On the hunt to meet Mickey and Minnie in Disney World? Then listen close, we’ve got some exciting news to share!

Many character meet-and-greets are back to “normal” due to recent changes in the parks. You can hug Mickey again, ask for his autograph, and even give him a big high-five in several meet-and-greet and character dining spots. But over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, the park’s signature Mickey meet-and-greet location has been closed…until now.

Adventurers Outpost is the spot you’ll want to visit in Disney’s Animal Kingdom to meet some great characters — typically Minnie and Mickey Mouse. It’s been closed for a LONG time now, essentially since the pandemic closures. We previously shared that Adventurers Outpost will be added to the Genie+ system (the paid FastPass+ replacement system) starting on June 19th.

We expected that the meet-and-greet spot would reopen on that date or sometime before, and now we’ve got a HUGE update!

On the Disney World website, Adventurers Outpost is still listed as “Temporarily Unavailable” and does not show any operating hours for today’s date (June 14th). It also isn’t listed in the Genie+ service yet. But if you wander on over to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, you may be hit with a lovely surprise!

While we were in Animal Kingdom today, we saw that Adventurers Outpost has soft opened! At the time we went, the standby line was just 15 minutes long. Seems like not a lot of people may be aware of this spot!

After waiting for a bit outside, we made our way into the indoor line. Inside the queue, you’ll find some photos of Mickey and Minnie in all kinds of fun destinations they’ve traveled to together. Ummm…hello? Why weren’t we invited on these fabulous trips?!

Once you make your way through the queue, you’ll get to meet Mickey and Minnie in their EPIC safari outfits! Seriously, how great are these looks?!

Mickey has an awesome safari hat on, and looks like he’s truly ready for an adventure.

Minnie is dressed to impress with her awesome hat and scarf, coupled with the rest of her fantastic outfit.

The location they’re in says Adventurers Outpost in the back.

And it features a beautiful backdrop with a depiction of a familiar-looking tree and some other icons you may recognize from Animal Kingdom park.

There’s also a gorgeous design on the floor…

…and some more travel-inspired decor all around.

There was a Cast Member there next to the PhotoPass station. This appears to be one of the automated photo-taking boxes we’ve seen at other meet-and-greet locations. Essentially, this box holds an automated camera and takes photos instead of the live PhotoPass Cast Member that used to take photos at the meet-and-greet locations.

At the time we went, the Cast Member said that the automated photo box wasn’t working yet, so the Cast Member offered to take a photo of us.

The Cast Member told us that the automated photo box would be utilized once this spot officially opens. Of course, that’s subject to change, but it’s something to take into consideration.

The Cast Member told us that this was just a soft opening which is why it still does not appear as “open” on Disney’s app and why it doesn’t appear on Genie+. We expect it will appear on both by June 19th, at which point it’s set to be added to the Genie+ service.

Wondering what other meet-and-greets are available in Disney World? Click here to see where to find ALL of the character meet-and-greets in Disney World. And click here for our page full of details about character meals in Disney World. Remember that “normal” meet-and-greets are returning in phases, so not all meet-and-greets may be back or back to “normal” during your trip.

Also, note that Disney characters can be dressed up in different outfits depending on where their meet-and-greet is located. If you’re looking for another place to find Mickey and other friends in their safari outfits, head on over to Tusker House Restaurant in Disney’s Animal Kingdom for some tasty eats and more safari-inspired looks.

And be sure to read our post all about the 18 rules to follow now that normal character meet-and-greets are back in Disney World. Stay tuned for more Disney World news!

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What is your favorite character meet-and-greet in Disney World? Tell us in the comments!

The post PHOTOS: A Character Meet-and-Greet Reopened EARLY in Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog.