How do I get my DW more involved with ADRs?

[Kid_@_50]

My DW and I do long weekends, not week long vacations. If I had not found this message board, then we would be leaving for WDW tomorrow for an extended 5 day weekend without ADRs, without a park strategy plan but with the intent to have a fun filled weekend visiting Mickey and his friends. This would have been our first trip.

I actually like the game of trying to plan our ADRs. However, I can't seem to generate any interest or help from my DW.

My DW has expressed interest in visiting Hawaii and Italy, but again has never shown any interest in helping to plan the trip. Perhaps my DW just doesn't like trip planning in general?

I would like to hear your experience with trip planning and ADR selection. Also, any specific suggestions on how to get my DW more involved with ADR selection would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[ms*mountaineer]

My DH doesn't want to be involved in much of the planning. When I mention things I read on the boards that would be good ideas to try - he just nods his head!

So when I plan the meals - I give him choices. I tell him, I'm thinking of these 2 or 3 places to eat. Which sounds good to you? Other than that, he's fine with whatever. After the trip, he'll tell me what places he'd like to go back to again - or which places he doesn't want to go to again. But other than that, he doesn't want to study menus and read restaurant reviews like I enjoy doing.

 

[Jubilee]

With my husband, he is not a planner but he loves that I am and he loves the food part of it so I can talk to him about it. I consider it a blessing because I get to do what I love and we both are not fighting over plans. I'm so happy I married a B type personality....real easygoing and laid back...lol

 

[MickeyNicki]

Do what I do, just book what YOU want and he will find something to eat.

 

[vleeth]

My DH is the same way. I'm trying to figure out a Plan B (in case we can't get CRT), his idea was to order more food at the places we are going to. So looks like I'll be figuring our Plan B all by myself.

The good part is, I get what I want (if only I knew what that was) and he's happy he didn't have to deal with any of it.

 

[ROEDISNEY]

I take care of everything and my husband Thank God goes right along with everything.

 

[Tink_Kel]

My DF was like that, until his first visit last July, and realized how wonderful some of the restaurants are! What I've done for our upcoming wedding/honeymoon (he's banned from this board, because I have some "surprises" for him I've talked about here!), is print out a bunch of the menus, and have him look at them and tell me what sounds good to him. This seems to work well with him, and we enjoy looking at the menus and deciding together!

 

[maggiew]

After 18 years of marriage, I know what my DH will like. So I just pick places that I think we all will like and go with that. My DH likes to say while we are at WDW "What do you have planned for lunch today?" That's the extent of his involvement.

Although I do ask at the beginning when I am planning the trip what each of my family wants to make sure we do this trip. Sometimes they pick a restaurant and sometimes its a ride or something.

Maggie

 

[lurkernj]

My DH just likes to show up on vacation, no matter where we go. We went to Hawaii a few years ago and he didn't even know what islands we were going to until we boarded the plane (I did try to involve him, but he resisted). This works well for me since I get to be a control freak and make all the decisions. When making ADRs, I usually take into account what the others in my party will eat and where we'll be that day. No one dares complain. If they do not want to help in planning, they relinquish all rights to complain.

 

[bangzoom6877]

My DH is not into vacation planning as much as I am. He is thankful that I am so into it, as it makes things easier for him. For our trip last July, I planned everything down to the smallest detail, including dining ADRs. We agreed to make sure our boys got to eat at their normal eating times and rest at their normal resting times so there would be minimal meltdowns (it worked...proud to say not a single meltdown on a 5-day trip with a 3-year-old and a 1-year-old).

Last year the ADR system allowed you to make dining ADRs 180 days in advance, so 6 months before our trip I was making our ADRs! I told DH my suggestions for dining, showed him the menus online and he was fine with them. We had seen a show on the Travel Channel and that was when DH discovered that he wanted to try Boma because it was something different. That was the only restaurant he told me he really had to go to, so I made sure to include it in our ADRs. He liked all my other choices, character dinners for the boys, and Biergarten for dinner as well since we both love German food. We ended up changing one of our dinner ADRs. We originally had an ADR for Ohana, but then the manu had changed slightly. I asked him if he would mind doing the Cinderella dinner at 1900 Park Fare instead. He laughed (he knew I really wanted to meet Cinderella....can't help it, it's the kid in me!) and said sure, we could go there. I showed it to him online and the different foods they have on the buffet and he was fine with it.

DH enjoyed the Disney restaurants. I went with places he would like. Next time we are going on a 10-night trip so plenty of ADRs to make! He is more into Disney now since we became DVC members, so maybe he will be more into the dining reservations for the next trip, especially with a 90-day window now! His answer used to be, "How do I know 6 months in advance what I will want to eat?" But I know what he likes!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

DH does NOT care. He isn't a picky eater. He will eat anything...literally. He LOVES buffets. All he asked for was mostly dinners.

He just tells me to do what I want and he will be there. He says "Give me the time and the place."

I plan everything and if I even ask for his input he says "I don't care. You choose."

 

[MadgeatMU]

I'm the one in the relationship that wasn't into planning...DBF was all about the boards (tried to get me involved but I wasn't hugely interested...my how times have changed ) and the ADRs and I was just kind of along for the ride. He would find restaurants that he liked and show me the menu and I'd give my feedback. Looking at that giant list of restaurants was just waaay too overwhelming for me so I was glad to have someone who loved it!

 

[catne]

my DH "lets" me do all the planning (and work, ) He just wants to know where & when on the day it's happening. Well, actually he did ask for the run-down for our May trip but that was after I got the reservations.

This time, he actually did request Le Cellier on his birthday - was about the only time he asked for a specific restaurant, and thank heavens I was actually able to book it - especially since his second choice was going to be San Angel, and it's closed for refurb when we're going to be there!

Other than that, he likes trying new places when it fits our schedule, and thinks it's wonderful his "personal travel agent" takes care of everything for him (except the bill... he gets that )

 

[perriwinkleblue]

I would like to hear your experience with trip planning and ADR selection. Also, any specific suggestions on how to get my DW more involved with ADR selection would be appreciated. Thanks.

Some people are just not into planning. I love it! DH couldn't care less. We've been many times so he knows most of the restaurants, but I usually print out a couple of menus for him to look at. I say, narrow it down to your top 10 and print the menus (or show DW online). Ask her which 5 or 6 look best (remember that you may not get your first choice(s). Personally, I don't like to run around from park to park so, for the most part, I plan our adr's around the parks we'll be at.

Good luck and have a great trip.

 

[Justsyd2]

My DH doesn't like to plan, so I do all of the planning. I choose places that I think he will enjoy, and if he doesn't, then I kindly suggest that next time his input would be appreciated -- in other words -- if you don't want to help me plan, then don't complain

 

[PrincessParty]

I just sat down with my DD9 and DH yesterday to plan the trip for my DD12's, 13th birthday. BIG mistake!!!! DH now wants the Belly Dancer at Marrakesh dinner and DD9 wants all character meals. We have been to WDW 4 times and I have always just planned it. I will keep it that way from now on with no further complaints. Good luck.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

I usually do all the planning. I'll leave one ADR available (if we're doing the DDP) and then sit down with my husband and give him a couple of different scenarios and ask his opinion (i.e., breakfast on this day, or dinner on this day), and then let him pick one meal. Before I call, I will usually ask him, "did you want to repeat anything from last time or do you definitely want to SKIP something from last time?" That way, he's not disappointed if we don't go somewhere he really liked, or upset because we're going back to one he didn't care for.

 

[Tricia1972]

I do a majority of planning for our group. I find the places and give options, asking for opinions.

One trip I pushed for responses from others in our party. They rather resented it and my pushing to plan diminished their pre-trip enjoyment.

I try to involve others now, but if they are resistant then I back off. Just because I love to plan, doesn't mean that everyone loves to plan. Some members of my family like to just come along and eat.

So my advice is to involve others up to their level of comfort. Not everyone is an uber planner, and that's ok.

(I am admittedly an uber planner - I have my tentitive dining schedule set for my next trip. Go on, check my ticker. The date is right )

 

[SGMCO]

My DW and I do long weekends, not week long vacations. If I had not found this message board, then we would be leaving for WDW tomorrow for an extended 5 day weekend without ADRs, without a park strategy plan but with the intent to have a fun filled weekend visiting Mickey and his friends. This would have been our first trip.

I actually like the game of trying to plan our ADRs. However, I can't seem to generate any interest or help from my DW.

My DW has expressed interest in visiting Hawaii and Italy, but again has never shown any interest in helping to plan the trip. Perhaps my DW just doesn't like trip planning in general?

I would like to hear your experience with trip planning and ADR selection. Also, any specific suggestions on how to get my DW more involved with ADR selection would be appreciated. Thanks.

My DH is like that so I just make all the arrangments, Hotel, ADRs, Park days ect. and he just comes along. He says I do a very good job of it
and he really enjoys what I decide. I have tried to get imput on
places that he may like to eat or try and he just says "I don't know- you pick one" so I do. I still worry sometimes if I choose the right ADR or not or
if we do eat at a Restaurant and it wasn't a great experiance--
I feel bad about it and say I'm sorry, we'll try something different next trip.

Your DW may like eating at restaurants
based on places she would like to travel to:
like Itay--WS Epcot "Tutto Italia" or Hawaiian themed restaurants "Kona or Ohanas" which are located at the POLY resort.
Hope all your Planning works out and you have a Wonderful Trip!

 

[ekball]

I guess I would do the research, print out some menus from allears, show your DW and see what interests her. If she's still not interested in planning, then I guess I'd just go with what you want! Just know that you are definitely on the right track by planning and researching....you'll be SO much better off by doing so than the guy who heads there without a plan and without a ressie. (and plenty of people do that)