So, update now that we've gone and been back a couple days...
DH claimed to enjoy it but it's sometimes hard to tell when it's honest enjoyment and "eh, it wasn't bad but I'll say I liked it for your sake." But then I evesdropped in on his conversation with his parents and he spent 20 minutes going on and on about the trip. He told them all about the pavilions in FW, the
DDP, fast pass, Disney's Magical Express (they do everything for you!), the wonderful cast members, and more. I think he liked it.
I think what worked best was just giving him enough info that he wouldn't be utterly lost (basic explaination of FP, the dif. parks, transportation, and extra magic hours) prior to the trip and letting him have a lot of say (with some expert advice!) when there. We slept in (or at least he did - I was too excited!) and did a lot of eating (DDP helped with that), both of which he consideres musts for vacations. While I'm more a commando at heart, doing WDW in a more relaxed pace for his sake was actually really wonderful for me. I don't feel like I need another vacation like I normally do and I still got to see everything I wanted to see. Or nearly everything. But that's what the next trip is for, right?
DH LOVED AK, especially with the crowds so much lighter than he experienced during his summer trips. We did all the trails and his favorites were the bats and tigers. One tiger came right up to the window to show off for him. He loved it.
In past trips he'd always skipped past the pavilions in FW, thinking it was just the entrance way to the "real" park, WS. So I introduced him to those, since my fave rides (SSE and Land) are there. We got on a sneak peak of SSE and he thought the new AAs were amazing. Personally I liked the new stuff and don't mind the ending, so I'm one of about 1% of former SSE lovers who's not picking up pitchforks. Oh well. Back to DH, we also went on M:S and Soarin' and he still talks about both. He thought the feeling of being shot up in M:S was fantastic and didn't mind the long wait (we had fps for Soarin' and our blackout window was still in effect - besides, it was just 25 min), probably because I brought a small logic puzzle book to work through in lines. He's always wanted to hangglide and so Soarin' was so totally him. He thought it the neatest thing ever. Score.
One thing I hadn't even realized is that he initially didn't have a mental catagory for rides that aren't purely thrill. He's grown up with amusement parks and thought that theme parks were the same thing. He kept calling the Disney rides "neat" rides, meaning rides that are neat because of their technology, theming, or what they teach. As a Disney baby (first trip at 4 weeks!) I don't get rides that are purely about thrills and chills (if I want that I'll get my teenage brother to drive me around DC) so I guess it's mutual. It took 2 days or so for him to "get" the rides but once he did he enjoyed them. We also had a fantastic time just wandering around, sitting, and shopping. He even got a ghost Mickey antena topper for his car.
So in all it was a fun and successful mission. He even asked a few questions about DVCs. We're in grad school so that's not happening anytime soon but just the fact that he asked is pretty exciting.
So, anyway, just wanted to share my excitement and happiness over this baby Disney Dork we have.
