If you have a huge princess fan in your family like I do, there are so many must-visit Walt Disney World princesses. On our recent one-day, 12-hour adventure to the Magic Kingdom we really took advantage of our time and did a TON of fun activities and rides. I’ve shared our kids’ first-ever visit to Walt Disney World favorites here, but when I posted that list I held off on our character visits. 

When we planned to visit Disney World for one day, I knew Ellie would not want to miss meeting some of her favorite Disney heroines. From the beginning of course she told me that she wanted to meet Elsa and Anna. She loves FROZEN, and in fact last Halloween she dressed as Elsa and I was Anna. 

Sadly, when we went to schedule our Fastpass meeting Elsa and Anna was booked, so I talked to her and told her that we might not get to see them. “Why!?” was her immediate response. So I told her about how the Fastpass was reserved and explained that Elsa and Anna often had very long wait lines. From what I was told from my local friends, it could sometimes be a 3 or 4-hour wait and I knew I did not want to spend that many of our precious hours waiting in line. 

But on the day of our visit, our little Disney miracle occurred and for some reason as we were considering actually waiting in line, the Fastpass opened up! I absolutely could not believe it. I had no idea that was even a possibility. 

So BIG TIP for those of you visiting Disney: Be sure to check the Fastpass kiosks after you’ve completed your first three. You just never know what might open up. 

Prior to that happy occurrence, we were scheduled to meet Cinderella, Rapunzel and Ariel. Ronin really isn’t a princess fan, although he does really like many of the movies. But he came along for a few of them. With Fastpass in hand we ventured into Fantasyland. First stop: Cinderella & Rapunzel. 

Meeting Cinderella

Ellie really loves Cinderella. We’ve watched the classic animated film and she and I went to the theater earlier this year to see the new live action Cinderella film. She decided to wear her Cinderella dress to the park in fact.

It was quite magical as Cinderella twirled her around. I really appreciated how much the characters interacted with her. It made her feel so special each and every time she greeted another new friend. 

And then Ellie reached up to give her a hug. I will never forget the sweetness of the moment. We didn’t get to go inside Cinderella’s castle because of construction, but I got some great photos from outside. 

Meeting Rapunzel

In the same area is Rapunzel, so we walked across the way to meet her. She was perfectly in character. So chatty and sweet. Don’t you just love the hair.

She even posed with Ronin just like he was Flynn Ryder. 

Also during the day we ran into an adorable square and Rapunzel’s Tower from Tangled. Don’t you just love that film? (Ellie had a wardrobe change because of the heat and to meet Elsa and Anna.)

Meeting Ariel

Another of Ellie’s favorites is Ariel. I’m personally not a fan of The Little Mermaid film (it’s a terrible message for little girls so she’s only ever seen it once) but she really loves all mermaids in general. Again, Ariel was perfectly sweet and chatted away with my girl. Ellie had a ball and I decided to join her for a photo too. 

Meeting Elsa & Anna

Our friend Denise and her kids had joined us for the day, being local annual pass holders. When it was time to meet Elsa and Anna, Denise’s 13-year-old daughter Grace decided she’d like to go with us. Ronin headed off with Denise and her son to ride Peter Pan while we headed to meet Elsa and Anna with the girls. 

After miraculously gaining our Fastpass, our spirits were really up. I can’t even begin to tell you how thrilled Ellie was to meet these two. Well, perhaps I can show you the joy on her face. She was absolutely buzzing with happiness. 

We had purchased Ellie some Elsa gloves as a souvenir, which she wore to meet the lovely ladies. Elsa immediately asked Ellie if she has ice powers and started chatting away with her about how she got them. 

Elsa mistook Grace for Ellie’s sister and we just sort of went with it. Soon enough Elsa had told Anna that Grace was Ellie’s big sister who had taught her ice powers.

Anna was so excited and just kept the story going, talking of ice powers and her love of chocolate. Afterward, Ellie asked me “What did they think I have ice powers!?” She thought it was so silly that they’d think so. But, if you ask her what her favorite part of the day was, it was meeting Elsa and Anna, without a doubt. 

I, of course, had to take a photo with Anna myself, seeing as how I dressed as her for Halloween! I felt like a school girl as I told her, wearing my Mickey Mouse ears. haha. What do you think? Who makes the better Anna?

There are so many other characters we could have seen on that trip if only we had the time. Next trip we’ll definitely schedule a few more character visits. These are memories I will never forget. The sparkle in Ellie’s eyes, the glow on her face. Seeing her hug these larger than life characters was such a treat for her and for me and John. I think even Grace enjoyed seeing little Ellie’s face light up. 

Have your kids met any Disney characters? Who do you think we should meet next time?

Disclosure: We received two one-day passes to Walt Disney World and purchase two additional passes for our family. Opinions are 100% our own. This post includes affiliate links.