Having your picture taken with a favorite character and getting their autograph is a very popular activity at all the theme parks. It is also a great opportunity for our kids to practice social skills. Characters have always been kind our son, especially the first year we were at the parks and he was afraid to stand next to the animal characters. We like to take our pictures with the characters when the parks are not very crowded but you can try the same strategies provided below whenever you visit. Our suggestions and strategies are offered to help make this experience less stressful and more enjoyable for everyone in your group with as little wait time as possible. Each park lists the times and locations of character greetings on their show schedule that you can pick up when you get a map as you enter the park.  

Tip for autographs: Use a retractable Sharpie pen. You won't lose the cap. Also, have the autograph book open and pen ready for the character as you greet them.

Tip for Disney: If you plan to purchase more than 10 pictures in the parks within a month's time frame including character greetings where Disney provides a photographer, get a PhotoPass and use it the entire time you are visiting the parks. You can look at your pictures online usually in less than 24 hours. After you get back home purchase the CD online within thirty days after your first picture was taken. The CD costs about the same as 10 photos printed by Walt Disney World. We do this about every two years. We take over 100 pictures (there is no limit to the number of pictures on the CD) from all of Walt Disney World’s parks, including major “scenes” and the characters. Our entire family is in the picture. We have a digital copy of each picture and we can print any of them at home. You purchase the license to the photos when you purchase the CD.
A new feature at Walt Disney World is the PhotoPass+ which can include pictures taken on certain rides and pictures taken at character meals.

Tip: Many families prefer to schedule character meals throughout their vacation, thus eliminating the need to stand in line to get autographs from the more popular characters.

The Guest Assistance Pass is not intended to be used for character greetings.  However to greet Mickey/Minnie and The Disney Princesses (two separate experiences in the Town Square Theater on Main Street), get a fast pass for each member of your group and at your designated return time, use the fast pass line to meet the characters. This enables you to have a much shorter wait time and has worked well for us.
Tinker Bell's Magical Nook is located in Adventureland. Ariel's Grotto is now located in New Fantasyland. There is not a fastpass for these attraction at this time. The other characters located throughout the park (check park schedule for times and locations) also do not have a fastpass so we use a “line stander”.  One of us (usually the Mom) stands in the line to meet/greet the character while the other parent takes our son on a ride or they eat a snack, etc.  Mom will text Dad and tell him that she is 3rd or 4th in line. Dad and son will come back to the character location, wait at the “exit” area and when it is Mom's turn to meet the character, they will join her.

The character greeting in the Innovations building will accept a GAP. This is the best place in all of the Disney parks to get the five major Disney characters (Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy and Donald) at one time. Present the GAP to the attendant and they will direct you to where to stand and wait your turn (short wait time). The character greetings at the other locations of Epcot are best done with a “line stander” as described above.

The character greetings in this park are easier to accomplish with a “line stander”.  Please note: at the Pixar greeting (across from Toy Story Mania), explain to the cast member that you are waiting in line for your family because your child has a disability and when the “line stander” gets up to the characters, the cast member will let your family in through the exit door. The remaining locations in the park, including the character greeting at the  Animation Studios, are most effective using the “line stander” plan.

Note: Except for the Toy Story and Phineas and Ferb characters, the lines are not usually very long for most characters in this park and our son has been able to wait in line. This is one of those situations where you have to see for yourself what works best for your family.

The character greetings in this park are more efficient with a “line stander”. However, the character greetings in Camp Minnie Mickey has accepted the GAP each time we’ve asked. Tip: Don’t miss the Pooh and Friends character greetings, which is located on the right hand side going to Dinosaur Land. This seems to be a place easily overlooked and where there tends to be a short wait to meet the characters, especially early in the day.