Have Disney World Characters Stopped Signing Autographs at Character Dining Experiences?

August 30, 2017

Q: I heard that characters are no longer signing autographs at Character Dining Restaurants and are instead handing out autograph cards. Is this true?

A: One of the big draws of each of Disney’s character dining experiences is the opportunity it provides to properly interact with some of your favorite Disney friends. Traditionally characters would stop at each table, chat a bit, pose for photos, and then sign an autograph before moving on to the next table. But a hot topic just now in the Disney-sphere is that Walt Disney World may soon be phasing out the autographs aspect of the character interactions instead replacing them with pre-printed autograph cards.

So is there any truth to this? Or is it simply a Disney rumor? The answer lies somewhere in the middle.

It does seem that Disney is shifting some of the restaurants towards a pre-printed autograph option. I was at Disney World last week and attended the Bon Voyage Breakfast at Trattoria al Forno. Once sat at our table, our server handed us a pre-printed autograph card (like the one above) with signatures of each of the characters that we’d be meeting during our dining experiences. I asked the Cast Member whether or not this meant no autographs and was told that the characters would still sign autographs if requested and that this measure was designed to cut down on the number of people asking as it’s difficult for characters to get around to all tables during their allotted time particularly during peak periods. During the course of the meal, I did see other guests asking for autographs and the characters were more than happy to oblige. However, it did seem to reduce the number of people asking for autographs.

Is this happening at all character dining experiences then? At the moment, autograph cards appear to be a bit of a trial. The two locations where it is being the most widely reported is at the Bon Voyage Breakfast at Trattoria al Forno and the other location is Crystal Palace at the Magic Kingdom where guests are being handed cute little autograph cards shaped like honey pots. It’s difficult to say whether other restaurants will soon be following suit or it will continue to be limited to just these two locations.

But autographs are such an important part of the character dining experience. Why would Disney do this? Moving to pre-printed autograph cards might be a good thing for Disney for a couple of reasons. First, you may not realize this but character dining experiences are timed with military like precision and it typically takes pretty close to 60 minutes for each character to make the circuit at a restaurant and visit your table. Were it to take any longer than this, it would mean that guests with later dining reservations may not be seated as quickly, so time is of the essence. If autographs are slowing the process down, then offering autograph cards as an alternative may make it easier on the servers and characters.

Secondly, autographs can be a difficult business for characters in full costumes. Not only is it hard for characters like Mickey, Minnie and Winnie the Pooh to see what they are signing, fumbling around with a pen can often be a tricky task. This again has the knock-on effect of slowing things down.

So is this a sign of things to come? Maybe. But guests should remember that autograph cards are nothing new. If you’ve ever celebrated a birthday or other special occasion while at a character dining meal, then you are usually handed a pre-signed birthday card from the characters at that dining experience. Even popular theme park meet and greets sometimes hand out cards to speed things up. As, peak seasons tend to get longer, crowds heavier and as restaurants strive to accommodate more guests we may start seeing more and more of this at the parks.

What are your thoughts on autograph cards instead of characters signing autographs at each table? Speak your mind in the comments below.

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