Disney Cruise Line Characters- How to Find Disney Characters on Your Cruise (2024)

Meeting Disney characters on a Disney Cruise is one of the most anticipated experiences for families. Each Disney Cruise Line experience will include multiple meet and greet options whether it is Disney classics like Mickey and Minnie Mouse to Disney Princesses with some cruises including a special character focus like Marvel characters.

Disney Cruise Line offers nonstop character meet and greets during their cruises with times that last all day. Guests can even get the chance to reserve free meet and greet options with Disney characters or opt for special paid experiences with Disney characters.

During my recent Disney Cruise, I had the chance to meet plenty of Disney characters and most of the time we just happened upon them at random! Disney character meet and greets are extremely popular on Disney Cruises and I was surprised to see the high demand for these characters as a frequent Disney Park goer. Keep reading for the full overview of all the Disney characters you can find on Disney Cruise Lines including tips on avoiding long wait times.

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Disney Cruise Line Character Tips

Disney Cruise Line character experiences are extremely popular. I am a frequent Disney Park visitor so I have met most of these characters at the park so perhaps the demand wasn't necessarily there for me but I was surprised to see the popularity of these experience!

Lines for character meet and greets were often extremely long and were often cut off quickly if the character's time was limited. Sometimes the characters were only available for 15 minutes at a time and if you weren't at the front of the line, you might miss out.

Based on my experiences navigating a sold out Marvel Day at Sea cruise, here's my tips on navigating Disney Cruise Line character experiences.

• Check theDisney Cruise Lineapp and make note of the times of character appearances. If you showed up earlier to meet characters, you may have a shot at meeting them especially if they were limited to a shorter time frame.
• Check thelocationof the Disney character greetings. If you position yourself just right, you could end up being first in line especially if the character is meeting on the Atrium balcony and all the other guests are still on the main Atrium floor.
• Go to the open housesfor the kids clubs. Sometimes the open houses for The Vibe and the Oceaneer Clubs will include character greetings. This how we ended up meeting Chip n Dale on Pirate Night with no wait.
• Book a ticketed character timewhen they become available before your trip. This is especially important if your group cares about meeting Disney Princesses. These lines are often the longest and this is a good way to meet many of them with no wait.
• Be prepared to jump in linewhen characters first appear. I happened to meet Jack Sparrow and Rapunzel with a minimal wait just because we happened upon their line when they first arrived. Don't hesitate and get in line!
• Prepare your kids iflines are long since character attendants will often cut the line short if the character doesn't have enough time to meet everyone. Prepare your kids for this reality and have a back up plan ready.
• Bring anautograph bookor other souvenir for characters to autograph. I saw so many great ideas for this on our cruise that I rarely see in the parks like kids with small backpacks or photo mates for frames. On Marvel Day at Sea, I saw many kids with Captain America shields and Thor Hammers being signed. Such a cool keepsake! These are good items to add to your Disney Cruise packing list.

Now let's get into all the possible options for characters on your Disney Cruise!

Disney Cruise Line Characters

Disney Characters you may see during your cruise include:

• Mickey Mouse
• Minnie Mouse
• Donald Duck
• Daisy Duck
• Chip ‘n Dale
• Goofy
• Pluto
• Cinderella
• Jake
• Doc McStuffins
• Sofia the First
• Queen Elsa
• Princess Anna

You will also see these characters in a variety of outfits. Some of the most popular meet and greets with Mickey and Minnie Mouse is when they're in their cruising outfits! On the Alaska Disney Cruise, you can meet Mickey and Minnie in their “Alaskan” best which is a fun opportunity.

Nearly all Disney Cruises start off the day with a sail away party that will feature characters to jump start the cruise. There are Disney characters all over the ship to see!

If your cruise includes a stop at Castaway Cay, there will also be chances to meet characters on the island!

Other character meet and greet options include the final farewell party that takes place the last night of your cruise. This party is held in the Atrium Lobby and is a last moment to get some last minute character meet and greets in before the cruise comes to an end.

Guests also have the chance to see characters during many different live performances depending on your cruise. Disney characters are integrated throughout the entire experience whether it is part of live entertainment or character greetings!

Pirate Night Characters

Nearly all Disney Cruises include a Pirate Night which is a celebration of all things pirate that ends with fireworks on the top deck. You will see some pirate themed characters out and about on pirate night including the popular Jack Sparrow from Pirates of the Caribbean!

You might also see classic Disney characters dressed up in their pirate gear roaming around the ship. We stumbled upon Chip n Dale in their Pirate Night gear during The Vibe Club (club for teens) open house.

Marvel Day at Sea Characters

Marvel Day at Sea will feature an abundance of Marvel characters available throughout your day at sea. If you pick a cruise with a Marvel Day at Sea, you can expect to see lots of Marvel characters including many families in their own themed Marvel attire!

One great idea we saw many families utilize during Marvel Day at Sea was to come prepared with a Captain American shield or other notable Marvel item and have all the characters sign it. You will also see classic characters dressed in Marvel themed outfits. These will be extremely popular meet and greets!

Marvel Day at Sea meet and greet characters can include:

• Spider-Man
• Thor
• Loki
• Black Panther
• Shuri fromBlack Panther
• Captain Marvel
• Captain America (Sam Wilson)
• Captain America (Steve Rogers)
• Okoye fromBlack Panther
• Star-Lord and Gamora fromGuardians of the Galaxy
• Black Widow
• Hawkeye
• Kate Bishop fromHawkeye
• Shang-Chi
• Mighty Thor
• Ant-Man and the Wasp

These character meet and greets varied from designated line up spots to characters that just roamed the ship.

How to Meet Disney Cruise Characters

All the Disney Character meet and greet times will be listed on the Disney Cruise Line app. You will typically have four main locations to meet Disney Cruise Line characters and this is true for ALL the Disney ships:

• Lobby Atrium
• Gangway
• Disney's Oceaneer Lab
• Disney's Oceaneer Club

On the Disney Dream and Disney Fantasy, additional character greetings are available in Donald's Pool Area.

On the Disney Magic and Disney Wonder, additional character greeting are available onDeck 4, Midship, Deck 4, Balcony, and Goofy’s Pool Stage.

There are also the option of ticketed meet and greets at NO additional cost that can be reserved prior to your cruise and on day one once you board the ship. There are also paid opportunities to meet characters on select ships.

Disney Cruise Line Ticketed Character Meetings

Disney Cruise Line also features a variety of ticketed character meet and greets. These ticketed events require all guests to have a valid ticket reservation to attend and this is a great way to meet a variety of characters with a minimal wait time!

To reserve tickets before your cruise begins, visitMy Cruise Activitieswithin your advance booking window. When reserving tickets, if a specific time is unavailable, try selecting another time and/or day. In addition to booking online, a limited number of tickets may be available on the first day of your cruise. Please check with Guest Services once on board the ship to determine if there is availability.

Children under 8 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to attend.

These ticketed reservations are FREE and are limited in availability. These go quickly so be sure to sign on when you can book to try and reserve a spot! This is the best and easiest way to meet a variety of characters at once with minimal wait.