How to convince a doubtful husband....

[mrsabbott]

..that FW is a good idea?

So, my husband generally leaves all vacation/travel planning up to me. I'm the planner in the family. So, maaaaybe I've been making these plans and sort of neglected to mention it to my husband. To be fair, he did enjoy our last trip to Disney tremendously and he did say recently that he'd like to start camping and I just sort of took it and rolled with it. In my research on tents, I stumbled across the disboards threads with everyone's tent set ups and when I realized it was Disney/FW... well, it all just came together. Like magic!

Unfortunately, when I mentioned it to my husband, he looked doubtful. At first, he thought we were planning to go without him while he was deployed, but I assured him that this was the trip for when he returned. He then said he didn't quite think that camping was something he wanted to do at Disney and hinted very strongly that a hotel would be better. I disagree. I think camping would be a blast! Especially if we do it in style!

Granted, we could stay someplace in Orlando for MUCH cheaper, but camping at FW would be the cheapest way to stay on Disney property and it would be a part of the adventure itself..

Any of you have spouse's who were hesitant to camp at FW? How did you convince them? How did they like it once they got there?

 

[retired and happy]

Maybe consider a cabin. Not quite a hotel, not a tent. Maybe a reasonable introduction to the Fort and all it offers.

 

[Judy in Texas]

If you want to do Disney commando-style, then stay at one of the Disney resorts. If you want to have a true Fort Wilderness experience, then you should plan to spend as much time or more at The Fort as you do at the parks. Do you like to fish, kayak, bike, hike etc? Build in plenty of time for him to have some "him" time, especially since he will be coming back from a deployment and may need to decompress.

Make sure you check out the Military discount park tickets.

 

[ftwildernessrick]

And if you don't decide to camp at the Fort, don't forget to check out the Shades of Green for your stay to save money.

However, the Fort is more fun.

 

[Magicbus]

I assured him that this was the trip for when he returned. He then said he didn't quite think that camping was something he wanted to do at Disney and hinted very strongly that a hotel would be better.

Have you decided on dates yet?

 

[Total Joker]

Maybe consider a cabin. Not quite a hotel, not a tent. Maybe a reasonable introduction to the Fort and all it offers.

"Camping" may be a little too much from just getting back. The cabins might be a good "compromise" and you can have the best of both worlds.

 

[NLPRacing]

My wife and I went our first trip together to WDW in July 1998 and we stayed at the the Caribbean Beach Resort. While we were there we were watching the Disney propaganda on the TV channel that shows all the resorts and that's where I first learned about Fort Wilderness. I turned to my wife and said that if we ever get an travel trailer or motorhome, we should come back and stay there. She looked at me and said "Camping? I don't want to camp while I'm on vacation." Fast forward about 6 years. At this point we have two kids, a 5 YO boy & 2-1/2 YO girl. My wife also develops a fear of flying (which she is over now). We plan on going to Ohio to visit family for Thanksgiving and she doesn't want to fly and she's not crazy about a 1000 mile road trip in an Expedition with two young children. I suggest we get a motorhome and she goes for it (sucker)! We went on our trip to Ohio and she absolutely loved the whole RV'ing experience. In the past 6 years that motorhome and has been on trips to Ohio, Minnesota, FW, San Antonio, NASCAR races & numerous other campgrounds within a few hundred miles of home. We love "camping" on vacation!

Here's my suggestion. If you don't want to scare him with the tent camping thing, why not check into renting an RV? You could either rent one from where you live and bring it down yourself or rent from somebody in Orlando and have it delivered/set-up. Whatever you end up doing, have fun!

 

[Tri-circle-D]

First, I want to say thank you to you and your DH for his service to our country.

Your signature says you have three princesses.

I don't know how old your princesses are, but I have three princesses too.

And, to be honest, when they were younger, camping was a lot of work.

I still enjoyed it, but it wasn't very relaxing.

So, maybe asking your DH to camp when he already does plenty of "camping" for his job isn't the best idea.

Since he is military, I suggest you maybe try a split stay- with part of the trip at Shades of Green, and maybe a night or two in a cabin.

My first stay at the Fort was in a cabin- and the rest, as they say, is history . . .

TCD

 

[auntie]

I woud go with a cabin..(if you can get a good discounted rate). You may also want to consider renting an RV. There are members of this forum who rent, and will place an RV on site for you. You get to enjoy a camping experience without any of the work.

http://makecampingeasy.com/
www.campatthefort.com


_____________________

 

[mrsabbott]

Yeah, I don't want to push him into it. He talked often of wanting to camp during the past summer (we used to have a larger tent, but it was lost/stolen during a PCS a few years ago and never replaced) and since it's something that I grew up enjoying and the girls are wanting to do, I sort of went with it.. Maybe I'll check into a cabin. I have checked into the value resorts also. We're planning to go in early 2012 (Feb/Mar timeline) and we will definately use the military discount tickets if they offer them.

We looked into renting an RV on our last trip in 2009, but it was quite expensive! I was surprised! The rental fee, plus paying for the extra mileage, plus gas, plus the cost of staying in the parks.. We could have spent a week in a nice resort or put a downpayment on our own RV! Shades of Green was a little out of our price range, although I've heard it was nice. I might check again though and see how much it would cost.

Of course, the girls and I could just practice batting our eyelashes at him, bake him all his favorite pies and cookies, and exercise our feminine wiles on him and coerce him that ways!

Seriously, I think I'll just show him the website and what the park has to offer. I might show him some of the pics on this board. I think maybe he's picturing it being like "roughing it" when it's not that way at all.

Thanks for your responses! And the links!

p.s. "Commando Style"!! That cracks me up! I totally know what you mean, but when I think "going commando" I think of not wearing underwear!

 

[suevr]

Last year when I was planning our first trip to Disney with the kids, my mom told me about Ft. Wilderness. DH was hesitant about it but I told him he didn't have a choice. We stayed in a cabin for 6 days and we all loved it. We loved it so much that we decided then and there to get an RV. I booked a campsite as soon as we got home and we bought the RV a few months ago. I hate to tent camp and will probably never do it again, but I love staying in our travel trailer, especially at Ft. Wilderness. We just got back yesterday from an 11 day trip and I'm planning another three for the upcoming year!

If you like to camp, then why not give it a try. We're military too and have never stayed at Shades of Green. DH wants to be far away from military when we're on vacation, so he never wanted to stay there. We were able to get the cabins for about $15 more than the SOG regular room rate when we went to Disney last September, with the military discount, so that could be an option if your DH doesn't want to camp. I'm sure he'd love camping at the Fort once he got there though. Rent a golf cart for a couple of days too. They're lots of fun!

 

[auntie]

In regard to renting an RV, I think you'll find the rates offered by the sites mention considerably less. They are either travel trailers, or pop ups. They are brought to the site. You do pay your FW site fee separtely from the rental. There are no additional mileage fee's as it isn't something you would be driving to your destination.


Anywhoo.....I'd go with the "feminine wiles" thing.

What... I'm just sayin', go with whatever works.

 

[ILoveDisney&Cruising]

Anywhoo.....I'd go with the "feminine wiles" thing.

What... I'm just sayin', go with whatever works.

 

[ambertides]

Any of you have spouse's who were hesitant to camp at FW? How did you convince them? How did they like it once they got there?

DH did NOT want to camp. No way, no how. Especially tent camping. I've been asking him to take me camping the whole 10 years we've been married.

I basically got one night out of him as a birthday present. And still had to bribe him with the deluxe dining plan. He is definitely one of those - the way to his heart is through his belly types. I even (mostly) let him pick the restaurants even though it was my birthday.

After it was all said and done he said it was "good" but he wanted to try some of the other resorts, too. His only actual complaint was that it was too hot (it was cooler earlier in October and then those days we went were back up in the 90's).

But I did get the okay for "a few more nights" for my birthday next year (but maybe AFTER my birthday). And he's really curious about the cabins.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

Any of you have spouse's who were hesitant to camp at FW? How did you convince them? How did they like it once they got there?

1) After 25-years of marriage, there are things I did not want to do.
2) However, when it comes down to it, there are only a few that I didn't do.
3) My wife can be very persuasive.
4) She gently and quietly and sweetly tells me for the next 12-months
. . . I will cook my own food
. . . I will do my own laundry
. . . I will run for my own beer and chips
5) You would be surprised how happy I am to accomodate her.