Character Meetings and Autographs

[teachmedis]

My youngest is super into meeting Characters of all kinds, my oldest is less shy than he once was so I think Characters are going to be a big part of this trip (and I'm super excited about that). Another thing to note is both of my children have speech delays, while they've received therapy and now speak beautifully, vocally interacting with strangers is a nervous experience for them and something I encourage them to practice regularly. I thought asking characters for autographs would be a fun way to practice. Here are some questions I have:

1. If I buy each child the cheaper autograph book, will sharpies bleed through the page?

2. How rude is it to have each child ask one character for an autograph? We have multiple character meals scheduled and meet and greets planned and the Disney Visa, so some characters we won't have to ask for two because we'll see them at least twice (Mickey, Tigger, and Pooh to name a few). On the one hand I hate to make people wait, on the other I feel that they each have their own ticket/meal and that should afford them their own autograph...but if it's a big etiquette no-no I'll obstain and have the kids take turns with separate characters.

3. Does talking Mickey sign autographs?

4. Should I purchase Kenny the Pirates app for character locating? Is this above and beyond the Disney app?

I think that's all for now. I'm over the moon about meeting and interacting with characters this trip (last trip my kids were younger and made uncomfortable by characters). So I'm open to anything you want to tell me.

ETA: Wow that's long! Sorry!

 

[My3SweetSuns]

Unless you’re looking for a specific character that you won’t be meeting at one of your meals or scheduled meet and greets, I wouldn’t bother paying for the character locator.
Not sure about the sharpie or talking Mickey.
If each of your kids has a book, have each of them get signatures...it’s not rude at all.

 

[teachmedis]

Unless you’re looking for a specific character that you won’t be meeting at one of your meals or scheduled meet and greets, I wouldn’t bother paying for the character locator.
Not sure about the sharpie or talking Mickey.
If each of your kids has a book, have each of them get signatures...it’s not rude at all.

Thank you! I feel better about the autographs.

 

[mom2rtk]

1) Sharpies can bleed through any page, especially the wider tipped ones.

2) You'll get varying opinions on this. But I think that if they each want an autograph, they should each get an autograph. Just coach them on how to be efficient, including having the book open to the right page and a pen ready when it's their turn. It really doesn't add that much time if they're ready.

3) Not sure. I think he does. When is your trip? As an FYI, talking Mickey is being replaced by non-talking Mickey, I think in May.

4) If you're hunting for characters out in the parks, I love KTP's information. It helps a lot to have a decent idea of when and where certain characters are popping up.

 

[teachmedis]

1) Sharpies can bleed through any page, especially the wider tipped ones.

2) You'll get varying opinions on this. But I think that if they each want an autograph, they should each get an autograph. Just coach them on how to be efficient, including having the book open to the right page and a pen ready when it's their turn. It really doesn't add that much time if they're ready.

3) Not sure. I think he does. When is your trip? As an FYI, talking Mickey is being replaced by non-talking Mickey, I think in May.

4) If you're hunting for characters out in the parks, I love KTP's information. It helps a lot to have a decent idea of when and where certain characters are popping up.

Thank you! We're going Easter week so talking Mickey should still be there, I grabbed a Fastpass for him so we can see him once before he's gone.

I will coach my kids on readiness. Not sure what to do about the sharpie, maybe a different pen.

 

[DIS_AWC]

On our first trip, my younger daughter was very scared of all the characters, but they were all so sweet and understanding. They included her by waving or blowing a kiss. My older daughter brought both autograph books and every character signed each of them. We had really wonderful interactions with each one and it didn't take much longer at all for them to sign the second autograph book. They are such pros at the autographs! They can even do it while they are still talking and interacting.

We wanted the autograph books to be more of a keepsake so I bought these art books for them. The paper pages are thick and nice quality. We brought the sharpies that you click to use so we didn't need to worry about caps getting lost. My girls decorated their books with stickers, but you could always glue on a picture or some fabric to make them more interesting than plain black.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008VT2J38/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Have a wonderful trip!

 

[mom2rtk]

Thank you! We're going Easter week so talking Mickey should still be there, I grabbed a Fastpass for him so we can see him once before he's gone.

I will coach my kids on readiness. Not sure what to do about the sharpie, maybe a different pen.

There really isn't a perfect pen. I still prefer the medium tipped Sharpie type markers (I think we had the Bic ones) in spite of the bleeding.

 

[Katie Dawn]

I think if character meets will be a focus of your trip it's definitely worth the very small cost for Kenny the Pirate. When we went in 2015 I got the KtP subscription and found out about characters that I don't think I would have thought to research on my own. He'll tell you the exact location where they appear, the times, best times to go for lowest wait, and will give you suggestions of fun questions you can ask each character (if your kids are feeling brave) that often cause great response/reactions. 100% worth it!

 

[teachmedis]

I think if character meets will be a focus of your trip it's definitely worth the very small cost for Kenny the Pirate. When we went in 2015 I got the KtP subscription and found out about characters that I don't think I would have thought to research on my own. He'll tell you the exact location where they appear, the times, best times to go for lowest wait, and will give you suggestions of fun questions you can ask each character (if your kids are feeling brave) that often cause great response/reactions. 100% worth it!

Thank you, one character that seems to be problematic for me (and this is just for me as he's my favorite villan) is Gaston. So it might be worth it just for him.

 

[teachmedis]

There really isn't a perfect pen. I still prefer the medium tipped Sharpie type markers (I think we had the Bic ones) in spite of the bleeding.

I'm hyper concerned about this because in 2015 we went and I bought the expensive autograph book that came with a pen, the pages were a dark blueish purple...not great for a blue or black pen. It would have been beautiful with a metallic sharpie. Needless to say we never even put pictures in it because you can barely read the autographs.

 

[lovethattink]

1. If I buy each child the cheaper autograph book, will sharpies bleed through the page?

They'll bleed through that page, most likely. So that would half your pages available.

2. How rude is it to have each child ask one character for an autograph? We have multiple character meals scheduled and meet and greets planned and the Disney Visa, so some characters we won't have to ask for two because we'll see them at least twice (Mickey, Tigger, and Pooh to name a few). On the one hand I hate to make people wait, on the other I feel that they each have their own ticket/meal and that should afford them their own autograph...but if it's a big etiquette no-no I'll obstain and have the kids take turns with separate characters.

I often see families with individual autograph books for each kid. My friend with 8 kids does not do autographs.

3. Does talking Mickey sign autographs?

Yes.

4. Should I purchase Kenny the Pirates app for character locating? Is this above and beyond the Disney app?

I have Character Locator and use it all the time. It does go above and beyond MDE. If characters are your number one priority, it's worth it.

 

[teachmedis]

On our first trip, my younger daughter was very scared of all the characters, but they were all so sweet and understanding. They included her by waving or blowing a kiss. My older daughter brought both autograph books and every character signed each of them. We had really wonderful interactions with each one and it didn't take much longer at all for them to sign the second autograph book. They are such pros at the autographs! They can even do it while they are still talking and interacting.

We wanted the autograph books to be more of a keepsake so I bought these art books for them. The paper pages are thick and nice quality. We brought the sharpies that you click to use so we didn't need to worry about caps getting lost. My girls decorated their books with stickers, but you could always glue on a picture or some fabric to make them more interesting than plain black.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008VT2J38/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Have a wonderful trip!

Thank you! I feel much better about get the two autographs. I agree the characters are good with those are are shy. Those books look nice!

 

[teachmedis]

1. If I buy each child the cheaper autograph book, will sharpies bleed through the page?

They'll bleed through that page, most likely. So that would half your pages available.

2. How rude is it to have each child ask one character for an autograph? We have multiple character meals scheduled and meet and greets planned and the Disney Visa, so some characters we won't have to ask for two because we'll see them at least twice (Mickey, Tigger, and Pooh to name a few). On the one hand I hate to make people wait, on the other I feel that they each have their own ticket/meal and that should afford them their own autograph...but if it's a big etiquette no-no I'll obstain and have the kids take turns with separate characters.

I often see families with individual autograph books for each kid. My friend with 8 kids does not do autographs.

3. Does talking Mickey sign autographs?

Yes.

4. Should I purchase Kenny the Pirates app for character locating? Is this above and beyond the Disney app?

I have Character Locator and use it all the time. It does go above and beyond MDE. If characters are your number one priority, it's worth it.

Thank you, I've got to figure out something for these autograph books and sharpies, I'm very attached to the picture on the front cover and it's making me a touch irrational.

Also, just one more reason I'm glad I don't have 8 kids .

 

[unrequited23]

We used a clickable sharpie on blank spiral bound books with foam cover that I bought from Dollar Tree and personalized for my kids. The sharpie bled through the page that was autographed, but not on to the page behind it, if that makes sense. It's easier to have a marker for each kid and to keep them in a Ziploc in case of rain.

 

[teachmedis]

So a little research and reading another post from the dis in 2016...It looks like metallic sharpies won't bleed through as badly and I'll paperclip a piece of cardstock behind the page next to be signed. Then I figure I can use my former scrapbooking skills to help the kids decorate the opposite page of the autograph. Feeling good!

 

[teachmedis]

We used a clickable sharpie on blank spiral bound books with foam cover that I bought from Dollar Tree and personalized for my kids. The sharpie bled through the page that was autographed, but not on to the page behind it, if that makes sense. It's easier to have a marker for each kid and to keep them in a Ziploc in case of rain.

Good ideas! Thanks!

 

[StarShine3]

We brought 4 by 6 notecards and had characters sign the blank white side. I can now dress them up by mounting them on colored paper and then mount them in a small scrapbook opposite some of the pictures we took of/with the character. That way I didn’t need to lug around a big book just some cards and sharpies in a ziplock and I didn’t have to worry about bleeding through.

 

[teachmedis]

We brought 4 by 6 notecards and had characters sign the blank white side. I can now dress them up by mounting themi on colored paper and then mount them in a small scrapbook opposite some of the pictures we took of/with the character. That way I didn’t need to lug around a big book just some cards and sharpies in a ziplock and I didn’t have to worry about bleeding through.

Nice!

 

[jwolfpack]

We've had trips where each kid had their own book - not a big deal at all!

I personally like the longer-than-typical & fatter-than-typical ballpoint pens that they sell at Disney wherever they sell the autograph books. They're click top, so you're not trying to keep up with a lid.

Just make sure you have each child's book open to whatever page you want them to sign when you hand it to the character or their helper.

I'm sure they'll be great with your kids! I have one who is full of personality and has never met a stranger and 2 others who are incredibly shy and don't like talking to people. The characters always know just how to handle each personality.

 

[My3SweetSuns]

OP, another cute idea i saw this trip - kids having photo mats signed!
You can then frame it around your child’s favorite picture of them with a character.