Disney World - Autograph Question

We just got back from WDW and I bought those cheap $1 notebooks with Disney characters on the front, used ribbon to attach a sharpie and wah-lah. When we got to the park I wished I'd just bought the books the park sells with the space for the pics. My son who is 3 didn't really care about the autographs. My daughter is almost 6 and wanted everyone's but didn't want to wait in line for too long. Then when they got home, the were tossed aside. Something ended up spilling all over them and the pages stuck to the table and so I tossed them. No one has asked me about it since.

Next trip, I don't think we'll do autographs.

I am wondering if you might be better off using something small and simple for the autograph itself and THEN, after you get home, pasting it into the scrapbook and decorating, adding a picture, etc. See who you get first, and then add to scrapbook and decorate after.

If it is a "human" character, you will probably get a nice signature - sometimes the prince is there with the princess, sometimes not. If it is someone like Mickey with the big fake costume hands, it is recommended that you have a thicker pen, like a Sharpie, that might be easier for them to grip.

We went to Disney last year and what we actually did was bring a picture mat for the characters to sign - so we ended up with a mat that had been signed by a bunch of them (including Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, etc.) and we were able to put it in a frame with a picture of all of us in front of Cinderella's Castle! Just another idea! Have fun!

ETA: At Animal Kingdom, they had one area where you could wait in line to meet Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Chip and Dale. There was another area where you could meet Winnie-the-Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore.

As mentioned before, the characters do their best to hold a pen and struggle to even open the book. Some of them have helpers standing there to assist with this. If I were you I would wait until you got home to personalize the pages. There will be skipped pages and signatures that after you get home, you will go.."who the heck is this?" Just my two cents...

Since you have no idea who you will run into, I have a suggestoin on how to alter your idea a little bit. It sounds like the autograph books are going to be similar to scrapbooks. I suggest you get the signatures on blank pages, and then make the pages for the book and paste them in. You will have a page for every signature, no more, no less!

My kids have never been into the character autographs, but I've been told if that's your plan, you should take along a Sharpie rather than a pen for the characters to use becauce their hands are in costume. If you really want autographs, a character dinner would be the best way to guarantee them. You could spend a lot ot time in lines at the parks waiting to see a character. I'd get the signatures then decorate the book at home. The idea of picture with your kid and the character is great. Since some said the signatures are sloppy, maybe take little Post-it notes and write the character on it after the page is signed, and stick that to the page to jog your memory when you get home. This would also work for those "cute" things kids say as they stand in line, meet the characters, etc. Have fun!!

That's a GREAT idea.

However, we went in 2009 and all of the characters opened the books to whatever page they could with theig big hands and signed...some are upside down and backwards :). The books aren't very expensive there either.

Epcot has a place where Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald, Pluto and I think Daisy was there too. It was a long wait, but good to get them all out of the way.

Magic Kingdom has a place to meet 3 princesses or fairies. We went to the princess line and next time will probably do the faries, since we'll bring back the same books we won't need the same characters :).

So I agree that adding the info AFTER the fact will save you a lot of time and trouble - rather than thumbing through the book waiting for the characters to sign.

There are only a few places you will even see the princesses. And most the time there are only a few princess even in the character meals. I am not sure how old your girls are but they may want some of the others. My boys did. Both of them and my oldest was 10 when we went and he got Pooh's and Mickys group.

We bought the books in the park that have a space for your own picture. My daughter has three of them from over the years and I make sure to add each picture she had taken with the characters when they signed it.

You can use a blank book with removable paper so that you can create something after your trip, more like a scrapbook.

It's hard to say what characters will be out and when. They will change partners throughout the day. Example: sometimes the Beast is with Bell and sometimes not.

Don't use a marker just get a larger pen.

You already have some good ideas.

My experience was that I bought one autograph book (it's like 5x7 size). My youngest got what character signatures as he could and I always (well, almost always) got a picture of my boy beside the character.

Now, I have the "grand" idea of scanning in the autograph pages as images then inserting them into the computer for a personalized photo album of the trip. This will give me the chance to write in a little story of what happened. Like, when my boy walked up to Donald Duck, he said "You and Mickey are the best!" He is high-functioning autistic and it came across so hilariously! Donald shook one of his (big) fingers as a "No! no!" (they don't have the characters speak, which makes a lot of sense to me). Then Donald wrote across two face-to-face pages (and really big) "Donald Duck #1" !! Aww! Just _so_ cute!!

Go have fun!

it's hit an miss on all characters...and unfortunately character meals are the best place to fill up your autograph books. There are spots all along various places in the parks where characters are scheduled to stand, and its a great surprise who you will see. There is a specific princess meal in epcot....I want to say Germany but don't quote me. we ate breakfast there. If they are into the princesses, I highly recommend it. Its WAY more affordable that the one at Magic Kingdom and they will for sure see all their princesses. You eat and they walk around to each table and take pictures and give autographs.

What a sweet idea! But IMO, that is a lot of work and what if one princess accidentally signs the wrong page? I would make the book and add the fun facts and pictures to the signature pages after the trip. Maybe use a pic of daughters with the princess. I hope you have a great time!