Disney in a Minute: What is a Meet & Greet?

Have you ever wanted to get up close and personal with a favorite Disney character? Maybe Mickey or Minnie? Or maybe dish a little with Donald or Daisy, or spill some tea with Tiana or Tigger? You can!

Both Disney theme parks and Disney cruise ships offer Meet & Greets. That’s where guests (that’s you) have the chance to meet characters. During most Meet & Greets you’ll be able to briefly chat with the character, if they speak, and mime if they don’t. You can have a hug, pose for a photo or two, and get an autograph (if the character has hands capable of holding a pen). Who can you look for? You’ll find many Disney characters, plus some from the Pixar, Star Wars, and Marvel franchises. Sometimes they’ll be dressed for a special occasion, like Mickey and Minnie above in their costumes for Disney’s 100th Anniversary.

Meet & Greets come in four flavors. Some characters meet continuously: Anna & Elsa meet in the Royal Summerhus all day at EPCOT. Others are scheduled. These characters have a meeting spot and set times when they appear throughout the day. An example here is Pooh & Friends, who meet at the Thotful Spot in the Magic Kingdom. You can find both types of Meet & Greets listed in the respective app for your park or ship. The key words to look for are “meet” and “character.”

A third kind of Meet & Greet opportunity is a character meal. It’s pretty much what it sounds like. You eat, and characters come to your table during your meal for pictures and autographs. For more on this topic, try All About Character Dining at Walt Disney World.

Finally, some Meet & Greets are impromptu pop-ups that can add to the magic of a visit; most of these occur in the parks. At Disneyland, characters roam more freely through the parks. It’s very common to see them where a schedule doesn’t say they’ll be. But even at Disney World, it’s not a rare event.

You might see them out in any of the four parks. Or, you might find them at the resorts; we’ve bumped into Chip & Dale or Daisy at the bus stop outside the Polynesian Resort, and Pluto greeting guests in line at the Pop Century front desk. Sometimes these impromptu pop-ups will be part of a surprise event at a park, like when the Villains came out for Villaintine’s Day on February 13 in 2025. Characters can appear anywhere, at any time!

Your meeting and greeting time will usually be short – maybe between 30 and 60 seconds – because there’s a line of folks waiting. But during slow times, you may be able to enjoy a longer encounter. And most characters we’ve met are extremely patient and generous with their time when meeting littles.

For tips on interacting with characters, see our FAQ on meeting characters at Disney World and on Disney Cruise Line.

Disney in a Minute is a series of short posts designed to help you better understand a Disney term or planning topic. Do you have a Disney term that you think needs a bit more explanation? Let us know in the comments. 

Thanks to Erin Foster for an earlier version of this post.