Must-Meet Characters at Universal Orlando

Universal Orlando is a place where magic meets adventure, and part of that magic is the chance to meet some of your favorite characters from movies, TV shows, and comic books. Universal offers an unforgettable experience to interact with larger-than-life characters. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the must-meet personalities that bring Universal Orlando to life, ensuring you capture the best moments during your visit!

From Shrek’s Swamp to Super Heroes and Villains, guests visiting the Universal Orlando parks should definitely include character meet and greets in their touring plans.

Universal Orlando characters can be found at Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, Epic Universe, Volcano Bay, and at select times at the Universal resorts.

With over 65 different character meet and greets between the different parks there is someone to meet for everyone! Let’s dive into where to find your favorite characters and how to include character meet and greets at the Universal Orlando parks.

Insider Tip: Purchase tickets before you arrive to get the best deal and save time!

How to Meet Characters at Universal Orlando

One of the great things about the Universal parks is you will find characters walking around the park without scheduled appearances, as well as meet and greets listed on the Universal Orlando app.

It is easy to meet them and they typically have little to no wait time. We have never waited longer than 5-10 minutes to meet a character at the park. This might change with the new meet and greets at Epic Universe but the other park wait times should stay consistent.

List of Characters at Universal Studios Florida

Universal Studios Florida has meet and greets with classic characters like Marilyn Monroe, Betty Boop, and the Scooby Doo Gang as well as DreamWorks characters and the Simpsons.

The Universal App will list the times of the meet and greets but often you will walk down Hollywood Blvd and discover characters meeting guests.

• Hollywood Character Zone | Hollywood Blvd.
  • Marilyn Monroe, Betty Boop, Beetlejuice, Doc Brown, Scooby Doo and the Mystery Gang, Lucille Ball, The Simpsons, Hello Kitty, Woody Woodpecker.
  • As you walk down Hollywood Boulevard you will see many characters walking around, interacting with guests, and you often see surprise characters that are not listed on the guides.
• DreamWorks Characters | DreamWorks Land
  • Trolls (Poppy & Branch)
  • Kung Fu Panda
  • Puss in Boots
  • Shrek & Donkey
  • Gabby from Gabby’s Dollhouse
  • DogMan (Limited Time)
• Illumination Theater
  • Minions, Gru, Margo, Edith, and Agnes, Vector
  • Sing Characters Rosita, Gunter, and Johnny
  • We also met characters from Migration during a visit. Universal often surprises guests with their meet and greets.
• New York Area
  • Hashtag the Panda
  • Pharaohs from the Mummy: These characters are on stilts and roam around the front entrance to the Mummy attraction.
  • Transformers: BumbleBee, Optimus Prime, Megatron
  • Blues Brothers (Occasionally after the show guests can take photos.)
• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
  • The Knight Bus Driver (Outside of Diagon Alley)
  • Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees (show)
  • Death Eaters (Seasonal: Usually Fall)
  • Guests can’t meet the characters specifically from the Harry Potter movies or books. For example you can’t meet Draco or Harry Potter.
• SpongeBob & Friends
  • SpongeBob and Patrick.
  • Located in the SpongeBob StorePants store. Character appearances vary.

List of Characters at Islands of Adventure

• Marvel Characters | Marvel Super Hero Island
  • Meet Spider-Man. Spider-Man has his own meet and greet times and we have seen him walking around the gift shop at the exit of the Spider-Man attraction.
  • Meet Marvel Super-Heroes: Captain America, Wolverine, Cyclopes, Rogue, and Storm.
  • Meet Marvel Villains: Doctor Doom and Green Goblin.
• Lost Continent Area
  • This area doesn’t have official meet and greets on the app but on two different visit we met She-Ra and Tigress from Kung Fu Panda.
• Classic Comic Book Characters | Toon Lagoon Area
  • Popeye the Sailor Man, Olive Oyl, and Betty Boop
• Raptor Encounter | Jurassic Park
  • Meet an interactive dinosaur at the Raptor Encounter experience. Raptor Encounter typically has a long wait time and this may be a bit scary for young children.
• Harry Potter Characters | The Wizarding World of Harry Potter-Hogsmeade
  • The Frog Choir offers daily shows and usually you can meet and take pictures after.
  • The Train Conductor also has photo opportunities near the Hogwarts Express.
• Dr. Seuss Character Zone | Seuss Landing
  • Cat in the Hat, Thing 1 and Thing 2, Sam I Am, the Grinch, and the Lorax.
  • During the Holidays at Universal, Who’s are walking around to meet.

List of Characters at Epic Universe

Epic Universe has some really fun and exciting meet and greets.

• Dark Universe
  • Frankenstein’s Monster and Bride
  • Ygor
  • the Invisible Man
  • Plus more surprises meeting guests.
• Super Nintendo World
  • Donkey Kong
  • Mario & Luigi
  • Princess Peach
• How to Train Your Dragon-Isle of Berk
  • Toothless & Hiccup
  •  Astrid and Stormfly
  • Ruffnut and Tuffnut

Does Volcano Bay Have Characters

Volcano Bay will have characters from DreamWorks at the Volcano Bay Nights events. Learn more here.

Character Dining at Universal Orlando

Character dining at Universal includes a seasonal Grinch Breakfast and The Marvel Character Dinner inside Islands of Adventure.

Meet characters at Universal Hotels

If you are a guest at an on-site Universal resort you will find special meet and greet times upon arrival at the resort.

We met Homer Simpson at Cabana Bay Beach Resort and saw him visiting with guests during our stay at Endless Summer Surfside Inn and Suites.

Tips for Characters Meet and Greets at Universal Orlando

Ask the photo attendant to take your picture. Everyone was very helpful with this. Universal does offer a photo package My Universal Photos. We didn’t use it but it is an option.

If you have ever done character meet and greets at Walt Disney World be prepared for a different pace.

Character Meet and Greets at the Universal Orlando parks are a lot less scheduled and structures. Some characters sign autographs, but it is not as popular as it is at Walt Disney World.

You will meet characters spontaneously! We gave Beetlejuice a high five walking down the street and met the Mardi Gras Queen on the way to the parade.

A few of the characters are not on the park guide. We met the Scooby-Doo Gang and Hello Kitty but their times were not listed.

We love these spontaneous meet and greets! The more relaxed pace of meeting characters make it easy to include in your day at the Universal Orlando parks.

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