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Character meals sure look different these days. However, we are slowly inching back to normal – you can now get closer to the characters!
Character Meals
Character dining experiences were plentiful pre-pandemic. It seemed like at least half of the restaurants in the theme parks offered some type of character meet and greet while Guests dined.
Character meals were a great way to meet a handful of our favorite friends while eating. It eliminated time waiting around in line and offered a distraction to children while they waited for food.
Now, with reduced capacity in restaurants and physical distancing, the list of restaurants that offer character interactions has drastically declined. Not only that, but characters have been meeting from a distance and Guests are required to stay in their seat.
Getting Closer
Back in July when there was no indoor mask requirement, some of our writers were able to get out of their seats and move close “but not too close” to take a selfie with the characters at Tusker House.
At the time, we were not aware of any other restaurants doing the same. We were also not sure if this stopped when Disney reinstated mask requirements in August.
However, we have recently learned that Topolino’s Terrace is now allowing Guests to stand up and take a socially-distanced photo with the characters. It does not appear that people are able to move closer, but they must stay at their table still.
This is a small improvement from needing to remain seated to now being allowed to stand up. We still have a while to go before we are hugging characters again, but this is a good sign we are moving in the right direction. This is handy information to keep in mind when you are thinking about dining reservations!
Speaking of reservations, this meal can be hard to get a reservation for! Use these tips to help you!
Elsewhere in the parks, you can get fairly close to other characters like Captain Jack Sparrow, Jasmine, and Stitch.
What do you think of this character meal improvement? Are you hoping to book a meal at Topolino’s Terrace? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook.
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