As Disney World has continued to emerge from the pandemic, we have slowly started to see the pre-pandemic forms of operations return to normal. Although we are not yet at a completely normal Disney World, there has been progress.

Luckily, some nighttime spectaculars have returned, such as Magic Kingdom and EPCOT both having evening shows once again. We are also starting to see a lot more entertainment, such as the Beauty and the Beast stage show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios return. But, there is also a lot of entertainment that we have yet to see return. Fantasmic! is still dearly missed by many fans, as well as Magic Kingdom’s Festival of Fantasy parade, as Disney World is still only doing cavalcades.

Officially, one thing that has returned is character “sightings,” which were previously regarded as meet and greets. At Magic Kingdom, you can meet Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theater, where he is not in his usual magician getup, but rather his 50th anniversary look. Princess Fairytale Hall is also once again open for Guests to meet Cinderella, Tiana, Elena, or Rapunzel.

Character sightings is the new term coined by Disney as these more intimate interactions return, as there is still social distancing needed between the characters and the Guests. Guests must also continue to wear a mask while indoors for their socially distanced photos; however, the princesses will not be masked. So far, wait times have not been too crazy, which is fantastic news for Guests!

Since Guests could not have one-on-one conversations with characters due to the pandemic, this is a step towards normalcy for many as each character can focus on the Guest in front of them and not everyone in front of them as they stand above on the Main Street, U.S.A. train station.

Character sightings returned a few days ago with a soft opening. Still, now, we can officially see that both character locations have hours of operation and are officially open to Guests!

To look at Princess Fairytale Hall’s daily operating hours, click here. 

To look at Town Square Theater’s daily operating hours, click here. 

Will you be attending a character sighting in the near future? Are you happy to see this return to Walt Disney World Resort? 

Let the expert team at Academy Travel help you plan your next magical vacation to Walt Disney World Resort’s four theme parks — Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios — and the Disney Springs shopping and dining district!