Roaming Characters

[Meldev]

Do the characters walk around the park more at DL than at WDW?

I was looking through some YouTube videos of different DL experiences and I noticed some, I didn't know if this was a fluke or more common occurrence at DL?

 

[mom2rtk]

It happens less than it used to, but more than at WDW.

They do have pretty reliable "sets" as reflected on the DL app. And while the app isn't perfect, it's a great starting place.

I also think they have a little better mix of characters than they do at WDW.

 

[aroseinwintr]

A few years ago DH and I went and got ice cream then went to sit on a bench. We were facing The hat shop area and Lincoln's theater.
Right in the corner the Characters come out and head to their spot for meet and greet. We watched Mickey and Minnie come out at different times and when little kids ran up they just took their hands and kept on going to their spot. Hook came out and no one seemed to notice so he walked over and shook DH's hand and kept on going. It was a great afternoon. I can't wait to do it again!

 

[Drusilla99]

I was there Sunday and noticed quite a few walking around...Aladdin, jasmine, the genie, woody, the evil queen, and Pocahontas were all out. I left at 11:30 am, so I'm sure others came out as the day went on.

 

[figment_jii]

It also depends a little on what you mean by "roaming" around characters. DLR doesn't have the underground system of tunnels like WDW, so you'll often see characters walking through the parks on their way to the M&G location. It's not necessarily that they're roaming (they're heading somewhere), but it can look like it and you'll often see people run up to them. They usually don't stop, but sometimes they'll let the family's walk with them and take photos. The Stormtroopers in TL do truly roam; they just wander around, so you'll never know where you'll find them!

 

[kathy040690]

This might sound silly but....

this is one thing i actually like more about disneyland and why i chose it over world (for the most part as i do both). The characters are out and about more in the LAND. i find WORLD you have to time it and wait in a long line to meet the characters where LAND they are outside meeting people. of course there are still lines but its just a different feel at LAND

of course this is just my opinion !!

 

[PatMcDuck]

The part that always freaked me out, was that so many of the characters have no "handlers". And they pop up here and there, like on line for Tink, Peter PAn was up on the rocks, waving down at us. Saw him at the fountain, flipping coins, too. Some characters appear at the Snow White fountain. Twice saw stormtroopers inside Star Tours, mingling with guests. Goofy hangs around the DL Hotel, in the lobby and walking around outside the pool area, on the paths.

I love DL.

 

[BirdsSingWords]

I was flipping through old family photo albums the other day, and saw pics of our many DL trips from the early 1970s to late 1980s. The character photos were almost all so disappointing. Without handlers or the official M&Gs they have today, there was almost always some random kid (or even adult) in our pics, hugging the character as we attempted to pose with him/her. It was a real free-for-all. Much better photos nowadays.

 

[mom2rtk]

It also depends a little on what you mean by "roaming" around characters. DLR doesn't have the underground system of tunnels like WDW, so you'll often see characters walking through the parks on their way to the M&G location. It's not necessarily that they're roaming (they're heading somewhere), but it can look like it and you'll often see people run up to them. They usually don't stop, but sometimes they'll let the family's walk with them and take photos. The Stormtroopers in TL do truly roam; they just wander around, so you'll never know where you'll find them!

Yes, exactly this.

 

[ktlm]

When we were there a few weeks ago, the DL app character section even listed the roaming characters. It would specifically say that they were "roaming" and what area and times they would be roaming. The app was a bit hit or miss on character locations and times-- there were times we went to a designated spot and time for a character (not listed as roaming) and found out after waiting that the character was not coming and the schedule was wrong. For the most part though, if we saw a character "roaming" I would check on the app, they were about always either listed as roaming or you could see that it was the start or end of a meet somewhere that they were heading to or from. The characters do walk around the park more at DLR, sometimes to get to or from their meet and sometimes just to "roam" and they often do not have handlers with them. It really is a fun feel when they suddenly walk past you, or pop up by you and say something to you. We really enjoy the way DLR handles character meets. The roaming characters seem to be more playful. We have seen the Mad Hatter and Alice host sudden unbirthday parties, Mary Poppins and Bert inviting DD to stroll with them, and Peter Pan sneaking up behind kids and then playing games with them among a ton of other fun experiences. If a character is "roaming" they often will keep moving as they sign an autograph or pose for a pictures (you will often get a brief pause) because they are trying to avoid a line building, I think the idea is they are more "playful" and playing with guests instead of just standing in one spot. It is very enjoyable. Last year Hook came up to DD and starting messing with her Duffy bear and then led us over to a shady spot for pictures. He had a small line build from people that saw him pass by, but the area he picked was not really that visible. We were still in the area and saw that when that small line ended, he went back out and started playing with random guests.

 

[VandVsmama]

The roaming characters is 1 reason why I really love getting to DL at rope drop. Every. Single. Time that we are there for rope drop, we see a few characters roaming around in Fantasyland for that first hour. Often times, it's Peter Pan, the Mad Hatter, sometimes Alice, too, also Captain Hook. We have also had 'walk by' encounters with Tiana before in the early afternoon as she's walking from Frontierland to New Orleans Square for her meet & greet location. Last October, she complimented my YDD on her Minnie Mouse dress and YDD still talks about it. I mean, we didn't even get pictures with Tiana and YDD just thinks that Tiana is the best ever because of that one thing.

I really love how Peter Pan is with children in Fantasyland in the mornings. He is really silly and plays games with children. He plays peek-a-boo with babies & toddlers in strollers, too. It's really wonderful to watch and even though my kids are way past the toddler stage, I love watching stuff like that because it's so special to see a magical Disneyland moment unfold right in front of you.

 

[VandVsmama]

Also, we have learned that it's so much fun to play along with the characters and ask them stuff about themselves. If it's a face character, he/she will have a conversation with you. If it's a character like Mickey or Goofy (i.e., not a face character), they still respond, but with gestures instead of talking...and they get REALLY EXCITED when you ask them questions about just about anything. Most of the time, I'm the one making a fool of myself having these 'conversations' with Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, etc., and my kids just crack up the entire time with the character. It's made for some really awesome PhotoPass pictures. The looks on their faces in those pictures are so worth it.

And this is another reason why I love going to Disneyland...because it's ok for adults to play Make Believe as well. It's fun to have a mental vacation from the 'real world' and play around just like you used to when you were 8 years old. This is also why I so love Tom Sawyer's Island. Can't wait for that to reopen next summer so our family can go on another pirate adventure.

 

[GatorChris]

This is where DL beat WDW - the roaming characters. Yes, there's spots where they usually go. But because there's not a hidden 1st floor for characters to use and arrive the correct place, these characters have to walk through the parks to get to and from their station. Here's a surprise shot with my daughter and Snow White. This should give you an idea of how it works.

 

[rentayenta]

We have often seen Peter Pan roaming and he is so much fun!