The Disney Character Experience That Most Guests Don’t Know About

A visit to the Walt Disney World Resort will involve interacting with Disney characters for all Guests. Disney characters appear in so many different places that it’s hard to avoid them! 

Let’s start with those Guests who plan their days around character meet and greets; they have their autograph book ready and may even be bounding as a certain character who they are planning to meet. Then there are the Guests that prefer to see the Disney characters in the parades and get their spot in plenty of time so they can interact with their favorite characters from the parade floats.

For the foodies out there, nothing will top character dining experiences, where they can combine their love of delicious food with the opportunity to dine with Disney friends at favorite dining locations such as Tusker House Restaurant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom or Chef Mickey’s at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Finally, there are those Guests who prefer to see Disney characters from a distance, such as the Disney princesses and Mickey and friends who wave to Guests from the Main Street, U.S.A. Train Station, or Winnie the Pooh with his bug net on the lawn in EPCOT. 

But there’s one other Disney character experience that you may not know about…

The Character Caravan

The Disney ‘Caravanning Round The World’ RV drops famous Disney friends at the Disney Resort hotels on select days each week. Known as the Disney Character Caravan, it allows characters to interact with Guests at their Disney hotel, before going about their day. It’s perfect for all Guests, but especially those who may not be visiting the Disney Parks that day, or may be getting ready to leave for the airport or for a Disney Cruise.

When can you see it?

The schedule in place means that the Character Caravan will visit each Disney Resort three times per week. The current schedule is as follows:

Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday:

• Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort – 8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. in Cinema Hall
• Disney’s All-Star Music Resort – 7:50 a.m – 8:20 a.m. and 8:50 a.m. – 9:20 a.m. in Melody Hall
• Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort – 7:40 a.m. – 8:10 a.m. and 8:40 a.m. – 9:10 a.m. in Stadium Hall
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge – 8:10 a.m. – 8:40 a.m. and 9:10 a.m. – 9:40 a.m. in the Jambo House Lobby
• Disney’s Contemporary Resort – 7:40 a.m. – 8:10 a.m. and 8:40 a.m. – 9:10 a.m. in the main lobby, located on the ground floor
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa – 8:10 a.m. – 8:40 a.m. and 9:10 a.m. – 9:40 a.m. in the main lobby of the Resort
• Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort – 8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. on the first floor of the Grand Ceremonial House
• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge – 7:50 a.m. – 8:20 a.m. and 8:50 a.m. – 9:20 a.m. in the main lobby

Monday, Wednesday and Friday:

• Disney’s Beach Club Resort – 7:50 a.m. – 8:20 a.m. and 8:50 a.m. – 9:20 a.m. in the hotel lobby
• Disney’s BoardWalk Resort – 8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. in the main lobby
• Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort – 8:10 a.m. – 8:40 a.m. and 9:10 a.m. – 9:40 a.m. outside Centertown Market at Old Port Royale.
• Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort – 8:10 a.m. – 8:40 a.m. and 9:10 a.m. – 9:40 a.m. near the bus stop at Gran Destino Tower
• Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground – 7:45 a.m. – 8:15 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. – 9:15 a.m. in front of Trails End near the Settlement Trading Post
• Disney’s Old Key West Resort – 8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. outside of the lobby near Olivia’s Cafe
• Disney’s Port Orleans Resorts – 7:55 a.m. – 8:25 a.m. and 8:55 a.m. – 9:25 a.m. in the French Quarter lobby 
• Disney’s Yacht Club Resort – 7:40 a.m. – 8:10 a.m. and 8:40 a.m. – 9:10 a.m. in the hotel lobby

For Guests staying at the Walt Disney World Swan Resort, the Character Caravan stops by on Fridays and Sundays from 7:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. The same times apply on Saturdays and Mondays for Guests of the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort.

Be sure to check by your hotel lobby for up-to-date information on when you can expect the Character Caravan to be at your Disney Resort hotel. The Character Caravan has been spotted around the Walt Disney World Resort only recently, so it’s definitely worth enquiring about at your Resort’s Front Desk.

Which Characters can you see?

The Disney characters that travel with the Character Caravan vary. It is worth planning to be in your Resort during the times that the characters will be arriving to maximize your chances of seeing different characters. Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto, Goofy, and Chip ’N’ Dale are popular characters to see with the Character Caravan.

But rare characters have also been sighted, including:

• Honest John, Gideon, Gepetto, Jimmy Cricket, and Pinocchio from Pinocchio (1940)

• Captain Hook and Mr. Smee from Peter Pan (1953)

• The Queen of Hearts, the Tweedles, and the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland (1951). The Queen of Hearts and the Tweedles are typically only otherwise seen at Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party in Magic Kingdom.
• Baloo from The Jungle Book (1967). He’s another popular character to see in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, otherwise.
• Timon and Rafiki from The Lion King (1994). If you don’t see them at your Disney Resort, look out for them on the Discovery River at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.

• Genie from Aladdin (1992). Whilst he used to meet in Morocco in EPCOT’s World Showcase, Genie is generally only seen at the Halloween and Christmas parties in Magic Kingdom Park nowadays.

Make sure to plan in time for your next Disney vacation to see characters at your Resort hotel! It’s a great opportunity to get photos and autographs and make magical memories without a long line! Look out for the Character Caravan around the Walt Disney World Resort too – it’s a fun spot to see when traveling to and from the Disney Parks!