Universal Studios Characters – Meet & Greet Guide

At the Universal Orlando Resort parks, you can meet and greet your favorite characters from some of your favorite movies and books. From the fan’s fave Spider-Man at Marvel’s Super Hero Island to Bart and Homer in Universal Studios, there’s a great range of fun characters to meet in Universal Orlando. To make the most of the character meets, use the Universal Orlando Resort App to find the designated times for your chosen character meet and greets so you don’t miss out.

After visiting the parks many times, I’ve met most of the characters, but I still enjoy getting my photo with my favorite Marvel characters and the Hogwarts staff and students if there is an easy photo op available. I find it makes the trip that much more fun and interactive. Spider-Man and Dumbledore have been my highlights so far. The Simpsons are also very fun to run into.

Characters can also surprise hotel guests from time to time. Universal Resorts are known to have wondering characters saying hello to guests, but spotting the characters here is more luck than planning. If you’re staying there for a week or two, your chances will, of course, increase. Let’s run through the characters and locations you might find them.

Universal Characters Full Location List

Universal Studios Florida

Visitors to Universal Studios Florida can find meet-and-greet opportunities at the characters’ ride locations. For example, there are Transformers at the Transformers attraction, and Simpsons can be found in the Simpsons area. The Minions, Transformers, and Simpsons are generally the most popular characters to meet at this park.

Minion Location in Universal Studios

You can’t help but laugh when you spot a minion in the park. They are always up to something naughty and play-acting. After you finish the ride, you can find the Minions at the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem attraction. Here, you can take fun photos and interact with the minions.

Transformers Location In Universal Studios

Have an audience with Autobots and Decepticons. At Transformers: The Ride-3D, you might bump into Optimus Prime and Bumblebee. The transformers are impressively designed, making a great photo for your collection.

Simpsons Location in Universal Studios

As a big fan of the Simpsons, I find it great to visit the Simpsons area, explore the shops, and say hello to the characters. While wandering around the Simpsons area, you can meet Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. Kwik-E-Mart & Moe’s Tavern are super realistic and make another great photo op.

Woody Woodpecker’s Location

Woody Woodpecker’s KidZone is perfect for younger visitors. Woody Woodpecker, Curious George, and Barney wander the area, saying hello to guests. As this is a kids’ zone, there are also activities and shows alongside the meet-and-greets.

Islands of Adventure

Islands of Adventure has a good range of character meet-and-greets, with the primary focus on Marvel and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. With Dr. Seuss’s creations added to the mix, there are characters to meet for all age groups.

Harry Potter Characters in Islands of Adventure

As a big Harry Potter fan, I love walking around Hogsmeade, exploring the shops, feeling part of the movie franchise, and meeting some characters. There are several characters to meet here, with a few live shows to throw in the mix. You can see students and professors from Hogwarts, and there are performances by the Frog Choir and students performing in the Triwizard Spirit Rally.

Marvel Characters Location in Islands of Adventure

In Marvel Super Hero Island, you can meet your favorite superheroes like Spider-Man, Captain America, Wolverine, Storm, and Rogue. On the dark side, you might also bump into the Marvel villains like Green Goblin and Dr. Doom. The characters here will appear at scheduled times, so check the Universal App for their timings if you want to plan ahead.

One of the most popular characters is Spider-Man. Subject to scheduled timings, fans can meet and greet at the Spider-Man ride entrance. Like Disney World, Universal also has Professional photographers at meet-and-greet stations like this one.

Dr. Seuss’s Characters Location in Islands of Adventure

Seuss Landing aims its audience around younger children, but there are some fun characters to meet here for all ages. You might bump into The Cat in the Hat, Thing 1 and Thing 2, the Grinch, and the Lorax. The Seuss characters roam around the landing area, so watch out for them as you explore the rides.

King King Characters in Islands of Adventure

On Skull Island, you don’t meet King Kong as a live character in the park, but you will meet a few live actors around the attraction. They really help to make the attraction more interactive and build up a level of suspense as you prepare for the ride.

Volcano Bay Meet and Greet Characters

At Volcano Bay, there are several themed areas with differing meet-and-greet opportunities. The characters here are native to the water park. The park is split into three main sections: Wave Village, Rainforest Village, and River Village.

Wave Village Characters

Wave Village is one of the first areas you walk into at Volcano Bay, close to the park entrance. Here, you can meet Waturi Islanders, the residents of Volcano Bay. The Waturi Islanders share tales from their mythical homeland and welcome all visitors. They will often tell stories of their culture if you’re interested in learning about the Island.

Rainforest Village Characters

Rainforest Village is on the opposite side of the entrance and towards the left. Here, you can encounter the Kakau and Kanu statues. They are funny, engaging, entertaining characters for families and children to interact with.

CityWalk

When I visit Universal Orlando’s CityWalk, there’s always something going on, whether it’s entertainment, a new treat to try, or a character roaming the area.

CityWalk Character Meet and Greets

Surprisingly, characters also appear at CityWalk, making your walk through CityWalk far more interesting. Although they are more difficult to spot if you’re lucky, you might run into:

• Marilyn Monroe: Bringing the classic Hollywood glamour to the CityWalk area.
• Betty Boop: Get your photo taken with the glamourous character Betty Boop.
• Popeye: Compare your bicep muscles with this famous storybook character.

Universal Character Dining Experiences

Character Dining at Universal Studios is a great way to meet your favorite characters while stopping off for lunch. One of the main benefits is that you don’t have to get in any queue to meet them, and you can eat your meal at the same time.

Breakfast with the Grinch and Friends is a seasonal event around Christmas. It is always popular and can be very entertaining, given the outrageous character the Grinch plays.

Marvel Character Dining is available all year, and you can share the restaurant with your favorite superheroes. You’ll likely find Captain America and Spiderman here, to name a few.

A Minion breakfast experience has been available in the past, but it seems like it may have been postponed for now. It would have previously been held at Loews Sapphire Falls Resort Cayman Court if you wanted to search for the latest updates.

Tips for Meeting Characters at Universal Studios

Meeting characters can be a highlight of a visit to Universal Orlando. Preparing for your meet and greets can make this experience easier and save you time waiting around at the parks. Here are some of our key tips to know ahead of time.

• Planning – use the Universal Orlando App to check for the character schedules. They don’t always appear at their stations all day.
• Get to the meet and greets early to save your queuing time. When the characters arrive, they usually attract a lot of traffic and queues if you aren’t already in them.
• Pack your character greeting gear. You’ll want the essential camera, pen, and autograph book to hand.
• Universal Photo Package. When you purchase the photo package, you can get professional photos of your meet-and-greets around the park and rides.

Thanks for taking the time to read through our character meet and greet info for the Universal Parks. We hope you have a fantastic time at the parks meeting your favorite characters, and may it bring memories that last a lifetime.