First, congratulations on your upcoming trip with your hubby! For anyone who's been to WDW, there's always a first time, and I'll try to share a little of what I learned as a former Disney Husband on my first trip there. I think for a skeptical first-timer to have a good time, you need to do some proper planning and he needs to keep an open mind. I learned that on my very first trip.
I love WDW. That wasn't always the case. I'd been to DLR. I experienced that. It was a lot of fun. Before going to WDW though, I was prejuidiced against the whole concept of the place. The magic, the fairytales, the place where the animated characters live.. what all that boiled down to me was "I'm a grown man now and Disney is just an amusement park for kids." That was my thinking and it was unfair and wrong.
To give it even more context, my wife and I had traveled extensively both before and after we got married. We went on cruises, trips to Europe, Polynesia, and various parts of the country. We had no children and we both worked, so that's how we enjoyed our free time and disposible income. So given my biased thinking about Disney, and given that we had seen and were planning to travel to many fun and interesting places together, I couldn't understand taking time and spending money going to a place that was basically "make believe".
That's where I got it wrong. What I didn't understand and what I came to appreciate is that
Disney is what you make of it! It's a show, to be sure, but it's a marvelous 24/7 show that gives you so much to enjoy every moment you're there. From the moment you arrive, all of your senses will be filled - so my first piece of advice to anyone who might be skeptical of the experience is to just take it all in! First, and this happens when you arrive in FL.. your nose tells you that you're in a tropical place. When you arrive at WDW, listen for the music. It's everywhere. It comes from nowhere in particular, but it's all around you! You can't help taking in the architecture and the landscaping which is so thoughtfully planned and meticulously maintained. Everything is clean, neat, comfortable and beautiful. Then there's the food.. there are some amazing meals to be enjoyed there, so plan your dining ahead of time and treat yourselves to some amazing dining experiences together. The wonderful thing is, you can both enjoy the experience in different ways - maybe you will love it for the magical moments you're expriencing, and he might love it for gourmet meal he just ate and seeing the smile on your face. It's what each of you makes of it.
There's just so much to do and enjoy there. Fortunately for me, my wife was an excellent planner, and I benefitted from her research and planning.
For us and for many people, the theme parks are the main attraction, so plan for when you want to visit those and what you want to do there. Plan, plan, plan.
Give yourself time to enjoy the pools & jacuzzis. Many people break up their park time by returning to the resort to recharge themselves at the pool and a for a siesta. Disney can be exhausting with a lot to do and lots of walking, so make time to rest and you'll enjoy the theme parks that much more.
Much of your husband's enjoyment will depend on what he likes. If he likes thrill rides, then plan your park time around those. If he likes food, make sure you make your ADR's so that you can eat where and when it works for you. If you do the planning, there's less for him to worry about. If he likes to plan, then you should make it a joint effort. Part of the fun of any trip is doing the planning in advance. There are lots of resources here to help you with that, including all of us.
Don't leave out the things you enjoy either. If you want to do something that your husband doesn't, it's ok to split your park time to do the things you want to do separately. If he likes to play golf, give him time to do that while you visit DTD or someplace else for the things you like to do that he doesn't. Make time for a massage or spa treatment. Whatever you like. You don't have to spend all your time together to enjoy your experience there.
That's a lot of info, and I apologize for being wordy, but I hope you find some of this helpful.
I hope this is the first of many wonderful trips for the two of you. Good luck with everything and enjoy your trip!!
