When collecting autographs at Disney World, there are several ways to go about it. The first time I went to Disney World, I got the autograph of every character that had a fairly short line. That worked fairly well, but the next time I went, I wanted to try for different autographs. I would like to eventually collect one from every character, but that takes a bit of planning and a lot of time spent waiting in line.
When starting your autograph collection, it's a good idea to hit some of the spots where characters are always available. At the Magic Kingdom, I would recommend Mickey in the Judges Tent in Toontown and the Princesses in the Toontown Hall of Fame. The Fairies are also in the Toontown Hall of Fame, but often have a wait of up to 1 hour. However, with Toontown closing sometime this year to make way for the new Fantasyland expansion, these locations will probably change.
As you walk around the park, you will probably see lines for characters at what seem to be random locations. Many of the characters are available at the front of the park, just after walking under the railroad station. Sometimes, you will be able to meet unexpected characters here, such as mice from Cinderella, Pinocchio & Gepetto, Mary Poppins & Penguins, and others.
With a little planning, kids should be able to narrow down a list of which characters they absolutely have to see. I would suggest only visiting characters at Magic Kingdom which can't be found at other parks. If you plan to visit all four parks during your stay, there's no reason to try to meet all of the characters at the Magic Kingdom as the lines for characters are usually shorter at the other parks. For the Magic Kingdom, I would recommend the Princesses, Buzz Lightyear, Stitch (although he can also be found at Animal Kingdom), and Mickey. If you can catch them, try to see Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee, the Mad Hatter, and Alice near the Teacups.
At certain times of the year, additional characters can be spotted at the Magic Kingdom. During Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, in addition to Mickey and the gang sporting Halloween costumes, you can meet the Queen of Hearts, White Rabbit, Playing Cards, and more from Alice in Wonderland. Sometimes, you can even meet all 7 Dwarfs at the same time, a real rarity. At Christmas, Scrooge McDuck can often be found near his nephew Donald's Tree Lot and Mickey and the gang often sport winter garb, which is fun to photograph.
Characters that can be seen at the Magic Kingdom on normal days:
Mickey & Minnie Mouse, Donald & Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pluto
Chip & Dale
Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, Piglet, Darby* (from the new Tigger & Pooh Super Sleuths)
Lilo & Stitch
Buzz Lightyear, Jessie*, Woody
Cinderella, the Mice Suzy & Perla, the Fairy Godmother*, Lady Tremaine*, Drisella*, Anastasia*
Aurora (Sleeping Beauty)
Tinker Bell*, Iridessa*, Rosetta*, Fawn*, Silver Mist*
Captain Hook and Mr. Smee
Ariel*
Aladdin, Jasmine
Baloo, King Louie
Peter Pan* & Wendy*
Tiana* & Prince Naveen*
Characters that are sometimes available:
Alice, Tweedle Dee, Tweedle Dum, the Mad Hatter*, the White Rabbit*, the Queen of Hearts
Brer Bear, Brer Rabbit
Mary Poppins & the Penguins
Merlin*
Marie (from Aristocats)
Max
Meeko
Prince John, the Sheriff of Nottingham
Terk
Rafiki, Timon
Characters that can be seen only during Halloween or Christmas:
Scrooge McDuck*
Snow White, Dopey, Doc*, Sleepy*, Sneezy*, Grumpy*, Happy*, Bashful*
Bullseye*
Villains: Cruella DeVille, Frollo, Jafar, Maleficent, the Evil Queen from Snow White
Tarzan*, Jane*
Prince Charming*
John Smith*
* = only available at this park
The list is ever-changing, but this is a good starting point to help you plan out your autograph hunting. Tomorrow, Disney's Hollywood Studios.
**UPDATE**
There are two new characters to see at the Magic Kingdom: Tiana and Prince Naveen from the Princess and the Frog. They can be found behind the Christmas shop on Liberty Square. For now, they can be difficult to catch, we had to try three times before we could finally meet them. However, they may be moving to a more permanent location in a few months.
