As someone who has been to the Disney parks his entire life, I have countless memories of enjoying the parks with my family. The rides, the food, the sights, everything made me so happy. However, my favorite memories are meeting the characters. Seeing Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck all come to life made me so incredibly happy. I have also amazing memories of getting to have special magical moments with them!
These amazing magical memories are rampant on social media. Little kids getting to walk with the characters like it's their very own parade go viral, amazing conversations and interactions with the characters are so magical! While I cannot guarantee magical memories for Disney, I can promise to increase your probability of it, with these three steps I have learned from a lifetime of going to Disney.
Talk to the Characters As Real People!
Even if the characters cannot talk, those characters have come to life right in front of your eyes thanks to some wonderful magic. As a result, you don't need to treat them like they are some photo op and nothing more. Talk to them! They love to have conversations and they love to interact with you and your family. Ask Mickey when he's going to propose to Minnie. Ask Chip what his favorite food is (hint: it's nuts) and ask Belle if she is avoiding that scoundrel, Gaston. These wonderful questions and interactive conversations make your interactions so meaningful!
Wear merch of the character!
A great tip for amazing interactions and attention is to wear merch of the character. This doesn't need to be the expensive 99 dollar spirit jersey Disney is selling. Simply find a cheap T-shirt off of Amazon of a character you want to meet and show them! Wear a t-shirt of Snow White when meeting her, or wear the Beast's Loungefly backpack when meeting him. Many of them will point it out!
BE KIND!
The biggest tip I can give is being SWEET and KIND. The characters meet lots of people, and have a ton of people to meet. They love people who are sweet, kind and compassionate. Be nice, treat them as they want to be treated, and they will do the same for you.
With these tips you can certainly have amazing interactions and character memories!