walt Disney World is assembling a cast of character autographs. One way to do this is to have a character dining experience. During a character meal you can sit in the comforts of air-conditioning, with a cool drink, good food, and have the characters come to you. These meals are a bit pricier than a regular meal in most instances, but if you count your time as money, it may be well worth it. In addition, sometimes you will find certain characters and princesses hard to find anywhere but at the character meal to which they play host.

For the more adventurous autograph seekers, and to find those characters that do not play host to a meal, there are many places in the parks to find them if you know where to look. Characters can just show up anywhere and everywhere, check your park guidemap for specific character greeting times, and remember these tips for meeting The Mouse and Co.

Fantasyland -- The Fantasy Character Festival (where the old 20,000 League Under the Sea used to be) hosts up to 5 Disney characters at a time. Fantasyland is also where you will find Ariel’s Grotto, located just behind Dumbo. While waiting in line children can play in the waterspouts while you sit and relax, waiting to be the next guests to enter and meet the lovely Ariel.

Look for Belle to sign autographs on the side of the castle after her Storytime with Belle appearance.

Look for characters to pop up everywhere in the Magic Kingdom unannounced. Many will appear near the ride for which they are famous.

Epcot
Here you will find the double-decker character bus cruising around the World Showcase, stopping for the characters to get out and sign autograph books or hats.

At MouseGear, in Future World, there is now a meet and greet location with a variety of Disney favorites ready to sign their John Hancock’s.

In World Showcase, you can find several characters in the country from which each story line originated. For example, Aladdin can be found in Morocco, Belle in France, Snow White in Germany, Mickey and Minnie at the American Adventure etc., etc.. Just keep a sharp eye out for them, because there are not set meet and greet times for them in World Showcase.

Disney's Hollywood Studios
Mickey Avenue is where you will often find Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Jessie and Bullseye, and Pooh and friends. Look for the trailers and get in line.

Animation Courtyard, home of Voyage of The Little Mermaid, is a popular spot for meeting Disney characters, including Belle and Mickey Mouse.

New York Street has also been a popular area for various Disney favorites to show up to. As always, keep a sharp eye out because they can show up anywhere!

Disney's Animal Kingdom
Camp Minnie-Mickey is a popular spot for autograph seekers. Among the great outdoors, in a summer camp atmosphere, Disney characters are on hand to greet guests, sign your autograph books and pose for photos. Here is where you will find Mickey, Minnie, Pooh and gang, Rafiki and other beloved characters from such films as The Jungle Book and Lion King.

• Be sure to check your guidemap for the "Mickey’s glove" icon which will point to meet and greet character areas.
• If you ask a cast member, they have a number they can call to find out when and where a character may be appearing.
• Be sure to have extra film on hand and your camcorder batteries charged up. Character autographs are something you and your children will treasure for a lifetime! 
• If you prefer to have a character sign a hat or a shirt they will do so, but remember they will not sign anything while a person is wearing it. 
• Buy a laundry marker to take with you if you will be having a clothing item signed, and you'll have a great souvenir.

Last Updated: May 9, 2009