Gaston Meet and Greet

[Haley R]

We met Gaston in March. He was on my must-do's because I never realized before that he actually met at MK. We were walking in the area and I asked our group if they wanted to meet him. He already had a pretty healthy line going so we hopped in line and they did eventually cut the line off. I will say the line was hard to find and some people thought we were just standing there by the bathroom to take a break. There was a mom who also "didn't see the line" and tried squeezing her daughter in to take pictures.

 

[DVCcurious]

I know my son is in for a hard time when he meets Gaston. He’ll be wearing a beast shirt, haha! But a question - will Gaston kinda go easy on the kids if they seem shy? My little guy is pretty sensitive (was actually just diagnosed with autism) and I’m a bit nervous about this. But definitely can’t skip Gaston because this kid is OBSESSED with Beauty and the Beast and frequently talks about wanting to meet the characters, including Gaston (Says, “I’m gonna tell him he’s mean and needs to leave Beast alone!” Yeah no, he’s definitely going to clam up and not do that, haha.) Of course I’ll make sure my son is prepared that Gaston is, you know, Gaston. But figured it was worth asking. Good to know that lining up early may be necessary.

When my DD was 4 she wanted to meet Jasmine but was afraid of Aladdin. I asked her why she was OK to meet Peter Pan and a few other male characters but was afraid of Aladdin and basically she said she was afraid of Aladdin because he was too strong and manly. So I told the cast member at the front of the line and he quietly relayed the info to the characters so only Jasmine came over to get my daughter. When Jasmine came over to get us Aladdin moved over to the side and out of the way. I went over to him and hung out with Aladdin for a few minutes while my daughter and Jasmine talked and got pictures. The guy playing Aladdin had a huge laugh when I told him my daughter thought he was very manly and that scared her.

So, tell the CM at the front of the line and they'll relay the info to Gaston and he'll be sure to make it fun for your son. If there's one thing Disney is particularly excellent at it's catering to the needs of their guests. So you should have no worries.

 

[Rileygirl]

FYI: we love just hanging out watching gaston interact with guests if the line is too long. He is hysterical. Perhaps your shy child would like to observe first.

Gaston is the only character I would get in line for.

The last time we were there, we went to the tavern to grab coffee and a cinnamon bun (it was a snack credit !) and then went outside to watched the antics. If I help anyone plan their Disney vaycay, I always try and have them there for around 10am just to do this. Magical!

 

[Ben E N]

I would get there about 30 minutes before Gaston does. Especially since it's early in the day, I'd rather wait from 9:30-10am than 10-10:30 (or later) and have it start to get warm in line.

As an added summertime visit note - and I may be remembering this wrong - the wall that you wait along is along the east, facing west. This means that in the morning it provides shade, while in the evening it fully exposed to the sun. Showing up at 9:30 or so is really key. You miss some short lines for rides, but you get to wait in comfortable conditions (at least as far as Orlando in the summer is concerned) and get to have interactions with a character who is fully rested and ready to work his magic.

 

[WDW_Ding]

Can you tell me more about this Gaston? What is he like?

Well...

No one hits like Gaston, matches wits like Gaston!

In a wrestling match nobody bites like Gaston!

No one's slick as Gaston!

No one's quick as Gaston!

No one's neck's as incredibly thick as Gaston's!

 

[courtney1188]

When my DD was 4 she wanted to meet Jasmine but was afraid of Aladdin. I asked her why she was OK to meet Peter Pan and a few other male characters but was afraid of Aladdin and basically she said she was afraid of Aladdin because he was too strong and manly. So I told the cast member at the front of the line and he quietly relayed the info to the characters so only Jasmine came over to get my daughter. When Jasmine came over to get us Aladdin moved over to the side and out of the way. I went over to him and hung out with Aladdin for a few minutes while my daughter and Jasmine talked and got pictures. The guy playing Aladdin had a huge laugh when I told him my daughter thought he was very manly and that scared her.

So, tell the CM at the front of the line and they'll relay the info to Gaston and he'll be sure to make it fun for your son. If there's one thing Disney is particularly excellent at it's catering to the needs of their guests. So you should have no worries.

Thank you! And that story about Aladdin is amazing, haha!

 

[cgattis]

Well...

No one hits like Gaston, matches wits like Gaston!

In a wrestling match nobody bites like Gaston!

No one's slick as Gaston!

No one's quick as Gaston!

No one's neck's as incredibly thick as Gaston's!

Plus, he's especially good at expectorating.

 

[DVCcurious]

Your five year old yells 'you suck'?

My 8 year old daughter used “freaking” in a sentence (like “that truck is freaking huge”) and I was like “where did you learn to talk like that” and she said “you say it all the time”!