Everywhere You Can See Characters At Walt Disney World

One of the reasons why many of us enjoy visiting the most magical place on earth is thanks to the characters at Walt Disney World.

We love to see them. We love to wave to them. We love to take photos with them. Not only do they star in some of our favorite films and television series, but they also make the experience special. And you know what? The parks would not be the same without characters.

Even though the traditional meet and greets that we are familiar with are temporarily unavailable (no hugging and no autographs), Disney has found a safe, modified way (social-distance is implemented with masks optional indoors for fully vaccinated guests) to keep Mickey, Minnie, and others part of the theme park experience.

And because so much has changed with characters at the parks, we’re here to help you navigate all of the ins and outs.

We’ve gathered everywhere you can see characters at Walt Disney World, including cavalcades and other sightings. But, first, let’s explain just how character experiences have changed and what you can expect upon visiting Walt Disney World.

In this article

What Is A Cavalcade?

Cavalcades are like a parade, but smaller and shorter. This means you don’t have to save a seat beforehand to catch them.

These mini-parades allow you to see characters quickly and multiple times a day.

Cavalcades really are a lot of fun and provide opportunities to wave to characters without feeling tied down to a parade schedule.

You can even easily catch one as you’re on your way to hop in line for an attraction or grab a bite to eat.

Here’s a brief breakdown of why cavalcades are magical and why we love them so much.

Cavalcades are smaller, providing a more intimate experience. You won’t be stuck in the 2nd or 3rd row of a crowd – you’ll be front row with lots of opportunities to wave – and for the characters to wave back.
They are quick – no standing in the hot sun for an hour. You get a dash of magic and then you move along to your next adventure of the day.
Cavalcades bring these magical character sightings into parts of parks we haven’t seen before like seeing Chip ‘n’ Dale dressed up as dinosaurs sailing by on a boat.

How Do You Know When A Cavalcade Is Coming?

jessie in pixar cavalcade hollywood studios

Your biggest clue is music! Not only will you hear a shift in the park area music, but it will also be a bit louder.

Before you’re even able to see a cavalcade you’ll likely hear it first.

You can also check the My Disney Experience app for cavalcade schedules in the “Entertainment” section. They usually run about every 15 minutes or so.

hollywood studios cavalcade schedule and times

Here’s how you can find cavalcade schedules in the My Disney Experience app.

Open the app. Click the pin symbol at the bottom (second one from the left)

Tap the arrow next to “Wait Times” at the top of the screen. Select “Entertainment”.

Tap “Show List” on the right at the top of the screen. Scroll to find the cavalcade schedules.

You can also “Filter” for the cavalcade schedule of the park you’re visiting. Simply hit “Filter” in the top left of the screen and select the park you want. Then hit “Apply” at the bottom of the screen.

Where Can You See Cavalcades At Each Park?

timon and rafiki animal kingdom cavalcade

There are specific locations to catch the cavalcades. Let’s take a look.

Important: Epcot no longer has cavalcades, but only character sightings. More on this below.

Magic Kingdom

Except for Winnie the Pooh and friends on the Main Street Trolley (which runs on Main Street U.S.A. from the front of the park to the castle), every other cavalcade starts at the back of the park near Splash Mountain in Frontierland and moves towards the front, exiting next to the Main Street Fire Station (this is the standard parade route in Magic Kingdom).

Hollywood Studios

The cavalcades start at the front of the park and runs down most of Hollywood Boulevard before turning left and heading towards The Backlot Express.

Animal Kingdom

The cavalcades float around the entire Discovery River.

Catching cavalcades on the Discovery River can be tricky. You sometimes have to be in the right place at the right time. But here are our favorite spots to see characters float by on boats.

Bleachers near Expedition Everest: The seating from Rivers of Light is a great place to catch the Character Cruises, but they can get quite hot during the middle of the day. And now that Disney KiteTails shows here, you can catch the cavalcades and the show all in the same place.
Near the Caravan Stage Theater: Across from where Feathered Friends in Flight! takes place, there’s a seating area that offers a good view of the river and the cavalcades.

animal kingdom discovery river amphitheater cavalcade

Flame Tree Barbecue: The Quick Service spot in Discovery Island has some great food and an even more amazing view of Expedition Everest and the river, meaning you have the perfect spot for both the cavalcades and KiteTails.
Bridges: Most of the bridges will give you a unique angle to shoot photographs as the characters pass below.

Are There Differences Between Park Cavalcades & Characters?

piglet main street trolley magic kingdom

While all of the cavalcades are pretty much similar (they transport characters around the parks to wave to guests in a convenient and quick way), they all do it with different modes of transportation.

Magic Kingdom: Standard parade floats
Hollywood Studios: Cars, aka Motorcades
Animal Kingdom: Boats, aka Flotillas
Epcot: None (no more cavalcades)

Of course, each park also has different characters for guests to experience.

Do Disney Characters Sign Autographs?

At this time, Disney characters are not signing autographs at Walt Disney World.

Prior to the implementation of health and safety protocols due to the pandemic, guests could hug characters, snap photos right next to them, and also have them sign their autograph.

But, now autographs are not allowed. Even during character dining experiences guests receive a postcard with pre-written character signatures that also serves as a souvenir.

It’s hard to say when character meet and greets will return to “normal” (or if they ever will), including if or how autographs will be incorporated back into the special experiences.

Now that Disney is slowly reintroducing 1-on-1 time in a modified setting with certain characters, it seems more than likely that chance autographs will return in the future.

That said, it’s hard to pinpoint an exact timeline of the return of autographs.

Will Cast Members Take Photos With Guests’ Phones?

very merriest after hours princess fairytale hall

At this time, Disney PhotoPass Photographers aren’t taking guests’ photos with Disney characters, including at most “Sighting” location across the theme parks.

This means you have to use your own camera, phone, or mobile device to take pictures with characters. You can either take a selfie or have someone in your party snap the image.

What about Cast Members? Will they take the photo for you using your device? It all depends on the Cast Member and their comfort level. Simply ask and if they feel comfortable doing so, they will take your photo.

If not, they may decline, and understandably so. It’s important to be polite and respectful, because not everyone has the same level of comfort during these times.

Can You See Characters At Resorts?

Goofy and Pluto on the lawn of the Contemporary

Yes, you can!

In what is a super cute addition to onsite Disney Resort hotels, sometimes you can spot members of the Fab Five (Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, and Donald)!

Keep your eyes peeled for the “Caravanning ‘Round the World” shuttle at your resort, because that usually means characters are hanging about for some socially-distant fun.

Currently, the characters can be seen in their new EARidescent costumes for the 50th anniversary.

Is Character Dining Available?

You bet character dining is available at both resorts and the parks!

Keep in mind that these are modified, meaning no autographs, no hugging, no up close and personal photos, and not all of the characters may show up (like at Cinderella’s Royal Table).

Here is where you can currently experience character dining:

Magic Kingdom: Cinderella’s Royal Table (breakfast, lunch, dinner) and Be Our Guest (lunch, dinner)
Epcot: Garden Grill (lunch, dinner)
Hollywood Studios (both at Hollywood & Vine): Disney Junior Play n’ Dine (breakfast), Minnie’s Seasonal Dine (lunch, dinner)
Animal Kingdom: Tusker House (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
Contemporary Resort: Chef Mickey’s (breakfast, dinner)
Riviera Resort: Topolino’s Terrace (breakfast)
Four Seasons Resort: Ravello (breakfast)
Wilderness Lodge: Story Book Dining at Artist Point (dinner)

You can read more about character dining at the parks below under each park section. For more information, be sure to check out our reviews of the modified character dining that we’ve personally experienced so far.

Now, let’s check out where you can see all of the current cavalcades and characters at Walt Disney World…

Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom Cavalcades

Magic Kingdom has a lot of cavalcades and many opportunities to see a range of characters.

From Mickey, to Minnie, to the rest of the Sensational Six, to the Disney Princesses, to Clarabelle Cow, to Stitch, to Gaston, the variety of characters walking through the park are endless.

Here are all of the cavalcades you can expect to watch at Magic Kingdom!

Tinker Bell & The Lost Treasure (No Longer Running)

Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure Cavalcade

Characters: Tinker Bell
Where: starts at the back of the park near Splash Mountain in Frontierland and moves towards the front, exiting next to the Main Street Fire Station (this is the standard parade route in Magic Kingdom)

A Royal Princess Processional (No Longer Running)

Characters: Aurora, Ariel, Jasmine, Belle, Princess Elena, Snow White, Cinderella, Mulan, and The Fairy Godmother (on the mirror float), Princess Merida (on her horse Angus), Rapunzel and Tiana (on the gazebo float); sometimes the princesses will walk instead of riding on the float
Where: starts at the back of the park near Splash Mountain in Frontierland and moves towards the front, exiting next to the Main Street Fire Station (this is the standard parade route in Magic Kingdom)

Merida looking quite Brave on Angus.

Magic Kingdom Cavalcade (No Longer Running)

Characters: Moana, Alice, Peter Pan, Aladdin, and Mary Poppins all on a float resembling a stack of wrapped gifts (it’s from the Move it! Shake it! Mousekedance it! Parade), Gaston on horseback
Where: starts at the back of the park near Splash Mountain in Frontierland and moves towards the front, exiting next to the Main Street Fire Station (this is the standard parade route in Magic Kingdom)

Disney Friends Cavalcade (No Longer Running)

Characters: Max, Clarabelle Cow, Panchito, José Carioca, and Stitch on a float resembling a stack of gifts (it’s from the Move it! Shake it! Mousekedance it! Parade), and a crew of dancers
Where: starts at the back of the park near Splash Mountain in Frontierland and moves towards the front, exiting next to the Main Street Fire Station (this is the standard parade route in Magic Kingdom)

Mickey & Friends Cavalcade (Currently Unavailable)

Characters: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, and Pluto on a tiered float (it’s from the Move it! Shake it! Mousekedance it! Parade) and a crew of dancers
Where: starts at the back of the park near Splash Mountain in Frontierland and moves towards the front, exiting next to the Main Street Fire Station (this is the standard parade route in Magic Kingdom)

Mickey Celebration Cavalcade (For The 50th Anniversary)

mickey's celebration cavalcade 50th anniversary magic kingdom

Characters: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Pluto, Goofy, and Chip ‘n’ Dale on two tiered floats (it’s from the Move it! Shake it! Mousekedance it! Parade) and a crew of dancers accompanied by the special 50th anniversary anthem, “Magic Is Calling”
Where: starts at the back of the park near Splash Mountain in Frontierland and moves towards the front, exiting next to the Main Street Fire Station (this is the standard parade route in Magic Kingdom)

Disney Adventure Friends Cavalcade

Characters: Nearly 30 characters, including Miguel from Coco, Nick and Judy from Zootopia, Baloo and King Louie from The Jungle Book, Miguel from Coco, José Carioca and Panchito from The Three Caballeros, Merida, Moana, The Incredibles, and more (features “the most characters of any cavalcade to date”)
Where: starts at the back of the park near Splash Mountain in Frontierland and moves towards the front, exiting next to the Main Street Fire Station (this is the standard parade route in Magic Kingdom)

Parades

While parades continue to be temporarily suspended across Walt Disney World, the Festival of Fantasy Parade will soon return to the Magic Kingdom come next year.

And the good news is the parade will run alongside the cavalcades, meaning yet another opportunity to see characters during your visit.

Once Festival of Fantasy does come back, you’ll be able to check the My Disney Experience app for that day’s parade time.

Festival of Fantasy (Available with Genie+ Starting March 11)

anna and elsa festival of fantasy parade

Characters: Mickey, Minnie, Rapunzel, Merida, Anna, Elsa, Belle, the Beast, fire-breathing dragon Maleficent, and more
Where: starts at the back of the park near Splash Mountain in Frontierland and moves towards the front, exiting next to the Main Street Fire Station (this is the standard parade route in Magic Kingdom)

Character “Sightings”

While traditional character meet and greets haven’t returned to the parks just yet, there are “sightings” for guests to enjoy.

You can actually have 1-on-1 time with select characters, but you must keep your distance. There is no hugging and autographs aren’t allowed.

Most of these experiences don’t have PhotoPass photographers, so you’ll need to take photos/selfies with your own camera and/or mobile device.

You can check wait times for the following in the My Disney Experience app. They run from park open to about 30 minutes prior to park closing.

magic kingdom character sighting times my disney experience

Mickey Mouse At Town Square Theater
(Available with Genie+)

mickey mouse 50th anniversary outfit town square theater

Characters: Mickey Mouse in his 50th EARidescent outfit
Where: On the righthand side of Town Square next to Tony’s Town Square Restaurant

Disney Princesses At Princess Fairytale Hall
(Available with Genie+)

Characters: Tiana, Rapunzel, Elena, and Cinderella
Where: In Fantasyland across from Prince Charming Regal Carrousel and near The Friar’s Nook

Other Character Opportunities

Besides the cavalcades there are other opportunities to see some of your favorite characters around the park. And like the cavalcades, these aren’t scheduled, either (unless otherwise noted).

Pooh Friends On The Main Street Trolley

Characters: Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, and Eeyore
Where: On Main Street U.S.A. from the front of the park to the castle

Pooh Friends In Front Of Crystal Palace

rabbit, piglet and eeyore crystal palace

You can also sometimes catch the gang on the porch outside of their old hangout, The Crystal Palace restaurant.

Fantasyland Favorites At The Main Street Train Station

Characters: Max, Clarabelle Cow, Panchito, José Carioca and a crew of dancers
Where: on the balcony of the Main Street train station

Mickey & Friends In EARidescent 50th Costumes At The Main Street Train Station

characters in 50th outfits at magic kingdom train station

Characters: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Pluto, Chip ‘n’ Dale, and a crew of dancers
Where: on the balcony of the Main Street train station

Let The Magic Begin Welcome Show (Begins 5 Minutes Prior To Official Park Opening)

let the magic begin welcome show magic kingdom

Characters: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Pluto, Chip ‘n’ Dale, and a crew of dancers
Where: on the stage in front of Cinderella Castle

Country Bears

Characters: Country Bears
Where: on the balcony above The Country Bear Jamboree

Tomorrowland Favorites

Characters: Stitch and Buzz Lightyear (alternates between the 2)
Where: on the Tomorrowland stage

Captain Jack

Characters: Jack Sparrow
Where: on the Adventureland stage across from the entrance of Pirates of the Caribbean

Belle

Characters: Belle
Where: outside of Enchanted Tales With Belle in Fantasyland

Main Street Philharmonic

Characters: The Main Street Philharmonic band
Where: starts at the back of the park near Splash Mountain in Frontierland and moves towards the front, exiting next to the Main Street Fire Station (this is the standard parade route in Magic Kingdom); sometimes they’ll play on the stage in front of Cinderella Castle

Step Sisters

Characters: Anastasia and Drizella
Where: You can find them behind the castle near the Cinderella fountain

Live Entertainment

While live entertainment at the Disney Parks isn’t back in full force just yet, there are several opportunities to see characters and enjoy a show all at the time time.

You can always check the My Disney Experience app for the daily live entertainment schedule.

Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire (debuts February 25, 2022)

magical friendship faire at magic kingdom

Characters: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy, Tiana, Prince Naveen and Louis from The Princess and the Frog, Rapunzel and Flynn Rider from Tangled, Elsa, Anna and Olaf from Frozen (this is a special 50th edition with EARidescent costumes and an all-new original song called “Where the Magic Feels Like Home”)
Where: Cinderella Castle Forecourt Stage

Magic Kingdom Character Dining

Magic Kingdom is currently home to 2 of the character meals you can find on property right now – Be Our Guest and Cinderella’s Royal Table.

Unlike other meals where multiple characters are present, Be Our Guest and Cinderella’s Royal Table each only have 1: The Beast and Cinderella, respectively.

Check out our latest Cinderella’s Royal Table and Be Our Guest reviews for more details on each experience.

Seasonal Character Experiences

As we’ve said, one of our favorite things at the parks is the parades. And this was especially true of the seasonal parades offered during Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party and Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party.

While the full parties continue to be unavailable at Magic Kingdom, you have an opportunity to see pieces of the popular Boo to You Parade at Disney Boo Bash After Hours and also the return of Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas Time Parade at Disney Very Merriest After Hours!

Halloween Cavalcades 2021

The following spook-tacular cavalcades were only available during the Boo Bash After Hours event.

Jack’s Nightmare Cavalcade

jack and sally at magic kingdom's boo bash 2021

Characters: Jack Skellington, Sally, and Oogie Boogie atop a Nightmare Before Christmas themed float
Where: starts at the back of the park near Splash Mountain in Frontierland and moves towards the front, exiting next to the Main Street Fire Station (this is the standard parade route in Magic Kingdom)

Mickey’s Happy Halloween Cavalcade

Characters: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, and Pluto in costume on a tiered float (it’s from the Move it! Shake it! Mousekedance it! Parade) and a crew of dancers
Where: starts at the back of the park near Splash Mountain in Frontierland and moves towards the front, exiting next to the Main Street Fire Station (this is the standard parade route in Magic Kingdom)

Disney Villains Halloween Cavalcade

villains cavalcade magic kingdom boo bash

Characters: Jafar, Evil Queen, Dr. Facilier, Queen of Hearts, and the Bowler Hat Guy on a villains themed float
Where: starts at the back of the park near Splash Mountain in Frontierland and moves towards the front, exiting next to the Main Street Fire Station (this is the standard parade route in Magic Kingdom)

Maleficent

Characters: The fire-breathing dragon float from the Festival of Fantasy parade
Where: starts at the back of the park near Splash Mountain in Frontierland and moves towards the front, exiting next to the Main Street Fire Station (this is the standard parade route in Magic Kingdom)

Mickey’s Once Upon A Christmastime Parade

This holiday parade typically runs during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, but Disney also made it a feature of the first Very Merriest After Hours event in 2021.

This also marked the official return of parades at Disney World since the resort reopened in July 2020.

goofy float mickey's once upon a christmastime parade

Sometimes Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmastime Parade even runs during regular park hours around the last two weeks of December.

Characters: A range of characters wearing holiday attire on festive floats, including Mickey, Minnie, Olaf, Toy Soldiers, Reindeer, and more (yes, even Santa Claus!)
Where: starts at the back of the park near Splash Mountain in Frontierland and moves towards the front, exiting next to the Main Street Fire Station (this is the standard parade route in Magic Kingdom)

Santa Claus Daytime Sighting

In addition to modified meet and greets at Very Merriest, Santa Claus is also making appearances during the day at the Liberty Square Gazebo in Magic Kingdom. You can find appearance times in the My Disney Experience app.

santa claus meet and greet very merriest after hours

Epcot

Epcot Cavalcades (No Longer Running)

Over the past several months, Epcot had several unique experiences to see characters in fun cavalcades (which are basically just mini-parades with just 1 or 2 floats and a few others on foot or horseback).

All of these experiences have transitioned from cavalcades to designated character spotting locations. Read can read more about those below.