Our Experience Seeing Characters at the Disney Resorts

We get questions from time to time about characters at the Disney Resort Hotels. Unfortunately, we can never give anyone an exact answer as to where to find them. However, we can assure you that characters regularly appear at the resorts—we see them often! All you need to do is keep an eye out for them when you come and go from the resort.

The Character Caravan

One telltale sign is if you see the Caravanning ‘Round the World bus parked outside the resort’s entrance. If you see the bus, you’ll know you’re in luck! Below is a photo of the resort character caravan that visits the hotels several days a week. Unfortunately, they do not publish a schedule. The idea of this experience is to surprise and delight guests. It started during Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary a few years back. Then, the caravan continued when the characters had special Disney 100 outfits, and, as of late, we’ve seen the characters meeting in regular costumes.

The character caravan comprises original characters like Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto, and Chip ‘n’ Dale. Here is a photo of Dale when we saw him at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge.

We stayed at Disney’s Wilderness Lodge earlier this year and saw Goofy, Donald Duck, and Chip ‘n’ Dale multiple times. You’ll typically run into the characters in the resort’s lobby. We’ve seen them as early as 10:00 a.m., and the latest we’ve run into the character caravan was about 3:00 p.m. That’s not to say they don’t run earlier or later. But this has been our experience, and I would estimate that I’ve run into the character caravan at least ten times over the last three years.

Character Training

Occasionally, you might run into other surprise characters in the resort hotels. We’ve encountered several princesses and other popular characters at Disney’s Port Orleans Riverside. Within the last year, we’ve met Belle in her yellow ballgown, Mary Poppins, and Mirabel at Riverside. We’ve also seen numerous other reports of guests running into princesses at the resort.

Again, this is not guaranteed. But don’t be surprised if you’re walking to the lobby and see a character greeting guests. They will usually pose for pictures and sign autographs. However, they will not typically have a PhotoPass photographer with them. So you’ll want to be prepared and make the most of your meet-and-greet. Also, don’t be too disappointed if they’re wrapping up their time. You can always ask if they will return or if they’re finished for the day. When I met Mary Poppins, I had to wait about 15 minutes for her to return from a break. But it was well worth the wait since she no longer meets regularly in the parks.

Christmas Characters at the Resorts

Lastly, classic characters in holiday costumes meet at the resorts during the holidays. So, if you are staying at a resort around December 23rd through the 25th, check the resort’s holiday schedule. The resort will post an extra schedule similar to the monthly recreation calendar a few days before the holiday. It sometimes lists surprise appearances and photo opportunities with characters in their holiday attire. For instance, we’ve met Mickey and Minnie Mouse in vintage holiday attire at the Beach Club, Mickey in Christmas pajamas at the Boardwalk on Christmas Eve, and Donald with Daisy Duck at the Yacht Club. In our experience, a PhotoPass photographer has always been present for these special appearances.

The Bottom Line on Characters at the Disney Resorts

Make sure to always look out for surprise characters at the resorts. You never know who you might run into when you turn the corner! For more on characters, you might like:

• Where You Might Find Surprise Characters at Hollywood Studios
• Character Training Surprises at Epcot
• Rare Characters for the 4th of July at Epcot
• Where to Find Clarabelle Cow at Disney World

Or you can preview our A to Z List of characters who meet regulary in the parks.

In the Comments

Have you met any characters at the Disney Resorts? We would love to hear about who and where you’ve run into them! Let us know below in the comments!