Walt Disney World officially reopened yesterday and we spent the past two days in the parks. Both Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom opened to the public yesterday following some cast and annual passholder previews. Our favorite part of both parks just might be the brand new character experiences! Since we can’t have traditional character meet and greets right now Disney has made some fun ways to still see your favorite friends.
Magic Kingdom Characters
Friday we attended Magic Kingdom’s passholder previews. We couldn’t believe all the characters we got to see. At random times during the day they have a character float come down the parade route! There are no times set for these so people won’t gather and wait but I found it more enjoyable. It was really exciting each time the music came on to see which characters were on the floats. The fact it happened all day and not just for one parade was amazing too.
As soon as we walked in we were greeted by princesses and Fairy Godmother. These characters also change throughout the day and show up at random times. It was such a fun way to be greeted entering the park.
There were also surprise characters around. Like Chip and Dale down in Frontierland on a raft and some Winnie the Pooh friends by the Crystal Palace.
Several times during the day different floats come out with characters. Gaston and Merida join them at times on horseback.
Also be on the lookout for Stitch and Buzz Lightyear at the Tomorrowland Stage and Captain Jack Sparrow across from Pirates of the Caribbean ride.
The Evil Step-Sisters from Cinderella were up at the castle. They were hilarious as usual and I recommend paying them a visit.
No visit to the Magic Kingdom is complete without seeing Mickey! He makes several trips down Main Street. It was so great to see him again.
Animal Kingdom
Magic Kingdom wasn’t the only park with fun new character experiences. Animal Kingdom also reopened and we went yesterday on the official opening day to check out what characters they had. We absolutely love the character cavalcades at Animal Kingdom. They are so fun and we really hope they stay. They characters at Animal Kingdom ride by in boats in the water that connects Africa and Asia. Listen for the music to tell when the boats are coming.
Chip, Dale, and Goofy may have been my favorite. Chip and Dale in their dinosaur costumes are adorable!
Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto also drove by. Pro tip: the best spot to watch the boats drive by and relax is at the relaxation station across from the UP! Great Bird Adventure show. You can go take your masks off at that location and have an excellent view of the water.
The Discovery Island Drummers also had a boat and it was fun to listen to them rock out. They were amazing and so upbeat.
It was really fun to see the boats ride by randomly with the characters we missed so much on them. I really hope these experiences stick around even when the rest of the parks return to normal. They are really fun and happen throughout the day. Overall it was amazing being back in the parks. Disney has done such an amazing job. Thank you to all the Cast Members working so hard so we can experience Disney magic again.
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