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

[heathsf]

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!

http://movies.netflix.com/WiSearch?oq=disney+parks&ac_posn=-1&v1=disney+parks&search_submit=

There are six different dvds - each is about 45 min long I believe:
Behind the Scenes (my favorite)
Undiscovered Disney Parks
Ultimate Walt Disney World
Disney's Animal Kingdom
Disney Cruise Line
Disneyland Resort

You can also buy them as a box set.

The Modern Marvels - Walt Disney World episode is available for $1.99 on Amazon instant video and iTunes

 

[disneylovin24]

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

I love the Poly I really hope you enjoy going there! I think the whole place provides one of the best atmospheres in all of WDW.

 

[cadesfirsttrip]

I'm going to subscribe to your post! I'm taking my "not as excited as me" BF and my "it's going to be the biggest surprise of his 8 year old life" son. (look for my PT) We arrive 2 weeks from today and will be coming home when you leave. I'm sure I'll be so jealous!

 

[heathsf]

I love the Poly I really hope you enjoy going there! I think the whole place provides one of the best atmospheres in all of WDW.

I know I will. I'm pretty sure BF will also

I'm going to subscribe to your post! I'm taking my "not as excited as me" BF and my "it's going to be the biggest surprise of his 8 year old life" son. (look for my PT) We arrive 2 weeks from today and will be coming home when you leave. I'm sure I'll be so jealous!

Oh my gosh what a great surprise for your DS!!!! I'm going to check out your PTR.

 

[FosterA]

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!

Wow, we have such similar stories with our husband/boyfriend. I've tried to get mine excited and show him the Disney DVDs from Sam's club (which may be the series you saw on Netflix?). He says he doesn't want to watch them at all
At first that hurt my feelings and I thought he was acting like a big jerk but it really turns out that he just doesn't want to ruin the "surprise" of what all we're going to do. Of course he may just be lying to me But...when I get excited and start telling him about something at Disney or want to show him on youtube or something, he's like "don't tell me anything more, I want to be surprised". He really didn't want to go at all but now he's accepted that he is going so he'll be a good sport when we actually get there. Just for now, he'd rather me not talk "Disney" talk.
It's hard because I want to talk about it so much and since neither him or my kids have ever been, it drives me crazy.

You better be sure to post a full trip report when you get back because I just HAVE TO know what BF thought of it all!

 

[heathsf]

Wow, we have such similar stories with our husband/boyfriend. I've tried to get mine excited and show him the Disney DVDs from Sam's club (which may be the series you saw on Netflix?). He says he doesn't want to watch them at all
At first that hurt my feelings and I thought he was acting like a big jerk but it really turns out that he just doesn't want to ruin the "surprise" of what all we're going to do. Of course he may just be lying to me But...when I get excited and start telling him about something at Disney or want to show him on youtube or something, he's like "don't tell me anything more, I want to be surprised". He really didn't want to go at all but now he's accepted that he is going so he'll be a good sport when we actually get there. Just for now, he'd rather me not talk "Disney" talk.
It's hard because I want to talk about it so much and since neither him or my kids have ever been, it drives me crazy.

You better be sure to post a full trip report when you get back because I just HAVE TO know what BF thought of it all!

That is the same thing that my BF would say. "I don't need you to tell me about it. I want to see it for myself." Although as the trip has gotten closer and closer, he seems more willing to listen... I think he was partly telling the truth when he said he wanted to be surprised, but I also think part of him just wasn't interested-- especially when the trip was so far away.

I will definitely be writing a trip report when we get back. At first I wasn't sure if I wanted to, but I realized I'm going to be having serious withdrawals with no future trip planned and hopefully writing a nice long TR will help with that...

 

[spartankid34]

I'm reading along!! I'll be at POP with my mom during part of your stay!! We'll be there 14-23. I think it's funny that your bf, shows little enthusiam for disney...now that is. I bet once he's there he'll turn into the little boy that wanted to go many years ago, haha!!

 

[jenneth79]

I'm in! Sounds like he's warming up to the idea of a trip... can't wait to hear what other plans you have in store!

 

[heathsf]

I'm reading along!! I'll be at POP with my mom during part of your stay!! We'll be there 14-23. I think it's funny that your bf, shows little enthusiam for disney...now that is. I bet once he's there he'll turn into the little boy that wanted to go many years ago, haha!!

Woohoo you're leaving in 10 days!! And a long trip too! Are you going to request a particular building at POP? I went on a trip just me and my mom in February and we had a great time together. I'm going to check out your PTR as soon as I get a chance.

I'm in! Sounds like he's warming up to the idea of a trip... can't wait to hear what other plans you have in store!

I really think (hope) so! Thanks for joining in I see you have a trip coming up in September. I wish I could go then for the low crowds.

 

[PrincessAmongPrinces]

I'm joining in! I can't wait to hear about how your DBF reacts to everything!
The ADRs sound yummy, and the segway tour sounds great!

 

[heathsf]

I'm joining in! I can't wait to hear about how your DBF reacts to everything!
The ADRs sound yummy, and the segway tour sounds great!

Yay! Thanks for joining in!

 

[heathsf]

I forgot to post about the ending of my Disney Rewards Card saga. Last Thursday I finally got my rewards card in the mail from Fed Ex. It actually came on Wednesday but I needed to sign for it and I wasn't home. I found the note from Fed Ex saying that they would try again tomorrow. Well, on Thursday I was home and I signed for it and I immediately called WDW to have the points applied to my no-longer-existing balance. My trip was already paid off (because we were past 30 days! ) but the rep I spoke to said it was no problem to apply the points and then credit my Amex for the value on my rewards card. She put me on hold for a few minutes and then it was all taken care of! She did say it would take a few statements before I saw the credit but that's okay. It will be a nice bonus in a few months

 

[PixieMama]

Joining in!

Your segway tour sounds like fun! It's amazing all these "extras" WDW has, I would never have thought of doing that!

And how cute is your "Where in the World" game?!

The all-you-can-eat Canyon Skillet at WCC is so yummy! We had dinner there for the 1st time last October... my family loved it. We'd definitely consider going back to WCC on future trips!

 

[spartankid34]

Woohoo you're leaving in 10 days!! And a long trip too! Are you going to request a particular building at POP? I went on a trip just me and my mom in February and we had a great time together. I'm going to check out your PTR as soon as I get a chance.

I think we're leaving it up to the room-choice "gods" This will be our first time at POP, so it'll just be fun to explore the whole place!

 

[heathsf]

Joining in!

Your segway tour sounds like fun! It's amazing all these "extras" WDW has, I would never have thought of doing that!

And how cute is your "Where in the World" game?!

The all-you-can-eat Canyon Skillet at WCC is so yummy! We had dinner there for the 1st time last October... my family loved it. We'd definitely consider going back to WCC on future trips!

Thanks for joining! I'm really excited to eat at WCC and see the WL.

I think we're leaving it up to the room-choice "gods" This will be our first time at POP, so it'll just be fun to explore the whole place!

That's not a bad idea. I've stayed at POP 4 times and have been in a totally different location each time. I can't complain about any of them. Even being far from the main building isn't THAT far, and it's so fun walking around there. Plenty to see!

 

[heathsf]

While sitting with BF on the couch a few moments ago, I casually snuck in some WDW questions. And by casually, I mean that I was literally interviewing him. I will do my best to remember his exact answers.

Me: What is your favorite Disney movie?

BF: Uuuuumm...Aristocats.

Me: No, it's not.

BF: You're right. I've never seen that movie.

Me: Okay, so what is it?

BF: Hm...I don't know, what's yours?

Me: Maybe Mary Poppins. Or The Lion King.

BF: Lion King. That's a good one. That's my favorite.

[Is his enthusiasm for Disney shining through here?]

Me: Who is your favorite Disney character?

BF: The raccoon from Pocahontas.

Me: Meeko?

BF: Uhhhh, sure!

Me: He's not your favorite! You didn't even know his name!

BF: laughs Okay, I don't know.

Me: Didn't you say you were looking forward to seeing Donald at WDW?

BF: Yeah. I want to high five him and tell him I like him better than Mickey.

Me: Okay, what are you most looking forward to on this trip?

BF: You not asking me these questions anymore.

Me: I will still be asking them. Except they'll be past tense. For example: "What was your favorite part of the trip?"

BF: Fine. But you just asked me this the other day.

Me: But I forgot what you said.

BF: The rides I guess.

Me: The other day you said it was the restaurants!

BF: I thought you didn't remember my answer!?

[Crap, he got me there ]

Me: Well which is it?

BF: The restaurants.

Me: Which restaurant are you most excited about?

BF: O'hana, the "Canadian Cellar", and the Whispering place

[Wooo I asked for one restaurant and he gave me 3!!! ]

Me: Which rides are you most looking forward to?

BF: Tower of Terror, Mission Space, and Soarin' I guess...

Me: Good answers! On a scale from 1 - 10, a 10 being my level of excitement, how excited were you for this trip when we first booked it?

BF: 5.2

Me: And what are you now?

BF: 7.4

Me: Wow! You went up 2.2 points!?!?

BF: Yes. And keep in mind that this scale increases exponentially.



[I interpret that to mean that he's more excited than he seems ]

At this point I felt like the interview, oh I mean conversation, had been pretty successful so I decided to quit while I was ahead, before I started to legitimately annoy him.

So perhaps that gives you a little taste of BF's personality and his feelings about Disney. His jokes were all in good fun and I know he likes getting a rise out of me, but he's just not the type to take questions about favorite movies and characters seriously. At least not yet. But we'll see.....

 

[westonkamom]

O'hana is my family's favorite restaurant!! I actually reserve it every other night for our 10 day stays just in case we decide we'd rather have that instead of something else. Kona is also very yummy for breakfast and is literally right next to O'hana. Make sure you request a table in the "Main Hall" when you check in for your reservation so that you're more involved in the action. Also, if you time it right you can see the evening fireworks either from your table or outside on the beach. WCC is a lot of fun and we thought the food was really good. It's a noisy dinner with a lot of intentional "attitude" from the CM's, but my kids LOVE it! WL is such a beautiful resort so maybe take a stroll outside after you eat...they have an amazing waterfall and northwoods pool area. We did Le Cellier for the 1st time last December (before it became 2 credits) and although it's a very lovely romantic atmosphere, I was a little disappointed in the steaks, and I'm not a food snob, lol. I got the coffee rub one, and I would not recommend it...although, I have heard lots of good reviews about stopping in for lunch there, as you are doing. If you find yourself looking for other great restaurants, we loved Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner and Tusker House for the character breakfast...plus if you get an early ADR before the park opens, you're right next to the safari ride and can hop on before the lines get ridiculous. Also, a wonderful quick service meal at AK is Flaming Tree BBQ....YUMMY and HUGE portions!!!

Anyhow, sorry that's so lengthy, lol. I think your BF will become a Disney lover. My DH thought it was going to be lame and he's the one who was begging to take the kids back again this Thanksgiving!!!

Good luck!

 

[heathsf]

O'hana is my family's favorite restaurant!! I actually reserve it every other night for our 10 day stays just in case we decide we'd rather have that instead of something else. Kona is also very yummy for breakfast and is literally right next to O'hana. Make sure you request a table in the "Main Hall" when you check in for your reservation so that you're more involved in the action. Also, if you time it right you can see the evening fireworks either from your table or outside on the beach. WCC is a lot of fun and we thought the food was really good. It's a noisy dinner with a lot of intentional "attitude" from the CM's, but my kids LOVE it! WL is such a beautiful resort so maybe take a stroll outside after you eat...they have an amazing waterfall and northwoods pool area. We did Le Cellier for the 1st time last December (before it became 2 credits) and although it's a very lovely romantic atmosphere, I was a little disappointed in the steaks, and I'm not a food snob, lol. I got the coffee rub one, and I would not recommend it...although, I have heard lots of good reviews about stopping in for lunch there, as you are doing. If you find yourself looking for other great restaurants, we loved Liberty Tree Tavern for dinner and Tusker House for the character breakfast...plus if you get an early ADR before the park opens, you're right next to the safari ride and can hop on before the lines get ridiculous. Also, a wonderful quick service meal at AK is Flaming Tree BBQ....YUMMY and HUGE portions!!!

Anyhow, sorry that's so lengthy, lol. I think your BF will become a Disney lover. My DH thought it was going to be lame and he's the one who was begging to take the kids back again this Thanksgiving!!!

Good luck!

Wow thank you for the in-depth response! I appreciate the recommendations but I don't think we'll be doing any other TS restaurants other than what we have booked already. Of course, you never know and hopefully there will be future trips! I may have to check out the Flame Tree BBQ in AK, I've never eaten there before. Your story about your DH is inspiring me! I hope my BF converts the same way!

 

[jenneth79]

I really think (hope) so! Thanks for joining in I see you have a trip coming up in September. I wish I could go then for the low crowds.

I'm hoping the crowds are low! I know historically they are but a little part of me still fears that free dining will put an end to that, eventually. Just in case, I've been researching touring plans... granted I will probably never use them, but who knows!

She put me on hold for a few minutes and then it was all taken care of! She did say it would take a few statements before I saw the credit but that's okay. It will be a nice bonus in a few months

YAY! That's great news, and that credit will be a very nice bonus, indeed!

[Is his enthusiasm for Disney shining through here?]

Me: Who is your favorite Disney character?

BF: The raccoon from Pocahontas.

Me: Meeko?

BF: Uhhhh, sure!

Me: He's not your favorite! You didn't even know his name!

This was hilarious! I can just see you there with a clipboard, checking off his responses. Like one of those Cosmo quizzes "You Know Your Man Will Love Disney When..."

On a side note, in 1994, I pretty much stalked Meeko our whole trip to get a picture. My younger cousin who I was babysitting at the time was so embarassed. It was awesome.

 

[heathsf]

I'm hoping the crowds are low! I know historically they are but a little part of me still fears that free dining will put an end to that, eventually. Just in case, I've been researching touring plans... granted I will probably never use them, but who knows!

Even with low crowds, some rides are still going to have long waits so I think it's good to have an idea of what's important to you and what you want to do first

If you haven't already you should check out easywdw.com for some great touring plan ideas.