Disney theme park visitors will soon be able to hug characters again.


What You Need To Know

  • Traditional character meet-and-greets are returning to Disney World and Disneyland in April

  • The up-close character interactions will be brought back in phases

  • Character greetings have been physically distanced since the parks reopened

​Traditional character meet-and-greets will return to Disney World and Disneyland starting April 18, the company announced Thursday.

The announcement was teased late Wednesday on the Disney Parks social media accounts.

Character greetings will return in phases throughout the spring and early summer, Disney said in a blog post, so not all characters will available for up-close interactions initially.

Disney suspended traditional character meet and greets its parks reopened from their pandemic-related shutdowns. Since then, visitors could pose for selfies or wave at characters from a distance. But hugs and autographs were off limits.

Traditional character meet-and-greets will also return to Disney Cruise Line and the company’s Aulani Resort in Hawaii next month.

In recent months, Disney has been bringing back park offerings that were suspended or modified because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At Disney World, the Festival of Fantasy parade returned to Magic Kingdom this month, while the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular resumed performances at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in December.

At Disneyland, nighttime spectaculars such as “World of Color,” “Fantastic!” and the “Main Street Electrical Parade” will be returning soon.

-

Facebook Twitter