Meeting characters at Universal Studios is a fun experience; we share where to find them and tips to make the most of your visit.
Beyond the thrilling rides and immersive themed lands, one of the highlights of visiting Universal Studios is meeting your favourite characters.
From iconic movie legends to beloved animated favourites, these encounters add a memorable touch to your day. However, they’re not always easy to find or well signposted. In this guide, we’ll show you exactly where to meet characters at Universal Studios, along with helpful tips to make sure you don’t miss out.
Characters at Universal Studios
You can meet and greet characters in both Universal parks in Orlando, with certain characters making appearances in the following parks; a must on any one day in Universal Studios Orlando.
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. We particularly enjoy this meet and greet during Christmas at Universal Studios.
- 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.
Character breakfast at Universal Studio
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!
Characters at Universal Studios FAQ
Yes, all standard character meet and greets are included with your park admission ticket. There’s no extra charge to take photos or interact with characters.
No booking is required. Most meet and greets operate on a first-come, first-served basis, though popular characters can have queues.
Character appearances happen at scheduled times throughout the day, but times can change. The official Universal app provides the most up-to-date schedule.
Some characters will sign autographs, especially face characters (like Marilyn Monroe or Scooby-Doo characters), but it isn’t guaranteed for every character.
Yes! In addition to scheduled meet and greets, you may spot “roaming” characters around the park, especially in busy areas or during special events.
In Orlando, both Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure offer a wide variety:
– Universal Studios Florida: Minions, Simpsons, DreamWorks characters
– Islands of Adventure: Marvel superheroes, Dr. Seuss characters, Jurassic World dinosaurs
– Arrive early for popular characters
– Use the Universal app to track times
– Visit during quieter hours (morning or late afternoon)
– Be ready: some characters appear briefly or without notice
Thank you!
Thanks for reading this post, if you found it helpful, make sure to comment below and follow us on Instagram!
We value and appreciate all our readers and supporters. If you wish to support ThemePark247 then please use our Amazon affiliate for your next purchase, it doesn’t cost you anything extra but we make a small commission, allowing us to continue building this website and sharing our love of travel with you.
One comment