Read this article of a boy writing to the Disney Cruise Line telling them that there were no boy characters on the boat. Here's the link about it http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/12/cute-kid-note-of-the-day-_n_2671142.html
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A Boys Letter to the Disney Cruise Line
- Thread starter Cmdr_Crimson
- Start date
Monkee Girl
Well-Known Member
I know it's supposed to be a cute kid voicing his opinion and all....but....I think it comes down to maybe the parents not doing enough research before going on their cruise. I am tired of the 'princess only' stigma Disney is getting....yes there are a lot of princesses but I know Disney does more than that...just doing a quick research of the Disney Dream shows me there are special rooms for boys as well as girls, a sports deck and character meet and greets other than princesses...such as:
"A Disney Cruise Line cruise offers you what no others can—memorable experiences with Disney Characters. Although subject to change, Disney Characters you are likely to see during your cruise may include:
I also love how the 8 year old kid is like 'we will not be coming here again.' yea....ok....lol
Is Disney 100% perfect? no. But the whole 'there's no stuff for boys' is just a lie and over reaction to me.
"A Disney Cruise Line cruise offers you what no others can—memorable experiences with Disney Characters. Although subject to change, Disney Characters you are likely to see during your cruise may include:
- Mickey Mouse
- Minnie Mouse
- Donald Duck
- Daisy Duck
- Chip & Dale
- Goofy
- Pluto
- Max
- Captain Hook
- Peter Pan
- Lilo
- Stitch
- Cinderella
- Belle
- Snow White
- Princess Aurora
- Princess Tiana
- Ariel
- Captain Jack Sparrow
- Dopey"
I also love how the 8 year old kid is like 'we will not be coming here again.' yea....ok....lol
Is Disney 100% perfect? no. But the whole 'there's no stuff for boys' is just a lie and over reaction to me.
5thGenTexan
Well-Known Member
We were on the Sept 29, 2012 sailing of the Magic out of Galveston. I saw Jack Sparrow on Pirate Night. Chip and Dale were ALL over the ship. Stich was a frequent visitor. Captain Hook and Smee a few times. The ships are not decked out in pink frilly curtains all over the place. Some people I think are predisposed to complain I suppose. More space for me on the ships. 
The Empress Lilly
Well-Known Member
It's all bollox.
WDW invested in two attractions last year. Mermaid the princess one, and Test Track the cars one. One for the girls, one for the boys. And yet the internets didn't stop crying and whining about WDW only building something for girls.
Those poor little princes - Disney mistreating them by not being 100% boys 100% of the time! To all the cowboys and astronauts and spaceships and cars and speedways and steamtrains and computers (how many women in SSE, save for decoration?), and race courses and ESPN zones, and treehouses and forts and pirate rapists and firetrucks, Disney felt forced to shell out billions after billions more for developing a further portfolio for the poor ignored boys, from developing its Cars franchise to acquiring Marvel and Star Wars.
But god forbid Disney has a few women in sparkly dresses out to sign an autograph. Boys as young as eight are encouraged to complain about them.
Would an eight year old girl ever be encouraged to write a letter complaining about cowboys and pirates and cars being visible in the public space? I think not.
(Having said all that: personally my overriding sentiment is that I fail to see in the first place just why Mermaid and princesses should be considered for girls and Star Wars and pirates for boys.)
WDW invested in two attractions last year. Mermaid the princess one, and Test Track the cars one. One for the girls, one for the boys. And yet the internets didn't stop crying and whining about WDW only building something for girls.
Those poor little princes - Disney mistreating them by not being 100% boys 100% of the time! To all the cowboys and astronauts and spaceships and cars and speedways and steamtrains and computers (how many women in SSE, save for decoration?), and race courses and ESPN zones, and treehouses and forts and pirate rapists and firetrucks, Disney felt forced to shell out billions after billions more for developing a further portfolio for the poor ignored boys, from developing its Cars franchise to acquiring Marvel and Star Wars.
But god forbid Disney has a few women in sparkly dresses out to sign an autograph. Boys as young as eight are encouraged to complain about them.
Would an eight year old girl ever be encouraged to write a letter complaining about cowboys and pirates and cars being visible in the public space? I think not.
(Having said all that: personally my overriding sentiment is that I fail to see in the first place just why Mermaid and princesses should be considered for girls and Star Wars and pirates for boys.)
Test Track was built in 1998.
It's certainly possible for a girl to find all of those things interesting. But what (innocent) appeal is a boy supposed to find in a princess? Are they going to exchange hair & make-up tips or something?
Cross-gender appeal is not equal opportunity, and it's important to recognize this. Many of the "boy things" people often cite have a wider appeal than just boys, but practically all "girl things" are, in fact, just for girls (barring exceptional cases.) Most of us (males) have zero interest in those things.
olinecoach61
Well-Known Member
Well said!
Dagger
Member
This is a disgusting statement in relation to a child, however, I agree that the Cars expansion is breathtaking and I am not even a Cars fan.
disneysince71
Well-Known Member
My sons where 8 and 18 when we went on the cruise and they both had the best time of there lives.. The kids clubs are filled with video games, and pirate stuff... they loved it.. sorry but our family respectfully disagrees.
ddbowdoin
Well-Known Member
does the average boy care? lol... nope
this is like a boy complaining he can't do bipiddy bobiddy boo (or whatever the hell its called)
Disneyhead'71
Well-Known Member
I think this complaint really took of when the original plan for the New Fantasyland was announced. And no one can argue that the original plan was ONLY aimed at little girls. They quickly revamped it with a Snow White coaster.
RandomPrincess
Keep Moving Forward
This letter reminds me of my friend who told me she hated WDW. She went when she was 8 and wasn't big enough to ride any of the coasters. Turns out her parents lied to her and wouldn't let her ride the coaster because he brother was too scared and they didn't want to split up the family so she could go on.
Sounds like his parents didn't seek out the "boy" things for him to do. Don't they have Pirate night on almost every cruise? I know they have boy themed kids clubs too.
Sounds like his parents didn't seek out the "boy" things for him to do. Don't they have Pirate night on almost every cruise? I know they have boy themed kids clubs too.
luv
Well-Known Member
At the end here, you touch on what it seems like you missed in the rest of the post.
Test Track is for boys AND girls. There is no reason girls wouldn't enjoy it as much as boys.
Boys do not like Princesses. I'm sure someone on here has a 12yo boy who can't get enough of them, but most boys would rather have their pinky broken than stand in line to meet (and then have to be seen with) a princess.
The girly stuff is for girls only. The rest is for both. Well, some is for very young kids.
The stuff for very young kids and girls doesn't really appeal to boys 8-10yo and up and they complain about being subjected to it...which is why people say, "They need more stuff for boys!"
The Empress Lilly
Well-Known Member
All those princess movies are sprung from the imagination of men. And, lest we forget, it is Walt and Roy Disney, not Daisy and Melissa Disney. It is also the 'Nine old men', not 'Nine old women'.
Disney (at least classic Disney, from the animated features to early television to the first parks of DL, MK and EPCOT) is the product of the imagination and fantasies of middle aged, white, mid-century, middle class American men. And it shows. WDW was made by men, for men.
Boys do indeed go through a phase where they do not (want to!) emotionally connect with Disney's emotional palette. They'd rather look at pumped up superheroes (why Disney bought Marvel), or Star Wars (why Disney bought SW), or sports (hello Disney owned ESPN). Most boys also grow out of this phase again, and totally enjoy Disney sentimentality again. Well, not the pinky, glittery Disney of little girl's merchandise, but that is not enjoyed by grown up women either.
The Empress Lilly
Well-Known Member
This is very true. Sadly.
Girls enjoy both the girlie and the...'boylie' stuff. Whereas boys wouldn't want to be caught dead near anything girlie.
I blame society. Girls are emancipated, a girl grows up with Belle and Ariel and then learns to fly a fighter jet. Boys on the other hand are thought to stay away from girlie things throughout their lives.
The 'problem' at Disney then is not that there is too much for girls. On the contrary, most of WDW is for boys. The issue is that girls feel free to enjoy all of WDW, both princesses and pirates, wheras the guys only feel comfortable enjoying the manly stuff. The girls love the Pirates and spaceships and steamboats, but the boys resist Mermaid and BatB and Cinderella.
For a man, enjoying the girlie stuff might cast aspersions on his manhood. For a woman, enjoyment of manly pursuits is accepted and encouraged. It has been many decades since pursuing manly pasttimes would cast aspersions on a woman's femininity.
Hoop Raeb
Formerly known as...
This.
The same letter was posted on Reddit and I posted the same thing there. DCL couldn't make it any easier for you to find characters. There's a freaking line on the Navigator. This day alone from the Disney Dream meets his requirements. Parents not listening to their kids and what they want to see are to blame here.
http://www.wdwinfo.com/Photos/DCL-Navigators/2-16-12/Navigator Day 2.pdf
juniorthomas
Well-Known Member
Whoa there. Seriously? 8 year old boy wants to see Jack Sparrow and you're calling him sexist?
There's nothing wrong with parents allowing their child to write letters like this. It teaches children that they can, in fact, make a difference. Things like that should never be stifled. What's important to note, however, is that the parents should make sure to tell their child that some things require hard work and persistence. One letter may make a difference, but sometimes it may require more than one.
Plenty of life lessons for Ethan to learn here. I sincerely doubt his parents had him write this letter as a way to vent about the woes of being a male, in this world of ours. I think this was the case of a kid who didn't get to see his favorite character.
Of course, I agree that these same parents probably could have done some pre-trip planning to make sure all of their family would be happy on the DD.
The early "princess" films made by Disney were sprung from the imaginations of those who wrote the original fairy tales they were based on. Granted, the fairy tales were often much darker than Disney's versions, they were still gender neutral stories for the most part. That's not what is being marketed in the parks these days.
What is being marketed is the "pinky, glittery Disney" headlined by the princesses, always presented in the most girly ways possible. Make no mistake, they're pushed specifically with the little girl demographic in mind. It isn't meant to appeal to both genders. It's relatively rare to see the princesses' male counterparts in the parks anymore, nor do they get slapped on a bunch of merchandise or receive any sort of billing in the attractions, even when they played a major role in their respective stories.The story that the character sprang from is irrelevant at that point. All you're left with is a marketing tool.
And isn't it convenient how the princesses that show less girly tendencies in their characterizations are comparatively underutilized, being treated like 2nd class members of the stable? I wonder why. Oh, and when they are used, let us not forget the obligatory makeover so that they fit in with the others. We can't have any individuality here. You want Pocahontas in a sparkly evening gown? Done!