Thrifty Thursday: Disney Rewards Visa Character Meet ‘N’ Greet

One of the perks I have always enjoyed about being a Disney Rewards Visa cardholder is the Character Meet ‘N’ Greet opportunity at Epcot. Susan and I will be taking advantage of this FREE opportunity during our trip next week. 🙂

It is very easy to get your free photo with special Disney characters and it is a wonderful memory to treasure for years to come. Even if you plan on making this a “cash only” trip, take your DRV card just for this purpose. You will be glad you did. Here is all you do:

Plan ahead for your wardrobe the day you will be at EPCOT if you would like to be in matching shirts or if you will be posing for a Christmas card photo.

The Character Meet ‘N’ Greet is held daily at 1:30-4:30 p.m. and includes a free 5X7 photo of your choice. So, gather your party and your Disney Rewards Visa card and head to Innoventions West.

Once inside the building, you will find a special area designated for this unique character opportunity. If you can’t seem to locate it, just ask any cast member and they will be happy to direct you. When you arrive at the designated area, just get in line. I know, I know, another line. But this one is never very long and it seems to move pretty fast as a whole group goes in at one time.

Once you are near the front of the line, the cast member will ask you for your Disney Visa card, just to make sure you are eligible for this special opportunity.

Different characters are in attendance at different times, but their identity is kept a secret until you enter the room behind the mysterious black curtain for your surprise. There are usually two characters in attendance. We have had photos made with Mickey, Minnie, Pluto and Goofy.

The photographer/cast member will take several photos of your party all together, individually or in any other combination. Another great thing I love is that while you are taking your professional pictures with the characters, you are also allowed to take some with your own camera. Even better, the cast member will actually use your camera to take one with you in it. If you are anything like my hubby, this may be the only proof you were at Disney World at all!

When your session is over, don’t forget the most important part – big hugs for your characters!

The CM will give you a voucher with the last four digits of your Visa number on it. You will redeem this voucher later at the Photo Center that’s on your way out of Epcot.

Be sure to take a post-it note to stick to your chest as a reminder to pick up your photo once you are winding down from all the day’s events.

Once at the Photo Center, you will get to see all the photos you took and choose your favorite for your free 5X7. You can even customize it by adding a border and/or caption of your choice. Of course, any other pictures you can’t pass up can be purchased.

Enjoy this opportunity and keepsake and be sure to keep smiling!

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Brenda is a native Texan born and raised on the Gulf Coast. She visited Disney World twice as a teenager and always dreamed of growing her family Disney. She took her first-timer husband and their three children to Disney World in 2000 and they now spend every Thanksgiving there. Brenda writes with a comedic twist on various Disney topics. She will be sharing tips she has learned during her travels and also hopes to enlighten people on little-known freebies that Disney has to offer. She wishes she could have met Walt Disney and considers herself to be a student of Walt. In parallel to his dream it is her wish that everyone would take at least one trip to Disney World in order to share in its magic with their families.