Pixie Dust and Activities Ideas for 12 yo Boys

[JenniJ]

Hi Everyone!
The last time we went on a Disney trip was in 2011. That was his 1st trip and he 3 at the time. Back then we didn't know until we arrived that he could get a haircut at Harmony Barber Shop on main street and unfortunately it was booked.

I am finding it hard to find activities geared toward 12 yo boys.
A little info on trip and my boy.
Our whole trip will be 2 weeks the last 2 weeks of August 2020. First week, at our timeshare where we will doing a few beach, Universal, and may do some Disney. Or Disney stay will be 5 days at Rivera Towers. We may add a day at AKL or BC because we love those resorts but a whole trip at one is out of our budget.
DS loves Marvel, mainly Spider-Man, and Star Wars. My DH is a Star Wars super fan so so if there is anything the both can do would be

So far I have character meals, haircut at Harmony, and light saber and droid building. Any other ideas, even if outside Disney?

Thanks in advance!

 

[KMarston]

When my son was that age we had his hair cut at harmony simply because I hadn’t had time to do it before. Then they painted it up and added pixie dust! He had a ball. He also started pin trading and ten years later has an impressive collection. That was probably his favorite thing.

 

[JenniJ]

So cool KMarston! I know my DS will LOVE a Harmony haircut with or without color, but having color would be the pixie dust. Was the color and Mickey symbol included in the price or an add on? Info on Disney only lists one price for a haircut. Aslo how long did the color stay on? Is it semi-perm or washes out when you shower or go in the pool or it rains?

 

[kniquy]

The sorcerers of the magic kingdom, the pirate adventure in adventure land - which if you complete 2 will get you a Pirates of the Caribbean FP. I think there is an wilderness adventurers at AK, and a similar adventure at Epcot. You could book a behind the seeds tour at the land -- I think it is one of the less expensive tours. If it rains you could do bowling at splitsvill at disney springs.

You can do a penny press hunt -- they are everywhere on property but sometimes you miss them if you aren't looking for them. Some are the inexpensive 51 cents (you put in your own quarters and pennies) but there are more expensive ones where you just pay $5 via cash or CC and get a collection.- i personally don't like those. You can buy a penny press book on amazon for $6.

The best one that even my husband loves to do is to collect transportation cards. If you ride any form of transportation any where on Disney property many of the operators will carry transportation cards. We did this on our last trip. Many of the operators were so excited we asked, some don't have them but always ask anyone working on a form of transportation -- this means minnie vans, any and all buses (there are quite a few different types of buses so ask them all), monorail, boats (big and small) -- I would guess they will have skyliner ones too at some point.

Then of course there is pin trading -- you can sometimes get inexpensive ones on ebay to get a start on things.

 

[KMarston]

So cool KMarston! I know my DS will LOVE a Harmony haircut with or without color, but having color would be the pixie dust. Was the color and Mickey symbol included in the price or an add on? Info on Disney only lists one price for a haircut. Aslo how long did the color stay on? Is it semi-perm or washes out when you shower or go in the pool or it rains?

I don’t remember but I do remember thinking it was a good bargain. I made him wash it out that night so he didn’t ruin the sheets, I do remember glitter everywhere, I think I tried to brush it out in the parking lot!

 

[Calee]

I don't mean to sound any sort of way, lol, but for my 11 year old we don't do anything "special" beyond going to Disney. He enjoys all the normal Disney stuff, rides, shows, swimming, snacks, etc. All that just normal Disney stuff takes up all of our time!!! We usually do a couple of character meals which he still enjoys. And we have done the Phinneus and Ferb and the Pirate scavenger hunts and he likes those. We also tried water parks for the first time this past trip (2 weeks ago) and that was fun and new. If you have a vacation package you get mini golf and the Disney ones are great. We don't do any particular extra paid experiences though.

 

[a1tinkfans]

If your willing to pay, I’d suggest horse back riding at fort wilderness which was great fun. And the night safari ( with nite vision goggles) was also awesome. So many things, so little time lol. Enjoy

 

[tguz]

My 12 year old is NBA all day long!! So, maybe the NBA Experience in Disney Springs that just opened today if he is into it like my son. We were there last week and missed the opening by a couple weeks but the store was open and he picked out an awesome 76ers NBA Experience cap.

 

[JenniJ]

If your willing to pay, I’d suggest horse back riding at fort wilderness which was great fun. And the night safari ( with nite vision goggles) was also awesome. So many things, so little time lol. Enjoy

I didn't know there was horseback riding at Disney! On our vacation this year, we wanted to go horseback riding but it just didn't end up in our schedule. I have to look into this!

 

[JenniJ]

My 12 year old is NBA all day long!! So, maybe the NBA Experience in Disney Springs that just opened today if he is into it like my son. We were there last week and missed the opening by a couple weeks but the store was open and he picked out an awesome 76ers NBA Experience cap.

My DS is not into the NBA. Now if there was anything with baseball, specifically the Chicago Cubs, we will have to visit, both for DS and DH.

 

[tguz]

My DS is not into the NBA. Now if there was anything with baseball, specifically the Chicago Cubs, we will have to visit, both for DS and DH.

Well darn! Wrong sport. Have a great vacation!

 

[JenniJ]

Well darn! Wrong sport. Have a great vacation!

No worries. lol My boy is not a sports kids, no matter how much I try to get him to be one. I am more of a sports fan than both my DH and DS. DH is big baseball fan, hence why DS is ok with baseball. I have tried and tried to get him into some of the sports I watch and play, but nope. lol We just have other things we enjoy together. Like Disney!

 

[nickmiller70]

My 12 year old is also not a sports kid and not a Star Wars kid either. He likes Marvel, but I know that is limited at this point in the parks. Honestly, he and the 9 year old brother are looking forward to the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom game. They're both Pokemon fans and when I showed him some videos about it, they were pumped. I think he is also excited to just enjoy the parks as an older kid (we went in 2013 when he was 6ish). He's also really enjoyed helping with the planning and the research into the trip. Having him help plan the FPs and the food decisions was particularly fun for him. It made him feel much more like an adult helping to plan. I know how hard it can be when you're a preteen and stuck between wanting to enjoy it as a kid but also act and be more mature.

 

[JenniJ]

My 12 year old is also not a sports kid and not a Star Wars kid either. He likes Marvel, but I know that is limited at this point in the parks. Honestly, he and the 9 year old brother are looking forward to the Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom game. They're both Pokemon fans and when I showed him some videos about it, they were pumped. I think he is also excited to just enjoy the parks as an older kid (we went in 2013 when he was 6ish). He's also really enjoyed helping with the planning and the research into the trip. Having him help plan the FPs and the food decisions was particularly fun for him. It made him feel much more like an adult helping to plan. I know how hard it can be when you're a preteen and stuck between wanting to enjoy it as a kid but also act and be more mature.

Great advice on having him help plan. Mine is really excited, but I can tell he feels disconnected. This might help!