Anyone elses son not excited?!??!

[DaisyMom618]

Hi all! I was just wondering if anyone else surprised their son with a 1st trip to WDW and since they don't know what it's all about, they aren't very excited? I surprised my DS5 with his 1st trip to WDW on Xmas Eve. We will be arriving Feb. 8th until Feb. 12th. Now I expected that he would be overwhelmed by all the family and gifts and that it may take a while to "sink in" that he is going to the World! Still nothing. I got the video, printed pictures of all we will be doing, and made a countdown calendar thinking that visuals would help. Still nothing. I am practically going nuts because I JUST CAN'T WAIT!!!!!! I am trying to share the excitement with him because after all, anticipation is half the fun! he will ask some questions then moves on to something else. I know that when we arrive he will be in shock for a while, but I really want to share my excitement with him. He will turn 6 while we are there. Any ideas on how to amp him up a bit? If not, anyone else having this issue...maybe I'll feel better knowing that it's not just me! Thanks guys!

 

[PoohsFan1]

I wouldn't worry too much about it, once he is there he will change his tune.

This kind of happened to us last March. We decided to surprise our girls with a Disney trip. Our #1 no-no that DH and I both did was hyped up the fact that they were going to go spend their Spring break with Grandma and Grandpa who live 3 hours away from us (they thought mom and dad were doing on a special trip to celebrate our anniversary), because we wanted to give them a reason to help pack their clothes and such. My DH went a little over board with hyping them up because he kept counting down the days with them. The girls even knew we were taking a plane to go see them (which we NEVER do), so by the time we got off the plane and told them where we really were, my DD8 started crying....my DD6, that was another story, she was jumping up and down excitedly. However, once we got onto ME, my DD8 was a happy camper again and was very excited that she was going to Disney.

 

[ancestry]

I wouldn't worry too much about it. We took our twins last year for the first time. They were 6 1/2 went we went. My son who never likes new situations very much did not want to go - AT ALL! Nothing I did would get him excited but he went and he had a blast!

Now fastforward a year later and we are planning their second trip. This time my son is the one who is the MOST excited!

Point being I wouldn't try to "amp" your son up. Let him be. He may not understand exact what it is at this point until he gets to experience it first hand.

 

[DEBBYIAC]

Mine is never happy i hate pre teens, he might not be going anyway if I kill him before we leave and then there is the happier they air dd who is 6 and just can't wait. oh we are going for star wars weekend which is for him, yup I might kill him have I said I hate pre-teens

 

[Smile4Me]

We took my 10 year old nephew, and I would talk to him about it and even sent him postcards I had left over from my last trip,,,but something I realized really quickly was he had no point of reference or had any idea of what to expect for his first trip. He'd ask questions about character and some stuff he'd seen on tv or on the planning dvd...but not a whole lot. He asked more about the pool and the hotel than anything else because he's been to the Kalahari and other indoor waterpark resorts.

its hard to get excited for something you have no real idea about!

He'll come around as soon as you get there!

 

[SweetMommy]

Same thing happened to me last year w/ my DS8. But once we got there, he was super excited. And now that we are planning another trip for this fall, he's all about it. Constantly asking if we are gonna do this and that. I think once kids know what they are in for, it's a little more exciting to them.

 

[OhThePain]

I think that most people, young or old, who have not been there before and don't really know much about it tend to not be all that excited.

I took my girlfriend who was 21 at the time to Disney for her first time last New Years Eve (08-09). Mind you not only was it her first trip to WDW, but it was her first trip anywhere. She never even knew anyone who went to Disney before. In many ways she was like a child who just had no idea what going to Disney is all about. The 6 months from the time we booked till the moment we went through the gate at MK, there was nothing. She could care less. The instant she saw that castle, it was like she turned into a 4 year old (which for me was the best feeling).

We are going back in May.

I don't know exactly what kids watch these days. It seems to me that Disney cartoons and such aren't shown a whole lot. It could be that he just doesn't have much to connect to. I have no idea. All I know is that I can't find Disney cartoons on TV like I used to.

Another thing you could try is to see if there are Disney cartoons on youtube or something. There is a lot the shows princesses these days. It might help if you get him to see that not everything Disney has to do with princesses.

 

[Dotsie]

My DS6 is not excited either. He thinks he's too "mature" for Disney. He's not into Disney characters, never has been, so the thinks the whole trip will be boring. I can't even begin to describe the fun he will have so I don't say a word. Once we get there and he feels the magic he'll change his mind. My DS3 on the other hand is obsessed with all things Mickey Mouse club house so he is beyond excited I wouldn't sweat it. Once he's there he'll love it.

 

[Lglchick]

Our boys are 9 and 6. When we told them we were going to WDW, they were kind of excited, but not as excited as we'd hoped. I was worried that they really didn't want to go because they thought it was more for girls, you know, because of all the princesses when they see anything Disney. Every time we talked about Disney, you'd think we were talking about roller skating or anything they can do any day of the year. Their we-can-take-it-or-leave-it attitude really started to bother me.
So, we sat down the other night and watched our planning DVD. Boy, oh boy! Talk about excitement!
'You can play with [the characters]?' 'I wanna do that!' 'I wanna see that show!' 'Can we ride that?' 'Are we gonna see that?' 'Can I take my picture with Buzz Lightyear?' 'Can we get pirate faces?' 'I don't have to ride Tower of Terror, do I?'
Once they SAW Disney, they've been much more excited. Some kids need to see it in action, some do well with pictures, some only need to hear "we're going to Disney!" I believe once your son gets there and is immersed in it, he'll be singing a different tune.

 

[DaisyMom618]

Our boys are 9 and 6. When we told them we were going to WDW, they were kind of excited, but not as excited as we'd hoped. I was worried that they really didn't want to go because they thought it was more for girls, you know, because of all the princesses when they see anything Disney. Every time we talked about Disney, you'd think we were talking about roller skating or anything they can do any day of the year. Their we-can-take-it-or-leave-it attitude really started to bother me.
So, we sat down the other night and watched our planning DVD. Boy, oh boy! Talk about excitement!
'You can play with [the characters]?' 'I wanna do that!' 'I wanna see that show!' 'Can we ride that?' 'Are we gonna see that?' 'Can I take my picture with Buzz Lightyear?' 'Can we get pirate faces?' 'I don't have to ride Tower of Terror, do I?'
Once they SAW Disney, they've been much more excited. Some kids need to see it in action, some do well with pictures, some only need to hear "we're going to Disney!" I believe once your son gets there and is immersed in it, he'll be singing a different tune.

Thanks, your situation sounds just like mine, however, I did get the planning video and even that didn't get him going! I know that he has absolutly NO clue what he is in for but I'm sure when we get there he will be stunned! I planned all the things that he is interested in, restaraunts, resort, etc. I'll put up with DS5 not being as excited as me but he will have to put up with me talking about it non stop! An eye for an eye!

 

[flipflopmom]

you tube! SHow him clips from there of the rides, etc. That really got mine in the mood. We watched like 5 a day!

 

[Peanut Giggleface]

yeah, same thing happened with us too. Both my son and daughter (age 10 and 8) were both luke-warm about going again for this last trip we took (third trip). I was by far more excited than they were. I kept thinking there was something wrong with them. I mean come on, we're talking about DW here. I would have given my right arm for something like this when I was akid and here they are groaning about going again. Little stinks. Funny thing happened this trip though....they fell in LOVE with it. Now they come to me a couple of times a week and tell me how much they miss it and want to go back. He'll change his mind.