By: Angela Curley, a Marvelous Mouse Travels agent
It doesn't matter if you're a kid, or kid at heart, when you see your favorite Disney character, you can't resist enjoying the moment and going in for a bit hug! The special thing about character interactions at Disneyland is that characters can unexpectedly appear and make a regular stroll through the park something magical! While some characters will be easier to find in their favorite spots, other characters like to roam around, so you may never know who you'll run into! If you're looking forward to seeing a specific character, make sure to mention it to your Marvelous Mouse Travels agent so they can give you the best trips and advice on where you can meet them!
If you're used to visiting characters in Disney World, then there's a whole new experience waiting for you over in Disneyland. With the characters more able to roam around, they sometimes like to have fun and play with the guests! You may run into Peter Pan looking for his shadow, or Alice and the Mad Hatter looking to play Tea Party. However, traveling characters won't have a line to form to take a picture with them, so if you're looking to take a quick picture make sure to ask them!
If you're heading to Disneyland you can't go home without meeting the big cheese himself!! And there's multiple places you can see him and his friends including near the train station on Main Street U.S.A, in Toontown and on Buena Vista Street in California Adventure. When you visit Toontown you'll be able to meet Mickey and Minnie in their houses but make sure you take your time and explore the area because you never know which of their friends you'll run into!
Some characters you will only find in their specific areas, such as Star Wars characters in Galaxy's Edge or Marvel characters at Avenger's Campus. At Galaxy's Edge, keep an eye out for Storm Troopers as they patrol the area, and you may even spot you favorite good guys Rey and Chewbacca as they wander around. But will the light side or dark side recruit you?
At Avenger's Campus, things are a little different as your favorite heros are still actively protecting the area. So you may see some action from time to time like Black Widow taking on a bad guy or Spiderman swinging through the sky! But once they are done you will also have some opportunities to engage in a meet and greet with them!
Of course Disneyland also has a few character dining experiences for you to enjoy. These include Minnie and Friends Breakfast in the Park at the Plaza Inn, Mickey's Tales of Adventure Breakfast Buffet at Storyteller's Cafe and Disney Princess Breakfast Adventures at Napa Rose both at the Grand Californian Hotel and Spa, and Goofy's Kitchen at the Disneyland Hotel. At these experiences, you will be able to interact and take pictures with your favorite characters while enjoying an amazing meal!
No matter if you are running into your favorite character in the park or enjoying a dinner with them, the best part of meeting any Disney Character is to have fun! On my last trip to Disneyland, Mirabel from Encanto and I talked about how she wishes she could have a special talent to change her hair color like mine, and Hiro from Big Hero 6 and I had a long discussion about how even though Go-Go has a fast bike, she's still always late and Hiro is going to make plans to build her a smarter alarm clock. No matter what you talk to the characters about, it's always important to act respectful to them and their attendants.
Do you have plans to visit Disneyland during a holiday season? No matter if it's Halloween, Christmas, or any season in between, keep your eyes peeled for characters in different outfits!! Specifically for Halloween, a lot of characters (cars even) like to dress up and celebrate the holidays!!
