Private Character Meet and Greet for Disney Visa Cardholders

There are many reasons why I love my Disney Premier Visa Card. I receive 0% financing for 6 months on every Disney vacation package or Disney Cruise Line vacation I book, I earn Disney Reward Dollars (like a Disney gift card), receive discounts at many dining and shopping locations, and the list goes on. I have to say that one of my favorite perks for being a card holder, is the private character meet and greet located at Epcot!

Every day, from 1pm - 7pm, in Innoventions West, a card holder can stop  by for their private meet and greet, and also receive a free 5X7 photo of your choice! Did you catch that I said EVERY DAY…..that’s right, if you visit Epcot 4 times in one trip, you can get 4 different free photos! This works great when you have a park hopper ticket. Here are the details:

First, you enter Innoventions West,

and just across from Where’s the Fire?,  you will find where to show your card and get in line.

My recommendation is to not go when it first opens, at 1:00, the line tends to be much longer at this time. As you see, I showed up a little later that afternoon, and did not have a wait at all!

Be prepared to show your credit or debit card, this is what gets you into the meet and greet.

The cast member will fill out a slip for you, and be sure to hang on to that slip.

This meet and greet is always the best. You do not have other families in a line watching you, and making you feel rushed. They only let one family in this room at the time. There will always be more than one character, but they will rotate the characters daily. The kids feel so special with the amount of time that is taken with them. I always hand my camera to one of the cast members, and let them take pictures with it, as well as the Disney photographer which is taking photos for us to choose from for our free 5X7. Here are just a few of the many photos that were taken with my camera. 

My youngest, at the time, 18 months, meeting the characters

My oldest getting sweet hugs from Minnie

Goofy, just being goofy...trying to eat the autograph book

...and then he pretended to eat the spaghetti in the photo on the wall

Minnie pretending she was going to leave with us

After we are all finished playing, hugging, and waving bye for several minutes, we head over to pick out our free photo. This is located in the Epcot Camera Center, just under Spaceship Earth at the front of the park. 

Remember that slip I wanted you to hang onto? You now give it to the cast member in the Camera Center. When they put your code in, you will have a computer screen all to yourself to choose which photo you want, and can also add special effects to it! 

Once you choose the one you want, they print it up right there and give it to you! 

If you have a Disney Visa card, but have never taken advantage of the private meet and greet, it is a must do! If you do not have a card, here is a link to all the perks of having one! 

Face Painting at Disney

Did you know that Disney offers face painting? What a great alternative (and cheaper) to the other makeovers in the parks that require reservations! There are several locations throughout Disney, but of course could change at any time. Currently, the locations are:

Animal Kingdom: 2 kiosks, 1 in Dinoland USA and the other just beside Tusker House Restaurant 

Epcot: kiosk located in the World Showcase between China and Germany

Hollywood Studios: kiosk located just between Animation Courtyard and Pixar Place

The Boardwalk: close to the ESPN Club

Downtown Disney: in the Marketplace close to Guest Relations

Magic Kingdom used to have a kiosk in Toon Town, but with the expansion of Fantasyland, they currently do not have one. Pirates League has options for face painting, but a little pricier.

There is a board of several photos to choose from. You can ask to have it a little more customized and change the colors as well. Each location has a few different options, but most of them stay the same no matter the location.

My daughter chose to have her face painted in Epcot. Here is what the kiosk there looks like. 

Once you choose the design you like, you pay and then are given a receipt. Keep up with this, as you can have free touch ups throughout the day with the receipt. 

Her painting only took about 10 minutes, and she LOVED it! The paint stayed on all day, even though it was hot outside. It was very easy to wash off with soap and water that night, even though she almost cried when I told her she could not sleep in it. 

 So if you are a planner, here are some photos I took of the boards with the different options. The best part is the prices are on the photos! This board is at the Epcot kiosk:

Below are the options at Hollywood Studios. You can see there are a few differences, remember each location will have a few different options.

If you would like more information on planning your Disney vacation, or would like help booking your next trip, contact us at 1-800-758-4173 or email us.

Journey Into Imagination with Figment

Imagination….Imagination…..A dream can be a dream come true, with just a spark, from me and you! This is the song my daughter sings all the time from this attraction located in Epcot. It is always the first thing we do when we arrive.

When I was a little girl, this was one of my favorites as well, but I have to say, it has changed a lot since then.  The attraction originally opened in March of 1983 and was known as Journey into Imagination. On this ride you were greeted by Dreamfinder, a man with a red beard and dressed in a suit and top hat. He creates “figment of his imagination” which is a purple dragon with a silly personality, named Figment. In October of 1998, it was closed for a major renovation.

Journey into YOUR Imagination was opened in October of 1999. Dreamfinder was removed from the attraction and replaced by the new guide, Dr. Nigel Channing. Figment did not appear as much either. There were mixed reviews from guests, including myself. Everyone loves Figment! The attraction was closed again in October 2001 for yet another renovation.

In June of 2002, Journey into Imagination with Figment was opened, and Figment returned in a much larger role. 

You now will board your car....

and take a ride through the sound, sight, smell, touch and taste labs, exploring all your senses.  All the while exploring, Figment wants to “turn things upside down”, so he brings you into his imagination.

With F-I-G-M-E-N-T you can see things differently....

Moving on into the Smell Lab.

"Your mind defines what enters through you nose, that's how you tell a skunk is not a rose."

At this point, Dr. Nigel does not want to continue with his open house, he says Figment has turned everything upside down. Well, saying this gives Figment an idea, so he DOES turn everything upside down!

"So as you can plainly see, imagination works best when it's set free" - Dr. Nigel

"You said it doc! Imagination is a blast!" - Figment - Expect a blast of air and a bright flash.

Throughout all these renovations, the actual ride lost about 40% of its ride time. This made room for Imageworks –the “what if” labs. You will enter this as soon as you exit the ride.

There are several interactive play areas for both the kids, and the kids at heart. My girls would play here for a while, running from different activities which include an interactive music floor,

make your own digit Figment, then email it to yourself,

an over sized version of what I would compare to the electronic Simon Says game,

or become an orchestra leader to Figment playing his instruments.

My kids also like to chase the spinning lights on the floor.

I have to say, this is a nice, air conditioned area for mommies and daddies to take a break while the kids play!

Before you leave, you can also have your photo taken digitally and placed in a nice souvenir.

Don’t want to lug it around in the park? No worries, they will send it to your Disney resort for you! 

Of course there are also plenty of Figment items to purchase as well. This is one of my daughters with her stuffed Figment.

 If you have questions about this attraction, or would like a free, no obligation travel quote, you can contact us at 1-800-758-4173 or by email.