We can forgive the theme park fans calling out for a group hug. Walt Disney World has announced that up-close character meet-and-greets will be returning after a two-year absence that was prompted by the pandemic. The comeback will happen at Disney parks “as early as April 18,” the company says.

Over the months, attractions have devised nontraditional ways for visitors to stay (kind of) close to the characters without coming face-to-face with them, masked or unmasked.

Initially, Disney introduced the character cavalcade, a sort pop-up mini-parade. The idea was to keep folks from gathering in bunches and waiting for extended stretches within a breath of one other. Some fans liked that they weren’t hefty time investments.

There was experimentation as conditions remained in flux. Some folks on stilts were masked; some were not. Some wore costume masks plus face coverings. The parks created multiple stations where simple barriers or raised platforms helped everyone keep their distance. Universal Studios opened DreamWorks Destination, which melded a continuous dance party with socially distanced characters for photo ops.

We’ve noted five meet-up variations that could deserve to hang around as pandemic conditions fade.

Space cases

At Epcot, there have been multiple buffer zones between guests and characters, particularly princesses. The formats are simple. Snow White stands behind a row of potted flowers in the Germany pavilion. Walkways in alcoves at Japan and China are roped off to give Jasmine and Mulan, respectively, ample elbow room. This may have been maddening for the youngest youngsters to be so close and yet so denied, but overall it was an improvement over the horse-drawn carriage cavalcades for princesses. That idea sounds great, sure, but it caused pedestrian confusion, especially on days when World Showcase was jammed.

Epcot also used the buffer system near its entrance with bushes adjacent to Spaceship Earth. A landscaped patch showcased characters such as Goofy, Pluto and Daisy Duck. Even better and downright bucolic: Winnie the Pooh frolicking in a grassy, fenced-off area near Journey Into Imagination With Figment.

On an adventure

One of the last character cavalcades introduced by Disney sports an adventure theme. It was also one of the most populated groupings — about 30 actors on floats or on foot — practically warming up for the return of the Festival of Fantasy Parade, which came back to Magic Kingdom on essentially the same route March 9.

The adventurers included both old school and modern characters, from Clarabelle Cow to Princess Elena.

Scooby snack alert

In the early days of pandemic, Universal Studios guests could see the entire Scooby-Doo gang in front of Mel’s Drive-In. Each of the five characters stood together on elevated platforms, so folks could spy them from afar, and a line on the ground indicated how close they could get for a photo op (along with a park worker on the job).

The piped-in music sometimes gave it a groovy atmosphere and made it easier to ignore the face masks on Fred, Daphne, Velma and Shaggy.

As recently as this week, Universal used roped off and gated sections for characters such as Krusty the Clown, Doc Brown of “Back to the Future” fame, the Knight Bus driver outside Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Hashtag the Panda near the Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon attraction.

Antics upstairs

A recurring theme for Disney characters has been use of upper levels, spots that were unused previously in many cases. Visitors could spot Country Bears atop the porches of Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland, Cinderella’s stepsisters up on the back side of the castle and assorted characters on a balcony above the restrooms — it’s cooler than that sounds — near the entrance of Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Perhaps the star of the upper levels has been the Walt Disney World Railroad station near the gate for Magic Kingdom. Folks might get quality time with various characters while coming and going, including royal promenades of princesses plus concerts by the Dapper Dans. Arrivals and departures of the Disney luminaries via a ramp on the City Hall side of Main Street also has become its own thing to experience and post on social media.

Not all wet

Of all the Disney cavalcades, the version for Animal Kingdom has been most unique and refreshing. The park used flat boats on its Discovery River to haul around characters in safari drag plus one vessel featuring drummers. It worked as intended: Visitors heard a change in music, then stepped to the nearest bridge or similar vantage point to see characters float by, so there was almost no time wasted by waiting but still plenty of waving. Guests then could go back to their park plan for the day.

It’s a keeper. Disney announced this week that the floating interactions will continue at Animal Kingdom, sharing time on the water with the “Disney KiteTails” show.

Email me at [email protected]. Want more theme park news? Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters or the Theme Park Rangers podcast at orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/theme-park-rangers-podcast

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