Something for the little guys…

Something for the little guys…
Tony Caggiano

Allow me to preface this article by saying, I love the Disney Princesses. I have long been a fan of princess films and Cinderella is, in my humble opinion, one of the finest Disney films ever made. I appreciate the fact that Snow White is the film that started it all, before that, seven minutes was about as long as anyone dared to entertain with the use of animation. I could go on and on about the Disney Princesses, after all, who doesn’t love them all?

Now, as a Dad to two little boys, I have noticed that the much anticipated expansion of Fantasyland focuses quite heavily on Princesses, and as such, seems to be aimed, primarily, at an audience comprised of little girls. I am looking forward to seeing what the new and improved Fantasyland has in store for us, but today I wanted to focus our attention on just what there is at Walt Disney World for the little guys to enjoy.

For just about every offering aimed at little girls, I have been able to find a “counter offer” of sorts for the little boys. Cinderella’s Royal Table may be the toughest character meal ticket in town, but if you are dining with some young lads, I would suggest giving a meal like Chef Mickey’s a try. The Fab 5, Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto (if you weren’t already aware), are your hosts for this fun filled adventure. While everyone enjoys them, little boys in your group will have the meal of their lifetime in their presence.

Another character meal, breakfast in this particular situation, which is really enjoyed by young boys, is held every morning over at ‘Ohana. The Lilo and Stitch Best Friends character breakfast is always a favorite with my boys, Stitch’s visits to our table have always resulted in lots of giggles and fantastic photo opportunities.

If stopping by Ariel’s Grotto for pictures with the Little Mermaid doesn’t garner the excitement of the young men in your party, a wonderful photo op alternative is to stop by Disney’s Hollywood Studios to meet Lightning McQueen and Mater over near the entrance to Lights, Motors, Action Stunt Show. The toughest thing about our visit to the stars of the Pixar film Cars, was trying to explain to my 18-month-old son, Dylan, that he would have to wait in line for his turn to meet his heroes. A nice bonus is that there is rarely a very long line to meet them. While a meeting with Tinkerbell and her Fairy friends can often be accompanied by up to an hour wait, meeting these two lugnuts can usually be accomplished with less than ten minutes in a queue.

One of the biggest girl-centric offerings of the past few years has been the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. Even before I had children of my own I would marvel at the smiles of the little girls who were walking around the parks after their princess makeovers, they were on cloud nine. Last year, I was thrilled to see that Disney was responding to the popularity of the BBB with a new adventure for everyone, little boys in particular, The Pirates League. I look forward to my little guys’ first trip to join in the fun over there this June.

These are just a few of the many things to do with the little guys in your family. So, if you are the parent of little boys, you can actually take heart in knowing that there are some wonderful things to do with them, just as you can with your little girls, and often with less than half the wait.