How to Meet Characters in Disneyland Paris

Want to know how to meet characters in Disneyland Paris? In this guide we will give you the Disneyland Paris characters list so you know who you can expect to meet, where you can meet them, the costumes they will wear and tips for making the most out of your character interactions at Disneyland Paris. 

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How to Meet Disneyland Paris Characters 

Character meet and greets are one of the highlights of any trip to Disneyland Paris. In this section of the guide we round up how to meet Disneyland Paris characters and the locations of popular meet and greets. 

Character Dining at Disneyland Paris

There are two character dining restaurants at Disneyland Paris:

• Plaza Gardens 
• Auberge de Cendrillon

These are both open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and the characters that you meet will vary depend on the time of day you are visiting. 

It is also worth noting that there used to be another character dining restaurant at the Disneyland Hotel. This is currently closed but is scheduled to reopen in early 2024. So far there has been no update as to whether the Inventions character dining restaurant will reopen or if it has been replaced by an additional character dining restaurant. 

Once we hear updates on the offerings at the Disneyland hotel we will update this section of the both. 

We will look at both of these restaurants in detail below so you know how to make reservations, what characters you can expect to see and of course what the food will be like. 

Plaza Gardens 

Plaza Gardens is a buffet style restaurant that is open for breakfast lunch and dinner. You will find that the characters you meet here change depending on whether you go for breakfast vs lunch or dinner.

The truth is when you visit Plaza Garden, or Auberge de Cendrillon for that matter, you are never guaranteed a specific character. Therefore the below character list is only for guidance. 

For instance usually if you are attending dinner then you can usually expect a combination from the characters below:

• Mickey Mouse – very common but never guaranteed. 
• Minnie Mouse 
• Daisy Duck
• Donald Duck
• Pluto
• Goofy
• Eeyore
• Tigger
• Rabbit

But characters from Peter Pan and Pinocchio are also subbed in occasionally. 

If you are visiting PLaza Gardens for breakfast the classic characters are not as frequently seen and many of the classic/old school Disney films are represented. 

For instance, based on research we have found that the following characters are most frequently seen at breakfast at Plaza Gardens. 

• Captain Hook from Peter Pan
• Mr Smee from Peter Pan
• Pinocchio from Pinocchio
• Gepetto from Pinocchio
• Rabbit from Winnie the Pooh 
• Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh
• Pluto
• Goofy

If you are visiting Plaza Gardens for Dinner or lunch, you stand more of a chance of seeing the classic characters. So if you want to meet Mickey then you should book dinner over breakfast as he is not usually at breakfast.

Note: if you are wanting to meet characters and have a great interaction try checking out our best questions to ask Disney charachers. 

If you do decide to visit for breakfast, the first seating is at 8:15am. I think this is really only worthwhile for people who are staying off site at Disneyland Paris. This is because you will be missing out on Extra Magic Hours, a perk for those staying on site at Disneyland Paris. 

We always recommend staying on site where your Disneyland Paris Budget allows. To check out prices of the Disneyland Paris hotels for the dates you are considering traveling click here! 

This is basically where guests at a Disney hotel i.e. Sequoia or Cheyenne, can access the park an hour earlier than off site guests. During this time you are able to get on a lot of rides, so I wouldn’t want to personally sacrifice this time for a character breakfast.

Therefore we recommend picking a later time i.e. 9:15 sitting for on site guests so you don’t sacrifice your Extra Magic hour.  

However if you are staying off site it is a fantastic way to start your day at Disneyland Paris and you will get early access to the park where you can take amazing photographs in front of the castle, and start your day earlier than you otherwise could. 

To get in for breakfast while staying off site you will need to enter the park in the separate breakfast line, usually in the middle of the entrance but not always. 

So if you are wanting to do character dining at Plaza Gardens how do you book? Well as with many things at Disneyland Paris I recommend staying at an on-site hotel. The reason for this is that you are able to book tables when you stay onsite and book directly at Disney 12 months in advance.

The off site guests only get reservations open up 1 month before travel so it is much harder to get a reservation. Therefore we recommend staying on site if you can afford it. 

However even if you aren’t able to make reservations we recommend heading to the restaurant when you arrive at the park and see if there are any openings. Cancellations do happen and this is your best chance of getting on the day reservations. 

Auberge de Cendrillon

But if you want to do character dining and meet a princess instead of classic Disney characters we recommend booking a meal at Auberge de Cendrillon. 

Auberge de Cendrillon is the princess character dining experience and the only other guaranteed way of meeting princesses at Disneyland Paris other than queuing at the Princess Pavillon. 

Now this definitely isn’t something you want to consider if you are visiting Disneyland Paris on a budget as there are no cheap eats here. In fact it is one of the most expensive places to eat at Disneyland Paris at 95 Euros for adults and 50 for children 3-11 (prices correct at time of writing). 

Auberge de Cendrillon effectively translates to Cinderella’s Restaurant in English and serves some exquisite French food. It is located just through the castle in the Fantasyland area of Disneyland Paris. 

Normally when you visit Auberge de Cendrillon you will see between 3-4 princesses plus Cinderella’s two mice friends Perla and Suzy. 

When we were at Auberge, we met Snow White, Merida, Cinderella and the mice Perla and Suzy. However from what I have read online most people normally get 4 princesses so maybe we were a bit unlucky. 

As I said above, you are never guarunteed any particularly princess and they change frequently. However out of all the characters you are most likely to see Cinderella as she is most frequently seen. This should come as no surprise as Cinderella / Cendrillon, her name is actually in the title of this restaurant. 

Of the other Princesses I would say their commonality is as below: 

• Sleeping Beauty – quite common. She is very popular in Disneyland Paris as it has the Sleeping Beauty Castle. 
• Snow White – quite common. 
• Ariel – relatively common
• Belle – relatively common
• Rapunzel – relatively common
• Jasmine – rare
• Tiana – rare
• Merida – Rare
• Mulan –  VERY RARE – most people I know who have seen Mulan have visited around Chinese New Year but it is never guaranteed. 
• Minnie Mouse in her Princess Costume – VERY RARE. 

For a full review of the food and experience at Auberge de Cendrillon check out our full review here. 

It is worth noting that if you are vegan at Disneyland Paris that Auberge actually has some fantastic options. 

For more information on Disneyland Paris food check out this post. 

Disneyland Paris Hotel Meet and Greets.

The only downside to wanting to meet characters at Disneyland Paris is the queues. For instance the Princess Pavillion often tops 2 hours and Mickey is usually between 1-2 hours depending on the time of year you visit Disneyland Paris and the time of day you visit. 

However there is a hack to cut down on the queues for meet and greets at Disneyland Paris, and that is to stay at an on-site hotel. 

Note: if you are staying on-site there is no reason that you can’t move between hotels to do meet and greets. However please note this is not possible at New York Art of Marvel as the meet and greets here have to be booked on the app for residents only up to 7 days in advance.

If you are at a Disneyland resort hotel there is one meet and greet a night. It depends on which hotel you are staying at as to what character and what outfit they are dressed. But generally you can expect the following characters at the hotels:

Santa Fe Hotel 

Hotel Santa Fe is the cars themed hotel and great for Cars fans at Disneyland Paris. However you do not meet cars characters here as you would expect. Instead you tend to meet classic Disney characters in racing style / 1950s outfits.

Characters that are commonly seen here are:

• Mickey – in his racing outfit
• Minnie – in her blue 1950s dress with sun glasses

to book Hotel Santa Fe click here

Hotel Cheyenne

When my daughter was obsessed with Toy Story this was the hotel we would stay at. The reason for this is that the rooms are Toy Story.

But also the character meet and greets at this wild west themed hotel are Woody and Jessie. 

This hotel is definitely the best pick if you love Toy Story. 

to book Hotel Cheyenne click here

Sequoia Hotel 

Sequoia is a mid range hotel at Disneyland Paris and is themed off the National Parks in the US. 

At this hotel you can see Classic characters in their National Park outdoor wear. 

When we stayed at Sequoia we met:

• Goofy, 
• Donald and
• Max. 

I am told that this is the only hotel where Max sometimes appears but UI will update this if I get any updates. 

And although we he didn’t appear for us you can also sometimes see Mickey Mouse at this hotel. 

to book Sequoia Lodge click here

Newport Bay Club

Newport Bay Club theming is based on New England waterfront mansions which although beautiful isn’t out and out Disney. But one thing I love about this hotel is the outfits you meet characters in. 

All the classic characters you meet here are in nautical themed outfits. Mickey tends to wear a blue blazer with a captains hat, and the other characters sailor type outfits usually with blue and white stripes and a red trim. 

to book Newport Bay Club click here

New York New York

New York New York is the most recently renovated hotel and is themed to Marvel. It has great theming being based on all of the Marvel characters that Disney now owns and coincides with the opening with the opening of the Avengers Campus. And as you would expect you can meet Marvel characters here.  

Now while at the other hotels you just queue at the allocated meet and greet time, the system is different at New York New York. 

The meet and greets here have to be booked via the app in specific timeslots. Characters such as Thor and Iron Man can be met here. But you must be a guest at THIS hotel to book these meet and greets. 

to book New York New York click here

Disneyland hotel 

As this is closed for refurbishment we do not know what characters and outfits the character meet and greets will be. We will update this once the hotel reopens. 

Meets And Greets 

Perhaps the most common way people will meet characters at Dinseyland PAris is through the traditional meet and greets. 

There are a few styles of meet and greets at Dinseyland Paris – these are

• Classic scheduled indoor meet and greets i.e. Mickey, princesses and Marvel characters
• outdoor meet and greets  i.e. Winnie the Pooh, Mary Poppins, toy story characters
• unscheduled meet and greets – i.e. characters out that are not on the app

Mickey Meet and Greet 

Mickey is one of the most popular meet and greets around and being the most famous Disney characters it should come as no surprise he has his own permanent meet and greet. 

This permanent meet and greet is in Fantasyland in the Mickey Mouse theatre. This is not usually open for Extra Magic Hours and usually runs 10am and 5pm. 

The queue is over an hour long usually but the queue does at least have some cartoons on to while away the time and it is indoors so it is a good way to escape heat or rain. 

He is also sometimes at Meet and greet at the hotels too!

There is also an option to meet Mickey in his Phantom Manor costume in the pagoda next to Phantom Manor ride. This is usually a morning meet and greet but be sure to check for your travel dates. 

The Hero Training Centre

Unlike the Princesses and meeting Mickey Mouse, the hero training centre is not a queue but a virtual queue!

To join the virtual queue at Avengers Campus you use the Disneyland Paris app. The booking system is opened up in the morning and afternoon (currently at 10 and 1:30 but check on the app for your day as the time is liable to change and you don’t want to be disappointed and miss your chance). They will also sometimes open an additional slot in the afternoon so do check. 

The booking can only be done when you are in the park for the MARVEL Super Hero Heroic Encounter so be sure to get to the park in good time. 

Usually the three people who are available to meet at the Heroic Encounter in the Training Center are: 

• Spider-Man
• Iron Man and 
• Captain Marvel 

There is usually an option for another character too but the identity isn’t revealed so you can take a chance and get a surprise. 

Princess Pavillon

The Princess Pavillon is the dedicated place at Disneyland Paris to meet princesses. And is the only guaranteed place where you can meet a princess without paying a supplement for character dining. 

The Princess Pavillon is an indoor experience and a great thing to do at Disneyland Paris on a rainy day or even a hot day to get out of the sun, but you will find that the queues swell when it is like this. 

Outside Meet and Greets 

As well as the indoor meet and greets there are scheduled outdoor meet and greets for instance we have met the following characters in outdoor scheduled meet and greets at Disneyland Paris :

• Winnie the Pooh
• toy Story characters
• Aladin characters
• Peter Pan
• Pinnochio. 

Unscheduled Meet and Greets

As well as the scheduled on app meet and greets there are sometimes unscheduled meet and greets that you just have to be lucky with. 

We have met Jafar and the Genie this way as well as the Ugly Sisters. 

And we were once lucky enough to see Mary Poppins and Burt on the carousel.

Seasonal Meet and Greets

On top of these meet and greets you can also see regular characters in different outfits and seasonal characters especially when you are traveling to Disneyland Paris at Christmas. 

The Classic Disney characters are usually out during Mickey’s Enchanted Christmas (in November, DEcember and January) in their Christmas attire. And during Halloween and Christmas Jack Skellington and Sticth are usually out and about.

Other way to see characters

Places to Spot Characters

This place used to be secret but since Tiktok it has become a quite well known secret. But for those that don’t know, there is a secret princess spot at Disneyland Paris.

Once you arrive in Fantasyland after passing through the castle turn right and head towards the Cinderella carriage next to Auberge. There is a metal gate here where you can see princesses going and coming to the restaurant and sometimes waiting for the shows to begin that take place on the right hand castle stage. 

If you are going to see them you need to be there around the start or end of Auberge service or 15 minutes before a show starts. 

There is also sometimes an opportunity to see characters at the gates near Bella Notte where the parade starts from. 

Parades

The Disneyland Paris parades are another way of seeing Disney Characters. Although you won’t be able to get an autograph or a hug from a character you will be able to see them.

Usually there will be a princess float, a classic character float alongside Toy Story, Nemo and other fan favorites. 

Shows

Disneyland Paris has some great shows such as Mickey and the Magician, The Festival of the Lion King and the Frozen Musical Singalong. As well as seasonal shoes at Christmas. 

At Mickey and the Magician you can usually see:

• Mickey
• Cinderella and the Fairy Godmother
• Rafiki
• Lumiere, Belle and the beast
• The Genie
• Elsa and Olaf

While in the Lion King Show you can obviously see Lion King Characters and in the Frozen singalong you will see Anna, Elsa, Olaf and Kristoff. 

Note:In this show you will hear some of the movie’s biggest hit songs, however it is also worth noting that Let It Go is sung in French rather than English at Disneyland Paris so that can be a little off putting for some children. 

Tips for Character Meet and Greets at Disneyland Paris. 

So now you know where to meet characters at Disneyland Paris here are our tips for making the most out of character interations. 

Dress Up 

We recommend dressing your little ones as up as their favorite Disney chgaracter or Disney Princess or Prince for better interaction. Children in costumes make for better photographs and you get even better interactions.

This is true for meet and greets, character dining and parades. 

However please note that Disneyland Paris what to wear rules say children 12 and over can’t wear costumes. If you turn up in costume as an adult you will not be granted admission. 

Instead however you consider 

Disneybounding

This is where you dress in homage to your favorite Disney characters without wearing a costume.

For more information on how to Disneybound check out this post. 

Capture Memories

The best way to capture memories of your meet and greets is with photos and autographs.But if you want an alternative to a Disney autograph book check out this post. 

Ask Questions

A great way to get a better character interaction is to ask questions, even for head characters. 

For some inspiration check out our best questions to ask Disney Princesses. and best questions to ask Disney characters posts here.

FAQs about meeting characters at Disneyland Paris

Is there a Disneyland Paris characters list?

THere is no definitive Disneyland Paris character list. That is because you are never guaranteed a character meeting in the park. 

However below is the Disneyland Paris character list based off people we have seen regularly in the park

• Mickey Mouse
• Minnie Mouse
• Donald Duck
• Daisy Duck
• Goofy
• Max
• Chip and Dale
• Winnie the Pooh characters – Winnie, Pigliet, Tigger, Eeyore and Rabbit
• Aladdin Characters – Aladdin, Jasmine, Jafar
• Pinnochio characters – Pinnochio and Gepetto
• Olaf
• Peter Pan Characters – Peter, Wendy, Captain Hook and Smee
• Mary Poppins Characters – Mary and Burt 
• Toy Story Characters – Woody, Buzz, Jessie and Bo Peep. 
• Alice in Wonderland characters – Alice, Mad Hatter, Queen of Hearts and Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum
• Princesses – CInderella, Sleeping BEauty, Merida, Snow White, Rapunzel, Mulan, Moana, Tiana, Belle 
• Cars characters – Lightening Mcqueen and Cruz Ramirez. 
• STar Wars – Darth Vader 
• Stitch and JAck Skellington at Christmas 
• Jack Sparrow 
• Marvel Characters

As I stated above this list is indicative but not a guaruntee of characters who will be there during your stay. 

Is Disneyland or Walt Disneyland Studios better for characters? 

If Princesses are your priority for your Disneyland Paris visit then you need to head to the Disneyland Park. This park has the princess Pavillon, parades and the princess dining. 

For Mickey, again you will have more opportunities to meet Mickey at the Disneyland Park.

However if you like Toy Story, MArvel and CArs then you should head to the Walt Studios Park. 

Overall however I think there are more daily meet and greets in the original Disneyland Paris park. 

Do I have to book to meet characters at Disneyland Paris

Generally speaking you do not need to book to meet characters at Disneyland Paris. However there are exceptions. 

• Character dining needs reservations which can be done a year in advance for onsite guests.
• Marvel Training Centre needs booking on the day
• Marvel Hotel Meet and Greets – needs to be done up to 7 days before stay. 

Can you hug characters at Disneyland Paris?

Since covid restrictions have been lifter you can once again hug characters at Disneyland Paris.

Do characters sign autographs at Disneyland Paris?

If you are at character dining or a confirmed meet and greet characters will of course sign autographs. 

But if you see characters walking between locations or during the parade they will be unable to sign autographs.

How long do character interactions last?

 

how long a character interaction lasts depends on where you are seeing the characters and how you interact with them. 

Typically we find the character dining experiences to be longer than other meet and greets. 

However if you are asking questions and doing silly poses we tend to find the characters stay with you longer. 

We tend to find the shortest interactions to be at the hotels however the queues for these are shorter so it doesn’t feel like a waste. 

Can you See Anna and Elsa at Disneyland Paris?