Like all things in Disneyland Paris, in order to see a character, we will have to queue up for the privilege.

This, like all other lines in the Parks, raises the same issues for those of us who are neurodivergent. The happy news here is that the Priority Card can once again come to our rescue. But let’s talk about what these character meets are, first. There are two varieties of character meets in the Parks: homebodies and free-range.

Most of the characters you can meet in the Parks are free-range.

Free-range characters are those characters who, while having a specific area you can meet them in, are not always there, and are not always in the same place.

Wait. What?

Ok, here’s an example.

One example of a free-range character is meeting Jesse from Toy Story by Crush’s Coaster in the Studio’s Park. While there is a dedicated space for character meets here, there is not always a character to meet here, and that character is not always Jesse.

It could, for example, be Woody or Buzz. It isn’t, however, likely to be Maleficent. She tends to stay in the Disney Park, and then only during the “Villainous” period around Halloween.

We can select “Characters” from the activities list at the bottom of the map to display where characters will be during the day. Most of the time, these map displays will tell you which character will be there. Sometimes, however, the app is very mysterious, and the display will only say that there are “various Disney characters” available to meet. Sometimes these are special events where characters who don’t often appear will be available. Other times this is to provide needed flexibility for Parks staff. Either way, the only way to find out which characters are actually there is to walk on by and see.

Ok, now that we know what they are, how do we find them?

Don’t think you have to go wandering around the Parks looking for who might be around, and when!

I think you, dear reader, know me well enough by now to anticipate what I’m going to tell you next. That’s right. Our dearest friend and companion, the app map, once again comes to our rescue.

Meeting times are limited.

With free-range characters, there will be a series of times that the character is available to be met that is displayed on the app map.

Like encounters in the wild, if you miss these times, you won’t be able to meet with the character during that time, or on that day. As some free-range characters are often in the Parks, this gives us another chance to see them at a different time. However, and this is a big however, some characters appear only rarely, so if you miss them, you may not get another chance to see them. I wanted to specifically point this out, as managing expectations is a crucial skill/event for those of us who are neurodivergent. For us (well, if the Expansion Packs cared about meeting characters, that is), we would talk about how we would try our best to meet a character, and what we would have to do to give us the best chance to meet them (more on this shortly), but ultimately, we may not be able to meet them. Thankfully, as free-range characters are, well, free-range, even if you aren’t able to meet the characters, you will be able to see them from a distance. Which may help with the management of expectations.