From Betsy Malloy,
Your Guide to California Travel.
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If you watch kids meeting the characters at Disneyland, you'll soon realize that many of them think those costumed people are real, and the shining little eyes will tell you all you need to know about how cool they think the experience is.

See Them Now: View pictures of the character greetings at Disneyland and California Adventure

Poll: What is the character you want to see most at Disneyland?
Mickey Mouse | Minnie Mouse | Goofy | Donald Duck | Ariel, the Little Mermaid | Aladdin and Jasmine | Pluto | Winnie the Pooh | Disney Princesses

Find out which character others want to see.

If you're traveling to Disneyland with kids, a little advance planning will help you make sure they have the most fun they can, and don't forget to bring your camera, so you can save the moment for them (and you).

Tips for Meeting the Disneyland Characters

• Pick up the daily schedule at the gate when you enter the park. It lists where the characters will be and when.

• Be prepared with an autograph book and pen. The souvenir shops in the park sell special autograph books, but any book that's about 6 inches wide or larger will work just fine. Once you see the oversized gloves these characters wear, you'll understand why a larger, felt-tipped pen works best. If you wonder why they hold the book up to their face, remember that they can only see straight ahead through the eye holes.

• A Disney photographer will usually be on hand to take pictures of the characters and their pals, but if you don't want to pay for one, just snap away with your own camera.

• We're seeing more and more kids coming to Disneyland in costume, especially little girls. Not only do they seem to enjoy it, but pictures of them all dressed up and posing with a character are priceless. At Disneyland, kids are classified as adults at a young age, and only those under 9 years old are permitted to wear costumes into the park.

Disney Character Dining

If you wait to reserve for this until you arrive at the park, you're likely to have a disappointed child on your hands. Call 714-781-3483 to make your reservations, up to 30 days and at least two weeks in advance. The least expensive of the Disneyland character dining options are Minnie and Friends at Disneyland and Ariel's Disney Princess Celebration at California Adventure. Character dining in any of the Disney hotels will cost you almost twice as much.

At any of these places, the characters will stop by your table, so have cameras and autograph books ready when you sit down.

• Minnie and Friends Breakfast in the Park: Served at Disneyland's Plaza Inn, this all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast ends at 11 a.m.

• Ariel's Disney Princess Celebration: Head to California Adventure's Ariel's Grotto for lunch or dinner with the Disney princesses.

• Chip 'n Dale Critter Breakfast: An all-you-can-eat buffet and menu items served at the Disney's Grand Californian Hotel Storytellers Cafe.

• Goofy's Kitchen: Serving three meals a day (and lots of mayhem) at the Disneyland Hotel.

• Lilo and Stich Aloha Breakfast: All-you-can-eat breakfast buffet at the PCH Grill in Disney's Paradise Pier Hotel.

Meeting the Characters in Disneyland

Eating with the characters is fun, but you'll find characters all over the park, too.

For a special treat (at extra cost), try the Discover the Magic Tour, a family-oriented tour where you all interact and work with Disney characters while hunting for hidden treasure and dodging dastardly villains. Recommended for kids between 5 and 9, it includes lunch and a souvenir gift. Strollers are not recommended and if the young'uns are under 18, an adult has to come along, too. To avoid disappointment, reserve up to 30 days in advance at 714-781-4400.

Most of the time, Minnie and Mickey can be found at their Tootown houses, but because you're guaranteed to find them there, lines can be nerve-wrackingly long. Other places where the characters regularly hang out:

• Adventureland: Aladdin and Jasmine
• Fantasyland: Ariel: The Little Mermaid:, Disney Princesses
• Toontown: Goofy, Pluto and Pals, Minnie and Mickey
• Frontierland: Stars of Toy Story 2
• Critter Country: Winnie the Pooh and Friends

Meeting the Characters in California Adventure

• Bug's Land: Flik and Atta
• Hollywood Pictures Backlot: An assortment of characters show up here on the main street, and Mickey often pops out just as this section opens in the morning, wearing his California beach attire.