Newbie Disney Nerd in seek of advice

[BMW13]

Hi everyone! I am new to this site and just visited Disney World for the first time in July. I am a huge Disney fan and since I am now a Florida resident I am super stoked about the idea of purchasing an annual pass and visiting Disney every day if it were possible lol. Anyway, the advice I am in search of has to do with my hubby.

My husband is not really a fan of Disney, theme park rides, or large crowds. So convincing him to come on a Disney trip with me has been a chore. I think once he is there, experiencing the magic that is Disney, he will enjoy it. I am planning a trip, just a weekend to test the waters, in mid October to Animal Kingdom.

Any suggestions for specifics we should see or do? Suggestions for a possible second park that the hubs might enjoy?

Thanks in advance
BMW

 

[Ensusieasm]

Hi everyone! I am new to this site and just visited Disney World for the first time in July. I am a huge Disney fan and since I am now a Florida resident I am super stoked about the idea of purchasing an annual pass and visiting Disney every day if it were possible lol. Anyway, the advice I am in search of has to do with my hubby.

My husband is not really a fan of Disney, theme park rides, or large crowds. So convincing him to come on a Disney trip with me has been a chore. I think once he is there, experiencing the magic that is Disney, he will enjoy it. I am planning a trip, just a weekend to test the waters, in mid October to Animal Kingdom.

Any suggestions for specifics we should see or do? Suggestions for a possible second park that the hubs might enjoy?

Thanks in advance
BMW

First of all........
Stay at Animal Kingdom Lodge. Experience the Savannah right outside. Dine at Boma and Sanna. Go when AK opens and head straight to the Pangani Forest Trail to see the Gorillas before the noisy crowds arrive. Then go on the Safari ride with your first fast pass. Enjoy everything else the park has to offer. Have a great time!

 

[MikiZen]

I would suggest downloading the Disney World app from the apple or samsung store. It is an amazing tool that gives you short descriptions of each ride, restaurant, and shop on disney property. The app has up to date wait times for attractions, character meets, and schedules for shows. It also has a new feature that is like a gps (in that it can give you directions to the ride, restaurant, or shop that you want to go to).
I hope this was somewhat helpful.

 

[automaticsoap]

My partner also isn't super into Disney, but he'll go if we're doing trips with friends or family. And there are things about it he does enjoy (Epcot!). My advice is to take it slow and not have a jam-packed itinerary.

 

[com_op_2000]

...My advice is to take it slow and not have a jam-packed itinerary.

2nd this big time!

Do not over do the parks, they can be overwhelming and cause someone to NOT want to come back.
EPCOT F&W are must for adults. Find time to relax and enjoy the resort you are staying at. Make use of FPs to skip lines.

 

[Accident]

My biggest suggestions..

Epcot is a must and don't spend too much time in future world except for maybe soarin and TT. You might even want to do a lazy resort morning and afternoon with the pool and table service there and then head over for mid afternoon and have dinner and illuminations. I might almost say you want to do this first before you jump him into MK. Hit him with minimal disney right away and then hit him with iconic disney the next day... between the resort and epcot he'll start to understand it's not all disney and there is some stuff to do here..

Lay low on the very disney rides. Go after things that he might find interesting like rides with good animatronics or some interesting back story. Pirates was the inspriation for the movies for example. haunted mansion has a lot of "how'd they do that" stuff in it (and a great storyline if you know it). Get him some thrill rides but skip splash unless he asks for it. (very story line driven disney until that 1 drop). basically your just taking him around, getting him some snacks only found there, hitting a few rides not to overwealm him, and telling him what you like about the place and pointing things out. basically let him see how you enjoy and glow while there.. Late ADR lunch is not a bad idea as you can't tell him it'll be 10 miles of walking before you get there. He'll ask you along the way about what rides and attractions are and probably ask to try some to see what they are like.. lead him to what he should like and let him lead you to the rest..

now if he's an action film, star wars geek you might have to hit hollywood studios right now (or when you head back and he liked it you can surprise him with we'll hit the other parks next time and what they are about)...

 

[RobinDragonryder]

My mom was of the opinion she wouldn't enjoy Disney either, her first trip back in 1998. My dad doesn't do crowds, either. Both ended up loving Disney World. They're both "take-it-or-leave-it" for MK, and mom's not huge on HS, but they both adore Epcot and AK, and return to Disney as often as possible now. If the hubby likes zoos then he'll probably like AK, so that's a good choice for his first visit. Just don't overwhelm him with "Come on, we have a fastpass at x o'clock, we have to hurry"--let him set the pace and look at the guide map and decide what he wants to do. That being said,

Go when AK opens and head straight to the Pangani Forest Trail to see the Gorillas before the noisy crowds arrive. Then go on the Safari ride

is really good advice--the Safari is best earlier in the morning, before the animals all take naps in the sun.

 

[BMW13]

You guys are awesome. I'm a bit of a planner (ok an overplanner) when it comes to things like this, (I blame it on being a teacher) but I really like the suggestions about letting him choose and set the pace. I've been spending time on Pinterest searching Disney goodness and showing him things and he is starting to get a bit more excited about it.

On a side note, what are your opinions of Mickey's not so scary Halloween party? Not necessarily for him (until I win him over anyway) I'm just curious about it.

 

[grandmomhop]

My hubby isn't a Disney fan either. We went with DD, DSIL, and family. He had a wonderful time. When the 15 year old grandson had enough family time, which happens with three younger siblings, him and Pop would head back the resort to chill for awhile. We all did the MNSSHP, it was fun, but it rained so shows cancelled. That happened last year for MVMCP too. I won't buy an advanced ticket now, just take the chance and hope they're available.
Have fun!

 

[richmo]

A lot of people think roller coasters and spin rides when they hear the words amusement park or theme park. I'm not a fan of those types of rides (for the most part) and the idea of going to a Six Flags or amusement type park has very little appeal to me. But, as we all know, Disney isn't like that at all...of course, you have to experience it to change that mindset. So, I like the idea that you should start by taking him to Epcot. Food and Wine will be going on, which is a lot of fun and you can spend a lot of time exploring that and World Showcase without going on a single ride. If you get his ticket in advance, make a few Fastpass reservations (maybe Soarin') that you can decide to use or not once you're there.

 

[srwarden1928]

I read once somewhere that if someone is being introduced to WDW and does NOT expect to care for it, do the parks in this order: 1. Epcot 2. AK 3. DHS 4. MK.