It’s a pretty well-known fact that if you want to meet Mickey Mouse, you go to Disney World. We’ve all seen the pictures online of families taking time out of their day to wait in lines to get that perfect picture with their favorite Disney characters. Spoiler alert: we do this a LOT! 

My girls love meeting with Mickey and friends, the Princesses, and Disney Junior Characters, too! I’ve even been known to completely geek out when I come across a more “rare” character when I am running at Walt Disney World.

This got me thinking recently about all those other characters out there that we all know and love and want to “meet.”

Here’s a quick breakdown of characters we all love, and where you can meet them!

Star Wars

Star Wars Characters are lumped right in there with the main mouse himself and can be found at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and even DisneyCruise Line! 

At Disney World, head over to Hollywood Studios and you’ll hit the jackpot. This is also where Galaxy’s Edge will be opening at the end of this year…it’s going to be an amazing experience for any Star Wars lover. Right now, you can head over to Star Wars Launch Bay to meet some of your favorites, including Chewbacca!

Over in Disneyland you’ll be able to meet Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, Chewbacca, and Rey over at their Launch Bay Courtyard, and the Galaxy’s Edge portion of the park is scheduled to open at the end of this year as well.

On a few 7-night Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises from Port Canaveral, you can experience Star Wars Day at Sea, which is an experience not to be missed! All week, experience surprise sightings and character experiences with over a dozen Star Wars characters—including Chewbacca, R2-D2, C-3PO, and Darth Vader.

Superheroes

If I am anything, I am a superhero fan. My youngest daughter has a love for Spider Man that runs DEEP.

You can find Spider Man and the Marvel Superheroes at Disneyland in California, as well as on Disney Cruise Line (5-night cruises from Miami to The Bahamas and the Western Caribbean in 2019 and 2020.) At Disney’s California Adventure park, they’re currently building a Marvel Superhero Land which will debut in 2020. It will be EPIC!

In Orlando, you’ll need to head over to Universal’s Islands of Adventure to meet these guys. While you’re there you will have the chance to meet Spider-Man, Captain America, Cyclops, Wolverine, Storm, and Rogue, as well as Marvel Villains like Dr. Doom and The Green Goblin (and ride some pretty great Marvel-themed rides, as well!)

If you’re more of the DC comic book fan, Six Flags has you covered! Justice League Meet & Greet at Six Flags Magic Mountain (in Los Angeles) is a great place to meet Batman, Super Man, and the Flash!

Sesame Street

You can head over to Sesame Place in Pennsylvania in order to experience everything Sesame Street! This park is the only theme park in the U.S.-based entirely on Sesame Street, and definitely worth the trip for a die-hard fan. 

If you’d like to stay a little closer to home, head over to Sea World in San Antonio where you’ll be able to interact with characters as well. We did a Character Breakfast the last time we traveled to Sea World, and it was incredible. The characters spent so much time visiting and playing with the kids. They still talk about it!

You can also meet Sesame Street characters at Beaches Resorts, and take part in some incredible experiences! Super Science Fair with Grover, Puppet Making with Bert and Ernie, Story Time with Elmo, Cookie Baking with Cookie Monster…the list goes on. You can even have a beloved character come by your room and tuck you into bed!

Nickelodeon

Over at Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America, you can meet all sorts of characters from the beloved Nickelodeon Series. Blues Clues, Bubble Guppies, Spongebob Squarepants, Paw Patrol, Dora the Explorer… so many wonderful characters to experience! Toddler Tuesday with Shimmer and Shine is one experience on our list if we are able to make it to Minnesota.

There’s also a wonderful resort in Punta Cana—the Nickelodeon Resort. The activities are endless at this resort and it’s perfect for kids. Characters are all over the place with a pajama breakfast, and an entire character central (complete with impromptu comedy shows) waiting for you and your family to experience.  Also, I feel it’s important to note that you also have the opportunity to get SLIMED.

Dr. Seuss

Head on over to Universal Orlando’s Island of Adventure to experience Seuss Landing! Themed rides like High in the Sky Trolley Train Ride and awesome Character Meet and Greets await! I think my kids’ very favorite part of this land would have to be the Circus McGurkus Seussian Sing-a-Long. Inside the Theater, you can join Ringmaster McGurkus, the Cat in the Hat, Thing 1, Thing 2, and others for lunch and a show!

Carnival Cruise line has Seuss at Sea with a ton of different character experiences and activities for your little ones! Seuss-a-Palooza parade and Green Eggs and Ham Breakfast are just two samples of what you can do aboard select Carnival Cruise ships.

So, as you can see, there are SO many really neat opportunities to meet and play with all sorts of characters, not just Mickey Mouse! Universal Studios in Orlando also has some very cool Harry Potter experiences, as well as opportunities to meet Trolls, Shrek, Scooby Doo, Minions, Transformers…the list goes on and on! I also have to make sure to add that you can see Looney Tunes characters at most Six Flags parks, as well.