Tips about Characters and Magic Kingdom

MAGIC KINGDOM - The girls and I bought some glow in the dark nail polish and painted our nails and a glow stick and painted our faces. It was fun to glow in Haunted Mansion and on Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin. - Beth Ratliff

ALL PARKS - My husband and I pass the time waiting in lines by playing handheld Yahtzee. We take turns setting a score for one another to beat and keep track of who is ahead in wins. When one of us is 10 games ahead, the other person owes the winner a favor. We've been doing this for several vacations and it still helps to pass the time. Next time we plan to get a similar game for our kids. - Pam Lau

ALL PARKS - We all LOVE LOVE LOVE seeing the kids in costume (Belle, Cinderella, etc.). We try to make a big deal about it when we see them dressed up and, truthfully, it is fun seeing them think they have fooled the adults into believing they really *are* the characters they are portraying. If your child is a sticker collector, bring a special book for all the awesome stickers they can get at each of the parks and hotels. Most places have their own special stickers that they give the kids. In the Magic Kingdom there are at least 6 different ones the kids can get (and there are probably many more. The kids all love getting stickers, but by the end of the night most stickers have gotten wet or wrinkled up. Ask the Cast Member for an extra one for the child's book. Chances are they will be *more* than happy to give an extra one, just for the sticker book or for your scrapbook! - Tip from a Magical Magic Kingdom Cast Member

ALL PARKS - For those who have little ones who don't like the "line ride" at the beginning of most attractions or for those who hate waiting in queues themselves, spotting Hidden Mickey's is a wonderful diversion. We made small index card booklets listing all "confirmed" Hidden Mickey's in each park, organized by lands and attractions. They fit easily in a pocket or daypack and can be decorated with character stickers. We took the one for the park(s) we were in each day and looked for HM's in line or checked to see where we could find them once on the ride. An added benefit was getting to meet the numerous other guests who asked what we were reading and pointing at. This decreased the frustration of line-waiting even more. I think we made many other HM fans and also took the opportunity to mention ALL EARS® to them. Hopefully we helped (in a small way) your goal of making the 25,000 subscriber mark! - Gavin Adams

EDITOR'S NOTE:: To learn more about Hidden Mickey's, go to: http://allears.net/btp/hiddenm.htm

When my daughter was smaller and she really enjoyed reading Golden Books, we would bring them to Disney World with us and instead of having the characters sign an autograph book, we had them sign the front page of the book about themselves. We have Pocahontas, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Snow White, Cruella DeVil, Alice, Pooh, Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Daisy... the list goes on and on. They always personalized it and wrote a little note to her rather than just signing their names. These are "forever" souvenirs that can even be passed onto her kids. The books with the special messages and signatures are a real keepsake from our trips to Disney. - Janet Sherby

We just got back from Walt Disney World. What a week! After spending a lot of time waiting in autograph signing lines, we actually received a compliment from one of the characters -- Cinderella, I think. We had tied the pens on curling ribbon (another "must have" to tie around knapsacks and rental stroller handles, etc.) and attached them to the spiral wire of the autograph books. We were always ready when our turn came up and were never without a pen! Thanks so much for your other tips. It made our trip a lot less stressful since we were so prepared! - Leslie Sacks

Make sure you get doubles of pictures taken with characters. That way on your next trip to the "World", you can have the character autograph his or her picture with you in it! - Mmmgong

During our trip to WDW, we did several character meals. At first we would only use our cameras to take pictures after the characters signed the autograph books and were posing with the kids. But after the second meal we started snapping away as soon as the characters approached our table. We are so glad we did this because we captured a very funny sequence of events while at the Villains Dinner at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian.

These candid shots tell a funny story, showing the playful interaction between my sons and the characters. After that, we started snapping away at all of the character meals, and now that we're back, we see that the candid shots usually gave us better pictures than the posed ones! So my tip is start taking pictures as soon as the characters approach your table and start interacting with your children. Of course you want the posed pictures, but the candid ones just might end up being your favorite memories of the meals! -Theresa Brown

(Editor's note: This is a great tip for character meet and greets in the parks also!)

A tip regarding preschoolers and autograph books: I highly recommend the use of autograph books, due to the fact that some young children don't like the idea of just going up to the characters to stand next to them for a photo. If they have a purpose, such as to get an autograph, the kids (at least my three) will walk up to a character, no problem. One big suggestion is to have a bunch of character stickers, either with you or back at the hotel. That way the preschoolers who can't read can identify the signatures -- plus what preschooler doesn't like putting stickers on anything? - Melanie comments

The characters love getting little gifts when greeting the children (pictures, etc.). Just make sure to write your name and address on the back. My daughter recently shared a picture of herself dressed up as a mermaid with Ariel, about a week later she received a nice thank you card from Ariel. It was a nice way for her to have part of the magic follow her home. I love the ALL EARS® newsletters, keep them coming. - SondraB in Fla.

In preparation for our upcoming trip to Walt Disney World (first trip with our three children 5, 3, and 1 -- wish us luck!), I put together autograph booklets for our 5-year-old daughter and 3-year-old son. I searched online for "Disney clip art" and to my amazement there are tons of sites with art to save on your computer. After collecting all the character images I wanted, I made 3 x 5 boxes (2 per sheet of cardstock paper) and pasted the images on the pages in a corner. I took it to a local printing shop and let them bind them for me (very inexpensive). Now my kids can play a game of match the character they see in the parks with the pictures on their autograph cards. As a bonus, they'll immediately know which signature is Cinderella's and which is Mickey's and won't have to ask us repeatedly (as preschoolers will)! Then when we return home, I'll undo the bindings and put them into a scrapbook for each of them, along with photos and such, as a great memory book for their first trip to Walt Disney World. And, as we're seeing my grandmother (who is 90 this year) just after we leave Walt Disney World, I included a card with her photo on it for her to "sign" something for each of them. She always wanted to be a star! (Lisa Mitchell Parker)

When visiting WDW we purchase postcards for our grandchildren and friends and then ask the characters on the front of the postcards to sign them. We then send the postcards with the signature only so the recipient thinks Mickey, Goofy, Donald, Minnie, etc. sent it. The kids love it! (Harbarkep)

On a recent trip to WDW my friend came up with a unique gift for another friend. (This was a baby gift.) She bought a child-size t-shirt with all the characters on it and we went around and had all the characters sign the front of it. We later had it framed and decorated with postcards around the edges. She loved it. - Victoria

Prior to leaving, I purchased those blank post cards you can get at any photo shop, the ones you take your own 4x6 print on and make a personalized card. I addressed them and stamped them ahead of time. We made sure to do a Character Breakfast in the first couple of days and took a whole roll of film of our family with the characters. I then had the film developed and made our own personalized cards. Make sure you get double prints so you have a copy for your own memories. Also, having the first film developed at the beginning of your trip enables you to check to see that your camera is working properly! Family and friends were thrilled with getting a "real" postcard, and when I mailed them Cast Members thought they were pretty cool, too! - Patti

Instead of purchasing an autograph book (which is only available through the mail or at WDW), purchase an inexpensive plain hat (any style) or even a Disney theme hat, and a fabric marker. Wear your hat to each park (or a new hat at each park) and have the characters sign the hat. Depending on your child's size, they can wear the hat while the character is signing! This makes a great picture or video! The hat will be a WONDERFUL souvenir that you can wear and show very easily. - PHarrison