Besides the rides and fun themed lands, another reason we visit Universal Studios is for the character meet and greets. They aren’t always easy to find, so here is a guide to meeting the characters at Universal Studios.
Characters you could meet at Universal:
You can meet and greet characters in both Universal parks in Orlando, with certain characters making appearances in the following parks.
Universal Studios Florida characters
- Barney and Pals – located at the back of The Barney Shop
- Spongebob SquarePants and friends – located inside the Spongebob StorePants store.
- Hello Kitty – located in the Hello Kitty Store
- Shrek, Fiona and Donkey – Located near the exit of Shrek 4D
- Trolls – Located near the Kidzone entrance
- Gru, his family and the minions – meet the minions after riding Minion Mayhem or walk through the nearby gift shop to see the Minions. Meet Gru, his family and Vector on the Universal’s Superstar Parade.
- Hashtag The Panda – located inside Race Through New York with Jimmy Fallon (Sometimes can be seen outside the ride or in the gift shop)
- The Knight Bus Driver from Harry Potter – located by the Knight Bus near Diagon Alley
- Blues Brothers – Located in the New York area, check the daily showtimes
Islands of Adventure characters
- Dr. Seuss characters such as Thing 1, Thing 2, Cat in the Hat, the Grinch and the Lorax – located throughout Seuss Landing and make scheduled daily appearances.
- Spiderman – Meet and greet times available and can be seen in the gift shop on exiting the Spider-Man ride.
- Captain America, Wolverine, Green Goblin, Dr Doom, Storm, Cyclopes, Rogue – all locations are within the Marvel Super Hero Island.
- Blue the velociraptor (Jurassic World) – Raptor Encounter is known to have the longest wait and can be found in the Jurassic Park area
- The Frog Choir and Train conductor from Harry Potter – both meet and greets are in Hogsmeade.
- Students of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang perform in the Triwizard Spirit Rally which takes place at scheduled times each day near the Flight of the Hippogriff.
How can you meet these characters?
Character meet and greets take place in certain areas of the park. Universal print times and locations directly on the park map but these times can change throughout the year, so check the times for the day as you arrive at the park
Periodic characters
There are also additional characters that are not listed on the meet and greet schedule but can show up in areas of the park. This is usually during busier days and you will find them in their respective lands.
Universal Studios Florida:
- The Men in Black
- Optimus Prime, Bubblebee and Megatron (Transformers)
- Curious George and the Mana in the Yellow Hat
- Dora and Diego (Dora the Explorer)
- Hollywood Icons: Marilyn Monroe, Betty Boop, Beetlejuice, Doc Brown, Scooby Doo and Lucille Ball – found around the Hollywood Boulevard.
- The Simpsons family, Krusty the Clown and Sideshow Bob – rotation
Island of Adventure:
- Woody Woodpecker
- Popeye, Olive and Betty Boop in the Toon Lagoon area
- Po from Kungfu Panda – located as you enter Port of Entry, near the Island of Adventures entrance.
- Puss in Boots – Port of Entry
- Alex the Lion (Madagascar) – Port of Entry
What are wait times like for character meet and greets?
Wait times aren’t as long as other parks in Orlando, with an average 10 minute wait time. On busier days, you may have to wait 15 minutes. There is currently no express pass for meet and greets.
Universal Character Dining
There are character dining options for those looking to meet their favourite Universal characters:
- Despicable Me Character Breakfast – held every Saturday at the Tahitian Room in the Royal Pacific Resort, this option gives you a chance to meet Gru and the gang whilst you enjoy breakfast items.
- Marvel Character Dinner – head to Cafe 4 in Island of Adventures on select nights to meet your favourite Marvel characters, including Spiderman, Wolverine, Rogue, Captain America and Storm.
- Halloween Horror nights Scareactor Dining Experience – this seasonal character dining features all the spooky characters from the haunted houses each year.
- The Grinch & Friends Character Breakfast – this Christmas character dining has limited availability but is a wonderful dining experience for those looking to get into the Christmassy spirit with the beloved Grinch.
Character autographs?
Universal Studios offer a photo package for your character meet and greet pictures and some characters sign autographs but it is not as popular as it is in Walt Disney World.
That is our guide to meeting the characters at Universal Studios – tell us who your favourite character is in the comments below!
