Disney Cruise: Part 4... The Characters

If you've ever waited in line at one of the Disney Parks to get 30 seconds with Mickey Mouse, or a princess, you will appreciate the increased access on board the ships!

There are between 4-8 meet and greet/photo opportunities each day on the ship. Times are scheduled and well noted on the Navigator bulletins that you will receive nightly in your stateroom. The appearances are also noted on digital information screens around the ship.

You will, for certain, have multiple access times to the big five: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto.  In fact, over a 7 day cruise, you could potentially see each of them 4 or 5 times, and in 4 or 5 different costumes. For example, Mickey Mouse will be in his gold lame tuxedo for formal night. He might be in a holiday sweater, his sorcerer outfit, his sailor suit, his Caribbean shirt, his pirate wear etc etc. So, there's potential for lots of great photos every single day!

The princesses also will make several appearances, including one large princess gathering where you might be able to get 4 or 5 autographs and photos by waiting in one (long) line.

Sometimes you might even be lucky enough to capture a moment when one of the characters takes a spontaneous walk-about on the ship. There's something magical about being the first one to see Cinderella or Goofy on the staircase!
Each stateroom is also assigned to a Character Breakfast. This, unlike in the Parks, is included in your fare. Our breakfast took place on Friday morning. Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and Goofy stopped by our table for autographs, hugs and pictures. The breakfast is fantastic! You're eating Mickey Mouse shaped waffles and there are no lines for his attention.

The characters also appear at the dance parties and nightly musical stage performances, but there aren't any one-on-one photo opportunities at these activities. A vast number of support characters are seen in these performances, including the cast of Toy Story.

There is a very long list of characters you could potentially see on board a cruise. The list is ever changing. We saw Captain Hook, Daisy, Terk, Lilo, Stitch,  Chip, Dale, Peter Pan, and the pirate guy that Johnny Depp plays in the movie. (Sorry, I simply can't remember!!)

Of course, Disney is trying to sell you their professional photos - and the photos are very good BTW. But, you are also welcome to take your own photos.

I found that a couple photos purchased, plus a few photos of our own were the perfect mix for our family.