4 and 8 year boys, not staying on property?

[scooterca42]

A friend is going down with her boys, ages 4 and 8. They're not staying on the property this time. It's their first trip and they'll be spending 5 days at the parks, possibly also doing the Christmas party.

Any thoughts about

- Character meals that are not quite so princess-heavy?
- Anything in the parks that would be must-do?
- Any other 'boy' things?

Frankly I'm only experienced with girls at the parks - boys are outside my experience!

Any help would be appreciated!

[c&d]

Chef Mickey's is good. Crystal Palace has the Pooh characters. Cape May buffet.

There's a pirate cruise from the Grand Floridian that our son did and really enjoyed it.

That's all I can think of right now. I'm sure others will come along with more.

[MizMissy]

My kids like the Donald's Safari Breakfast at Tusker House in AK.

Also, if this is their first time, I would think they are going to be so overwhelmed just trying to see the sights and ride the rides in the parks, I would not try to focus on any additional activities. I know my kids want as much park time as possible.

However, I do recommend an early breakfast with the characters. It's a nice way to start the day .... and the best part is arriving at the parks before opening and feeling like you have the entire place to yourself.

[buzznwoodysmom]

My boys are 2 years apart and we've been to WDW when they were around those ages. Here's a quick list of things my boys have enjoyed.

Favorite character meals: Ohana's and Chef Mickey's. They like Ohana's better because they get to see Mickey and Pluto, but also Lilo and Stitch! Boys also tend to love Rainforest Cafe and T-Rex. While not character meals, its still a fun place for kids to eat and will be much easier to get into if they are having trouble getting an ADR for a character meal.

Magic Kingdom: The Pirate League. My boys really enjoyed getting "made over" into pirates. My youngest enjoyed it so much he's done it three times now. My boys have also mentioned in the past that they'd like to get their hair cut in MK one day. We've never done it, and now that they are older not sure we ever will, but its a great alternative if they can't get an appointment for the pirate make over.

DHS: If they like Star Wars there is a Jedi Training "show". You can sign kids up to actually be in the show. You'd probably have to go straight there in the morning to be able to be in the show. My boys also love, love, love the Honey I shrunk the kids playground at this park.

Epcot: The Kim Possible Adventure is lots of fun for both boys and girls. My boys never seem to get tired of doing this in Epcot.

AK: They love the "dig site/dino playground". I know a lot of parents, myself included, think spending time on a playground is such a waste of time in WDW. But honestly, my boys have had so much fun at this playground, and its a great way to let them run off some of that never ending energy!

My boys have done the pirate adventure from CBR. I know there are similar pirate adventures from GF, and a few other resorts. Not sure how their parents would feel about allowing them to go off on a boat without them. My boys were 9 and 7 when they did it, and they also had their 7 and 12 year old cousins with them so I felt good about letting them go. Not sure I would have let them go at 4 and 8.

We have rented the little two seater boats from the Poly and GF in the past. My boys loved riding around, exploring by boat.

That's all I can think of right now. Like another poster mentioned, since its their first trip they may just want to focus on the rides, parades and fireworks, enjoy doing the parks without a lot of extras. We didn't start doing all these extra activities till we had been to WDW several times. It was more a way of keeping things new and exciting. The parks are so amazing that for a first timer you shouldn't need to spend time and money "finding" things to do. I hope they have a wonderful trip!

[andreallybadeggs]

Encourage your friend to avoid the extra magic hours parks each day since they will not be on property. My boys always loved the Lego area at Downtown Disney.

[Kairi_7378]

The Garden Grill gets good reviews on Intercot and seems to be more boy friendly.

One thing that we did on our last trip was to try lots of snacks when we explored the World Showcase. Made it a lot more interesting for our little guy.

[CosmicRay]

My biggest concern is, if they are going THIS Christmas, they better grab some ADR's quickly and if something is not available one day, then they can check another day to see if anything came available.

I would assume Garden Grill wouldn't be as difficult to get a reservation this close to a December date. The food is good and the atmosphere is nice! We've gone there on a few occasions.

The Sci-Fi Dine In is another good one for boys.

Even if they can't get into a reserved table service meal, there is still Cosmic Ray's Starlite Cafe and Pizza Planet that my boys enjoy.

[scooterca42]

Excellent suggestions, everyone, I passed them on and they thank you very much! So do I.

[Tink#64]

Boys are soooo easy to please! I have 2! They just like to go! Mine like it best when we don't have a defined agenda! My DS's like to flow with the wind! They like to be busy & engaged, but not tied down. They have been visiting WDW since they were 4 & 6 & they enjoy all 4 parks, & just to be moving & doing. My DS's have always enjoyed eating at the Sci Fi Dine In Theatre, shopping in Once Upon A Toy & The Lego Store in DTD, any & all attractions, rides, shows, etc. The engaging activities in Innoventions are especially good for busy boys! As long as we kept moving, they were pretty happy! We never had to have an elaborate plan, & mine enjoyed character meals, but I think they enjoyed eating dinner poolside during a swim break just as much! The pressed pennies were a hit with mine. It was like a big scavenger hunt for them! Filling thoe pressed penny books was a direct challenge for them, kinda like collecting character autograph's! Again, as long as they were busy, it was all good!

[gaffz70]

My boys loved meeting the power rangers, buzz & woody and lightening McQueen in DHS. Once inside the park there is a booklet w/ all meet and greet times. We were early for buzz & woody and get to open the barn doors to let them out, that made their day!