maandag 9 februari 2015

Character Meet & Greet Tips

At Disneyland Paris, you can enjoy thrilling rides, riveting shows and enchanting parades. What I personally enjoy most are the Meet & Greets with those famous movie and TV characters. And once, you've met a few of them, you'll want to collect them all ! This is how you become a character hunter. Whether you're in Disneyland Paris, or another park, the procedure for the character hunting stays more or less the same. I'd like to share some tips to make thins easier and more fun. 

Check the schedule for planned Meet & Greets. Sometimes, you will see a character you're dying to meet on this list. And this way, you can be 99% certain you'll see them.

No M&Gs on the schedule ? Then you'll have to count your lucky stars ! 

The tips below pertain tot the-programmed characters you meet at the park.

See a character ?

Quick pic ?
Want to snap a picture of your favorite ? Make sure your camera is always ready to go. If you have to prepare your material when you see the character walking by, you might miss them. If you're by myself, a Cast Member will be glad to take the picture for you. If you can't see a CM nearby, just ask another visitor. 

Autographs ?
If you want the character to sign your autograph book, make sure it's open on the right page, and keep your pen our marker within reach. Don't use pencil ! The tip might break, and they won't be able to sign. Don't use 'wet' markers that have a long drying time either. They might stain the paper. Some characters aren't able to write, so your favorite might not sign. 

A hug ? 
Most characters love hugs ! You can always put your arms around them.
But don't squeeze them too hard. This might hurt, and characters have feelings too !

Chatting with your hero ?
Maybe you've always wanted to tell your hero something special.
Feel free to do so ! Some characters might not be able to respond, though.
And they might not want to hear your entire life story either :)

Bumping into characters?
Sometimes you can see a character just walking by by himself. 
If you see one, feel free to ask if they can pose for a pic with you. 
In most cases, they will gladly do this.
But sometimes, they're walking towards and character set and don't really have the time. 
In this case, they will probably tell you where you can go to meet them.
When they have to go prep for a show or parade, they might not want to take a picture either. 

Violence ? 
Never ever use violence against characters !
Don't kick tem or pull their tail or other parts of the body.
Like I've mentioned before, characters have feelings too. 

- Some tips for parents.


Sometimes, kids can get scared or shy around characters.
This is because they're tall and real.
Don't force your kid into taking a pic if he/she doesn't want to.
The pictures won't look nice anyway.
There's a good chance that your kid will be uncooperative after a long period of waiting in line !
Keep this in mind. 

You will see characters in different outfits.
You might see Mickey in a Mexican hat, and a few Hours later, he might appear wearing a beanie. 
For you, this is still Mickey.
But for your child, this feels like an entirely different character. 
They might want to take his picture again. 

Whenever there's a line in front of a character, this might be a very long wait. Be aware of this !

You might be within reach of a character when, all of a sudden, he leaves ! 
In most cases, this happens because the character is on break or wants to go snack on some cheese. 
This can be very annoying ! But keep in mind : as long as the Cast Member doesn't tell you anything, the character will come back. If not, one of their friends will come out to play. 

Don't be mad, and don't be a killjoy. You'll get another chance to meet them. 

Happy hunting!