Help! My Husband Wants to go to Disney World!

[kaffinito]

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!)

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?

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!)

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

 

[DisneyBride'03]

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]

You are the first!

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! 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]

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]

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!"!

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

 

[Singinglizzie]

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 and was raised to be an intelectual - see I can't even spell it . Looking forward to your trip plans!!!!!

 

[DisneyBride'03]

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 and was raised to be an intelectual - see I can't even spell it . Looking forward to your trip plans!!!!!

think you missed one "l"....lol

No TV?? wow!

 

[kaffinito]

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 and was raised to be an intelectual - see I can't even spell it . 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! 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!

Glad you're in!

I'll post more pictures tomorrow.

 

[kaffinito]

Man oh man was I ever in trouble! He actually wants me to take him to Disney World! 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 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? 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!

So where to stay?

 

[Backstage_Gal]

I'm In! Great start.

BTW, all Disney resorts are green certified now.

 

[kaffinito]

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)

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!

 

[DisneyBride'03]

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!!

 

[Jazzylolo]

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

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.

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

 

[kaffinito]

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

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.

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]

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.

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! 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. 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.

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!

 

[kaffinito]

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.

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)

 

[DWFan4Life]

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.

Have a nice and safe trip coming.

 

[MainStMandy]

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]

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.

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)

But we want to know everything about the trip 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]

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.

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!

But we want to know everything about the trip 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!