Help! My Husband Wants to go to Disney World! [Archive] - The DIS Discussion Forums

kaffinito

01-30-2009, 06:55 AM

This is my first attempt at a Pre-Trip Report. :) I thought that this particular trip I should document somehow. You'll see why....

In just under a month my wonderful H is going to go with me to WDW. He does not like Disney or anything Disney related because he was raised in a religious home and community and was not exposed to Disney like most of us were. There is a big difference between those of us who “grew up Disney” and people who weren’t.

Here is the cast of characters. There’s me, Karen, a 40ish currently unemployed mother of two ASD boys. I usually work as a bookkeeper, but am taking some time off for a little while longer. My Dad was diagnosed with a terminal cancer (mesothelioma - cancer of the lungs) and I spent most of the summer taking care of him until he passed away in October. The last two months of his life I was living with him, and was his full time nurse and companion. So needless to say I need a little time off to get my head straight. (Not that it was all that straight to begin with!)

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/747/189195IMG_1715_1.jpg
This isn't the best photograph of me, but I like it!

My H is a warehouse manager who likes to box and is an exercise freak. I would say “nut” but he is way more than just a work out nut! His name is Shlomo. He was raised in a very religious community, and was not exposed to Disney (or TV) as a child. He is very intelligent, funny, and intense. He originally was against me going to WDW, but since it is something the kids and I “do” he sort of had to put up with my Disney obsession. (Sort of like I have to put up with his exercise obsession and the workout machines all over the house!) Did I mention he is also gifted in the art of compromise?

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/747/189195DSC_0187.JPG
His hair is short now, and he has a silly goatee, but his gives you an idea of what he looks like.

At any rate, I took a trip with the boys in August, and we stayed way too long for my H’s comfort at WDW. When we returned he announced that he wanted to go and see what all of “this Disney nonsense” was all about. “After all” he said, “you’re usually an intelligent, reasonable person so there might be something to all of this Disney crap”

So, that statement threw me into a planning frenzy.. I had to plan a trip that my H would like, and one that both of us would enjoy. (He can be a royal pain on vacations!) :scared:

Next up: Oh crap! H wants to go to Disney!

DisneyBride'03

01-30-2009, 09:24 AM

I'm here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Am I first??!!

Let's get this rolling!!!
Nice pics!!!

Sorry to hear about your father....I think it was wonderful what you did:)

So...how did you convince DH to purchase DVC?! Good for you! Or did you not convince him;) lol

kaffinito

01-30-2009, 03:12 PM

You are the first! :cheer2:

I didn't even have to convince him about DVC- that was the beauty of the whole thing. He and I have only been married for a few months and when you're in the honeymoon phase anything is possible! :rotfl2: Oh, and thank you for what you said about my father. Caring for him was the hardest and most impossible thing I have ever done.

Anyhow, I'm going to spill my guts and tell all in this pre-trip thingy, especially since I've managed to convince DH to go to MK with me!

Here are my upcoming posts. (Writing is therapeutic, you know!)

2. Boy am I ever in trouble! How many days are we going for?
3. The search for the husband-proof resort and the right activities for our trip.
4. The cheapest vacation ever! How the least expensive trip ended up costing a bundle. .
5. And then we bought DVC.
6. The stress over which restaurant to pick for the first night.
7. The Blizzard Beach vs Magic Kingdom Mexican standoff. – or, how to bargain and negotiate your way into a vacation!

DisneyBride'03

01-30-2009, 03:16 PM

I love it! lol
Cant wait to read.......I think he will love AKV! Its not "too girly"...the manliest of all resorts I think! lol0 Next to WL....however, AKV/L has a more upscale feel to it than WL...my opinion only:) But I did love the boat to MK and the beach:)!!

kaffinito

01-30-2009, 03:43 PM

I agree with you on WL vs AKL. But WL looks so much like the places you can get in the Midwest that it might defeat the purpose. Imagine 5 days of hearing "we could have stayed in a place like this in Michigan!"! :crazy2:

BTW, did you notice that a lot of us on the Resort Changers thread are Midwesterners?

Singinglizzie

01-30-2009, 04:09 PM

DisneyBride'03

01-30-2009, 04:12 PM

kaffinito

01-30-2009, 04:18 PM

OK, Im in too - I don't want to be left out!!!! Your DH sounds like mine. Although my dh was raised with religion, he was raised with out television :scared1: and was raised to be an intelectual - see I can't even spell it :rotfl: . Looking forward to your trip plans!!!!!

So was mine! The only thing he was allowed to do was read "approved" religious books. He caught up on TV after he left the religion though! :happytv: He was also raised to become an intellectual. He graduated from High School at age 16 and from college with his Masters in Physics at age 21. Talk about a warped upbringing! :lmao:

Glad you're in!

I'll post more pictures tomorrow. :thumbsup2

kaffinito

01-31-2009, 04:24 AM

Man oh man was I ever in trouble! He actually wants me to take him to Disney World! :scared1: My first thought was “Wahhh – I don’t want to take him at all!” Talk about wrecking a good thing! WDW is my happy relaxing place, and going with him will be like nails on a chalkboard for my nerves. But I sucked it up, and after he mentioned it a few more times over the next week, I decided to bite the bullet and start planning.

This was going to be a really tricky trip to plan. He had to like it, but not enough to go with us on our summer trips. We like to go and relax, eat, and spend enough time there to get our fill. He likes to go somewhere for a few days and then leave quickly. Not a good match for trips with the boys! So I had to start making a plan.

The first step to figure out was when to go. The dates were relatively simple to nail down, since we couldn’t go during the normal school break times. I wanted to make sure that crowds were low for our trip.

I knew I would be seriously jonesing far a trip to the World by the middle of January, but didn’t want too much time between the trip with my H and our annual August trip. That left February and March. February was out due to Presidents Day weekend and those crowds, and April was automatically out due to Easter. I figured that early March would work best since the crowds would still be low and we could swim at the resort.

Even if we ended up there at the same time as the :cheer2: cheerleading competitions, I figured that we would still be golden crowd-wise. So I started putting together a plan for the first week in March. Then I had to figure out how much time we could spend there. I asked H, and he said “I can probably do three or four days”

Um, excuse me? What?!?! Three or four days! In Disney World! You are joking, right? I can’t possibly put together a mind blowing yet relaxing experience for you and pull it off in three to four days! I just couldn’t deal with the pressure of that yet, so I decided to focus on where to stay.

Which resort would be just right for Shlomo? :scratchin It had to be green, comfortable, quiet, and had to have a workout center. That really narrowed it down for me! I was waffling between OKW, AKL, and the Poly. Poly was really my choice, but wouldn’t be right for him at all. Poly has no hot tub, and he would have to walk to GF to work out. Not a good combination! Plus, if he found out how much it cost, then he would be crabbing the whole trip and I wouldn’t be able to book it again, ever, on a future trip. And I do plan on booking it at some point during my lifetime and staying a whole week there! :beach:

So where to stay?

Backstage_Gal

01-31-2009, 08:38 PM

I'm In! Great start.

BTW, all Disney resorts are green certified now.

kaffinito

02-01-2009, 08:44 AM

So I posted on the Resort thread for ideas on suggestions for our stay. Most people picked Poly, my first choice, but second runner up was AKL. Well, as I said before, the Poly would not work for my husband, so I decided to go with AKL. AKL has a gorgeous lobby that you won’t find anywhere else, a great pool, a good workout room (that I could see from the DSA whilst smoking last trip) and some really great restaurants.

Then I had a brainstorm. I could rent points from a DVC member to keep the cost of the trip down. I had rented points in August for our last trip and had a nice value studio at AKL which would be perfect for me and my H!

So I contacted the gal that had rented points to me before, and she made a reservation for us for March 1-5th. The only problem was that she made it for a Savanna view, which I really didn’t want, and could not get concierge. I thought that concierge would take care of the problem of feeding my ever-snacking husband. A pool view studio would also be good for the two of us, since we like to people watch. But, I figured that I could stand a little bit of animal watching too! (And knowing me I’ll take another 150 or so photos of those darned birds again) :hyper:

Having a studio would also give us the best of both worlds. My H would get to stay in a resort that was definitely not like any place else that he would ever stay in, and yet he would be able to experience the best that WDW has to offer. I knew he would like the buses and the parks a lot more if he had AKL to go back to for R&R. With the animal watching and the green emphasis at that resort he would be impressed with Disney quality.

I left a photo of the AKL on my desktop as wallpaper, knowing that he would see it. When he did he wanted to know what that building was on my desktop. He said "Is that a photo of the place we're staying?" and when I said yes, he said "Wow does that place ever look nice!" So score one for the Wife! :thumbsup2

DisneyBride'03

02-01-2009, 08:59 AM

Jazzylolo

02-01-2009, 08:46 PM

I grew up in a very religious family myself. Although we did not have that strict of rules I had many friends who grew up without Disney! So sad IMO:sad1:

As for AKL...I think that is a great idea. My DH wants to stay there more than anything. We went to WDW for the first time for our 1 year anniversary last August. We would have stayed at AKL but we couldn't afford it. :sad:

I'm excited to see how the trip goes. I'm sure he will LOVE it!!

kaffinito

02-02-2009, 01:17 PM

AKV is like no other place....if doesnt get into the "parks", he will feel like he is being transported to another place at AKV! Their hidden hot tub...I love how everything is set up around the pool!
Victoria Falls Loungs is lovely, the rooms are amazing!
You will love the savanna view! Something so peaceful about it!
It is really hard to get into concierge:(
I was lucky enough once to book it in 08 for DD's bday trip, but then we cancelled and the whole family went on DCL Wonder and finished off that trip with a stay at AKV...we had an awesome sv on Kudu Trail!!

Great brainstorm!!

That's what I was thinking too! I figured he would really like either that or OKW, but thought that OKW would be a little too condo-ish for his first trip. If I want him to see what WDW is all about, and why I go there, then I needed to show him a place unlike any other, KWIM?

I grew up in a very religious family myself. Although we did not have that strict of rules I had many friends who grew up without Disney! So sad IMO:sad1:

As for AKL...I think that is a great idea. My DH wants to stay there more than anything. We went to WDW for the first time for our 1 year anniversary last August. We would have stayed at AKL but we couldn't afford it. :sad:

I'm excited to see how the trip goes. I'm sure he will LOVE it!!

I hope so! I think there are parts of it that he will like, but I am not sure about the parks at all. He will like AK and EPCOT, but not so sure about DHS. MK is a toss up. The resort is a shoe-in though!

kaffinito

02-02-2009, 01:23 PM

So we had the dates – March 1-5th and the resort, AKL (Or rather AKV) now I just had to figure out the food and the fun. I figured that with the money I saved on the room I could splurge on the fun.

I asked Shlomo what he wanted to do while there, and he said, “Well, just about anything.”

He is so Not Helpful. :sad2:

So I started giving him choices. “Would you rather do horseback riding or a Segway tour?” He picked horseback riding. So far so good. I ran down the list of choices and we came up with:

Couples massage at the Spa – (His idea!)
Horseback riding
Behind the Seeds at EPCOT Tour
Cirque du Soliel

We were going to do parasailing, and still might, but he really wants to go to Blizzard Beach and go down that four story tall water slide so it looks like I have to find time within the four day period to get him over to BB for half a day. Oh well, it’s his trip too! :rotfl2: I thought about the hours, and remembered that he’s the type of guy that’s up at 5:30 every morning, so rope drop and EMH should not be a problem.

The food was going to be tricky though. He’s not exactly a meat and potatoes guy, but he’s also not adventurous - when we go out to eat he always orders fish and chips. So I picked:

Boma for one breakfast and one dinner
Raglan Road (The salmon is to die for!) for our Cirque night dinner out
Cape May Buffet

The Cape May ADR has to go though. He really won’t like a lot of the food on the menu. Unfortunately the menu with the food best suited to him is WCC which will be way too loud for him.

My other choice is Rose and Crown which I am told has good fish and chips, but I am hoping to be in MK that night. I could just make an ADR for Trials End or the Plaza which would be ok too. Jiko is totally out. We have a rule in our house that if we can’t pronounce it we won’t eat it. I could take the boys to Jiko or to Bistro de Paris (or whatever it’s called) but not Shlomo!

He has also decided that we should have a very quiet dinner for our first night, so I might be looking into room service. :thumbsup2 Which would actually be really nice and very romantic as well! Come to think about it, that might be a perfect first night! Dinner in the room followed by dessert out on the balcony. :cloud9:

I used to wonder about those women who would post asking how to make the perfect first trip for their husbands, now I understand exactly what they were going though! :flower3:

kaffinito

02-03-2009, 06:06 AM

DWFan4Life

02-03-2009, 08:45 PM

MainStMandy

02-04-2009, 05:21 AM

I just found your ptr and it sounds great! We are staying at AKL for the first time in June...just for one night though. Can't wait to hear how he likes it!!

DisneyBride'03

02-04-2009, 10:25 AM

Now I'm leaning away from dinner in the room to a nice sit down dinner at Narcooses. :)

The trip planning is still going well, even though I don't have anyone but my fellow DISers to bounce ideas off of. DH has still only seen that one photo of AKL, and really doesn't want to know anything about the trip. :sad2:

We are actually leaving a day early now, since DH wants to see St. Augustine. I have a lot to show him there too! He's going to love the fort! (Castle San Marcos) :goodvibes

But we want to know everything about the trip:cheer2: That's why we have the DIS! :) Narcoosee's is wonderful, you will get my vote on that! We had our wedding rehearsal dinner there..we opened and closed the place:)

kaffinito

02-07-2009, 08:10 AM

How I wish we could also go to Disney as early as your trip but not gonna happen. We are planning on December and staying at Poly. I can't wait long for that. :sad2:

Have a nice and safe trip coming. :)

I know how you feel! I've been waiting for the Poly since 1973 and it looks like I won't get there for a few more years yet! If my husband hadn't wanted to go, then I would have stuck with my normal August - August trips. When are you going? We are going this Christmas too!

I just found your ptr and it sounds great! We are staying at AKL for the first time in June...just for one night though. Can't wait to hear how he likes it!!

Have you stayed there before? It's an incredible resort, and so beautiful! I know you'll love it! :goodvibes

But we want to know everything about the trip:cheer2: That's why we have the DIS! :) Narcoosee's is wonderful, you will get my vote on that! We had our wedding rehearsal dinner there..we opened and closed the place:)

Well if you like it then I will - I know you have good taste! :goodvibes

kaffinito

02-07-2009, 08:19 AM

Ready for more pics?

This is my youngest son John.

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/747/189195DSC_0246.JPG

This is Ben

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/747/189195DSC_0182.JPG

This is "Shlomo of the Tundra"

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/747/189195DSC_0238.JPG
He is a total ham!

And DH again with longer hair when he was outside boxing

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/747/189195DSC_0452.JPG

Me at DTD

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/500/189195IMG_1298_1.jpg

I take really horrible pictures! In real life I am much more attractive and a lot thinner! :rotfl2:

MainStMandy

02-07-2009, 08:37 AM

I know how you feel! I've been waiting for the Poly since 1973 and it looks like I won't get there for a few more years yet! If my husband hadn't wanted to go, then I would have stuck with my normal August - August trips. When are you going? We are going this Christmas too!

Have you stayed there before? It's an incredible resort, and so beautiful! I know you'll love it! :goodvibes

Haven't stayed, only visited! Can't wait to hear about it. Your family is just beautiful!

kaffinito

02-07-2009, 09:12 AM

Haven't stayed, only visited! Can't wait to hear about it. Your family is just beautiful!

June isn't that far away either! I'll make sure to take lots of pics for you. What kind of room did you book?

MainStMandy

02-07-2009, 09:37 AM

We are staying in the Jambo house, studio savanah view. Dbf is so excited to wake up with the animals, lol.

kaffinito

02-08-2009, 01:46 PM

Your family is just beautiful!

Thank you BTW! :goodvibes

kaffinito

02-08-2009, 01:52 PM

So our trip was turning out to be a pretty cheap one. I did have to add the DDP since my husband started talking about eating sandwiches while there, which to me is total blasphemy. I love to eat at WDW! With all of those wonderful places to eat, and a long list of restaurants still to try, eating sandwiches would be a total letdown for me. So I told him that I had prepaid for the DDP so our meals were all pre paid. A small white lie, but it would make for a better trip. ;)

So even with the cost for the DDP added in the trip was still coming out at a few hundred $$ less than it could have. I love crunching numbers, and was really happy with the way these numbers were coming out. The cost was really low, even with the DDP we were still coming out at under $1300.00. I was happy, and my husband was happy. Life was good.

Then the other shoe dropped. My ex husband decided to move to Texas. Ordinarily that wouldn’t be a problem, (ha ha!) but in this case it was. My oldest boy can be trusted to take care of our cats and to get himself to school, but my 8 year old obviously can’t. We were going to have my ex- baby-sit the youngest so we could take this trip. But now with my ex relocating to Texas, we had a serious problem. The oldest boy can baby-sit cats, but babysitting his younger brother is another matter. :lmao: My ex suggested that I fly the boys down to Texas for the week of our vacation, that way he could watch the kids and spend some time with them.

It boiled down to not being able to fly the youngest by himself and leave my oldest in charge of the house, since the youngest is ASD. He would definitely need someone to fly down to Texas with him. The only solution was either to cancel the trip or to fly both boys to Texas. Since the trip was already mostly paid for, with the rented (non refundable points and the tickets for Cirque, it would still cost us as much to cancel as it would to fly the kids to their Dad’s new place. So I had to bite the bullet and get the boys airline tickets along with an unaccompanied minor fee on top of it. My cheapish vacation just got a lot more expensive! :guilty:

If that wasn’t bad enough, another cost was added on when my H decided that it made good sense to buy DVC.

I know I shouldn't count the cost of DVC into the cost of our trip, but it was because of this trip and the one this summer (with the boys) that hubby started thinking of ways to save some $$$ on our trips. :angel:

kaffinito

02-09-2009, 11:14 AM

Buying into DVC!

So back up a few months, I think to somewhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas. My husband was asking about the August trip with the boys when he casually remarked that it would be cheaper for us to buy a vacation home in Florida then to stay at the WDW resorts all the time. He actually said that if we purchased a vacation home in Florida that then I could go to Disney world more often! :confused3

Ok, huh? Who are you? You can’t possibly be my husband. Are you on crack or something? But he was actually serious. He spent a few days looking for a place in Florida that would be close to Disney World so that I COULD GO MORE OFTEN! :scared1: Humm, wait a minute here. He wants me to go more often? What’s in it for him? Well, he said, “If we had a place down in Florida, then you could have cheaper vacations, and we could go down in the winters and maybe start spending a few months in Florida in the winters.”

So that was all logical and reasonable, but unfortunately the numbers didn’t add up. I’m a book keeper, remember? It’s all about the numbers for me. Sometimes I think those little cost comparison spreadsheets are the most fun in trip planning for me. I am such a dork! He was looking at buying a mobile home, and when you figured in lot rent it would cost us around $450 per month. Well, I saw my chance to get DVC and I took it! :teeth:

After some number crunching it became pretty apparent to me, and to my husband as well, that DVC would be the way for us to go. (wink wink) I made him a nice little cost comparison spread sheet, and also figured in the trips I had already taken and the two that I currently had booked. I had to take off some of the total cost though, since if my DH knew that somehow over the last two and a half years I had - or was going to - spend $15,000 on Disney vacations he would have a stroke!

Plus DVC would be good for the two of us as well. I knew from my research that Vero Beach and Hilton Head would be great places to take him. If we bought DVC I could take a nice trip to Vero Beach or Hilton Head with DH, and still get to WDW during the summer with the boys. DH (notice he’s slowly becoming a DH now) decided that it made the most financial sense for us to buy DVC. He is REALLY easy to convince if I can give him the right numbers! ;)

Well, I called up my guide Mario and purchased DVC in a few days before DH could change his mind! :yay: After some more number crunching of course, I figured it made the most long term sense to buy the new BLT instead of AKV. I really wanted to buy into OKW, but had no idea that I could as a first time buyer, or I would have. I love OKW and think it would be the best long term fit for us. But getting to stay so close to the MK and having that new shiny modern building will be seriously cool too! (Plus resale will be a lot better!)

So now we were, or rather I was, a new DVC owner with a trip coming up on rented points. In the middle of all of my trip planning and just before we bought DVC we bought a house. Yep, we did. It’s a small house on an acre of land, and we got a really good deal on it. So now I had to juggle the trip planning, the details of the new house including painting it and moving into it, and somehow manage to work part time and get the kids enrolled in their new schools. It really put a cramp into my DISboard surfing style! :) I was still trying to plan the trip and still trying to find the perfect restaurant for that first night dinner though!

Of course, with the possibility of more trips to WDW comes the need for AP’s, another added expense! It’s a bookkeeper’s nightmare! So now I am seriously bummed. The cost of my cheap little March trip that I was so proud of was now 3 times more what it would have cost had we stayed rack rate or had gotten the room on a pin code or other deal. Now I am $2,100 over budget for the trip. Of course we do own a house and DVC, so……

And that brings us to the final details of the trip. The parks!

DisneyBride'03

02-14-2009, 01:26 PM

Well if you like it then I will - I know you have good taste! :goodvibes

Thanks!!:hug:
Have to catch up here:)

kaffinito

02-14-2009, 02:19 PM

So I had to figure out the parks, and what attractions Shlomo would like. Actually, that was the easy part! ;)

Since he really doesn’t like to do much of anything, and since he thinks that WDW is just an amusement park, :scared1: the rides I could choose from were pretty limited.

I picked AK, DHS, and EPCOT for parks. Mk would have to be out since I didn’t think he would like any part of it. :sad1:

For AK, the Flights of Wonder show would be good, and the trails would be really good too. The Maharajah Jungle Trek especially, since that’s the one with the bats. We both LOVE bats, and AK has some really rare ones. The Pangani Forest Exploration Trail is also a really nice place to walk around to see the animals. A lot of people don’t realize that some of the animals and birds that you can see at AK are very rare and that AK has an extensive animal management program. It should be a really nice relaxing day. :cloud9:

Eating there would be easy, since we could eat either at Tusker house or Yak and Yeti. I think I’ll push for Yak and Yeti.

DHS was even easier. I hate that park and think it’s the most boring place on earth. :mad: However it does have the Muppet 3D movie and gift shop, which I know my Muppet loving husband will get a kick out of. :crazy: I also think that we might try to (finally) get to see the Indiana Jones adventure, since I seem to keep missing it. And that’s it for DHS!

EPCOT is a little more complicated, since he has no idea what’s there, and I have no idea where to take him besides the obvious non-Shlomo irritating places. I think we’ll concentrate on the science; I’ll take him to Club Cool. He’ll love the Land and will adore the Behind the Seeds tour. Maybe we’ll try Journey into Imagination. Then we can hit the World Showcase. AT WS we can see China, Mexico, and Morocco, and we can eat wherever he wants to.

I was still bummed about missing MK, but figured that later on I would try to introduce the idea to him and see if I could either get him to go, or get him to agree that I should go.

Since I would have an AP, I thought I should get him a four day MYW ticket with hopper, since he’s famous for changing his mind.

And that mind changing of his is what brought us to our standoff – Blizzard Beach vs. Magic Kingdom

DisneyBride'03

02-14-2009, 06:53 PM

kaffinito...do you want me to post those BLT model pics here or the other thread? I had them on here the whole time under another file! oops! lol

DisneyBride'03

02-14-2009, 07:05 PM

ok, you signed off..lol..I will post here:)

DisneyBride'03

02-14-2009, 07:06 PM

http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc68/dvcsangus/06DEC08_028.jpg
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http://i213.photobucket.com/albums/cc68/dvcsangus/s1121532943_250245_3671.jpg

DisneyBride'03

02-14-2009, 07:07 PM

oops sorry thought I flipped that one:) I wasnt trying to hijack your pre TR:)

kaffinito

02-17-2009, 09:26 PM

kaffinito

02-18-2009, 05:42 AM

Or, how to bargain and negotiate your way to the Magic Kingdom!

Well, all was set. I was still trying to figure out how to get myself over to MK though. I really wanted to be able to ride HM, POTC, TTA, and see CoP again, but needed to find a way to do it. :smickey: Then I found out that on our first day MK had EMH in the evening – my favorite – and knew I had to find a way. So I started to delicately broach the subject of MK with him.

The conversation went something like this.

Me: “Honey, I think it might be a good idea if we went to the Magic Kingdom to ride on a few rides there”

DH: “No way! I hate rides and don’t want to go to an amusement park. I hate amusement parks”

Me: “Honey, the Magic Kingdom is not an amusement park. It’s a theme park”

DH: “I don’t care what you call it, it’s still an amusement park and I don’t want to go”

So I was at a loss. :sad2: He wasn’t budging either. I even tried guilt and wheedling. I also suggested that he stay and relax at the resort and I go to MK for the evening. “Look, I have a DSLR and really want to take some night shots at MK.” No go. He whined “But I want to be with you!” “So, then be with me at the Magic Kingdom then!” :confused3

Then he was talking to a coworker of his who was telling him about this really cool four story water slide at Blizzard Beach. And he thinks it would be cool to go to BB to ride this water slide. Actually, he wants to spend a whole day there riding the water slides. :eek: Well I have two problems with that. First problem is that we only have four days at WDW, and I do not want to spend an entire day at a water park. Second problem, I do not do water slides. I think it stems from a childhood accident on a toboggan. (Hey, that’s my story and I’m sticking with it!) ;)

So we came to a standoff. Then I had a bright idea – one evening at MK in exchange for one morning at BB. Now that seemed to work! Problem solved. We can go to MK and go to BB as well. :woohoo:

Next up – the final itinerary.

DisneyBride'03

02-18-2009, 07:12 AM

No sweat! I consider myself hijacked for a good cause! Those are great photos BTW - I can barely wait to stay there! :goodvibes

:confused: Oh, I forgot to ask you - should just pm you with these questions! How is GF Cafe? That might be better for him than Narcooses, although the menu looks a lot more appetizing at Narcooses. Are both places quiet? :worship:

TIA!

Glad you did not mind the photos here!!:goodvibes Looks awesome in person! Going to see them again this weekend at the Doorway to Dreams event...would you like me to get any specific pics for you??

I enjoyed GF cafe! We had a couple of meals there, I do recall breakfast with a mimosa!!:) NArcoosee's will be 2 TS if you are on DDP compared to the cafe.
WEll, I have read where some think Narcoosee is loud due to the acousitcs and the interior....I never noticed,..lol...and you are on the water with a view, and depending on the time, can plan for the EWP and Wishes!!
GF Cafe has some nice views of the resort grounds as well. I guess it could be hit or miss, depending on the time of the day and what the clientele is!
YOu could have tired kids in GF Cafe.....or all couples in Narcoosee's!

Narcoosee's has the better menu! I saved mine from our rehearsal dinner! HA! WOnder if prices went up! lol
So,looks like I didnt help much!popcorn::

MainStMandy

02-18-2009, 07:12 AM

Disneychix

02-18-2009, 07:34 AM

Hee Hee, your PTR is making me laugh! :)
I once suggested that DH and I 'split' up for the evening because I had plans to go to CRT with friends. He complained so much about 'wanting to spend time together' that I said "well then you're going to eat with Cinderella if you want to spend every second with me!"
He came and ate with Princesses! :rotfl:

Have fun on your trip!!!

DisneyBride'03

02-18-2009, 07:34 AM

Well now, since MSM threw Citricos into the hat..;)

Very nice as well, more upscale and high end than Narcoosee's IMO....had Grappa there for the first time...UGH!
We had a lovely meal, service was top notch! THis is a 2 TS too.

My inlaws took DH and I here as a .."We're sorry we missed your wedding ceremony at Sunset Pointe(Poly) we lost track of time at the GF RPC"...LOL

They came all the way from San Fransicso, and showed up during pics! lol THey had no idea they missed it!:( lol
Oh that would have been a great TR if I were on the DIS back then! LOL

Back to kaffinito'sPre TR!!! lol

Looks like you have lots of choises! Just being at the GF...ahhh! Well, you WILL be right across from it via Seven Seas Lagoon! :)

kaffinito

02-18-2009, 03:26 PM

Glad you did not mind the photos here!!:goodvibes Looks awesome in person! Going to see them again this weekend at the Doorway to Dreams event...would you like me to get any specific pics for you??

Maybe you could bring me back a sample! ;) Naw, I just have to wait until I can get there in person. I'm going to try to talk my way over there when we leave for our trip IN 10 DAYS! :woohoo: I do appreciate your offer though! Maybe you could just take a LOT more pics, eh? I'm sure everyone on the DVC boards wants to see more! ;)

Grand Floridian Cafe is nice. I went there for lunch once...very casual. We were thinking about Narcoosees for our trip but decided on Citricos. Someone on the dis said, Narcoosees is good if have kids, Citricos is good for an adults only meal. My mom and I went to Citricos on our last trip and it was amazing!!

I did look at Ctiricos, but I think DH needs a meal that contains things he can pronounce! That will have to be a solo meal for me over the summer I'm afraid. Darn! :)

Hee Hee, your PTR is making me laugh! :)
I once suggested that DH and I 'split' up for the evening because I had plans to go to CRT with friends. He complained so much about 'wanting to spend time together' that I said "well then you're going to eat with Cinderella if you want to spend every second with me!"
He came and ate with Princesses! :rotfl: Have fun on your trip!!!

Oh man! I would pay really good money to see my DH eat dinner with the Princesses! Just wait until he sees a character - heck I'm hoping like crazy we bump into Peter Pan! :lmao: Glad you're enjoying the pre- trippy. I'm looking forward to posting what happened on our actual trip. :)

Well now, since MSM threw Citricos into the hat..;)

Very nice as well, more upscale and high end than Narcoosee's IMO....had Grappa there for the first time...UGH!
We had a lovely meal, service was top notch! THis is a 2 TS too.

My inlaws took DH and I here as a .."We're sorry we missed your wedding ceremony at Sunset Pointe(Poly) we lost track of time at the GF RPC"...LOL

They came all the way from San Fransicso, and showed up during pics! lol THey had no idea they missed it!:( lol
Oh that would have been a great TR if I were on the DIS back then! LOL

Back to kaffinito'sPre TR!!! lol

Looks like you have lots of choises! Just being at the GF...ahhh! Well, you WILL be right across from it via Seven Seas Lagoon! :)

How did they manage to miss your wedding? :confused3 I would have been slightly steamed, but I'm sure the food at Citricos more than made up for it!

Oh, and I screwed up. It wasn't the FIRST night that I was having trouble with all along, it was the second night! :rotfl: The second day is our EPCOT day. I want to switch the first night's ressie with the second nights ressie and get to GF for one of our meals. :rolleyes: That way we will be in the MK area during EMH. (Now how ever did that happen! :teeth: )

Oh, and by the way. the 15 day forecast calls for rain on the day we are supposed to be at BB. Darn! :rotfl:

MainStMandy

02-19-2009, 07:42 AM

Trust me, dbf is a meat and potatoes guy and I think he's gonna love Citricos.

Roasted Chicken Breast - Tanglewood Farms Chicken with Creste di Gallo Pasta, Parmesan Cream, Prosciutto di Parma, and Asparagus Tips $30.00

Bone-In Ribeye - Wood-Roasted Spanish Onions, Fingerling Potatoes, Lemon Rosemary Butter, and Veal Glacé de Viande $45.00

Filet Jardiniere - Oak-grilled Filet of Beef with House-cured Vegetables, Quattro Formaggi Crushed Potatoes, and Veal Glacé $41.00

I had pork with mushroom risotto last time and it was to die for!!!

kaffinito

02-19-2009, 09:10 AM

DisneyBride'03

02-19-2009, 09:18 AM

kaffinito..help quick!!

I need you onour other thread! STAT! lol

kaffinito

02-19-2009, 09:19 AM

Here's the final itinerary - and I'm at 9 days and counting! It's time for the single digit dance!! :dance3:

Trip with Shlomo - Itinerary

March 1 – Sunday

Check into AKL

Horseback riding- Fort Wilderness @ 1:00 pm

Massages- Zahwandi Spa @ 4:30

Dinner at Boma – 7:30

MK for EMH

March 2 – Monday

EPCOT

Behind the Seeds Tour

Dinner at GF Café 6:45 or Citricos

DHS has EEMH

March 3 – Tuesday

Blizzard Beach

Cirque du Soleil – 6:00

Dinner at Raglan Road - 8:30

March 4 – Wednesday

Breakfast at Boma – 7:35 am

AK

Lunch at Yak and Yeti or Tusker House

March 5 – Thursday

Leave for home :sad1:

kaffinito

02-19-2009, 09:20 AM

kaffinito..help quick!!

I need you onour other thread! STAT! lol

Be right there! :goodvibes

DisneyBride'03

02-19-2009, 09:25 AM

Maybe you could bring me back a sample! ;) Naw, I just have to wait until I can get there in person. I'm going to try to talk my way over there when we leave for our trip IN 10 DAYS! :woohoo: I do appreciate your offer though! Maybe you could just take a LOT more pics, eh? I'm sure everyone on the DVC boards wants to see more! ;)

I did look at Ctiricos, but I think DH needs a meal that contains things he can pronounce! That will have to be a solo meal for me over the summer I'm afraid. Darn! :)

Oh man! I would pay really good money to see my DH eat dinner with the Princesses! Just wait until he sees a character - heck I'm hoping like crazy we bump into Peter Pan! :lmao: Glad you're enjoying the pre- trippy. I'm looking forward to posting what happened on our actual trip. :)

How did they manage to miss your wedding? :confused3 I would have been slightly steamed, but I'm sure the food at Citricos more than made up for it!

Oh, and I screwed up. It wasn't the FIRST night that I was having trouble with all along, it was the second night! :rotfl: The second day is our EPCOT day. I want to switch the first night's ressie with the second nights ressie and get to GF for one of our meals. :rolleyes: That way we will be in the MK area during EMH. (Now how ever did that happen! :teeth: )

Oh, and by the way. the 15 day forecast calls for rain on the day we are supposed to be at BB. Darn! :rotfl:

Well, they were enjoying their bruschetta and Merlot at the Royal Palm CLub at GF...theycould see Sunset Pointe from where they were..( we got to visit them up there a few times, we were just a little ole' lagoon view room tho!) lol
They did get the times wrong somehow....in the video as Bob and I are walking down the "aisle"..he says, kind of in a laughing way, surprised ..I cant believe my dad wasnt here"...
So at first we joked he was steaming cause he offered to pick up the bill at Narcoosees the night before..(after SIL made a comment and he already had a few cocktails)....lol.(20 people, entrees, bottles of wine, you name it!) lol

Anyway, dont worry abt the rain!!! It could sprinke a little.....it can change alot in the next week!

No worries!!!!!!!!!!:cheer2:

DisneymoonJess07

02-19-2009, 09:28 AM

DisneyBride'03

02-19-2009, 09:31 AM

oh your DH needs to be re programmed somehow:)

kaffinito

02-19-2009, 10:22 AM

I serously feel your pain re: husbands and Disney. I would love a Disneymoon (as you can see from my ticker below) but DH is not convinced at the moment. I blame his parents for being able to make DISNEY unenjoyable. I actually heard the first time from his mom yesterday and it made my hair curl. No WONDER he always thought of Disney as terrible....

oh your DH needs to be re programmed somehow:)

Yes he does! Maybe if you threaten to go solo he might go along with it. And you have just now heard from your MIL? Yikes! Or was that heard from her about Disney? I hope it's the latter. You could show him some resort videos perhaps, or some Trip Adviser photos. Or maybe even promise him that he can do whatever he wants to do there? Bribes worked for me! :goodvibes

DisneyBride'03

02-19-2009, 10:30 AM

so kaffinito are all your ADR's set now???

DisneymoonJess07

02-19-2009, 10:57 AM

Yes he does! Maybe if you threaten to go solo he might go along with it. And you have just now heard from your MIL? Yikes! Or was that heard from her about Disney? I hope it's the latter. You could show him some resort videos perhaps, or some Trip Adviser photos. Or maybe even promise him that he can do whatever he wants to do there? Bribes worked for me! :goodvibes

I heard from her about Disney last night...we have a good relationship with MIL, sorry for the ambiguous wording! Anyway, they apparently drove in for a day, and the only had snacks in the park, and ate breakfast and dinner in a picnic in the car. It sounded pretty awful in the way that only my DH's parents can ruin something :lol: I am trying very gently to deprogram him a little bit! He's a great guy and I think he would really enjoy the chance to just be a kid at Disney if we could just give it a chance...so we'll see what happens!

kaffinito

02-20-2009, 01:08 PM

so kaffinito are all your ADR's set now???

Well, sort of. I'm still messing around with the second night for dinner. We will be in EPCOT, so maybe lunch or dinner somewhere. DH loves fish and chips so might change GF Cafe to Rose and Crown. :confused3

I heard from her about Disney last night...we have a good relationship with MIL, sorry for the ambiguous wording! Anyway, they apparently drove in for a day, and the only had snacks in the park, and ate breakfast and dinner in a picnic in the car. It sounded pretty awful in the way that only my DH's parents can ruin something :lol: I am trying very gently to deprogram him a little bit! He's a great guy and I think he would really enjoy the chance to just be a kid at Disney if we could just give it a chance...so we'll see what happens!

He just might like it! I'm hoping my DH does too. He could have a lot of fun there if he would relax and enjoy it. I was anti-Disney myself, and for mainly the same reasons he is, and I was converted so maybe he will like it too.

Good luck convincing your DH! I hope you get to take him there. Maybe you could try a split stay, a few days at Vero or Hilton Head and then WDW? :)

DisneymoonJess07

02-20-2009, 01:23 PM

He just might like it! I'm hoping my DH does too. He could have a lot of fun there if he would relax and enjoy it. I was anti-Disney myself, and for mainly the same reasons he is, and I was converted so maybe he will like it too.

Good luck convincing your DH! I hope you get to take him there. Maybe you could try a split stay, a few days at Vero or Hilton Head and then WDW? :)

Well, the way his face lit up when I told him which of the cartoon movies we've seen lately are Disney films, I think he might come around. I am thinking of POR, and all the reviews I've seen have said that it's often quiet, very scenic...which would be a great place to stay and maybe spend a quiet day relaxing...we only have a week, so I'm not sure I want to split...I also want to be able to go leisurely through the park. I haven't been in 10 years, so there are LOTS of new things that I want to see, and DH has only seen one of the parks! So we'll see what happens...I am planning on showing DH in more detail some of the things I have been thinking of on Saturday evening when we have some nice quiet time.

kaffinito

02-21-2009, 06:12 PM

Well, the way his face lit up when I told him which of the cartoon movies we've seen lately are Disney films, I think he might come around. I am thinking of POR, and all the reviews I've seen have said that it's often quiet, very scenic...which would be a great place to stay and maybe spend a quiet day relaxing...we only have a week, so I'm not sure I want to split...I also want to be able to go leisurely through the park. I haven't been in 10 years, so there are LOTS of new things that I want to see, and DH has only seen one of the parks! So we'll see what happens...I am planning on showing DH in more detail some of the things I have been thinking of on Saturday evening when we have some nice quiet time.

Oh! You will both love POR! :cloud9: I almost took DH there for our trip, but the lack of a gym and the cheap cost of renting points to stay at AKV swayed me. I loved it there and might go back for Christmas. It's our "home" away from home!

What a wonderful choice for a resort! I think maybe if you do the screen shots of the resort on the computer you might be able to convince him via osmosis. :goodvibes

kaffinito

03-06-2009, 07:13 PM

On this trip were me - Karen: 40ish and slightly goofy and DH - Shlomo: 40ish and very goofy. It was DH's first ever Disney trip, and I worked my butt off trying to make it a good one for him. I wanted the right amount of relaxation and fun, so he could see why I like it at WDW so much.

We stayed at AKV in a studio savanna view on the Kudo trail from March 1 through March 4th. We checked out on March 5th. The resort, as always, was excellent.

Here is the story of our adventures. If you want to read more background, check out my pre-trippy here http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=29985336#post29985336

I'm going to post in bits and pieces according to days and add pictures. :goodvibes

March 1 – Sunday

We arrived early - at about 10:30 am and the room was ready! What a stroke of luck. The bad part was that it was raining and cold, and DH was miserable that it was so nasty out. He was grumbling and complaining all afternoon. He was not a happy husband! I ended up canceling the horseback riding, since he announced he didn’t want to go anywhere if it was raining. It was not a good start to his first trip. :sad1:

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/747/189195DSC_0412.jpg

The bright spot in the afternoon was the Spa at AKL. The massages were wonderful! It was my first massage, and I really enjoyed getting one. They are very soothing and relaxing. DH was very happy with the fitness center, and very pleased that if you go there once you can get 24 hour access to the club. He likes to work out at odd hours, so this made him really happy. He was also pleased that the fitness center has a steam room and a sauna in the locker room area. Score one for me! So far I was making up for not being a weather goddess. :upsidedow

AKL did turn out to be the perfect resort. He was happy with the food at the Mara, and happy with the layout and the room. He did grumble a bit about how dark it was there though. But when we got to the room he went straight for the balcony and then started calling me to bring the camera to take pictures of the zebras. He was really excited about the animals. He loved the bed too, and said that it had a really great mattress. So far things were working out ok, except for the weather that did not cooperate.

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/747/189195DSC_0158.jpg

Oh, and I finally tried zebra domes at lunch. They are SOOO GOOD! :yay: My DH took one bite and then demolished the rest of the box. I had a half of a bite I think. So I got another box and I demolished my box too! All in all I think we had about 10 boxes of zebra domes within 4 days. I’m very fat now but it was worth it! My jammies don't fit - I don't think I bought them with boxes of zebra domes in mind...:rolleyes1

I watched some people go to the online check in counter at AKL while we were there, and it took them a few minutes to get their KTTW cards. But it didn’t take them a whole lot less time than it took me to check in, so I’m still wondering about the advantage to using it. :confused3 It took maybe a minute or two less time.

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/747/189195P1000517.JPG

Dinner and MK next! :)

jpmom97

03-06-2009, 07:19 PM

Sounds good so far! sorry about the grumpy DH and the weather. Aren't Zebra domes awesome?

kaffinito

03-06-2009, 07:22 PM

They are more addictive than frozen Milky Way Midnight bars. :love:

I found out that there is an African liqueur in those things, and that the liqueur mixed with the cappuccino is what makes them taste so good!

stepdisney

03-06-2009, 08:43 PM

Great start Kaffinito. You know my nick-name is Zebra dome" right? I have to tell you that story one day.

:goodvibes

kaffinito

03-06-2009, 08:56 PM

Great start Kaffinito. You know my nick-name is Zebra dome" right? I have to tell you that story one day.

:goodvibes

The only guess I can come up with is that you're full of liqueur? :teeth:

stepdisney

03-06-2009, 09:31 PM

The only guess I can come up with is that you're full of liqueur? :teeth:

No...not exactly...but close :rotfl2:

We stayed at AKL this past August and, of course, we ate at Boma. I ate so many Domes that my DH and DS's left me in Boma and went swimming. When they got back to the room, I was propped up on the bed with a plate of domes next to me asleep.....:scared:....true story :cool2:

kaffinito

03-07-2009, 05:58 AM

No...not exactly...but close :rotfl2:

We stayed at AKL this past August and, of course, we ate at Boma. I ate so many Domes that my DH and DS's left me in Boma and went swimming. When they got back to the room, I was propped up on the bed with a plate of domes next to me asleep.....:scared:....true story :cool2:

:rotfl:

Too cute! :goodvibes

kaffinito

03-07-2009, 06:24 AM

We explored AKL before going to dinner that night, and DH thought the resort was beautiful.

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/500/189195DSC_02801.jpg
DH and I at AKL

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/747/189195DSC_0274.jpg

We had dinner at Boma that night, and boy was it good! The deserts are excellent, and of course I love the food there. DH was really happy with dinner. We had a bit of everything, and the only thing I can remember clearly was the desserts. DH really liked the soup. It was a curried seafood chowder and he thought it was excellent. The desserts were a peach cobbler, some tarts, and a pile of zebra domes. The cobbler was very light and was not full of sugar – it was so good! My too full husband cleaned off half of the dessert plate I brought back.

After dinner we got on the bus and went to MK for EMH. I was a little nervous, after all, the day hadn’t started out great and DH was still a little grumbly, but I figured two rides then we’d see what happens. We got there just in time for the tail end of Spectromagic. Now that was a disaster! We had to play dodge the parade (he hates them) and cut through the shops to get to Tomorrowland. I was nervous he would just say to go back to the resort, but he didn’t. The crowds were horrible too with wall to wall people on the sidewalks. We managed to get through the crowds (and I caught him staring at the parade a few times) and we made it to the bridge to Tomorrowland. I was sorry to miss the parade, I try to catch it once each trip for nostalgic reasons (reminds me of the old Electic Light Parade) but at least I got to hear it.

We went straight to the TTA for DH’s first ride. Well, that ride went over big with him. He got to sit back and look around the park, and I got to point out all of the sights along the way.

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/747/189195DSC_0060.jpg
(shot of Astro Orbiter from TTA) He said that if there were more rides like that at Disney he would like it there. We left TTA and went to CoP, and waited for the show to begin.

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/747/189195DSC_00851.jpg

CoP was a nightmare to him! He kept begging me for Novocaine or "even better, cocaine" to make the pain of the song go away. He liked it though, but not enough to go back!

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/500/189195DSC_0086.jpg

I was just having fun with my new camera despite the cold and the crowds, and DH was even walking around with a smile on his face asking questions about the rides. :) I was really happy that he was there with me, since it was the first time going with an adult and not the kids. It was nice having him there to hold hands with (we are still newlyweds) and to joke around with. :cloud9:

stepdisney

03-07-2009, 06:46 AM

So glad your DH is warming up.:cloud9: Sounds like you are ready for a "great big beautiful tomorrow."

jenseib

03-07-2009, 07:45 AM

Sounds fun. You DH cracks me up! LOL!

What kind of camera did you get/use? It takes nice pictures! ;)
We are going tomorrow, I hope the weather is good. It's forcasted good so far!

H20DogsNDisney

03-07-2009, 09:01 AM

popcorn::

kaffinito

03-07-2009, 09:59 AM

Sounds fun. You DH cracks me up! LOL!

What kind of camera did you get/use? It takes nice pictures! ;)
We are going tomorrow, I hope the weather is good. It's forcasted good so far!

I have the Nikon D60 and a bunch on lenses to use on it! I also have a Panasonic Lumix Tz5 that also takes great photos. The weather should be good for the weekend, but they were calling for another freeze for the following week. I hope the weather holds for you! :goodvibes Where are you staying? I've seen you on the POP thread - are you going back there?

WeRblam

03-07-2009, 10:16 AM

So glad your DH is warming up.:cloud9: Sounds like you are ready for a "great big beautiful tomorrow."

:rotfl: waiting to hear more - sounds like fun!

kaffinito

03-07-2009, 05:58 PM

AKL at night

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/500/189195DSC_0132.jpg

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/500/189195DSC_0142.jpg

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/747/189195DSC_0211.jpg

Bench by Boma and Jiko

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/747/189195DSC_0193.jpg

kaffinito

03-07-2009, 06:03 PM

Bottom part of lobby
http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/500/189195DSC_0149.jpg

Fifth floor bridge
http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/500/189195DSC_02211.jpg

Victoria Falls
http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/747/189195DSC_0204.jpg

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/500/189195DSC_0145.jpg

http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/747/189195DSC_0160.jpg

jenseib

03-07-2009, 07:07 PM

I have the Nikon D60 and a bunch on lenses to use on it! I also have a Panasonic Lumix Tz5 that also takes great photos. The weather should be good for the weekend, but they were calling for another freeze for the following week. I hope the weather holds for you! :goodvibes Where are you staying? I've seen you on the POP thread - are you going back there?

Oh thats a great camera. I have a Canon rebel XTi, and I love it too. I wish I could afford both. LOL! I see some really nice pics from my friends that have nikons. I have a few lenses, but nothing that breaks the bank. That is my dream somday to have really nice ones.

yes we are staying at Pop. We like it there. it's cheaper for on, and DD loves the atmosphere too. We are usually on the go alot as well ,so we just need a spot to sleep. I do wish someday to take a more relaxing vacation and go to a deluxe.
I just checked our weather and it looks to be in the 80's all week. YAY! I hope it stays that way. (you know how weather men are. LOL)

Your resort photos are wonderful. :lovestruc

kaffinito

03-08-2009, 10:38 AM

I hope you have a wonderful trip! Take lots of pics of that Claire! Love her faces :goodvibes

kaffinito

03-08-2009, 10:54 AM

We left CoP and wandered around a bit.

DH wanted to see Mike and Sully’s comedy routine, but also wanted to walk a bit so we did, figuring we would go back to it. DH was getting really cold, since he insisted on wearing shorts that night. He liked it at MK, and we wandered around Tomorrowland a bit. Then he started getting tired and wanted to go back to the resort for an early bedtime. There were some cute kids on the bus on the way back, and he made faces at them for a while.

DH on the bus
http://photopost.wdwinfo.com/data/500/189195DSC_0109.jpg

He started talking about having grand kids and how nice it is for little kids to go to WDW. I agreed with him, and silently started saying “whoopee!” in my head. I was starting to think that WDW was getting to him in a positive way. We had been there all day and he didn’t say once about how he hated Disney or corporations in general.

Day 2 -EPCOT

After an early bedtime (well, 10:00 is early for me at Disney!) we got up the next morning and DH went straight to the gym for his daily workout. I wandered around the resort, smoked, and got our breakfast from Mara.

After breakfast, we went to EPCOT for the morning. We arrived shortly after rope drop – a first for me! I usually don’t get anywhere until 10 or 11 when I’m there with the kids! It was crowded, but being as EPCOT is so huge the crowds weren’t that bad. It’s worse at AK or MK. It hardly looks busy at all in our photos, and the weather did keep some crowds down. DH liked the way EPCOT looked, and I could tell he was excited to see some stuff by the way he was walking quickly. We passed by the Character Spot and I saw Goofy at the window!

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Then I took DH to the Land pavilion, so I could book us on the Behind the Seeds Tour.

Everyone looks good in Vera Bradly!
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We’re both avid gardeners and plan on growing grapes and vegetables this summer. Our new house has an acre of land, so we have plenty of room for gardening. We got the first tour, and then went on the Land boat ride. After the ride DH seemed pleased, and was smiling a lot more. We got a cup of coffee, and waited for the tour to start.

Squishy Ball
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He was already pointing out “inappropriate footwear” for me to photograph, since it has always baffled me that some women wear heels to the parks. There is (or was) a thread on the Theme Parks Community board for such photos, and I was looking forward to posting there.

The tour started, and DH was really into it. He asked a lot of questions, and was fascinated by the growing methods used, the water system, and how the water was recycled. Chock up another one for me – the tour was perfect for a brainiac like him!

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He’s been thinking of modified uses for what he learned on the tour for our garden, including putting in a pond with a drainage system to use the fish waste to fertilize the vegetables. Well, alrighty then! After the tour we wander around Innoventions and then left EPCOT to go back to the resort for lunch and a nap.

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Backstage_Gal

03-08-2009, 11:37 AM

Great update. Happy Shlomo enjoyed it.

kaffinito

03-08-2009, 01:19 PM

Great update. Happy Shlomo enjoyed it.

Thank you! :goodvibes

kaffinito

03-09-2009, 06:50 AM

We got back and went to Mara for lunch. DH ordered the vegetarian flatbread and I had the turkey ciabatta sandwich. It was good! Then DH said it. “You know, I think it would be great if WE brought my Mother, my sister and Goldie (his daughter) here. They would love it!” Yep – he said it. He really did say it. I played it cool and just said that the scheduling would be difficult, and that we’d see. But inside I was doing backflips! My self –styled “angry communist poet” husband wanted to come back and bring his family!

His family isn’t too bad, but we’d need three studios for that trip. My DMIL isn’t bad, she’s pretty easy to get along with, his sister is kind of strange, but his daughter Goldie, who is exactly like him, is really cool. I could definitely do a trip with the three of them in tow. We’d pay for DMIL and daughter, (points), but the sister could get her own studio since she’d want to bring her BF.

Planning aside, we took a much needed nap and then got ready to go to World Showcase that night. We had a 5:30 ADR at Rose and Crown for dinner.

DH did mention on several occasions that if one more person said “have a magical day!” he was going to start punching people. It got to be a bit much for him. That and the “welcome home” He stated loudly and often that unless his cat was there and he could walk around naked he wasn’t at home! “Have a magical day – have a magical fist!” he kept muttering. He says that they mean well, they’re just really annoying.

We napped and then went back to EPCOT to have dinner at the Rose and Crown. DH loves fish and chips, and I had read on the DIS that they had the best. On the way to World Showcase, we stopped at Club Cool for some samples. He tried the one from Israel (since he’s had it before) and then I casually suggested he try Beverly since it was the best flavor there.

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All joking aside, we went on our way to WS to have dinner. There were a lot of seagulls flying around, and since I brought my good 50mm lens with me I was able to get some good shots.

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We were a little early so we wondered around and took some goofy photos in England.

This is my “hooker” pose.

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DH said for me to act like a hooker and this was the best I could do! When he laughed at me I retorted “Well, if you had wanted someone to act like a hooker you should have married one!” That shut him up!

Then we took pics with the phone booth.

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We checked in to R&C and the buzzer went off less than a minute after they handed it to me. We had a pretty good meal at R&C. DH loved his fish and chips, and I had a lamb dish that was lamb chops and a mashed potato topped Shepard’s pie. It was good!

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Then we went to see the sights.

I stopped for a smoke outside France.

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And we went to Morocco.

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Saw Mo’Rockin, and the belly dancer – which did not impress DH. He’s seen real belly dancers and he said that they couldn’t do a real belly dance at Disney – most of them are rated “R”.

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In China – there are stairs leading up to the building that houses the movie and museum, and a ‘tween girl rushed past us exclaiming “Hey, look, there’s a ramp!” Well, the “ramp” was that nice bas relief sculpture that decorates the area between the staircases. DH remarked “that explains why the Chinese didn’t allow Westerners into the Forbidden City! They don’t know the difference between a ramp and art!”

We saw the Museum in China, which impressed DH.

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And in Japan we toured the Tin Toy Museum, which DH loved. Then we went on to Mexico. I was getting geeked because it was almost time for fireworks and I had my tripod with me to take some good shots.

kaffinito

03-11-2009, 04:58 AM

So I set up for the fireworks and a few people stopped by to ask if we were at the best spot. I told them honestly that I had no idea, since it was my first time shooting them. At MK I have an awesome spot to watch them from, but at EPCOT I still hadn’t found my magic spot. But I was across from American Pavilion, and near the exit, so I was happy with my choice. I was praying that at least three of the fireworks photos would turn out. It was my first time photographing them, and I was a little nervous. In hind sight I should have brought either my 18-55mm lens or my 10-20mm lens for the fireworks, but hey, photography has a learning curve!

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Yep it was a good night for me, photo wise, and DH was happy with the fireworks, he said that he wouldn’t expect anything less than perfection from Disney. He was really getting it! We shopped for a while before heading home to let the crowds thin out a bit, and then back off to the resort. On the way to the bus he remarked that when we go back we should get matching t-shirts made with our names on them, and how cute the couples and families looked with their matching t-shirts!

I don’t know exactly when or how he drank the Kool Aid, but he did. I wisely kept my mouth shut and only said that he could pick out the character or picture he wanted and I would make one up for him.

DAY THREE – DHS

Next morning we got up bright and early and headed out to DHS.

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Again we got there at rope drop. It was weird, being there so early! He liked the 50’s Prime Time Café sign.

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We went straight for the Muppet Movie, since that’s a big thing for him.

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We looked for the key under the mat, and he was very pleased that it was there. When we got to the queue area I can say that have never seen him so happy or so excited! When we got into the theater he actually teared up and kept whispering “We’re actually in the Muppet Theater!” When Stattler and Waldorf came on he was practically out of his seat. Of course he loved the movie!

After the movie I took him around the corner to the streets of New York so I could get a pic of him there. He’s originally from Brooklyn, so I thought it would be a good shot.

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Then we wandered around a bit, and a nice CM wearing a business suit asked if we would like a picture together. She was very nice! Then we went to One Man’s Dream and then on to the Great Movie Ride. We saw some street theater, and then went to the Villains in Vogue shop to get a shirt for his daughter Goldie. We were helped by a nice man named Andy Ross. He was great! We bought Goldie an Evil Queen t-shirt, since she is one. LOL

Again we went back to the resort early for some much needed R and R and to get ready for our night at Cirque!

We got back to AKL and I went to smoke at the DSA by the pool. There was a lady I was sitting next to that I started talking with. Well, this falls under the small world category. Turns out that not only was she from Michigan, but was from the same (small) hometown that I am! What are the odds of bumping into someone at your resort who’s from Northville Michigan! Not only that, but she lives in the sub that was right behind ours. Too weird!

Night III – Cirque and DTD

So things with DH were going well, he had drunk the Kool Aid and the things he disliked about Disney were the same things I dislike about Disney. He doesn’t like wasting time on the buses, he doesn’t like the “magical day” thing every five seconds, and he also doesn’t like the limited choices at the Mara. He wants more food choices for CS, with a fitness center. Looks like I might have to take him to CSR. NOT. I did find out that as DVC members he can use whichever fitness center he wants to for free. That's a good perk for him!

Anyhow, we left the resort and headed to DTD. We got there in good time, and wandered around a bit.

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We took some pics, since I have been trying to get some decent shots of DTD. Then we went to Cirque to pick up our tickets. We got in, went to our seats, and waited. Boy are those seats ever tiny! It’s really hard to get any kind of arm room or leg room in those seats.

Then the show started, and it was pretty good! The Chinese girls were fabulous, I liked the clown act, and the music was good too. Then we got to the part with the Flying Man. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the Flying Man blew me away. I started bawling like a baby! It was just so beautiful with the music, the red cloths, and this man soaring around through the air. I just loved that part. I cried through the whole act. :sad:

All in all, Cirque was a success. I’ll take my oldest boy there – he’ll love it, but my youngest can’t go – he would be confused and bored. Cirque isn’t concrete enough for him and he has a limited capacity for abstract thought. He’s the perfect historian, and wonderful artist, but things have to follow a linear and well defined path for him or he gets upset. Fun with Autism strikes again! Whilst the older boy is a lot more autistic than the youngest, he loves that kind of abstract performance art.

After Cirque we went to Raglan Road for dinner. I had the Salmon of Knowledge – what else- and DH had the fish and chips. He liked the Fish and chips, no surprise there, and my salmon was as usual, fantastic.

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We headed back to the resort for bedtime, since the next day was Animal Kingdom. I warned him that there would be no naps that day! I figured that if we got there early again we would be out of there – including lunch – by around 3:00. But I didn’t tell him that! ;)