Do's and Don't's of Meeting a Character at Disney (Dining)

I know many of my readers have been waiting for the do's and don't's of meeting a character. I guess you could say have a pretty good insight as to how to get the most out of your interacts :) So we will jump right in! 

First, you need to be aware of the two types of interactions: dining and meet & greets. Dining is self explanatory, but just in case I will elaborate. Dining would be meeting characters at a Disney restaurant, resort, etc. Meet & greets are not dining. Everyone with me? Great! Let's keep going. I'm going tackle dining in this blog post, and I will do a meet & greet one another day. 

The Do's of Dining:

1. When you are seated at your table, immediately get out your cameras and autograph books, and have the ink pen ready to be used.

2. If you see a character in close proximity to your table, stay seated and wait for the character to come to you. 

3. Use ONE, I repeat, ONE ink pen. 

4. Once the character is at your table, SAY HELLO. You'd be amazed at how often the characters get blank stares. The character will leave you table immediately if this happens, so if you want a photo, say something.

5. The fewer pictures, the better. Characters will adore you if you take one group photo and that's it. Like seriously, you will receive so much love if you take one group photo. 

6. Make sure your child doesn't have food all over them. If they have sticky hands, Minnie will not touch them. Just saying.

7. Tell the character if your party is not all present. The character will skip your table, and come back when you're all there. 

8. Monitor you kid. Make sure they are not aggressive with the character. 

9. Use one camera. Take the photos using one phone, you can text the photo to others. It is SO ANNOYING when there are five phones, six digital cameras, a GoPro, and a polaroid camera. So, Annoying.

10. Make sure if you have a high chair that they are not in the way of the characters. Do you know how scary it is when Minnie trips over a high chair and almost injures a baby? It isn't fun.

11. Plan ahead. If you want a family photo, ask someone in advance, so the character isn't standing there waiting on you. 

**Time is crucial in dining. The characters are allowed approximately 45 seconds per table. Please be respectful of this.

The Don'ts of Dining:

** some of these may sound harsh, and I mean them in the best way possible. I'm just conveying the wishes of characters to you :) 

1. Do NOT get up and find the characters. Characters will come to you, as they have a set rotation and go from table to table.

2. Do NOT hand the character a closed book. I guarantee Goofy will not like you if you do this. 

3. Do NOT take forever. This is not a meet & greet; the character doesn't have time to sit and chat. Say hi, get an autograph, take a photo, move on.

4. Do NOT ask the character if he/she wants to sit down. That's against the rules. 

5. Do NOT let your kid roam. They will get trampled. They will get hurt. And the character will trip and fall and it will be on your shoulders that Minnie Mouse face planted.

6. THIS IS THE MOST CRUCIAL OF ALL. Do not, absolutely do not, let a dining setting be your child's first experience with characters. I cannot stress this enough. You need to be in a meet & greet first, so you can see if your child is terrified or not of the characters. I have witnessed one family whose children screamed, and I mean the blood curdling "I am beyond terrified for my life" scream, for an hour and a half because they were so scared of the characters. The entire restaurant could hear the kids. It was annoying. It ruined the family's dinner, along with the other guests. The family was politely asked to leave. If you don't want this to happen, take your kids to Character Spot at Epcot ASAP, so they can meet Mickey, Goofy, and Minnie and see how they like them. 

7. Do NOT ask a character sign a napkin. Just don't.

8. Do NOT offer the characters food. They can't take it. 

9. Do NOT ask the character to stay and sing happy birthday to the "special birthday boy/girl". There isn't enough time.  

10. Do NOT ask the characters to take photos together. That is not allowed. 

11. Once the character has left your table, THAT IS IT. Don't go after them for "only one more photo". You had your interaction. The character has lots of other tables to see.