Let's be honest, we are all getting excited about the return of up close, non-distanced character meet and greets which are returning to Walt Disney World and Disneyland in just a few short days time on Monday April 18.

Interestingly, Disneyland has decided not to add these immensely popular character meet and greets to their Genie+ Lightning Lane line up, meaning all guests will have to wait in the standby line in order to get their high five with Mickey or hug with their favorite princess.

Guests will be able to get up close and personal again with their favorite Disney, Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel characters beginning April 18. Mickey and Minnie’s houses are scheduled to remain closed as Mickey's Toontown continues its major renovation which is planned through 2023.

We learnt back in February that Walt Disney World were adding four of their popular character meet and greets to their Genie+ Lightning Lane Line up. These include:

• Mickey at Town Square Theater - Magic Kingdom
• Princess Tiana and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall - Magic Kingdom
• Cinderella and a Visiting Princess at Princess Fairytale Hall - Magic Kingdom
• Olaf at Celebrity Spotlight - Disney's Hollywood Studios  

With the complaints there have been over Genie+, many may think that Disneyland have made the right decision to keep character meet and greets off the Genie+ Lightning Lane line up. We are guessing that Disneyland may change this decision in the future but it looks like for now if you want to get up close to your favorite character at Disneyland then you are going to have to wait in the standby line to do it.

Let us know if you agree with this decision at Disneyland and we will keep you up to date on any further changes to the character meet and greet experiences at Disneyland and Walt Disney World on our news and Facebook page.