Are the Boys Left Out At Disney?

[eddiemcgarrigle]

Having witnessed so many things for the little un's to do at WDW it seems heavily weighted in favour of the girls. There is all the preening at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, not to mention all the character meals that feature the various Princesses.

Now, I will be back to my favourite home from home next year with my 4 your old son and I would like him to get some of the same luxuries as the girls, such as character meals with Cap'n Jack and even the boys
equivalent of the BB Boutique where he could dress up as a cowboy, pirate or even an astronuat. Pipe dream maybe but hopefully someone at WDW is listening.

Now, back to the question in the title. There is so much on offer to the little girls but what is there for the boys?

 

[Chape19714]

Well, typically boys don't tend to want a makeover for the amount of time in thier chilhood that girls do. Girls go to BBB at all ages, once boys are over 7 or 8, they're not so interested. That being said, there's great things for them to do that aren't so "girly":

Tom Sawyer Island
Rollercoasters (space mountain, thunder mountain, barnstormer, etc.)
Pirate Cruises on Bay lake
Neverland Club
Pirates of the Carribean (and the Capt. Jack Sparrow Pirate Tutorial)
Tomorrowland Speedway
Buzz Lightyear

All these things appeal more to the young boys than they do to girls...imho.

 

[surfsupdon]

I think there are too many characters meals, so I don't want to see the creation of a new one. But there should be one themed for the boys. Some pirates and toy story characters would be real neat.


The pirate rooms at Caribbean Beach are a good start; little guys would love that! But their remote location is negative enough for families with younger kids.

 

[Pioneer Hall]

I do agree that overall the girls seem to have more things geared towards then. However, there are things for boys to do as well. There are pirate activity cruises offered at Caribbean Beach and in the MK resort area. I do think that there should be a hero's meal offered for the boys though. Something that features Peter Pan, Hercules, Aladdin, and some of the others wouldn't hurt anyone.

 

[coltow]

Yes, yes 100 times yes. I totally agree. I have 2 sons, 5 & almost 2. I have felt that boys absolutely get the short end of the stick. IMO they can make more money off of girls wants to play dress up than boys. But my boys (and nephews) would dress up like pirates or just about any Pixar character all the time if given the opportunity.

My 5yo wants nothing to do with princesses and fairies. He'll wave to them in parades but that's it. I'm lucky that both my boys LOVE Mickey so we can do those character meals without any problem. Neither are them are really into Pooh though so it's Mickey and crew or nothing right now.

On our last trip we were so happy that DHS set up spots to met Buzz & Woody, Lightning & Mater and Mike & Sully.

 

[betteratmk]

:shrug: Boy's get the short end of the stick in alot of things. But it is glaring at Disney. Not that I have anything against princesses,I have two of my own!:sohappy: But it is even harder to find clothes for boys. Try looking for dress clothes that don't have skulls or SpongeBob Square pants on them. It is hard to find the required dress shoes for school that aren't vinyl.:veryconfu

 

[KristieLC]

I don't know... Yes, there is a lot princess wise, but a lot about Disney is Princess and it is a big money maker. So many families of girls go there just for the princesses. As a mom of an almost 5 year old boy, I don't feel that he was slighted or got the short end of the stick when we were there last month. It was still incredibly special for him, even though we didn't partake in anything "boy oriented". I think it is what you make it and if you want it to be special it will be.

 

[erstwo]

I completely agree. I have one of each, so I guess I can't complain too much, but I would LOVE to see more meet and greets with the "heros" of the movies!

I tell everyone my DS doesn't even know there is a princess in the movie Sleeping Beauty. He tells everyone it is about Prince Philip slaying the dragon! He would have LOVED to meet Prince Philip on our last visit.

I will say, he did get to meet Peter Pan. And that was totally cool to him!

 

[happymom52003]

While I notice that there is alot more for girls in regards to special experiences such as BBB and the princess meals, my son actually does not notice or seem to care. He is more into the rides. So I do not think he feels left out or shorted in any way.

However, like most of us I wish they had a character meal that was geared more towards boys, and I really wish they had something equilavent to the Perfectly Princess Tea Party for boys.

I know they have the pirate cruises, but the downside to that is that parents can't go...it would be nice if there was something that dads and sons could do together that was on the same scale as the tea party.

But, that being said my son was thrilled to have the alone time with his dad riding rides at MK while my daughter and I went to the tea party....he did not at all feel like his sister was getting something "more special" than what he was getting. He is all about the rides!

 

[dazzer68]

i know its not boy specific, but the miniture golf courses would probably appeal more to boys than girls.the fanatasia and winterland one.though i have always thought the same and i dont even have kids, boys arent as well catered for. a pirates (and villians) dinner show wouldnt be hard to do theres enough pirates in the disney catolouge.

 

[disneynut4u]

a few years ago, there was a "hero" meal and/or a villain meal. It was only done for short time and unfortunately, we missed it. I'm not 100% positive about the hero meal, but I know there was a villain meal somewhere! We SOOOO wanted to do the villain mea!! I would love to have these meals back!! Boys need something that is "special" just for them.

 

[Jessie&Buzz]

I agree that a meal geared towards boys would be nice. My son doesn't really care that there's nothing for him like BBB for his sister. All he cares about is making a build your own lightsaber. I want to take my dd to the afternoon tea at the GF. I think I'll have my hubby take our son fishing at either the campgrounds or POR. I know he will love it. There are some things for boys but you have to really look.

 

[Zummi Gummi]

A POTC themed character meal would be a financial bonanza for them. I'm surprised they haven't done one yet.

 

[Pooh'sBuddy]

Pirates of the Carribean (and the Capt. Jack Sparrow Pirate Tutorial)

That tutorial in Adventureland was neat. And don't pass up the Jedi Training Academy at the DHS outside the StarTours attraction. That was really cool to see Darth Vader come out. I was waiting for one of the stormtroupers to hit his head on the overhang but he didn't. :ROFLOL:The Jedi trainer was good (and included a little humor for the parents).

Our 4 1/2 yr old enjoyed meeting the princesses, which surprised the heck outta me. He woke Princess Aurora up and even got a kiss from Snow White with the lipstick to prove it. He really enjoyed meeting Buzz and Woody and playing the Buzz Space Ranger Spin and Toy Story Midway Mania. He danced to the music of The British Invasion.

Our 2 1/2 yr old LOVED meeting Sully. They both loved Wishes, Illuminations and Spectromagic. There are boy things to do and I don't think they missed out on anything.

 

[kangaand2roos]

I do wish they had a little more to offer to the boys. Especially a character meal, they have a few princess themed meals and everything else is neutral. A character meal geared more to boy seems only fair. I know if they had a pirate or Toy Story meal both my kids would probably enjoy it but it would seem like each child got a meal geared toward their favorites. I can't speak for every family that has a boy and a girl, but I don't know too many boys that are in love with the princesses. This pretty much sums up our night with at 1900 Park Fare with Cinderella with our two:

 

[coltow]

I do wish they had a little more to offer to the boys. Especially a character meal, they have a few princess themed meals and everything else is neutral. A character meal geared more to boy seems only fair. I know if they had a pirate or Toy Story meal both my kids would probably enjoy it but it would seem like each child got a meal geared toward their favorites. I can't speak for every family that has a boy and a girl, but I don't know too many boys that are in love with the princesses. This pretty much sums up our night with at 1900 Park Fare with Cinderella with our two:

:ROFLOL::ROFLOL::ROFLOL:
OMG! That is priceless.

 

[eddiemcgarrigle]

To say that specific rides ar there for the boys is, I feel, wrong. Rides are nuetral and I see as many girls hitting the likes of POTC and Tom Sayer Island as I do boys. It's like saying Disney Quest is there for the boys but there are just as many girls hogging the video games so that's a no-goer.

To be specific, WDW is full of little extras for the girls on top of all the other attractions but seems somewhat lax in providing for the boys. A character dinner or breakfast would be a good starting point and a boys version of BBB would also be welcomed.

How many members have sons that would love to be authentically dressed as a pirate, complete with fake scars and authentic grease marked faces? I know I do. Y'AR.