This past spring, my sister and I used a So-Cal Resident 3-day pass to visit Disneyland. We decided that one of the days we would focus on meeting as many characters as possible at the Disneyland park. We accomplished an all time record and saw about 30 characters in one day! How did we do it you ask? Well here are some helpful tips to maximize the number of characters to see.
1) The Disney App: The phone app has a setting that allows you to see where characters will be around the park. This helped us make the most of every land we went to. We did not waste time looking for characters, we knew exactly where to go. Especially for "hidden characters" like Tinkerbell and Princess Tiana as well as "roaming" characters like Mary Poppins, Bert, and Peter Pan.
2) Toontown: If your mission is purely to see characters, hit this place as soon as it opens. Toontown tends to open up slightly after the rest of the park, so as soon as possible head there. As the day goes on, lines to see characters can get really long. You can walk up to Minnie and Mickey's house and also see Pluto, Goofy, Donald (sometimes Daisy) and Chip & Dale.
3) The Royal Hall: which is great because you can see four princesses at a time. We went twice and saw pretty much the same characters, so I suggest asking people as they exit who is inside.
4) Critter Country: Similar to the Royal Hall, Winnie the Pooh and friends can be found in this area. Here we were able to stand in one line to see Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore back to back.
5) Star Wars Launch Bay: This space allows you to see different Star Wars Characters. The typical you can see two characters, which can include Darth Vader, Chewbacca, Kylo Ren, Rey, and Boba Fett. It will be interesting to see if this changes once Disney opens up Star Wars Land.
Alternative: Many people often go to a Character Dining Experience. This is a meal where characters will come out, and often take pictures with guest one by one. The characters
