COOL things for that 12 year old stepson to eat/do??

[tinkerbell1112]

my DS was 12 last summer. his favorite things:
Universal - Harry Potter World & King Kong & Jurassic (I know you asked about Disney, but being honest here)
ANY buffet we ate at
NO characaters
Sorcerers of the Kingdom - he loved this. if there's any interest in video games, this is the "way" to get it in at a Disney Park
Agent P in EPCOT (might be a bit "young" for a 12 year old boy, but he had his sister with him so it was still "cool")
Shopping with his own gift card

 

[tinkerbell1112]

oh, another thing - let him "go alone" to do something sometimes. that age is classic for wanting to do something. If I wanted a coffee from a stand nearby, he'd volunteer to go get it. I am not sure I would have let him off on his own for hours yet, but sending him off to get his own snack or me a coffee while I was nearby was a win win for both of us.

 

[KyGirl]

This was for a birthday surprise for my 37 year old DH and not a 12 year old boy but....

Anyway, one of the coolest things that we've done at Disney was the guided fishing excursion leaving from the Contemporary Resort. We were there last January and it was a colder windy day. Our guide warned that it might not be the best day for fishing but he did all he could to take us to good spots and we caught tons of huge fish. They have all the equipment set up for you and live bait, and they bring drinks for you. My husband is a fairly avid fisherman and I am not but everybody was catching fish one after another. My parents, including my 67 year old mom, who'd never caught a fish before, and my four year old DD all loved the experience. I was so busy taking pictures of everybody's catches that I never even threw in a line but it was great watching them all have so much fun. And being on the private boat on that lake was just a cool experience.

It was a little pricey (maybe around $270 for two hours) but I think that's actually pretty in line with guided fishing outings in other places AND I got a 20% off coupon in the birnbaum book. We tipped our guide enough that it was close to $300 but he was worth every penny. He really made the experience for us with his expertise of the lake and fishing in general and also some interesting chatting about working at Disney.

Just a super cool experience for everybody. I would think a 12 year old boy would have loved it. No princesses in sight (well except for my DD!