I met every character at Disney's Magic Kingdom in one day. Here's how I did it and tips I'd give for people who want to do the same.

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Casey Clark Jun 4, 2023, 19:12 IST
I met every character at Disney's Magic Kingdom in one day. Here's how I did it and tips I'd give for people who want to do the same.

I love meeting characters at Disney World and it is possible to meet over a dozen in one day.Casey Clark

  • There are typically 20 to 24 characters at Disney World's Magic Kingdom on a given day.
  • Give yourself enough time to meet everyone and make sure you keep an eye on the clock.

I'm a Disney World annual pass holder who's visited the parks for years — and meeting characters is one of my favorite things to do.

On a typical day at Magic Kingdom, I'll usually meet between seven to 10 characters over the span of three to four hours. However, I wanted to challenge myself to see if it was possible to meet every character at the park in one day.

On the day I visited Magic Kingdom, there were 24 characters listed on the My Disney Experience app, which shows characters who are available to meet and where you can find them.

With careful planning, I did it. Here's how I met every character in Magic Kingdom, plus my best tips for doing so.

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Get to Magic Kingdom at rope drop to maximize your time. Then, start in Fantasyland.

Get to Magic Kingdom at rope drop to maximize your time. Then, start in Fantasyland.
Getting to the park when it opens will help you have more time to meet the characters.Casey Clark

As you can imagine, meeting every character definitely takes some time to achieve — you won't find everyone in two hours.

I arrived at the park shortly after rope drop (when it opens) at 9:30 a.m. and went straight to Snow White, who happened to be in front of the Town Square Theater. I waited for approximately 12 minutes to see her, had a cute interaction, and then made my way to Fantasyland.

In Fantasyland, you can usually find a bunch of characters out in the morning.

You'll want to visit Fairytale Hall to knock four princesses off the list — Cinderella, Elena, Rapunzel, and Tiana. Both pairs meet in duos on each side of the hall and the wait in the morning is usually less than 10 minutes.

After I met the princesses, I saw Anastasia and Drizella who were to the right of the castle by Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. I waited 15 minutes to see them, took a few pictures, and continued on my journey.

Work your way through each land so you don't have to go back and forth all day long.

Work your way through each land so you don't have to go back and forth all day long.
Try to meet every character in an area before you leave it.Casey Clark

When the parks open, a lot of people are going straight to rides like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train or Peter Pan's Flight, so it's the perfect time to meet characters.

I headed to Pete's Silly Sideshow (still in Fantasyland) where Minnie and Daisy were on one side and Donald Duck and Goofy were on the other. These lines tend to be a bit longer than some of the others at the park but aren't too bad. I waited about 20 minutes for Minnie and Daisy and less than 10 for Donald and Goofy.

It was just my luck that as soon as I left that area, Chip and Dale were meeting guests so I quickly hopped on line and saw them. They had less than a five-minute wait which was perfect.

On the way out of the circus area, Pooh and Tigger are usually right next to their attraction, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. However, the line for them tends to be painstakingly long, so I decided to skip over it and come back during a time I know would be less crowded.

I walked around the corner and saw Merida in her little nook. She usually has a pretty long wait too, I'd say over 30 minutes on a good day, but I only had to wait 15.

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Lines are usually shorter during parade times so take advantage of that to knock a few characters off the list.

Lines are usually shorter during parade times so take advantage of that to knock a few characters off the list.
If you're cooling skipping the parade you'll be able to meet some special characters.Casey Clark

Characters like Peter Pan, Anastasia, and Drizella still meet while parades are happening.

I caught Anastasia and Drizella towards the tail end of their meet and greet and waited less than 10 minutes to see them. Then I headed over to Peter Pan before he went to go check on the Lost Boys for a little bit. Peter's line was only 15 minutes which is great considering how popular he is.

Get on line before the scheduled start time for more popular characters' meet and greets so you're guaranteed a spot.

Get on line before the scheduled start time for more popular characters' meet and greets so you're guaranteed a spot.
Aladdin and Jasmine are very popular.Casey Clark

Some characters are out on a rolling basis throughout the day, but others come out less often so you'll want to make sure to get a spot on the line before they are scheduled to arrive.

I'd suggest waiting at least 20 minutes before characters are set to arrive when it comes to Aladdin and Jasmine and Pooh and Tigger. Their lines tend to form and get cut off quickly. I waited roughly 40 minutes for Aladdin and Jasmine and 30 minutes for Pooh.

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Stop for quick interactions at character-sighting locations in Frontierland and Tomorrowland.

Stop for quick interactions at character-sighting locations in Frontierland and Tomorrowland.
Some character interactions can be wrapped up in five minutes.Casey Clark

There are a few characters in the parks who don't have lines — they just stand and interact with guests from a distance. Some of these characters include Stitch, Buzz Lightyear, and The Country Bears. You can usually find them in Frontierland and Tomorrowland.

You'll be able to meet them each in less than five minutes as they make their way across the platforms pretty quickly.

Some characters don't always have formal meet and greets. Take advantage of when you see them walking around.

Some characters don't always have formal meet and greets. Take advantage of when you see them walking around.
Some characters will let you snap a selfie with them.Casey Clark

Anastasia, Drizella, Peter Pan, and Jack Sparrow are all characters you'll sometimes see roaming around their designated areas at random times throughout the day.

You may not get a formal photo or receive an autograph, but these are a great way to see and interact with characters without waiting in lines.

I'd never met Jack Sparrow in the parks before, but I saw him formally meeting guests on this day. I waited about 20 minutes to get a photo with him.

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Use the time period between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to see more popular friends, like Pooh and Tigger.

Use the time period between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. to see more popular friends, like Pooh and Tigger.
My sister and I snapped a photo with Pooh and Tigger.Casey Clark

People usually leave Magic Kingdom after the second showing of Festival of Fantasy around 3 p.m. so this is a great time to head over to Pooh and Tigger's meet-and-greet location, the Thotful Spot.

The line to see them is always pretty long, but if you go at a less busy time of the day, you may get lucky and only have to wait 30 minutes.

Meet Mickey Mouse last since he's usually out almost all day.

Meet Mickey Mouse last since he's usually out almost all day.
Mickey is usually quite easy to meet.Casey Clark

Mickey Mouse meets at Town Square Theater from the park's opening to just before closing. So, I'd prioritize meeting the characters who don't stay out all day first and save him for the very end.

You may think that Mickey's line is super long because he's so popular, but that's often not the case. The wait time to see Mickey varies greatly throughout the day but it's usually about a 10- to 20-minute wait in the morning and near park close.

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Have your autograph books, cameras, and smiles ready when you get up to see the characters.

Have your autograph books, cameras, and smiles ready when you get up to see the characters.
Get your camera ready while you're on line.Casey Clark

To make the meet-and-greet experience as seamless and speedy as possible, have everything you need (cameras, autograph books) ready before you get up to the character. The attendants will tell you this as you stand in line, but it can get overwhelming and exciting so you may forget.

Many characters don't have PhotoPass photographers who will take expert photos for you anymore, so keep in mind you'll likely be in charge of snapping your own.

If you're alone, you can ask an attendant or someone else in line to take a picture for you.

Set a realistic time limit — it's possible to meet every character at Magic Kingdom in one day if you set your mind to it.

Set a realistic time limit — it's possible to meet every character at Magic Kingdom in one day if you set your mind to it.
You probably won't have time for rides if you spend all day trying to meet every character.Casey Clark

It took me roughly eight hours to meet every character at Magic Kingdom. I stopped for 20 minutes to watch the parade, but other than that I spent all day standing in line to meet someone.

I probably wouldn't do this again any time soon but I had fun and I'd highly recommend it if you're also a fan of characters.

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