How to Make a Disney Skeptic Fall in Love with WDW - August 2011 PTR

[heathsf]

Welcome to my August 2011 PTR!

For the first time ever, I will be taking my second trip to WDW in a year!

And also for the first time ever, my BF will be taking a trip to WDW...period!

WHO:
BF (26) - A Disney Skeptic

Apparently he wanted to go to WDW as a kid, but being one of 6 it wasn't really possible financially. Now he's known since we've been together (almost 4 years) that I've wanted to go to WDW with him and his response has always been that he would go but that it's on the bottom of his list of places he wants to see.* Last summer I told him that I would be going in Summer 2011 so I can use my Disney Visa points before they start expiring. I really wanted him to come with me but if he chose not to, I would have taken a friend instead. He agreed to go but was by no means jumping up and down or doing a happy dance We booked this trip 10 months out and since then he's learned a lot about Disney and there are certain things that he will admit he's looking forward to, but overall he's still a Disney Skeptic! He has said that he knows he will have fun but he doesn't expect to love it or be in any hurry to go back. My goal is to prove him wrong by the end of our trip!

*We have done some traveling together and he has been able to cross off some of those places from the top of his list...so don't think I'm forcing him to go to WDW against his will when he'd rather be somewhere else

Me (25 - but will be celebrating my 26th a few days before our trip) - A Disney Fanatic

Me & my mom (I'm on the right) on our last trip this past February

I am definitely a planner and BF is not so I know I have to tone it down for this trip, however I do have a tentative plan for all of our days with plenty of flexibility built in. Wait...is it an oxymoron to have flexibility built into a schedule?

WHAT: My 9th trip and BF's 1st!!! Weren't you paying attention before?

WHERE: Pop Century - This will be my 5th time in a row staying there. I absolutely love it and for the price you can't go wrong.

WHEN: August 20 - 26

WHY: Well the original excuse to get my BF to go, *ahem*, I mean reason to go, was to use my Disney Visa points but that didn't exactly work out as planned. Sooooo.... I may have to book yet ANOTHER trip to use those points! I'll explain more on that later.

Although this is my 9th trip (and compared to many people on the DIS - that's nothing!) I have some *firsts* planned for this one thanks to all the things I've learned on the boards over the past 10 months!

I started my countdown at 303 days (that was just so depressing) and I hope you will join me for my last 29 as I continue to plot against my BF and find ways to make him fall head over heals for WDW!

 

[ZFamily5]

I'm in!

 

[disneylovin24]

Can't wait

 

[Leshaface]

I'm here to claim my spot!!!


Off to have an early dinner, but will read your intro when I come back! So glad you started a PTR!

 

[heathsf]

I'm in!

Thanks for joining in!

Can't wait

Thanks!

I'm here to claim my spot!!!


Off to have an early dinner, but will read your intro when I come back! So glad you started a PTR!

Enjoy dinner! And thanks, me too, I'm hoping it will make the month go quicker

 

[heathsf]

I have been saving up my Disney Visa points for a few years now to use them in one large(ish) chunk on a vacation. A few weeks ago I ordered my rewards card from Chase so I could use the points towards the balance of this trip. When I didn't receive the card by the estimated delivery date I called Chase to see what was going and try to get my card# over the phone to give to Disney for my balance. I was told that they can't give out that info over the phone but they offered to cancel the first card and send another. I decided to wait a few more days. It still didn't come so I called again and was again told that they can't give me the # over the phone but they cancelled the card and sent another. I never got the first or second card! Now that I've reached my 30 day mark yay I had to pay my balance without using my points! The Disney rep told me that when I get the rewards card they will credit my credit card but I don't understand why I did not receive either card that Chase mailed! Part of me is frustrated and part of me is excited that I just may have to book another Disney trip in the near future to use these points before they start expiring. Every cloud has its silver lining right? I'm planning to call Chase again tomorrow. We'll see what happens....

 

[heathsf]

I called Chase again this morning and the rep I spoke to was very nice but had no idea why I hadn't gotten either rewards card. She voided the second card and is rushing a new card via FedEx. Hopefully Disney will credit me the value of my card and BF will love WDW so much that we'll be planning a trip for next year anyway, even without points

 

[heathsf]

So I thought I knew a lot about Disney before I joined the boards but boy was I a novice! There were so many amazing restaurants I didn't even know existed! I showed BF some restaurant reviews and food pictures on here and we chose the restaurants together. So here it is:

August 20 - Dinner @ The Wave
I ate here for dinner two years ago and loved it. Whenever I mention this place, BF literally does "the wave" and gets mad if I don't do it too

August 21 - Lunch @ Le Cellier
I've never eaten here but given all the hype I'm so excited to try it! I made sure to do my ADRs first thing in the morning on my 180 day mark because I knew it was my only chance of securing it.

August 21 - Dinner @ San Angel Inn
I also ate here two years ago and really enjoyed it. I know it's undergone some changes lately with mixed reviews but BF picked this restaurant -partially for the atmosphere - but he has seen the updated menu and still wants to go.

August 22 - Dinner @ Whispering Canyon Cafe
This will be a first for me and it's one of the restaurants that I didn't even know existed before the DIS. BF is excited about the "all you can eat" aspect. I can't eat nearly as much as him, but I'm excited about the CM interactions here.

August 24 - Dinner @ Raglan Road
Yet another restaurant that I didn't know existed. We were going to be in Downtown Disney on this night anyway so BF had his choice of any restaurant in DTD on the dining plan and this was his choice. I'm excited to eat here too.

August 25 - Dinner @ O'hana
Yet another restaurant that I didn't know existed before reading through lots of TRs on the boards. I've never been to the Polynesian before so I'm doubly excited for this one! Have you noticed the trend? I'm super excited for ALL of these ADRs!

When I've asked BF what he's most excited for on this trip, his answer was: The restaurants. I'm really excited about them too (as we've already established) so hopefully they'll live up to both of our expectations!

Now because I grasp for every opportunity I can to talk to BF about WDW, I had to follow up with another question, "Which restaurant(s) are you most excited for?"

His answer: "The one with the volcano and the Canadian Cellar"

Okay so what if he doesn't know the restaurant names? As long as he's excited - I'm thrilled!

 

[Leshaface]

I bet you are sooooo excited to be able to show your DBF around WDW for the first time ever! I had taken a friend to Disneyland a couple years ago who had never been (she was 28 at the time) and I was able to point out LOTS of things to her and show her how FP worked and was somewhat a tour guide (but free! ) and I had SO much fun being able to do it!

That's so strange about the Rewards Card! And I was trying to do the EXACT same thing with our cruise...I had forgotten to bring the rewards card with us to help pay off some of the balance we were putting on our KTTW (alcohol, excursions, shopping, ....alcohol! ) so we went to Guest Services and said they would need the ACTUAL rewards card...even though I had my Disney Chase Card and ID to prove that I was the cardholder HOWEVER, this allows us to build up more points for our next cruise! So not all is lost, I suppose!

Are you purchasing a dining plan or paying OOP? I haven't been to 5 of the 7 places you have been to, and am excited to see how they work out for you!

 

[MadilynnsMomma]

I'm in - I am taking my Disney skeptic back in October, maybe you will be able to give me some tips or hints!

 

[heathsf]

I bet you are sooooo excited to be able to show your DBF around WDW for the first time ever! I had taken a friend to Disneyland a couple years ago who had never been (she was 28 at the time) and I was able to point out LOTS of things to her and show her how FP worked and was somewhat a tour guide (but free! ) and I had SO much fun being able to do it!

That's so strange about the Rewards Card! And I was trying to do the EXACT same thing with our cruise...I had forgotten to bring the rewards card with us to help pay off some of the balance we were putting on our KTTW (alcohol, excursions, shopping, ....alcohol! ) so we went to Guest Services and said they would need the ACTUAL rewards card...even though I had my Disney Chase Card and ID to prove that I was the cardholder HOWEVER, this allows us to build up more points for our next cruise! So not all is lost, I suppose!

Are you purchasing a dining plan or paying OOP? I haven't been to 5 of the 7 places you have been to, and am excited to see how they work out for you!

Well good thing you booked another cruise so you can use your credit! At this point, I'm wondering if I should just *tell* BF that the rewards card never came and we'll have NO CHOICE but to go back next year! But seriously...I do hope it comes this time. The points have already been deducted from my account and I'm really hoping that they're not just playing games with me. I don't want to lose those points altogether!

As for the dining plan, we used a free dining promotion and since we're staying at a value resort we only got the quick service plan for free and we paid to upgrade to the regular dining plan. I forget exactly how much it was to upgrade but to us it was worth it.

I'm in - I am taking my Disney skeptic back in October, maybe you will be able to give me some tips or hints!

Is your skeptic your DFI? (I looked at your signature) You said you're taking your skeptic *back* so I'm assuming you went at least once together already? Do you have any advice for me??

 

[heathsf]

I was trying to think of ways to make this trip extra special for BF so I started looking at the behind the scenes tours, something I had never really considered before. Taking interest as well as price into account I had it narrowed down to "Around the World at Epcot Segway Tour" and "Dolphins in Depth." The cost ultimately helped me choose the segway tour and I booked it as a surprise. Well I lasted about a week before I blew my surprise. Oh well.... He was about as excited as I could've expected given that he doesn't really know too much about World Showcase and he's had no experiences with segways (except that he thinks they're nerdy--but I know he'll change his mind once he rides one!) I tried a segway at Innoventions 2 years ago and thought it was just the coolest thing! I am SO excited to get into a park before opening (I've never done an early breakfast or anything like that) and I'm pretty sure BF will enjoy going into the park while everyone else is still waiting on line

 

[FosterA]

I'm in!! as you can see from my signature....my WHOLE family is skeptical. I'm thrilled to be taking my kids for their first time but especially thrilled to take on the challenge of making my husband finally admit that Disney is great. He's not a hater, just very very skeptical. I am so anxious to see what he is going to think!

So...we are very similar it looks like with dragging skeptical guys to Disney. Please follow up with a trip report when you get back so I can continue to have hope that my husband will like it too!

 

[heathsf]

I'm in!! as you can see from my signature....my WHOLE family is skeptical. I'm thrilled to be taking my kids for their first time but especially thrilled to take on the challenge of making my husband finally admit that Disney is great. He's not a hater, just very very skeptical. I am so anxious to see what he is going to think!

So...we are very similar it looks like with dragging skeptical guys to Disney. Please follow up with a trip report when you get back so I can continue to have hope that my husband will like it too!

Yup, we do have similar situations with our significant others and similar goals: I want to hear my BF say that the trip was 100x more fun that he thought it would be and that he can't wait to go back! We'll see....

 

[disneylovin24]

Ohana's is one of the best restaurants in disney IMO, I really hope you love it

The segway tour should be a pretty cool experience!

 

[Leshaface]

I was trying to think of ways to make this trip extra special for BF so I started looking at the behind the scenes tours, something I had never really considered before. Taking interest as well as price into account I had it narrowed down to "Around the World at Epcot Segway Tour" and "Dolphins in Depth." The cost ultimately helped me choose the segway tour and I booked it as a surprise. Well I lasted about a week before I blew my surprise. Oh well.... He was about as excited as I could've expected given that he doesn't really know too much about World Showcase and he's had no experiences with segways (except that he thinks they're nerdy--but I know he'll change his mind once he rides one!) I tried a segway at Innoventions 2 years ago and thought it was just the coolest thing! I am SO excited to get into a park before opening (I've never done an early breakfast or anything like that) and I'm pretty sure BF will enjoy going into the park while everyone else is still waiting on line

Yay!! I've always wanted to try one of those things! That will be so much fun, ESPECIALLY since there won't be anyone in the park at that time! Hopefully you'll be able to take some pictures, although, I can imagine it would be difficult taking pics and driving that sucker around!

 

[heathsf]

Ohana's is one of the best restaurants in disney IMO, I really hope you love it

The segway tour should be a pretty cool experience!

I'm glad to hear that! I'm SO excited to eat there and see the Poly for the first time!

 

[heathsf]

Yay!! I've always wanted to try one of those things! That will be so much fun, ESPECIALLY since there won't be anyone in the park at that time! Hopefully you'll be able to take some pictures, although, I can imagine it would be difficult taking pics and driving that sucker around!

I'll just make sure the camera strap is tight on my wrist!

 

[heathsf]

So this trip has been planned for almost a year already and if I think back, I realize that as the trip has gotten closer and closer BF seems to be at least a little more interested in going. When I wanted to talk about WDW when we first booked the trip he would roll his eyes and tell me I'm crazy, that the trip is so far away.... He basically knew nothing about WDW back then though. I forced him to watch the Disney Parks - Behind The Scenes documentary (the whole series is awesome by the way and available to stream on Netflix) which he really wasn't interested in watching but did admit it was somewhat interesting. He still wasn't *excited* about going though...

Then I forced him to watch the Disney World episode of Modern Marvels which I found on youtube - but I just looked for it now and I'm not finding it. I wonder if it was taken down He enjoyed this more (it really is incredibly amazing) but STILL just wasn't excited about going to Disney!

When I can manage to have a conversation with him about the trip, he does seem at least a little excited now. I wonder if it's because he knows so much more now. I have given him at least 100 tidbits of information over the past year about why WDW is the best vacation spot in the world He would've been fine with going there with zero expectations and knowing nothing. But I really wanted him to have some idea of the parks and attractions and at least some things he was looking forward to. He has really learned a lot though. He knows the parks now and has a general idea of which attractions can be found where. Sometimes we play "Where in the World..." where I'll name an attraction, show, or restaurant and he'll tell me where in WDW it's located! I LOVE this game! He'll humor me for at least a few minutes but I make sure to end the game before it goes from cute to annoying

Anyway, 3 weeks from this moment we should be a few minutes away from landing at MCO! It's just so hard to wait!

 

[Leshaface]

So this trip has been planned for almost a year already and if I think back, I realize that as the trip has gotten closer and closer BF seems to be at least a little more interested in going. When I wanted to talk about WDW when we first booked the trip he would roll his eyes and tell me I'm crazy, that the trip is so far away.... He basically knew nothing about WDW back then though. I forced him to watch the Disney Parks - Behind The Scenes documentary (the whole series is awesome by the way and available to stream on Netflix) which he really wasn't interested in watching but did admit it was somewhat interesting. He still wasn't *excited* about going though...

Then I forced him to watch the Disney World episode of Modern Marvels which I found on youtube - but I just looked for it now and I'm not finding it. I wonder if it was taken down He enjoyed this more (it really is incredibly amazing) but STILL just wasn't excited about going to Disney!

When I can manage to have a conversation with him about the trip, he does seem at least a little excited now. I wonder if it's because he knows so much more now. I have given him at least 100 tidbits of information over the past year about why WDW is the best vacation spot in the world He would've been fine with going there with zero expectations and knowing nothing. But I really wanted him to have some idea of the parks and attractions and at least some things he was looking forward to. He has really learned a lot though. He knows the parks now and has a general idea of which attractions can be found where. Sometimes we play "Where in the World..." where I'll name an attraction, show, or restaurant and he'll tell me where in WDW it's located! I LOVE this game! He'll humor me for at least a few minutes but I make sure to end the game before it goes from cute to annoying

Anyway, 3 weeks from this moment we should be a few minutes away from landing at MCO! It's just so hard to wait!

How long is that series that you found on Netflix? Is it a couple hours? And as soon as i'm done typing this, i'm off to see that youtube video you were trying to find.

That "Where in the World" game is SUCH a cute idea!

LOL @ the bolded! I know, too, when I have to stop talking about WDW/DL before I just become too much for him to handle.

I can't believe it's coming up so quick!