On our last trip to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we were pleasantly surprised to stumble upon some new character experiences. Located in Dinoland U.S.A., these new meet and greets celebrate Donald Duck and friends. Donald’s Dino-Bash allows guests to meet up to eight different characters, including Donald, Daisy, Pluto, Goofy, Chip and Dale, Uncle Scrooge McDuck, and Launchpad McQuack.
Animal Kingdom was scheduled for the first day of our six day trip, and Donald’s Dino-Bash was Miss Ady’s first experience meeting characters. We literally found the first meet and greet by accident on the way to Dinosaur! The line was short, so we decided to go for it.
After Scrooge, Adelyn spied one of her favorites: Daisy Duck! She had been a little leery of Scrooge–he was bigger than she expected–but Daisy was smaller and more approachable. Daisy played peek-a-boo with Ady and gave her a high five. It made her day!
Launchpad McQuack’s line was not long, but the adults were in a hurry to get to Dinosaur. I didn’t want to wait in line with the kids alone, so we skipped it. We had character meals scheduled to visit with all the other characters, so we decided to forgo meeting them. Chip and Dale were so cute in their dino costumes though!
Tips for Meeting Characters with a Toddler
1. If at all possible, choose characters who are familiar to your child.
While Scrooge looked a little like Donald, he was still somewhat scary to Ady. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of him at first. Because Miss Ady is a fan of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on Disney Junior, she was much more comfortable with Daisy.
2. Don’t force your child to stand next to or touch a character.
Stand between your toddler and the character if your little one does not want to meet the character. The child will feel more secure that way. Take the photos anyway–someday you may laugh at them.
3. Allow your child to stay in his or her stroller.
The stroller is familiar to your little one and acts as a barrier putting a tiny bit of distance between the larger than life character and your child.
4. Meet face characters first.
Ady did okay her first morning with Scrooge and Daisy and had fun at our Tusker House dinner that night with Mickey, Goofy, Donald, and Daisy (again). However, she was thrilled to meet a “real” princess the next afternoon at the Magic Kingdom’s Enchanted Tales with Belle.
5. Consider your toddler’s feelings and emotions.
If your little one is hungry or overtired, it may not be the best time to met a character. No one wants to wait in line behind a two-year-old who doesn’t want to meet a character and who is having a complete meltdown. Try again later when your child is on a more even keel.
6. View the characters from a little distance at first.
The Magic Kingdom parade is a great precursor to meeting full-costumed characters. The music is fun, and children can view the characters from the sidelines. This allows them to become more familiar with the size of those characters before being confronted in a one-on-one situation. In retrospect, we probably should have gone to the Magic Kingdom on our first day before going to Animal Kingdom. For a great view of the parade, check out this Festival of Fantasy dining package.
Conclusion
Donald’s Dino-Bash at Disney’s Animal Kingdom was great fun. I loved the bright colors, fun themes, and the addition of two of the “older” characters (Scrooge and Launchpad) to the classics. The only characters who could make this event better would be those little mischief-makers, Huey, Dewey, and Louie.
So, next time, you’re at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, be sure to check out the Donald’s Dino-Bash!
Donald’s Dino-Bash at Disney’s Animal Kingdom seems to be an interesting and cool place to spend time with Family. Great Tips for Families who are disney’s fans.
These are great tips that will come handy when we take our trip. We are so looking forward to it. Looks like you all h ad a great time.
That trip looked a lot of fun. Great advice for managing little ones – even applies for slightly older kids too. Dressed-up characters can be really overwhelming – especially when children are used to seeing them a couple of inches high on the tv screen!
Love these memories you are making! Thanks for the tips as well!!
Your post reminds me why I work so hard. I want my kids to get these types of magical experiences I never had.
My wife and I and our two daughters have been going to Disney regularly since my youngest was 9 months old (she is now 19) and we actually celebrated her Sweet Sixteen there with a few friends. It’s truly a magical place for any age. My oldest was scared of many of the characters the first time and these tips are right on the money! Meet real characters first that can talk back to them and interact. You can’t go wrong with a princess! Disney does such a good job with everything I encourage everyone to go just once to experience it. I still smile when I walk in and see Main Street and the Castle. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I think this place would be fun to go to and I like how you explained everything in a way to understand.
How much fun is this?! I will have to remember this for when we go to Disney World/Animal Kingdom!
This is so cool! I didn’t know about this meet and greet. I love your tips about following your child’s lead, and letting them stay in their stroller if that is more comfortable. I’m definitely gonna keep this in mind for when we have kids!:)
What a cute idea for a birthday party, I am sure he had a ball.
This looks so fun and exiting!!!! Once again your travel are going on my bucket list <3
I’ve never been to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, but I’m taking my 7-year old son Summer 2019! I will be sure to check this out! Thanks for sharing.
Very cool! I haven’t been to Disney before this attraction looks very fun !
Oh wow. I bet you all had a great time! When our girls were toddlers we visited any theme park in Orlando Florida because we were only about an hour and a half away. Now they are teens, we no longer visit theme parks as often we typically do a lot of water parks.
Ady talks about it non-stop and wants to know when we’re going back. It’s so cute!
I really like the way you wrote it ,and explained every detail it really bring’s out the facts on what we need to do!!
I like going to events that involve TV show or Movie characters.
You are really good at knowing what a kid wants and how to take care of them.
This looks like a really fun place to be with younger family members. Those were also some great tips like letting the younger ones see the characters from a distance because if they are scared they wont want to go see it.
I would have been excited to meet Donald Duck in my opinion. Donald duck is my favorite Disney characters besides Stitch.
I love the advice! This is the sort of thing I worry about when taking my children to places like this. Great tips!
Amazing adventures and memories the children get when they visit Disneyland. We are waiting my little one to begin to walk so we all can enjoy the trip 🙂
Great tips! We were just there in January and my kids had the best time. You have a beautiful family!
Beautiful family and great tips!
What a beautiful family. Great advice!
These are really great tips for parents with little kids. I hate seeing little kids crying at Disney because they are afraid of the character’s in costume.