How to Meet Moana at Disney's Animal Kingdom

I don’t know about you, but I can’t think of Moana without hearing one of the joyful songs from the movie playing in the background of my mind. Fans of Moana will be delighted to find that she has a traditional character meet-and-greet at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Below, we’ll walk through the location and discuss how to meet Moana during your next visit.

As you can probably imagine, she’s quite a popular character and often holds exceptionally long lines. So grab a snack and a water, it’s probably going to be a long wait.

Moana poses for a photo at Disney's Animal Kingdom

When Disney first announced that Moana would have a meet-and-greet at Character Landing, I was reminded that this location had previously been used for several character meets years ago. Back then, the characters could often be seen from outside the queue. But Moana’s meet-and-greet is at the end of this path at the boat landing. So guests passing through the area will not be able to see her.

Character Landing is toward the front of the park. It’s on the right before you reach the bridge from Discovery Island to Dinoland, U.S.A. When you enter the park, you’ll take a right at the Tree of Life. Character Landing is immediately past the restrooms and stage where the Viva Gaia Street Band performs.

Character Landing entrance at Disney's Animal Kingdom where Moana meets

I arrived at the park on this Friday afternoon at approximately 2:30 p.m. and went straight to get in line for the 3:05 p.m. scheduled meet-and-greet. Below is a photo of the line of guests already waiting.

Moana meets intermittently throughout the day at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. As always, you’ll want to check the My Disney Experience app for Moana’s exact time on the day of your visit. Here’s how:

How to Locate Characters in the My Disney Experience App

Open the MDE app and select the pin drop at the bottom of the home screen.
Select the “Characters” category at the top middle of the screen. (The default is “Wait Times”.)
After selecting characters, use the park filter to select the park on the top left side of the screen.
Then, on the top right side of the screen, select “Show List.”
Scroll through the list of characters with their times and locations.

*As the day passes, you might notice that characters disappear from the app. When their last scheduled time passes, the meet-and-greet automatically disappears. A new schedule won’t be loaded until the following day. It is essential to check the app for meet-and-greets on the day of your visit.

It was 2:54 p.m. when I got in line to meet Moana. Per my estimation, there were approximately 50 guests ahead of me. By the time the line was cut off, about 20 guests were behind me.

guests lined up across the bridge to meet Moana

Cast members were quoting an hour and a half wait. Granted, most of these photos were taken the week Moana’s meet-and-greet debuted, so many guests showed up to meet her. While her line is still long, you’ll likely only wait 30-40 minutes at the longest to meet her.

the sign for Moana's meet and greet location with times at Disney's Animal Kingdom

We waited and waited. Eventually, we made it into the formal queue area. Cast members constantly came through, encouraging guests to stay and letting us know when Moana took a small break. These times were noticeable because the line stopped moving.

Guests waiting in the queue to meet Moana at Disney's Animal Kingdom

On a positive note, the queue offers a good deal of shade. However, it would probably help if Disney added a few more fans. Throughout our wait, guests would leave the line to use the restroom or get a snack for their group. So, if you need to leave briefly, let the cast member know you’ll be rejoining your party momentarily.

getting closer to the front of the queue for Moana

Finally, we were close enough to see the meet-and-greet area.

Disney did an outstanding job with this location. It felt like the perfect place to meet Moana.

Moana's queue at Disney's Animal Kingdom

Moana signs autographs at this location.

Additionally, a PhotoPass photographer is usually available at this location.

Moana greeting guests at her Animal Kingdom meet-and-greet.

It was 4:29 p.m. when I met Moana. So I waited for 1 hour and 35 minutes!

Moana poses with her hands on hips for a photo.

But she was worth it. I also want to mention the little fans. We go to these character meets often, and I can’t help but notice how well some of the children behave when they’re waiting to meet their favorite character. They are so patient. She had an entire fanbase of mini-Moanas dressed in her outfit.

Moana close up at her DAK meet-and-greet

Since Moana is a talking character, you might want to think of something to ask her. In our conversation, Moana mentioned that Maui was around somewhere. She said he was doing a little shapeshifting and thought he had turned into a lizard. She also talked about Hei Hei and asked me if I was wayfaring. Then, she showed me the perfect pose to find the right direction.

Overall, if you are willing to wait, Moana is an excellent character meet-and-greet. For more characters at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you might enjoy the following:

Or you might like to browse our entire list of Disney World characters.

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In the Comments

Are you looking forward to meeting Moana at Animal Kingdom? Will you stand in line for this meet-and-greet? Let us know in the comments section below.