Most people think Disney and think princess. It’s not that hard to correlate the two especially when Disney has amazing initiatives like Dream Big, Princess. And it really surprised me that when I performed a google search the other day to plan out our October Disney itinerary it was a struggle for me to find a post specific to taking your little boys to Disney World. There are plenty of articles about Disney with kids, but sometimes I just want to find something specific and non-princess related and I feel like that shouldn’t be a struggle. When we see princesses at Disney RJ makes sure to make it a point to point them out and say “look mommy YOUR favorite girls!”. My boys love a good Disney film but they could care less about meeting a princess in the parks. Yet and still there are plenty of things to do at Walt Disney World and Disney Springs that aren’t princess related at all. I’m here to provide you with the ultimate guide to Disney World with boys.
Animal Kingdom
If you are looking for a park that everyone will love but the princesses are few, Animal Kingdom is it. Animal Kingdom is full of experiences that the whole family will love a. This park is also a big hit with our little boys because there are several dinosaur related attractions and well… little boys and dinosaurs. Here are a few of the must see experiences at Animal Kingdom, and this list only touches the surface of all there is to see and do.
Must Ride Attractions at Animal Kingdom: Avatar Flight of Passage, Kilimanjaro Safaris, Expedition Everest
Favorite Shows at Animal Kingdom: Festival of the Lion King, Rivers of Light, Finding Nemo – The Musical
Must Visit Interactive Spaces: Rafiki’s Planet Watch, Gorilla Falls, Maharajah Jungle Trek
Light Shows: Rivers of Light: We Are One, Tree of Life Awakenings
Epcot
Epcot is a favorite park among adults for many reasons. This is the best place to eat and drink around the world. Still, the experiences are plenty for kids and children 3 and under enter Epcot for free.
Epcot Character Spot: If you happen to come across this post before September 8th 2019, then the best place to meet some of your favorite Disney characters is at the Epcot Character Spot. Here you can meet Mickey, Minnie and Donald. You can also meet Joy and Sadness from Inside Out, Baymax, Pooh and Chip N Dale are usually close by. This space is due to close on September 8th 2019 due to the exciting new additions coming to Epcot, but I’m sure the characters new locations will be announced soon.
The Seas with Nemo and Friends: An entire section based off of the Finding Nemo franchise can be found in Epcot. Turtle Talk with Crush lets children talk to characters from the movie. There is also a huge aquarium and ride based off of the movie.
Epcot’s World Showcase: This is where you eat, drink and shop around the world. You can probably spend an entire day visiting Mexico, Japan, Italy and France. There are restaurants, shopping, live shows and entertainment all within the park.
Fireworks Show: Prior to fall 2019 IllumiNations is Epcot’s amazing fireworks show. After 2019, Epcot Forever will be the show at Epcot before a new show arrives in 2020.
Hollywood Studios
With Toy Story Land, Galaxy’s Edge (opening soon) and Animation Courtyard this park (while under some construction) has some super fun experiences that your guys will love. If you are a mom of little Disney lovers Hollywood Studios is the best place to see all the Disney Junior characters!
Must Ride Attractions at Hollywood Studios: Slinky Dog Dash, Toy Story Mania!, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Must See Shows at Hollywood Studios: Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy, Disney Junior Dance Party, Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular
Light Shows: Fantasmic!, Wonderful World of Animation, Star Wars: A Galactic Spectacular
Magic Kingdom
Magic Kingdom is easily the most magical part of Disney World. The castle is amazing and it is one of my favorite places to take pictures in the parks. It’s pretty much a MUST see when you’re visiting the parks. Gaston, Goofy, and Donald Duck are some of our favorite characters to meet in greet while in this park. There are countless parades, shows and endless characters to meet in this park. Magic Kingdom is also the park where you’ll find Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, and A Very Merry Christmas Party. So other than these ticketed events what are our favorite non-princess related attractions?
Must Ride Attractions at Magic Kingdom: Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Tomorrowland Speedway, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, Mad Tea Party, etc etc.. I could really go on forever in Magic Kingdom
Favorite Shows at Magic Kingdom: Monster’s Inc Laugh Floor, The Muppets Present Great Moments in History, Move It! Shake It! MousekeDance It! Street Party
Must Visit Interactive Spaces: Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade, A Pirate’s Adventure – Treasure of the Seven Seas
Fireworks/Light Shows at Magic Kingdom: Once Upon a Time, Happily Ever After
Disney Springs
While Disney Springs is more of a restaurant/shopping area and not a “park” there is a TON of things to do that will burn off the never ending little boy energy. We usually go at the end of the day so its a pretty busy space and I wouldn’t be able to tell you much about what it’s like early in the day. Here are some of our favorite places to visit in Disney Springs.
T-Rex Cafe: Because I said boys and dinosaurs right? T-Rex cafe is a huge dinosaur themed restaurant. Animatronic dinosaurs fill the restaurant and of course our boys favorite spot is the Paleo Zone. Your little ones have the chance to dig for dinosaur bones and stones/gems in the huge sand pit located at the front of the restaurant.
NBA Experience: New to Disney Springs, the NBA Experience boast 13 different interactive experiences in their location. I’m sure the combination of NBA and Disney magic is something to be seen.
The LEGO Store: My boys want to go into a LEGO store no matter where they see one but as you can imagine the LEGO store at Disney Springs is huge and there are tons of spaces where kids can get hands on with the bricks.
Making the Most of Your Experience
Planning ahead is SO important for your trip to Disney. If you think you can go in and freestyle it, you can’t. Especially with children it’s important to have at least a soft plan that you are willing to make small adjustments to. While princesses are magical for all there are a ton of experiences that will make your trip to Walt Disney World with little boys just as magical. Since you don’t want to waste time figuring out your day, check out these 6 Apps to Make Your Walt Disney World experience MUCH easier.
What are you little guys favorite things to do at Disney? Have you ever done Disney with boys?
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