When I was younger, I absolutely hated the characters at Disneyland. Like, run-away-kicking-and-screaming-if-they-were-even-in-the-same-room-as-me hated them. When I go to a Disney park now though, it's 100% my favourite thing to do. I know the queues are normally very long and it might not be as exciting to some people as the rides, but I love how it's a different experience every single time and that I can have an interaction completely unique to me. But I know that some people don't like meeting characters because they find it really awkward, or don't know what to do when they meet them, so here are some of my tips for meeting characters at the Disney parks.

Get an autograph book

I think some people think that autograph books are just for children but they're definitely not. Not only are they something that you can keep after your holiday to remember all the characters that you've met, but they're also a great way to start an interaction with a character. If you're a bit nervous then saying 'could you sign this for me?' (please don't just shove it in their face!) is the perfect way to get things going with them. Some of them have really fun autographs as well, so you could start a conversation with them about how cool their signature is and go from there.

Wear character specific clothes/ears

Obviously you can't wear a different character specific outfit for every single character you meet, but if there's a certain character that you know you are going to meet that day then wearing something to do with them or their movie is the perfect way to get a good interaction. The character will normally notice it themselves and ask you about it (or point to it if they can't talk) but if they don't, don't hesitate to show it to them and ask if they like it. Some of my best character interactions have come out of wearing certain character ears, and I often keep 2 pairs of ears in my bag at once. Marie from the Aristocats is my favourite childhood character, so I have a pair of Marie ears that I wear whenever I meet her. When I went to Disneyland Paris last year, I was wearing them in the queue and she came over to me whilst we were waiting and gave me a big hug and fussed over me before it was even my turn to meet her!

A lot of people find it really awkward to talk to the fur characters because they can't talk back to you, but that doesn't mean you can't have a great interaction with them. As long as you don't ask them ridiculously complicated questions, they are able to answer you with gestures and movement and you can easily have a full conversation with them. If you're not sure what to say, simple things like telling Minnie Mouse that you like her dress or asking Chip and Dale if they've had any acorns today are perfect ways to start up a conversation. There's nothing worse than seeing someone queue for an hour just to walk up to a character, pose for a picture and leave without saying a word!

Suspend your disbelief

Let's be honest, as adults we all know that the characters at the Disney parks are just people in costumes. But, if you want to have a good interaction with them, you need to forget about that and act as if you really are talking to Winnie the Pooh or Peter Pan. It might seem a bit silly at first but you'll feel so much less awkward and you'll get a much better character interaction out of it. No one is going to think that you look stupid, these people are paid to be those characters and most of them absolutely love what they do. They know their characters inside out and will be much more responsive to you if you treat them like the character that they are.

Thanks for reading and I hope these tips help!

Amy xxx