Too old for character meets?

Blayne159

Earning My Ears
Joined
Jul 29, 2019
My last trip to WDW I was a 14yr old who was "too cool" for the character meets, but now I wish I would've got some pictures! So would it be weird for a 25yr old guy to meet, take pictures, and/or get character autographs? I'm taking my first solo trip 10/31-11/3 since Halloween is my favorite holiday so I really want to atleast get a picture with Jack and Sally!
 
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Never too old! I got my fill of character meets in my 20s and don't usually spend time on it anymore, but I did meets with a lot of characters as a solo adult and none of the cast members or characters batted an eye. I find it helps to go in prepared with some kind of conversation piece (even if it's a mute character)--something you'd like to have signed, some topic you can bring up with the character to elicit a positive reaction, that kind of thing. That'll get you a better interaction; sometimes they'll hurry you through a bit if they don't think you're really engaging with them.

I'm not sure Jack and Sally meet and greet at WDW outside of the Halloween party, though. 10/31 could be a hard ticket to snag, but if you're able to go to the party it's a great time to meet special characters who don't go out often, as well as various characters dressed up in their own Halloween costumes.
 
Not weird at all! I had a similar experience, first trip..I think I was 13 and trying so hard to be cool...ugh...why...My first real trip to Disney I was in my 30s. 15 years later...I am still taking pics with characters! Personally I love to dress up for the Halloween parties (esp as a solo). If you are comfortable with attention, the cast and fellow guests will give you lots of attention. I have a halloween pic with Jack and Sally as a solo (I am Ursula) and a pic with Jack as Sandy Claws from a Christmas party. Go for it!
 


Too old? Never!!!! I'm 34 and a solo traveler and I do a lot of meet and greets especially with the fure characters and I have so many great experiences. I danced with the Beast, had a big group cuddling with Pooh and his friends at the Christmas Party, I cried for joy as a CM took a picture of me with my beloved Meeko at the dance-party in AK, King Louie once grabbed my Fozzie Bear-backpack to dance with him and Chip and Dale are always so much fun.
So yes, go for it. You will not regret it.
 
The characters do NOT make you feel awkward in any way. It’s a no brainer for anything with a full body costume.

I did feel out of place as a 40 year old man using a fast pass to see Tinkerbell by myself... but feeling that is all on me. The cast member made no judgements and made me feel welcome. I am sure I wasn’t the first, won’t be the last, and certainly wasn’t creepy about it.

I’ll admit I expect to feel just as out of place doing the same thing with the princesses later this month. However, it’s worth it for the photo op.
 


My last trip to WDW I was a 14yr old who was "too cool" for the character meets, but now I wish I would've got some pictures! So would it be weird for a 25yr old guy to meet, take pictures, and/or get character autographs? I'm taking my first solo trip 10/31-11/3 since Halloween is my favorite holiday so I really want to atleast get a picture with Jack and Sally!

I'm 39 on my upcoming trip so no. I will be doing that and making an effort with princesses and furry characters. Be mindful of the line though, and respect everyone's time. You don't have to rush, but also don't monopolize the character's time either. Also, I would point out for talking female characters, they are only allowed to take your arm...never touch them first. There were problems in the past with some adult men being inappropriate, so they had to change the rules some. As long as you use common sense and are courteous you will be fine.
 
Awesome! Thanks everyone! I’m more excited after reading all of yalls posts! Luckily I was able to get tickets to MNSSHP for 10/31 and 11/1 so anything I miss the first day I can make up on the second!
 
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My last trip to WDW I was a 14yr old who was "too cool" for the character meets, but now I wish I would've got some pictures! So would it be weird for a 25yr old guy to meet, take pictures, and/or get character autographs? I'm taking my first solo trip 10/31-11/3 since Halloween is my favorite holiday so I really want to atleast get a picture with Jack and Sally!
You're only too old for character meets postmortem. Before that, you're fine, even if you're 127 years old.
 
I find that having a signature book or something else for the characters to sign makes it much easier to start off the interaction. The characters will always make you feel welcome, but I always feel a little awkward and end up rushing more than I meant to if I'm just going up for a picture with nothing else to do.

If you have an autograph book, it at least builds in a little extra time automatically to strike up a bit more conversation. And if you go with something different for them to sign - a picture frame or a baseball cap or anything else, it can provide a great talking point that, for me at least, makes the awkwardness disappear. For a while, I was collecting autographs on fabric squares that I hope to make into a quilt eventually - that definitely sparked some fun conversations!

Another thing I've had fun with is dressing in similar colors to the characters (Disneybounding), which also leads to some great talking points - and not just with the ones I've matched. I bounded as Merida to Disneyland and had Thor suggest that I could take Hawkeye's place in the Avengers, stuff like that.

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Awesome! Thanks everyone! I’m more excited after reading all of yalls posts! Luckily I was able to get tickets to MNSSHP for 10/31 and 11/1 so anything I miss the first day I can make up on the second!
Nice! Doing the party twice is a solid strategy, because you really can't do it all in one night. I'd suggest checking the MNSSHP thread on...not sure if it's usually in Theme Parks or Disney World Tips, but there should be a big thread about it already up and folks there can give you pointers on strategies for getting in your character meets. My understanding is that some of the lines form even before the party officially starts for rare and popular characters like Jack and Sally, so it'll be good to go in with a plan. I've personally focused mainly on shows and the parade when I've done MNSSHP, and just seeing all the shows and the parade can eat up most of your night (at a minimum I would suggest setting aside time for the parade; it's excellent).
 
We didn't go for our 20th anniversary intending to do meet and greets or get autographs, but after literally stumbling on a few princesses doing an impromptu group of meets, we were hooked. Came home with about a third of a blank journal book's worth full. I even had a minor meltdown when I discovered I wasn't able to have a meet and greet with Figment, the one character I actually had planned on meeting.

The cast members agreed it wasn't right not to meet Figment and then Pixie dusted the heck out of my morning that day. We were given permission to be escorted backstage where Figment signed the concrete, escorted onto the front of the ride and got that set of cars all to ourselves, gifted with a pretty large stuffed Figment, and thenFastpassed through to meet Mickey and his gang.

Best day ever!

Now I look forward to the greets and always keep at least a few planned for on every trip. Olaf gives the best hugs, and Balloo was hilarious. Don't hesitate to get in line with characters you don't know as well or think aren't as cool. They can be some of the best encounters.
 
My daughter (15) still loves meeting characters.. Just last month, we set aside a day where we mostly just met characters while the boys were riding the rides. She met Arial who was great and gave her a message to give to Gaston, who was hilarious and gave her a message to give to Belle. I think some of the characters have created this inner circle game they play with the older kids who visit with them.
 
NEVER too old to be a kid at heart. My 2016 trip was solo after DH passed. Instead of doing the same ride commando trips of the past, I did character meals, meet and greets, and magic shots at the age of 56. I also did a behind the scenes tour each day. It was a lot of fun.
 
I love meeting characters! They've always been sweet and many have been awesome. And OP, meeting Jack & Sally is on my Disney Bucket List! Go for it and have fun!
 

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