We learned a little while ago that character meet and greets were returning to Disney World in a modified way.

Since Disney World reopened, you could only see your favorite characters from a distance — though you could still wave “hello” and take pictures. Even at character meals, they usually just walk through the room or greet guests from a distance. Now, there are new character meet and greets (called character “sightings”) in the parks. The first sightings have officially arrived in Disney World, and we’re checking out the experience to see how they’re different than past meet and greets.

So far, we know that you’ll be able to meet Cinderella, Elena, Rapunzel, and Tiana at Princess Fairytale Hall in the Magic Kingdom, Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theater in the Magic Kingdom, Minnie Mouse in Red Carpet Dreams in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and the Disney Junior Pals in the Animation Courtyard in Hollywood Studios.

And, boy, did we get a surprise this morning!

Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theater

Today, we stopped by Town Square Theater where Mickey Mouse HIMSELF has stopped by for character sightings — in his 50th best, no less!

We were SO excited to see the wait times sign posted outside the theater. When we arrived this morning, there was a 10-minute wait. We’ll be keeping an eye on this wait time today to see if it gets SUPER long.

The character sighting here is called Backstage Magic with Mickey Mouse and we headed into the Theater Offices to see our pal, Mick.

Roped off queue area was all set up, but the line was still pretty short when we arrived!

Mickey used to meet here in a sweet magician’s outfit. Now, he’s wearing his snazzy EARidescent threads.

But you can still see lots of Magician Mickey details! We spotted a board from the Art & Publicity Department…

…some Magician Mickey posters…

…and some Town Square Theater Tickets!

Then, it was our turn to see Mickey! When you’re at the front of the line, a Cast Member will direct you over to the area with Mickey.

Then, you get some time with Mickey! Similar to old meet and greets, you get a few minutes to talk to Mickey and take pictures without other groups around, but no hugs or autographs. There was no PhotoPass photographer either, so you’ll take your own pictures!

Mickey stays behind that rope and masks are mandatory while you’re inside. 

He looks so adorable!

Mickey Mouse is BACK at Town Square Theater! (In his NEW EARidescent outfit!) #DisneyWorld50 pic.twitter.com/XsQ1dbg2mH

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) October 28, 2021

Those gold shoes are AH-MAZ-ING up close.

We still miss hugging our Disney pals, but these character sightings are a lot more personal than the cavalcades and other character experiences that we’ve seen in the parks since reopening.

The new character sightings were announced as beginning in November, so seeing Mickey today was a surprise! The wait times aren’t even posted in the My Disney Experience app.

The Princesses at Fairytale Hall

After meeting Mickey, we made our way to Fantasyland where we saw that four princesses ARE meeting for character sightings at Fairytale Hall!

Today, we spotted Cinderella, Princess Elena…

…Rapunzel and Tiana!

At Fairytale Hall you wait in a long and elegant hallway.

While you wait, you can spot portraits of your favorite princesses on the wall!

Then, just like the Mickey sighting, a Cast Member directs you to a space where each princess remains behind a rope. Again, no PhotoPass here so you’re in charge of the pictures!

It was lovely to see Cinderella again one on one.

She told us all about how Fairy Godmother added a strap to her slipper so she won’t lose it again!

Cindy showing us the strap Fairy Godmother added to her shoes! (So she doesn’t lose them again, of course.💙) pic.twitter.com/QxLEGQJbN6

— Disney Food Blog (@DisneyFoodBlog) October 28, 2021

Elena was happy to see us…

…and gave us a beautiful swish of her signature red dress.

You wait in one queue for Cinderella and Elena and another for Rapunzel and Tiana.

Rapunzel seemed happy to be meeting guests again too!

Look at her beautiful braid!

And Tiana struck a pose for us.

She looked ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS.

So, the new character sightings are a bit of a mix between the old meet and greets and the more recent distanced character sightings. As a reminder, you get one-on-one time with the characters, but you still can’t hug them or ask for autographs. You can, however, take pictures, talk to them, and spend time with them.

Keep following DFB for more updates and information about where you can meet your favorite characters in Disney World.

Click Here to Learn More About the New Character Sightings!

Who’s your favorite character to meet in Disney World? Let us know in the comments.