God Bless the one CM, who did (but probably shouldn’t have) let us know the time frame that the last two we needed would be present. We’d been trying for over a year – so the CM took pity on us I guess.

When I went to Chef Mickey’s last, in Mar 2009, they did not take a picture before you set down to the meal. Chef Mickey’s is one of my favorites though, you just can’t beat that breakfast!

Another fun character buffet is at the Cyrstal Palace in MK. I have to go to this place every vacation–family tradition. Pooh and the Gang meet with you there, and the do a little parade around the resturant with the kids.

As far as the character greetings–go to the parks at open. Please, please, please. For one, it is a memory to be one of the first in for the day, not to mention the chance to be picked for some special Magical Moments. (These include waking up Tinkerbell at the Magic Kingdom, being one of the “first families” on each big attraction, opening the day with a magic fairy dust toss, etc) Many of the less seen characters come out during these times, and have almost no lines. Epcot character spot is great, IF you get there at park open. You can meet the fab five with out the craziness you find later in the day, or at any time at MK.

Please be nice to the characters, and do not let the children hit. If you know that your child is at that stage, hold them until they get used to the experience. Please.

One of the best places to meet the princesses and other big names is a Epcot. Mulan is in the China pavillion, Alice is in the U.K., Snow White is now in Germany, Aladdin (sometimes with Jasmin) is in Morocco. I know there are some that I am missing. I work at Yacht and Beach Club (walking distance to Epcot) and I go before and after my shift alot to walk world showcase (much better than the track at the YMCA). I hardly ever see long wait lines for the characters here, due to some being new to the area, or the fact that the world showcase is not a huge attraction for the kids.

I do disagree somewhat with the crying child photos too. Do you REALLY want to remember your child being terrified? Wouldn’t you rather remember happier times? You can minimize trauma as was suggested by putting yourself between the child and the character or if it’s safe for the character to greet your child in the stroller, do that. But if your child wants nothing to do with the character? Don’t make it worse by forcing the interaction or the photo. Take a long shot of your child looking at the character from a distance perhaps, or a shot of you and the rest of your party with the character to share after the vacation so next time that character is a trusted friend (and your child typically a year or two older).

1) First a correction: Gran Fiesta Tour’s Three Caballeros are not Huey, Duey, and Louie, but Donald, Jose Carioca, and Panchito from the films “Three Caballleros” and “Saludos Amigos.”

2) Cinderella’s Royal Table books up fast, very fast, so if you’re unable to to get in there, many similar royal offerings are available at the Norway Restaurant at Epcot, Akersus, also at a better price, I believe. Cinderella, Prince Charming, and the Stepsisters also like visiting 1900 Park Fare for dinner now and then. 1900 Park Fare is located outside the parks in the Grand Floridian, so park admission isn’t needed and $14 parking fees can be avoided.

3) I couldn’t agree more about Chef Mickey’s, but the link was missing. disneyworld.com eventually can lead you to the other character dining options. The Garden Grill is a pretty good place for food and since it’s not as large as Chef Mickey’s or Crystal Palace so you tend to get more quality time with the characters there.

4) For a more atypical experience with characters there’s Mickey’s Backyard BBQ at Ft. WIlderness. No park admission is necessary. What makes this experience unusual is that instead of offering posing photographs and autographs you actually get to DANCE with Disney characters. It’s a little insane the first time they come out to dance, but the characters are really good about trying to get a little dancing in with as many as possible. At the same time, you get a live country band, a trick roper, and 2 emcees…plus the unlimited bbq (and unlimited wine/beer for the adults). Like I said, it’s not for standing-still photographs and autographs, but you can leave having a good time, a full belly, and saying you got to do the locomotion with Goofy.

5) The last tip I have with dining with characters is regardless where you go the rule of thumb of who sits where is this: if they like seeing characters sit them towards the outside closer to them and easier for the character to get to. If they are scared or apprehensive keep them towards a parent or inside away from the character’s path.

6) Far as any character goes, if your child is scared, but you’re still dying for that photo to laugh at years down the line (like 17 before their prom), it’s best to either a) have both parents up there with the scared little one in between the two and the character(s) beside the parents or b) put them on the shoulder furthest away from the character. This helps the child have a buffer, plus when some children are scared, they want to push or hit whatever is scaring them, so it keeps Mickey and his friends safe.

7) Pieces of paper do not tend to get the best (or most legible) signatures. So what happens if you’ve just seen your most favorite character on Earth and you want an autograph? Most characters have a person with them, if you have a guidemap, sharpies work best, and if it is a piece of paper, think of using a minimal size around a 3×5 postcard. Sometimes the people with them may have a blank card on them. Characters are not allowed to sign receipts, money, or that random “scrap” of paper out of your checkbook (you name it, it’s probably happened). When in doubt, there’s small autograph books at a walgreens or maybe even a dollar store, doesn’t hurt to carry a small pad of paper and a pen with you in the parks.

Character etiquette: Pluto may look like a walking jungle gym with things like ears, tongue, tail, and nose to hang off, so it may look like a funny photo having your little one hang on, but to Pluto it can lead to a trip to the vet, and like most dogs he hates the vet. Even a slap on the nose may look cute, but try to think of it this way: would you do it to another person or your neighbor’s dog? Plus, when it’s preceded or followed by a laugh versus an “oh honey, please don’t do that” you may find your visit shortened with the character. Hard to love on someone who’s enjoying hurting you. Yes, small children don’t know better, but grown adults with the small children do.

9) If you’re asking a character to sign something with fabric — clothing, hat, tote bag: Clothing cannot be signed that is on a child. Hats can easily be taken off, but shirts should be carried separately versus “oh okay, let me just take it off Jimmy then.” If it’s a shirt, those rings used to tighten something for cross-stitching work amazingly well. The tighter the fabric is held, the better the autograph, and those little rings are awesome! Once home, a little scotch-guard can help with the longevity of the signatures too.

10) My last tip is plan for characters. If it’ll truly ruin your vacation not to see Daisy, then find out where Daisy is (in her case, she usually visits in mornings before her endless shopping sprees). Guest relations can help and even if you’re with Baloo, you can go up to the person watching over Baloo and ask if they know where Daisy typically hangs out and when. Just like you’d plan when to see Indiana Jones or Fantasmic, seeing characters sometimes takes a little work and patience. Don’t expect to see Snow White just because you see her out this very second. You may have seen her 5 minutes before it’s time for her to give the dwarves their blackberry pies. A lot of the more popular characters’ lines tend to close in advance of when they have to leave. If they say Donald Duck will be back in 2 minutes, it’s okay, he’s coming back. Someone has to be that cutoff point, you just have that “luck.”

I hope these tips help. I have a deep love of the park characters. I’ve just found over the years the more love and time you give them, they do try to give it back. When I’m standing in line to see a character, I’m still excited when I see someone holding a unique autograph book or a family that’s really into that character. It’s so much better than seeing a 10 year old shoving a book in Pooh’s face. No words, no smile, just a look of “just sign.”