Winnie the Pooh for a ten year old...

[Magpie]

My son is *still* a big fan of Winnie the Pooh, both the cartoons and the original stories. He'll be ten when we travel to WDW this December, and he has asked for a Pooh bear stuffy - that's the only souvenir he wants.

I know there's the Pooh ride, and we'll definitely go on that. There's also a Pooh themed playground, isn't there? Is he too big for that at ten (and, er... quite tall for his age)? Where would we find Pooh characters, if he wanted to get his photo taken?

His Pooh thing is sort of a secret here at home - around the other boys he's all about violent video games and sports. I'd like to give him a bit of a treat at WDW, where he can just be himself, and like what he likes.

Any suggestions?

 

[GEM]

I'd reccomend doing the Pooh and Pals breakfast at the Crystal Palace - great food and fun character time! I took a group of high school students (boys and girls) last summer and tbey ALL loved breakfast at the Crystal Palace. You should have seen those big old boys getting all worked up over having their picture taken with Pooh and Tigger!

Another great place to find Pooh is in the back of the toy shop in the UK at Epcot. He's there quite often and it's never crowded, so you get lots of time with him. Check a character schedule or ask a CM when he'll be there.

The Pooh ride at MK is great and there are tons of stuffed Pooh's available in the gift shop at the ride exit. The ride is popular and lines get very long very fast, so go there first thing in the morning!

As for the Playground, your guy would probably enjoy just checking it out, but there's not really anything for him to play on there. It's all very small and obviously designed for the preschool set. I think there is also a height limit to play posted at the entrance.

Have fun!

 

[Magpie]

I'd reccomend doing the Pooh and Pals breakfast at the Crystal Palace - great food and fun character time! I took a group of high school students (boys and girls) last summer and tbey ALL loved breakfast at the Crystal Palace. You should have seen those big old boys getting all worked up over having their picture taken with Pooh and Tigger!

Another great place to find Pooh is in the back of the toy shop in the UK at Epcot. He's there quite often and it's never crowded, so you get lots of time with him. Check a character schedule or ask a CM when he'll be there.

The Pooh ride at MK is great and there are tons of stuffed Pooh's available in the gift shop at the ride exit. The ride is popular and lines get very long very fast, so go there first thing in the morning!

As for the Playground, your guy would probably enjoy just checking it out, but there's not really anything for him to play on there. It's all very small and obviously designed for the preschool set. I think there is also a height limit to play posted at the entrance.

Have fun!

Thank you! This is great. I'll definitely look for Pooh in EPCOT, and I'll talk to my husband about making a reservation at the Crystal Palace. He's not keen on table service because of the expense, but I checked my guide and it says it's only 19 dollars for breakfast and 21 dollars for lunch...

Are the Pooh characters also there for lunch?

Thanks for all the useful info! I'm really excited about this trip, most especially because it means my big, serious, responsible son will get to be a kid again for a little while.

 

[GEM]

Yep, the Pooh characters are there for all three meals. Breakfast is the least expensive, and the food at breakfast is very good.

Another bonus, you can make an early breakfast reservation before park opening time, so you aren't "wasting" park time at a restaurant. We like to do an 8am breakfast there (that's the earliest they offer) on days when the MK has a 9am opening time. That way we can enjoy breakfast and be ready to go by the time the park opens!

Here's a picture of my "big kids" with Piglet at the Crystal Palace, having the time of their lives and not worrying about being "cool".

And here's a picture with Pooh at the toy store in the UK at Epcot.

Show him these pictures of my high school age kids and tell him he's not the only "big kid" who loves Pooh!

 

[SplashMtnCrew]

You should definelty do the Crystal Palace And don't think anything of your DS's attachment to Pooh. My DS who will turn 12 two weeks after our trip, simply adores Mary Poppins, one of his favorite movies and his second most treasured character autograph, after Mickey of course We don't mention Mary Poppins except at home too. I mentioned the breakfast w/ Mary at the GF but he said no thanks, and we totally understand why. BTW, our DS is totally looking forward to our breakfast at CP
Have a great trip!

 

[Magpie]

Yep, the Pooh characters are there for all three meals. Breakfast is the least expensive, and the food at breakfast is very good.

Another bonus, you can make an early breakfast reservation before park opening time, so you aren't "wasting" park time at a restaurant. We like to do an 8am breakfast there (that's the earliest they offer) on days when the MK has a 9am opening time. That way we can enjoy breakfast and be ready to go by the time the park opens!

Here's a picture of my "big kids" with Piglet at the Crystal Palace, having the time of their lives and not worrying about being "cool".

And here's a picture with Pooh at the toy store in the UK at Epcot.

Show him these pictures of my high school age kids and tell him he's not the only "big kid" who loves Pooh!

I did show him these pictures, and thank you so much! My DS was very funny. He giggled and then said, "That is actually possible, you know. Anything's possible!" Meaning, I think, that he was kind of surprised to see big kids like that hanging out with Pooh, but he liked it, too.

You've got a terrific looking bunch of kids there! I love their t-shirts!

 

[GEM]

Glad he liked them! Here's a link to a whole album of normally cool and mature big kids doing LOTS of silly things at WDW - riding Dumbo, LOVING the characters, etc.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thesains/sets/72157594585434361/

Here's one he should definately see - The kids posing in front of Pooh's house at the Pooh playground at the Magic Kingdom.

I think lots of times we force our kids to grow up too fast. Disney gives an excuse to not worry about all of that!

 

[Magpie]

Glad he liked them! Here's a link to a whole album of normally cool and mature big kids doing LOTS of silly things at WDW - riding Dumbo, LOVING the characters, etc.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/thesains/sets/72157594585434361/

Here's one he should definately see - The kids posing in front of Pooh's house at the Pooh playground at the Magic Kingdom.

I think lots of times we force our kids to grow up too fast. Disney gives an excuse to not worry about all of that!

I showed him the picture! He's *very* interested in seeing the Pooh playground now, and I'd love to get some photos of our own. What about the height limit? They don't mind people wandering through to look/take pictures?

And yeah - it sometimes seems like my son has been growing up much too fast. He's had a few challenges so far (LD, medical), and now all he talks about is getting his first job (delivering flyers - starting next month) and his "work history" and worrying about doing well in school. He takes on a lot for a not-quite-ten-year old. Last year he was out shoveling snow and raking leaves for all our neighbors! I love his drive and determination, but I worry that he's too serious about it all.

I'll show him your slideshow - that should get him excited about the trip. Thanks!

 

[GEM]

I showed him the picture! He's *very* interested in seeing the Pooh playground now, and I'd love to get some photos of our own. What about the height limit? They don't mind people wandering through to look/take pictures?

No, no problems with checking it out, taking pictures, etc. I imagine they're just trying to make sure it's safe for the little biddies and that they aren't having bigger kids taking over the tiny slides, crawling tunnels, etc. It's a great little playground, very cute! Lots of great photo ops. Have fun!