What's for boys in the "new" fantasyland?

[TLSnell1981]

I'm a 41 year old guy and love meeting pretty princesses!!

DH and I go twice a year. I've never heard him complain!

All my children are now adults....two boys and two girls. We vacationed at WDW at least every year or two. I NEVER had my boys (or DH) complain once about things being "girlie". Every one of my kids STILL love going to Disneyworld.

Maybe, a ride is "just" a ride to some folks. Every thing doesn't need to be gender specific...IMO. I guess, we just REALLY love Disney.

 

[letsgoagainsoon]

While I am looking forward to the expansion, I think most people who are upset by the lack of appeal to boys, would be happy enough if there was at least one character meal geared directly towards boys and a few villian meet and greets.

JMO

 

[Sweet Pea UK]

I was sure that I read that they are putting something in Fantasyland for Boys in the line of Villains. I will try and find where I read it and post.

 

[Sweet Pea UK]

http://www.wdwinfo.com/news/General_Disney_News/Major_Theme_Park_Updates_Announced.htm

Follow this link and it says what they are going to do to attract boys. Who says Disney doesn't think of everyone!

 

[PrincessTrisha]

Not every new thing is going to appeal to everyone - nor is it suppose to.

I didn't see a bunch of posts by parents of aged 2-6 year old little "princesses" asking, "What's in it for us?" when Everest was built. Or when Pirates or Haunted Mansion got substantial makeovers in the past few years - Or Space Mountain being updated. Or even the new announcement for Star Tours 2.0.

I get a little tired of the me, me, me - "yeah, it looks great, and will make hundreds of thousands of other people estatic, but what's in it for me?"

 

[Colleen27]

Not every new thing is going to appeal to everyone - nor is it suppose to.

I didn't see a bunch of posts by parents of aged 2-6 year old little "princesses" asking, "What's in it for us?" when Everest was built. Or when Pirates or Haunted Mansion got substantial makeovers in the past few years - Or Space Mountain being updated. Or even the new announcement for Star Tours 2.0.

I get a little tired of the me, me, me - "yeah, it looks great, and will make hundreds of thousands of other people estatic, but what's in it for me?"

Well said! Some of these posts have come off sounding like there's not (or shouldn't be) any place in the MK for the wildly popular Princess or Fairy characters beyond that tacky (IMO) meet & greet that keeps parents of young kids standing in line in the middle of a huge gift shop for an hour+ to meet them. Little girls want rides and fun areas with their favorite characters to explore too, not just long meet & greet lines and expensive character meals.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

LOL, all vacations are about "what's in it for me!" Why else do people go on vacations?!That is the most ridiculous thing I've heard yet.

My issue with the area is that some poor little boys are going to have to either stand in 12 different lines or wait on a park bench while their sibs get their picture with a princess. You could blow a whole morning there. God Forbid. There isn't anything in that area to occupy them. Yes, they could go elsewhere if there is a second caregiver, but a lot of single parents take their kids. Mine did.

As far as EE, I'd bet there are as many females who ride as males. It isn't as though girls don't like adventure, too.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

I wouldn't say *ALWAYS*. When I was a young boy, 2 of my favorite rides were 20,000 Leagues and Mr. Toads Wild Ride.

LOL, I loved riding Mr. Toad when we were at DL last year. I still find it so funny that he goes to hell!

 

[letthewookiewin]

Not every new thing is going to appeal to everyone - nor is it suppose to.

I didn't see a bunch of posts by parents of aged 2-6 year old little "princesses" asking, "What's in it for us?" when Everest was built. Or when Pirates or Haunted Mansion got substantial makeovers in the past few years - Or Space Mountain being updated. Or even the new announcement for Star Tours 2.0.

I get a little tired of the me, me, me - "yeah, it looks great, and will make hundreds of thousands of other people estatic, but what's in it for me?"

Your giving example of individual rides, and not entire lands. Those are two totally different things. It's like compairing a lion's paw to a tiger, it just doesn't work. You have to remember, this is a public board. Just b/c you don't agree with the view of the person doesn't make their disappointment any less valid than your excitement.

 

[Colleen27]

My issue with the area is that some poor little boys are going to have to either stand in 12 different lines or wait on a park bench while their sibs get their picture with a princess. You could blow a whole morning there. God Forbid. There isn't anything in that area to occupy them. Yes, they could go elsewhere if there is a second caregiver, but a lot of single parents take their kids. Mine did.

What is there to occupy them now, as they wait through an hour-long line to meet the Princesses and another for the Fairies in Toontown? I would think 5 shorter waits in 5 different locations would be better than 2 1 hour+ waits in one location, especially when that location is a gift shop!

And why is it such a bad thing of siblings to learn to have patience with things that aren't their cuppa tea for the sake of a brother or sister with different interests? I'm the mother of an 11yo boy and 8 & 1yo girls. I'm not clamoring for Disney to add something for girls to Lights, Motors, Action or the Indy show, both of which my son loves and my older daughter simply puts up with. From the 11yo's POV, he would much rather meet the Princesses in their areas the way we sometimes do at Epcot, where he can look around, hunt for Hidden Mickey's, or just sit and relax than at a character meal where the Princesses try to get him to play along too. Plus he's a budding foodie and he'd much rather Citricos than 1900 Park Fare, so if we can reliably meet the Princesses in the park without the hassles of the current set-up, that'll be one less character meal and one more of the nicer TS experiences he prefers.

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

I don't think the lines will be shorter at all. There isn't any reason they will be.

And patience is one thing, but all of the family should enjoy their time. Not just the princesses. You obviously don't think that boys should have stuff to do. I do. I've had to wait while a selfish person wasted time in DL. It sucks.

 

[Plumeria]

What is there to occupy them now, as they wait through an hour-long line to meet the Princesses and another for the Fairies in Toontown? I would think 5 shorter waits in 5 different locations would be better than 2 1 hour+ waits in one location, especially when that location is a gift shop!

And why is it such a bad thing of siblings to learn to have patience with things that aren't their cuppa tea for the sake of a brother or sister with different interests? I'm the mother of an 11yo boy and 8 & 1yo girls. I'm not clamoring for Disney to add something for girls to Lights, Motors, Action or the Indy show, both of which my son loves and my older daughter simply puts up with. From the 11yo's POV, he would much rather meet the Princesses in their areas the way we sometimes do at Epcot, where he can look around, hunt for Hidden Mickey's, or just sit and relax than at a character meal where the Princesses try to get him to play along too. Plus he's a budding foodie and he'd much rather Citricos than 1900 Park Fare, so if we can reliably meet the Princesses in the park without the hassles of the current set-up, that'll be one less character meal and one more of the nicer TS experiences he prefers.

Great post! I agree 100%!

 

[TinkerBelle_325]

Not every new thing is going to appeal to everyone - nor is it suppose to.

I didn't see a bunch of posts by parents of aged 2-6 year old little "princesses" asking, "What's in it for us?" when Everest was built. Or when Pirates or Haunted Mansion got substantial makeovers in the past few years - Or Space Mountain being updated. Or even the new announcement for Star Tours 2.0.

I get a little tired of the me, me, me - "yeah, it looks great, and will make hundreds of thousands of other people estatic, but what's in it for me?"

I completely agree with this post!

Your giving example of individual rides, and not entire lands. Those are two totally different things. It's like compairing a lion's paw to a tiger, it just doesn't work. You have to remember, this is a public board. Just b/c you don't agree with the view of the person doesn't make their disappointment any less valid than your excitement.

Everest wasn't "a single attraction" it is a HUGE area of Asia that cost $100 million! And it has FAR more appeal to young boys than to young girls.

We aren't saying your disappointment isn't valid, what we are saying is that there is a lot for boys at WDW. Fantasyland is not the "baby girly" land but if you choose to see it that way others can see Everest, Tomorrowland, Frontierland and Adventureland as the "boyish" lands as the appeal there is far more adventure based. Do you see a lot of girls running around with the toy guns and swords, the cowboy and pirate outfits? How about the fact that the Pirate's League only has one "girl" package? Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but saying there is nothing for boys is a gross exageration.

The only "princess" things that have been added in recent years are as follows:
Akershus Character Meals
Bipity Bopity Boutique
Pixie Hollow

The "boy" things that have been added are:
Pirates of the Caribbean Jack Sparrow & Barbossa addition
Pirate's League
Pirate Tutorial
Stitch's Great Escape

Doesn't seem unbalanced to me

What is there to occupy them now, as they wait through an hour-long line to meet the Princesses and another for the Fairies in Toontown? I would think 5 shorter waits in 5 different locations would be better than 2 1 hour+ waits in one location, especially when that location is a gift shop!

And why is it such a bad thing of siblings to learn to have patience with things that aren't their cuppa tea for the sake of a brother or sister with different interests? I'm the mother of an 11yo boy and 8 & 1yo girls. I'm not clamoring for Disney to add something for girls to Lights, Motors, Action or the Indy show, both of which my son loves and my older daughter simply puts up with. From the 11yo's POV, he would much rather meet the Princesses in their areas the way we sometimes do at Epcot, where he can look around, hunt for Hidden Mickey's, or just sit and relax than at a character meal where the Princesses try to get him to play along too. Plus he's a budding foodie and he'd much rather Citricos than 1900 Park Fare, so if we can reliably meet the Princesses in the park without the hassles of the current set-up, that'll be one less character meal and one more of the nicer TS experiences he prefers.

The waiting balances out somewhere. Wait in a 1 hour line for princesses. Wait in a 1 hour line for Lights, Motors, Action! etc...

I don't think the lines will be shorter at all. There isn't any reason they will be.

And patience is one thing, but all of the family should enjoy their time. Not just the princesses. You obviously don't think that boys should have stuff to do. I do. I've had to wait while a selfish person wasted time in DL. It sucks.

The lines may not be shorter but the experiences will be far more immersive! Plus the indication is that groups will be let in at once and get say 15 mins with the princess. Its not just "hi! *smile* *picture* bye!" You get to dance with Cinderella, celebrate Aurora's birthday, see Beast's Library with Belle etc.

Nowhere did anyone say boys dont deserve stuff to do! In fact, there is LOTS for them to do! They can go see the Pirate Tutorial, which is far longer than a meet & greet. They can go on Pirates, get a Pirate makeover etc.

 

[mjpeter]

I'm a mother of three boys....the princess attractions are never an issue for us since we can skip them. I do feel for the boys that have to wait in long lines for something that is of no interest to them. I know my nieces enjoy dinosaurs and pirates, but it's hard to try to coax my older sons into fantasy land at all. In fact, I have one day with my youngest planned alone for a Crystal Palace meal and some rides (Winnie the Pooh, It's a Small World) that my older sons are embarrassed to ride. (My husband is taking my older sons to Kennedy Space Center that day)

I really think the other lands in MK and the other parks are great for boys.

We can obviously work around the attractions, but I would LOVE more meals with boys characters. I think that is where Disney is lacking....my youngest son keeps telling me he wants to eat with Buzz. Why isn't there a Toy Story meal? Wouldn't that appeal to boys and girls?

 

[letthewookiewin]

I completely agree with this post!



Everest wasn't "a single attraction" it is a HUGE area of Asia that cost $100 million! And it has FAR more appeal to young boys than to young girls..

Actually Expedition Everest itself is just one ride. It may take up a "huge" area b/c it's a roller coaster and they tend to do that. It's still not the same thing. EE is just an attraction inside Asia. If you want to compare apples to apples you would need to compaire Fantasyland to Asia, not to EE. Inside the new Fantasyland there are many meet and greets, and a new attraction that are more geared toward girls. EE is yet again, another one of those non gender specific rides that people keep using as a boy thing b/c it doesn't have a princess or fairy in it.

We aren't saying your disappointment isn't valid, what we are saying is that there is a lot for boys at WDW. Fantasyland is not the "baby girly" land but if you choose to see it that way others can see Everest, Tomorrowland, Frontierland and Adventureland as the "boyish" lands as the appeal there is far more adventure based. Do you see a lot of girls running around with the toy guns and swords, the cowboy and pirate outfits? How about the fact that the Pirate's League only has one "girl" package? Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but saying there is nothing for boys is a gross exageration.

Actually I have seen many girls that would rather run around in a pirate outfit than a princess one. This maybe b/c I used to work in day care and was around a lot of school aged girls every day. I would guess there are a lot more girls wanting to get the makeover at the Pirate League than boys wanting to ge the "cool dude" package at BBB. Unlike with the Pirate League, BBB has 2 locations for girls to get make overs. They don't have to offer multiple packages at the PL b/c the girls already have multiple to pick from at BBB. Actually girls are still getting a better deal at PL than boys get at BBB. At BBB boys do not have the option of buying a costume, and girls do get that at PL. No one said there isn't stuff for boys. However saying that it is equal, especially when most people site gender nuetral things as boys things, is itself "a gross exageration".

The only "princess" things that have been added in recent years are as follows:
Akershus Character Meals
Bipity Bopity Boutique
Pixie Hollow

The "boy" things that have been added are:
Pirates of the Caribbean Jack Sparrow & Barbossa addition
Pirate's League
Pirate Tutorial
Stitch's Great Escape

Doesn't seem unbalanced to me



The waiting balances out somewhere. Wait in a 1 hour line for princesses. Wait in a 1 hour line for Lights, Motors, Action! etc...



The lines may not be shorter but the experiences will be far more immersive! Plus the indication is that groups will be let in at once and get say 15 mins with the princess. Its not just "hi! *smile* *picture* bye!" You get to dance with Cinderella, celebrate Aurora's birthday, see Beast's Library with Belle etc.

Nowhere did anyone say boys dont deserve stuff to do! In fact, there is LOTS for them to do! They can go see the Pirate Tutorial, which is far longer than a meet & greet. They can go on Pirates, get a Pirate makeover etc.

Maybe the reason they have added more boy stuff is b/c before those thing were added, there were WAY more girl specific things to do than boy specific things.

 

[tarak]

Our Beauty and the Beast DVD died a sorry death several months ago so I have no idea when or if our son would ever watch it. But the idea of trying to attract boys with the villains from that movie is sort of grotesque, since Gaston is a chauvinistic pig. I'm fervently hoping my son never thinks Gaston is a cool villain.

edited because I'm more than "kind of" hoping...

 

[cindyfan]

http://www.wdwinfo.com/news/General_Disney_News/Major_Theme_Park_Updates_Announced.htm

Follow this link and it says what they are going to do to attract boys. Who says Disney doesn't think of everyone!

I'm sorry.... but I had to chuckle at this one.....

here's what it said...

To attract boys to the area, the films' villains will also play a role in the update.

It's like saying.......
We are building this whole New fantastic, Great, Huge Princess Land.... and oh, yea.... we will throw in a little something for the boys.

Don't get me wrong.... I love everything Disney and am VERY EXCITED about the new expansion & upgrades, etc.....
But.... IMHO.... the boys get shorted!

 

[lugnut33]

Our Beauty and the Beast DVD died a sorry death several months ago so I have no idea when or if our son would ever watch it. But the idea of trying to attract boys with the villains from that movie is sort of grotesque, since Gaston is a chauvinistic pig. I'm fervently hoping my son never thinks Gaston is a cool villain.

edited because I'm more than "kind of" hoping...

and he probably has high cholesterol.

 

[tarak]

and he probably has high cholesterol.

And his feet probably smell.
Hmm. So do my daughters' from time to time.

 

[cindyfan]

but that the name only (Fantasyland) doesn't exclusively sound like a "girl place."

Oh.... I totally agree! "Fantasyland" doesn't sound like a gender specific name. And it shouldn't be!
But they are making it gender specific with all the Princess additions. That .... I think is the issue!

just wanted to add..... it is "Fantasyland"... so ..... no, Toy Story or Cars do not belong there! They are right where they belong... DHS!

They need to bring back something like 20,000 Leagues, or do a King Arthur attraction....
those would be great additions to a "Fantasyland"!