45+ Characters to Meet at Universal Orlando Resort

Do you love meeting characters at the theme parks? Today we are sharing a list of characters to meet at Universal Studios Florida and Universal Islands of Adventure.

When we visit the Universal theme parks we love to include character meet and greets into our touring plans.

Universal has character meetings at Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure. Guests can also meet characters at some of the on-site Universal hotels.

With over 65 different character meet and greets between Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure, you could spend an entire day meeting them and still not see everyone.

Universal is opening a new theme park in 2025 and this will offer even more characters to meet. Learn more in this post: Complete Guide to Universal’s Epic Universe for Families

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.

List of Characters at Universal Studios Florida

• DreamWorks Land (opening June 14, 2024)
  • Trolls (Poppy & Branch), Kung Fu Panda, Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, Gabby from Gabby’s Dollhouse
• Illumination Theater
  • Minions, Gru, Margo, Edith, and Agnes, Vector
  • Sing Characters Rosita, Gunter, and Johnny
• Hashtag the Panda
  • Located inside Race Through New York with Jimmy Fallon. At times he may also be outside the area or in the gift shop.
• Pharaohs from the Mummy
  • These characters are on stilts and roam around the front entrance to the Mummy attraction.
• The Transformers
  • BumbleBee, Optimus Prime, Megatron
  • Times rotate and you never know who will be out at what time.
• The Knight Bus Driver (Harry Potter)
  • Located outside the entrance to Diagon Alley.
• Celestina Warbeck and the Banshees
  • Daily shows inside the Wizarding World of Harry Potter-Diagon Alley.
• The Simpson Characters
  • Homer, Marge, Lisa, and Bart,
  • Krusty the Clown and Sideshow Bob
  • The character meet and greets rotate and do not know who will be out at the posted times.
• SpongeBob & Friends
  • SpongeBob and Patrick.
  • Located in the SpongeBob StorePants store. Character appearances vary.
• Hollywood Icons
  • Marilyn Monroe, Betty Boop, Beetlejuice, Doc Brown, Scooby Doo and the Mystery Gang, Lucille Ball
  • 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.
• Hello Kitty
  • Located outside the Hello Kitty Store on the corner of Hollywood Boulevard.
• Blues Brothers
  • Located in the New York area. Daily shows.

Universal Studios Florida is continuously changing their character meetings and adding surprise ones. There are some that may not be there during your visit due to different events.

Islands of Adventure Character Meet and Greets

At Islands of Adventure you will meet the Marvel characters at Marvel Island, Dr. Seuss characters at Seuss Landing, as well as a “real” dinosaur in Jurassic Park.

• Po from KungFu Panda
  • Located as you enter Port of Entry, the entrance of Islands of Adventure.
  • We met him to our left towards the Hulk Roller Coaster.
• Marvel Characters
  • 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.
  • All locations are within Marvel Super Hero Island.
• Lost Continent Area
  • Meet She-Ra.
  • Located near Mythos Restaurant.
• Classic Comic Book Characters
  • Popeye the Sailor Man, Olive Oyl, and Betty Boop
  • Located in the Toon Lagoon area.
• Raptor Encounter
  • Meet an interactive dinosaur at the Raptor Encounter experience.
  • Located in Jurassic Park area.
  • Raptor Encounter typically has a long wait time and this may be a bit scary for young children.
• Harry Potter Characters
  • 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.
  • Both meet and greets are located in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter-Hogsmeade.
• Dr. Seuss Character Zone
  • Cat in the Hat, Thing 1 and Thing 2, Sam I Am, the Grinch, and the Lorax.
  • Located throughout Seuss Landing the characters have scheduled daily appearances.
  • Typically the characters are all scheduled the same time but we have always had enough time to meet them all.

More Places to Meet Characters at Universal Florida

The parks are the best places to meet characters during your Universal visit but you can also meet them with character dining and at the on-site resorts.

Character Dining at Universal Orlando

Character dining at Universal includes a seasonal Grinch Breakfast and a brunch at a few of the on-site resorts. Guests can also reserve The Marvel Character Dinner year round 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.

When we met the Marvel Characters at Island of Adventures they told us they would be “around the area”. This was a shock to a super planner like me but it ended up being really easy.

The wait times for characters at Universal Orlando rarely see more than 15 minutes, with a few exceptions like the Raptor Encounter. This is great because lines will be short and it doesn’t take up a lot of your time at the park.

If you are a super planner like me-you can check out the Universal Orlando website about 30 days before you arrive for an updated schedule and times guide.

I find the website a bit tricky to navigate but did find the times for character meet and greets under the showtime tabs. You can find them here: Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.

I highly recommend adding character meet and greets to your Universal Orlando vacation. They make the experience unique and are so much fun.

Read Next: Planning a Trip to Universal Orlando with Kids

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