Husbands 1st time - Need to make it unforgettable

[Gidgitgoescrzy]

So I am taking my Husband to Disney for his first trip, it's kind of a 2nd honeymoon, since he didn't want us to go to Disney on our real honeymoon. (Him 48, me 43, I've been to disney 5 times) We got married 09-20-14..... Anyway we are going 1/19 thru 1/24 , staying at Port Orleans Riverside. He's not a huge amusement park fan, so I only got ticket for 2 days, park hoppers. We arrive at 11am on Monday the 19th, so I have dinner ressies at House of Blues for 6 pm that evening, we are getting up really early, so I thought we would have a super slow day, not doing much but checking out Disney and the resort. Tuesday is magic Kingdom day, I already did my FP and they are way spread out, as I figured we would spend the whole day there and just take our time putzing around ( He's a big putzer ). Weds we have 10am ressies at 1900 park fare. Then I figured we would putz around some more check out the GF after breakfast, maybe rent a boat, take a carriage ride. Thursday, I have no reservations, Im leaving it open we can check out more resorts, or get tickets and go to a park, it's basically a free day to do whatever we feel like. Friday, I did my FP reservations for Animal Kindom in the morning, then I have ressies at some rest in Epcot at 4.30 ( Can't think of the name its a buffett and it spins) then I figured we would drink our way around Epcot..... Saturday we leave but still have time to have some free time as we don't leave till 6.30...............

My goal here is for him to have the best time EVER so he will want to go back with me on a regular basis....

Budget is not unlimited, so I don't want to spend a ton, but will do what it takes as long as it's fairly reasonable.....

Any suggestions ?

Thanks,

Vikki

 

[com_op_2000]

It depends on what you are into:
sports: golf, mini-golf, fishing, RPDE, marathon, bowling, ESPN Club, WWS/ESPN Zone, etc
shopping: DTD, area outlet malls, large scale malls
drinking: Jellyrolls, Raglan Road, monorail tour of resorts, walking tour of resorts in the Boardwalk area
movies: DTD 24 screen theater some with meals served by waiters
night clubbing: Jellyrolls, Atlantic Dance, Raglan Road, Citywalk
resort tours: monorail tour of resorts, Boardwalk around the lake tour of resorts, AKL/AKV
offsite: Gaylord Palms Resort, Citywalk, swamp tour

 

[Amanda999]

Re: your Park Fare breakfast and Garden Grill - rotating rest. in Epcot - dinner are both character meals).

Unless you or he really want to see the particular characters at each restaurant, I'd choose more refined (non-character) meals, if he's anything like DH (not a huge Disney fan) and if I were trying to rope him into liking Disney more.

Epcot has some great choices - check out reviews on easywdw perhaps to get a feel for them. I'd definitely choose a restaurant in a 'foreign country.' It's Epcot, after all.

On the monorail (to replace Park Fare): Kona for breakfast is great, and no character commotion/noise. The Wave at the Contemporary has a nice buffet. There's 100 choices that don't have characters. Just my 2 cents, having been to dozens of them! (DS is a huge fan.)

HTH

 

[a1tinkfans]

Welcome! I too would skip character meals unless he/ you have a fav one you d like to see. The eating choices are endless... Choose a location, then a cuisine ..look at the menus and choose which place works best. If he likes steak n potatoes I wouldn't choose a place that's known for bkfst, Kwim? The resort is lovely, but Big...carriage ride? and take the boat to DTD relaxing and a nice place to walk around, grab a bite etc. it's really all about your Dh likes/dislikes...if he likes gaming I'd go to Disney quest. If he is into fishing, get in on a fishing trip at disney or grab a pole right at the resort. A foodie, good restaurants. A fun, corny time with yummy food...hoop dee do dinner...and ck out fort wilderness area ( boat from MK easiest). The possibilities really are endless, it doesn't have to be parks all day everyday, but I'd plan a bit more than just walking n walking n walking. Let's face it, it's not typically a cheap visit, so spending ur money on some quality things, even good meals would be worthwhile so he both enjoys and sees the value in returning. Pixie dust ur way! Enjoy

 

[Gidgitgoescrzy]

Okay so I got rid of Garden Grill and went with Chefs De France for our Epcot dinner, he and I will both be happy with their menu. I kept the 1900 Park fare, as he knows about that and did say he wanted to atleast meet a couple of characters.

Hubbys absolute favorite thing to do on vacation is hang out in the hot tub with a drink or two.... so he's fairly easy to please. lol

Thank you all for the suggestions.

 

[kiford]

For DH and I, the most important part of the vacation is that we are doing it together. Spending the time just enjoying each other's company and talking; focusing on each other. That requires us to take a more leisurely pace, not run ourselves ragged spending every possible minute at the parks, e.g., no rope drop and leaving at a reasonable hour (unless we feel like leaving at an unreasonable hour which we do sometimes).

If you want your DH to come back, you don't want him to feel that he was exhausted and that running around desperately trying to see everything, standing in line for ages and going on every attraction is what WDW is about. Although DH and I both love going on thrill rides, what we most like about WDW is that we can see and do things without even going on attractions: watching performers in the streets, fireworks, parades - which we both hate except for Disney parades, wandering through the shops, checking out different hotels, sitting and people watching and sometimes just holding hands walking around and talking.

We still always schedule some things like tickets to MVMCP or La Nouba, try something new like the Wild Africa Trek last year, always make ADRs and pick some of our favourite attractions to defintely go on. The rest of the time we just go with the flow and let our mood dictate what's next. Sometimes that's sitting in our room watching TV for a couple of hours with our feet up, getting a drink in one of the bars or lounges, sitting by the pool, or flitting over to another park to see what's happening, do a ride or two and then decide what's next. This always lets us feel that we both relaxed and did some fun stuff.

Sounds like your DH might feel the same way about not wanting to run around from dusk until dawn given his preference for sitting in a hot tub with a drink on vacation and that your plan to schedule some stuff and just "putz" around for the rest of the time will work for him in the same way it works for us. Here's hoping that you can strike the right balance that will leave him wanting to return. After more than 25 years together, DH and I have extremely fond memories of our times at WDW from our very first vacation together in 1986 to our trip last December (along with our 8 Disney cruises, soon to be 9, that started as an extension of our WDW trips).

 

[ToddyLu]

Sounds like a good plan. Similar to the PP, DH (50)and I(46) have been married 20 years (no children)and WDW is our go to vacation. My first trip to WDW was for our 8th anniversary in 2002. He had always promised to take me and that was the year...been back once or twice a year since. He doesn't like to travel but there is a comfort to WDW that we both love and appreciate. YeHaa Bob is at Riverside and you might enjoy the show for a few minutes. He is really cute but after about an hour I was done. Rain Forrest Cafe at AK is fun for us and they usually have a nice breakfast. Then we head out into the park. The Pangani Forrest was not really open when we were there in Oct. That was a disappointment to him since he loves watching the animals. Chefs has had great baguettes in the past. I am sure you know him well and will be able to tell when he is tired.. Just go back, regroup, and then head out again. He will like the laid back pace. Have a wonderful trip and Happy New Year!!

 

[mevelandry]

Okay so I got rid of Garden Grill and went with Chefs De France for our Epcot dinner, he and I will both be happy with their menu. I kept the 1900 Park fare, as he knows about that and did say he wanted to atleast meet a couple of characters.

Hubbys absolute favorite thing to do on vacation is hang out in the hot tub with a drink or two.... so he's fairly easy to please. lol

Thank you all for the suggestions.

In my opinion, one of the best spots in Disney to have a nice meal and drink is Raglan Road. Great music and dancing shows are impressive.

'Ohana has a lot of fans too. It's DH and I's favorite restaurant in Disney (Raglan Road almost a tie).

I have nothing against Chefs de France but I really think there are better places to have a meal in Epcot. Via Napoli has excellent arancinis and the best pizza. Le Cellier has great Filet Mignon. Not the biggest fan of seafood but Coral Reef has a giant fishtank that makes you feel like you're almost eating under water.

I like Fantasia Fairways Mini-Golf a lot. Splitsville Bowling and Pool is great and the food there is surprisingly good.

 

[WDWFanForLife]

I agree with the concerns expressed about character meals, but you know your DH and if he is ok with it, that's all that matters.

Otherwise, I would say don't stress about having to see everything. You want to leave him with reasons to go back. Just give him a little taste of the Disney magic.

Other than attraction recommendations, I would suggest:

1. Magic Kingdom - The Festival of Fantasy Parade. I don't know anyone who doesn't think it is amazing!
2. Epcot - Consider doing something that not many people even know exists, Sum of All Thrills. It's inside Innoventions. It allows you to design your own roller coaster and then ride it. It's a lot of fun and my DH loved that. And in World Showcase, try to catch as many of the outdoor performances as you can. You should be able to get a schedule at the front of the park.
3. Hollywood Studios - Hollywood Brown Derby Lounge is a really nice spot. They have great food and drinks and weather permitting, there is an outdoor seating area.
4. Animal Kingdom - There are some great performances in the Harambe Village section of the park near the Festival of the Lion King and the safari.
5. Boardwalk - This is a great area to take a romantic stroll. There are some great street performers that perform throughout the night and there is plenty of nightlife: ESPN Club, Big River Grille & Brewing Works, Jelly Rolls, AC Dance Hall.
6. Downtown Disney - shopping, restaurants, bars, food truck park, La Nouba, etc.
7. Resort Hopping - Catch the monorail from Magic Kingdom and tour the different resorts on the monorail loop: Polynesian, Contemporary, Grand Floridian. (and maybe plan where you want to stay on your next trip!)
8. PO Riverside is a beautiful resort. Take advantage of all of the amenities it offers.

Hope this helps! Have a great trip!!!

 

[Gidgitgoescrzy]

Think I've finally finalized all our plans

For our MK day, I got us ressies for BOG, they are for 8.35 I figured it works out perfectly, Wishes is at 8pm that day, so we can head back after that. and Since it will be too late for dinner in our eyes, I figured we could have a bottle of champagne, appitizers and/or dessert and not bother with a full meal, as non of the entrees really stand out anyway.

For Epcot day, I got us ressies at the Pizza place Via Napoli

For our breakfast, we decided on Boma.

7 more days, Im super excited !