Meeting Disney characters as someone above the age of twelve can sometimes feel a little awkward. You might not know what to say, or how to act, as an overthinking, self-conscious adult. I’ve heard it many times before: “I’m too old to meet characters!”; “I wouldn’t know what to say.”; or even, “I feel weird for wanting to meet characters at this age.” Well, as a 21-year-old who still loves to meet the characters, here are some of my favorite tips to help ease your mind and make your meet and greet as memorable as can be.

Remember – You’re an Adult

What I mean by this, is that the characters can act more adult with you than with kids. They obviously cannot break character or be inappropriate, but they can joke around with you more than they can with younger guests. Ask Flynn Rider if he has a brother for you; bond over boys with a princess; even propose to Anastasia or Drizella! As an adult, you actually have lots more options for interacting with the characters – use them!

Bring them Gifts

Bringing characters gifts that are specific to their person is a lot of fun. Their reaction to the gift will also most likely take up most of your time with them, so if you’re nervous about finding something to talk about, you should definitely use this trick. The gift doesn’t have to be expensive, either. Some of my cheap favorites are: a mirror for Gaston; a chocolate bar for Anna; a hairbrush for Rapunzel; and an apple for the Evil Queen. You’d be surprised how fun bringing a little something for the characters can be!

Posing with Anna and the chocolate bar I gave her!

Ask About Others

One of my favorite go-tos is asking about other characters from their given movie, TV show, etc. I love asking Rapunzel where Flynn Rider or Pascal is, or asking Tiana how Louis is doing in his band. Their answers are always so creative and true to character; it really takes the immersion to the next level!

Pose for a Picture

Come with a specific pose or two in mind that you want to do with the character. If you’re anxious about talking to the characters, this will help take away some of the time allotted for that part of the interaction, and instead, focus it on the less talkative picture-taking.

These are my top character-meeting tips for adults who get anxious over meeting characters, but they really make anybody’s interaction more fun! But, if worse comes to worst, just let the characters do the talking. They love to ask you questions and bring you into their world, so don’t stress about it. Just have some fun!