Characters on board Disney Cruise

[cmason]

Thinking of booking a family cruise on Disney. But, my 7 yr old is terrified of costume characters. If one approaches her or comes near, she physically freezes and panics. She doesn't know why, and logically understands that it is just someone in costume, but nevertheless, she is terrified. She has been to Disneyworld 3 times, and as long as the characters keep their distance, she is fine. Obviously, she is not interested in hugging Pooh or getting his autograph. She is fine with the "human" characters like Cinderella, btw.

Now the question: are characters roaming the ship or are they a rare sight? Are they like Disneyworld where there are specific times and places, or do they just show up to kids events and common spaces? The commercials tend to make me think they are everywhere, but I imagine that is no practical.

[TheWog]

They are mostly at the appointed time and place. However, they will show up on deck near the pool sometimes and take pictures with passengers. You may run into them walking the halls on the way to a location. They are of course at the character breakfast which you could certainly skip. I didn't see them in the halls near the rooms, only in the main areas of the ship, especially the Atrium area. But they were not always present or around.

[bld16]

My 3 year old granddaughter just got off Disney ship yesterday. Mom said it took her 3 days to allow the characters around her, finally on the last day she got over her fear and now runs up to them.

[vossjemi]

I've also read on Disboards that there is a # to call every day about special appearances that aren't listed elsewhere, so be sure to get that # from the Navigators once onboard.

[FebCruiser]

I think that the fear is quite common. I would hope that the characters would not push themselves on anyone. I'm 32 and have that exact same problem. The full costumes scare me, but as long as I can see their face I'm ok with them. Weird I know.

[itdjbw]

The characters are at photo ops at special times as listed in the patter. They will not be crowding around scaring the kids. They have the character breakfast and they come to the table to take pictures but sure you caould request them not too.

[Crwfshlady]

The characters are present at scheduled times, but they are also on deck during the "Sail-Away" party and all the character deck shows. They have a tendency to wander off stage and mingle with the audience...something to be aware of. Pick a deck table that is along the outside of the ship-they generally stay along the interior of the deck. We (neighbors for a 20th anniversary celebration) are sailing in 1 month...can't wait! The Disney Cruise is THE BEST!!!

[afff]

The characters are present at scheduled times, but they are also on deck during the "Sail-Away" party and all the character deck shows. They have a tendency to wander off stage and mingle with the audience...something to be aware of. Pick a deck table that is along the outside of the ship-they generally stay along the interior of the deck. We (neighbors for a 20th anniversary celebration) are sailing in 1 month...can't wait! The Disney Cruise is THE BEST!!!
Crwfshlady.......are you on the 10 day Christmas cruise?

[slgray]

They are not out of sight. They are everywhere, definately not like the theme parks. They are usually lined up when you go to dinner, they roam the ship, etc. Definately a plus if your child likes this, if not you'll have a hard time. They even visit the kids area which I'd assume you'd use. Maybe you should wait awhile until they grow out of it---it is a great cruise!

[cruislovin]

Thinking of booking a family cruise on Disney. But, my 7 yr old is terrified of costume characters. If one approaches her or comes near, she physically freezes and panics. She doesn't know why, and logically understands that it is just someone in costume, but nevertheless, she is terrified. She has been to Disneyworld 3 times, and as long as the characters keep their distance, she is fine. Obviously, she is not interested in hugging Pooh or getting his autograph. She is fine with the "human" characters like Cinderella, btw.

Now the question: are characters roaming the ship or are they a rare sight? Are they like Disneyworld where there are specific times and places, or do they just show up to kids events and common spaces? The commercials tend to make me think they are everywhere, but I imagine that is no practical.In my opinion, the characters were not "everywhere" on our 3-night Wonder sailing. In fact, I had hoped they would be more visible. Or maybe I was just not in the right places at the right time to see them... But for the most part you had to look for them. There were scheduled photo times with them on the ship and at Castaway Cay at specific locations, so you could simply avoid those. The only time I saw them in a dining room was in Parrot Cay at the lunch after boarding. Mickie and Minnie were also in the cruise terminal for pictures prior to boarding. The character breakfast is only held on the 7 night Magic sailings. They are also very involved in the shows, just like at the parks.