I think youre speaking to a larger truth - it's more acceptable for girls to like things that aren't "girly" but it's not ok for guys to like "girly" things, lest they (horror) come across as "girly." Thus, all this princess stuff can't possibly be enjoyed by REAL boys, while girls are allowed to love pirates and outer space and out of control rides in an abandoned mine or deadly mountains. Heck, COOL girls can navigate twixt both worlds with ease, playing girly dressup whilst appreciating adrenaline rushes from action and adventure (see Comic con crowds). Even in modern Disney movies, girls or young women may deal of their Mister Right, but their strength and sense of honor makes them heroes who save as well as get saved, unlike "classic" pre-Little Mermaid Disney animation where Prince Charming always is their savior and the bravest thing the ladies often do is let themselves be noticed.
I'm not passing judgment on the way things are, just saying they are. I will be interested to see how, if at all, Disney chooses to address this in the Fantasyland expansion. Because it is a bit of a Catch-22. To make the new expansion too princessy risks alienating boys, and families upset that their sons "can't enjoy" the new fantasyland without their very maleness coming into question. To try to make the princess attractions LESS "girly" is to risk damaging their "princess" brand, alienating an already-delicate fickle audience (true of kids in general, not just girls), and force them to confront charges of homophobia (so boys can't POSSIBLY enjoy a Mermaid ride unless you butch it up? what kind of intolerant message is THAT?) It's a tightrope.
