Hi everyone,
I am new to this forum and planning our very first trip to Disneyland CA. We've been to Disneyland Resort in Paris and we had a lovely time. We would like to visit DL in CA in the off season: sept' 15 - sept' 19 2014.

I would like to know what the best restaurant is to meet characters, not kind of rushing, but really taking some time to chat with you and take pictures at your table. Is it possible to know which characters mostly visit which restaurant? Or is it totally random?
We would stay at the Disneyland Hotel, so we thought about dining at Goofy's Kitchen, and definitely in Ariel's Grotto as well, I would love to meet my favourite princess, Sleeping Beauty.

Do you guys have some advice for us? When is the best time to go (the least busy moment)?
Are there places in the park where you can meet some rare Disney characters (who you don't see often in the park?)

Thank you so much!