Ideas on how to make a non-WDW person into a fan?

[Samantha*belle]

We personally love the treehouses. They are rather isolated but so peaceful after the parks. We also love to take the boat to Disney Springs. However the one bedroom has bunk beds which might not be ideal with a 2 year old. How many people in total will you have?

There are a lot of really nice restaurants in Disney Springs and might make a great adult evening. They were doing live music at night but I’m not sure about now. They have other activities at Disney Springs that we have not tried like bowling and a movie theater.
Good luck turning your husband into a fan!

4 adults (2 couples) and 2 kids (5 years and 2 years old) in one place. My sister, BIL, and their kids (15 years and 12 years old) are also going. They're staying just over the weekend and will get a room wherever I decide.

 

[kwdw]

I'd get him to decide on the location maybe? Bay Lake is sweet with little ones near MK. I love AKV (Kidani) 2 bdrms with a savanna view. I do like the treehouses - but I'm not sure it's best for YOUR stay unless hubby wants the escape to the quiet. If you do treehouses - you need to plan to cook and have a car. I would not stay there without a car - bus transportation from there is a pain. The EP area is too "busy" for my tastes - but others swear by those locations.

 

[JenLT]

4 adults (2 couples) and 2 kids (5 years and 2 years old) in one place. My sister, BIL, and their kids (15 years and 12 years old) are also going. They're staying just over the weekend and will get a room wherever I decide.

Then the Treehouses wouldn’t be the right choice because the room they’d get will be kind of far away.

 

[Anthony1971]

At 2 the child will not remember at 5 the pool is what is most remembered. AKL has 2 great pools for kids. Jambo has a big slide the 5 YO will not be afraid to go as well as a playground. KIdani has a great kids Play area. You can use both. A 2 BR at Kidani will have a third bathroom as well. Always been a great resort when we took Parents and younger kids loved the pool areas .

 

[_19disnA]

Disney is WAY different then it was in the 80's or 90's. We last went in 2019 after not going for over 10 years and found it FAR too crowded and expensive to be enjoyable. It probably takes 2x as long to do the things we liked doing in the past. Overall, Disney vacation costs roughly twice as much as other places we like to visit. Disney isn't the only place to vacation. We have ZERO plans to ever return. Maybe try to find someplace you can both enjoy probably for a LOT less money.

 

[Samantha*belle]

Absolutely!! Not just for your DH, but also for your kids in that length of a trip - some quiet time, pool time, etc. and an early night mid-trip is a great idea for everyone!

You mentioned your DH not liking crowds; what about the ranch? I've never been there, but I think it is near the the campground - with horseback riding, etc. It would be much more laid-back and non-theme-parky if you think he would enjoy that.

Or is he a golfer? They have three full courses, and you could give him a morning "off" of kid duty to do that, maybe with your dad? (Plus they have mini-golf if you need a less-crowded family activity.)

Your goal this trip is to show him that Disney has something for everyone!

(And him seeing the kids' reactions to things should also help grow the Disney-love.)

Absolutely!! Not just for your DH, but also for your kids in that length of a trip - some quiet time, pool time, etc. and an early night mid-trip is a great idea for everyone!

You mentioned your DH not liking crowds; what about the ranch? I've never been there, but I think it is near the the campground - with horseback riding, etc. It would be much more laid-back and non-theme-parky if you think he would enjoy that.

Or is he a golfer? They have three full courses, and you could give him a morning "off" of kid duty to do that, maybe with your dad? (Plus they have mini-golf if you need a less-crowded family activity.)

Your goal this trip is to show him that Disney has something for everyone!

(And him seeing the kids' reactions to things should also help grow the Disney-love.)

I want to maximize our time down there, but you’re right every day at the parks is probably too much. Horseback riding and mini-golf are great ideas!

 

[Samantha*belle]

I'd get him to decide on the location maybe? Bay Lake is sweet with little ones near MK. I love AKV (Kidani) 2 bdrms with a savanna view. I do like the treehouses - but I'm not sure it's best for YOUR stay unless hubby wants the escape to the quiet. If you do treehouses - you need to plan to cook and have a car. I would not stay there without a car - bus transportation from there is a pain. The EP area is too "busy" for my tastes - but others swear by those locations.

The quiet would be nice, but I could see it being frustrating getting around. We’re flying in so I’d prefer to not rent a car if we could avoid it. I’m worried about the BW areas being loud. Too much action.

 

[Samantha*belle]

Things that might make him like it:

VIP Tour at the beginning of the trip.
a non-park day to relax, golf, etc.
Purchase ILL to hit the best attractions
Make reservations to eat at least once a day to avoid crowded quick service.
Low pressure - let him sleep in if he wants, etc.
Take it easy - don't rush to do everything.
Get the biggest room you can so he can have some privacy if he wants.

really good advice. I think I need a sticky note on the mirror that says “Take it easy, don’t rush to do everything” haha

 

[Samantha*belle]

Things that might make him like it:

VIP Tour at the beginning of the trip.
a non-park day to relax, golf, etc.
Purchase ILL to hit the best attractions
Make reservations to eat at least once a day to avoid crowded quick service.
Low pressure - let him sleep in if he wants, etc.
Take it easy - don't rush to do everything.
Get the biggest room you can so he can have some privacy if he wants.

really good advice. I think I need a sticky note on the mirror that says “Take it easy, don’t rush to do everything” haha

Okay, hear me out. Shorten you park trip and add on a 3-night disney cruise. You and the kids will love the disney experience the cruise (character activities everywhere and no waits!), and he’ll be spared the headaches of waiting in lines, keeping up with a rigid schedule of touring plans and ADRs, and crowds. My DH is NOT a parks fan, but once we started adding in the cruises he loves it.

As for the parks you should absolutely choose boardwalk. What’s the point of a relaxing retreat at the treehouses if you never spend time there because the commute is too long and you are far from any resort amenities? With Boardwalk, when the parks crowded in the afternoons, you walk back to the resort, have a drink and a swim in the pool, then return to the parks in the evening when it is cooler and less crowded.

Oooh. I’m intrigued. What does transportation look like to/from the parks/port? We’re flying in from Minnesota so to escape the January weather for a bit and go even further south then FL would be nice. My parents are big cruisers. Although none of us have ever done a Disney cruise before.

 

[Samantha*belle]

I just got back from WDW with my parents, my sister, her husband, and their baby. My dad hadn’t been to Disney in 20 years, so we were sort of in a similar boat.

We did a 2-BR at Boardwalk and it was perfect. My dad was really impressed and comfortable with the extra space. And it was so convenient being able to walk to both Epcot and HS (or you can take the boat to HS too). Makes it so easy to do mid-day breaks. We would often go back to the resort to eat lunch away from the crowds.

Mid-day breaks and non-park days (especially on a long trip like yours) are really important, especially when you have someone who isn’t a big fan (yet?!). Also not waiting on lines is really big too. So if it’s in the budget, it could be a good idea to plan to buy Genie+ and some individual LL.

My dad and some other non-Disney friends we were with were really loved Rise, Millennium Falcon, and Flight of Passage.

For food, Tiffins, Nomad Lounge, and Skipper were favorites with our crew. I’ve heard good things about Space 220 and Steakhouse 71 (short walk from MK), but I haven’t tried them myself yet. Restaurants and lounges are a good way to take a break from crowds too.

That’s awesome! Even with all the confusion with genie+, I think it would be worth it for our group. Glad you all like the BW!

 

[Samantha*belle]

At 2 the child will not remember at 5 the pool is what is most remembered. AKL has 2 great pools for kids. Jambo has a big slide the 5 YO will not be afraid to go as well as a playground. KIdani has a great kids Play area. You can use both. A 2 BR at Kidani will have a third bathroom as well. Always been a great resort when we took Parents and younger kids loved the pool areas .

We’ll be there in January so I don’t think swimming will be in the cards for us :-/

 

[Marthasor]

I was thinking the same thing for lodging. He likes the outdoors and good scotch. haha. He's a pretty introverted guy. Perhaps a late-night Oga's reservation? I wonder if it is always super busy.

I would highly recommend spending an afternoon at Ft. Wilderness. You can visit the stables, go on a wagon ride/ride horses, rent kayaks/canoes and also book an archery experience. You can also rent pontoon boats at most of the Magic Kingdom area resorts or do fishing excursions from many of the resorts as well. If he likes scotch, you may want to look into some of the lounges at the resorts and parks and also Disney Springs (we like Nomad Lounge in Animal Kingdom). I believe Rose and Crown in the UK pavilion in Epcot has a scotch flight. Abracadabar on the Boardwalk is pretty cool and much quieter than Oga's.

 

[lorenae]

We’ll be there in January so I don’t think swimming will be in the cards for us :-/

It was 85 degrees today, and we while we normally don’t turn it to a lower temperature until late in the day if we’re hot, today, my husband turned it to 70 before 7 AM, as he was very hot. (Normally, he will kick the heat on in the winter right before his shower if it’s below 70 in the house!).

In January 2020, it was hot for about 10 days and I have a photo of me in front of the castle in shorts and t-shirt around midnight. It was WAY too hot to sit in the hot tub at French Quater. BUT, in December 2020 (last year), I wore my ugly christmas sweater, a jacket, gloves, hat and a blanket for our little neighborhood parade, and we had a fire but still froze. Last night we had a friend’s birthday, and we danced outside late with short sleeves and flip flops. WAY too hot to bring out the Ugly Christmas Sweater- and this could easily happen in January too!

You very well might be swimming but it could be 50 degrees and cold too. Hard to say- but we always swim in January most of the time. Well, not me personally as I’m always cold, but the family, friends, and grandkids do! The pools at Disney are heated, and the grandkids wouldn’t miss swimming unless it’s freezing and a torrential downpour. Keep an eye on the forecast right before you come- I’m afraid it’s going to be “too hot” for my family during our two January trips this year!

 

[popy]

Face it, your going have to tell a whole bunch of Lies,
like how cheap it is, no lines, cheap eats and treat, a whole lot of bang for your buck.
but prepare for the payback, your life may be limited.

 

[kathy884]

I'm in the don't even try category. It took us 10 years of marriage to finally figure out that the best thing is for DH to stay home and for me to go with other Disney loving people (my family and DS). We are both super happy doing it this way - works out so much better for both of us. We always do at least one other trip a year too to some place that DH likes that we all enjoy (usually out west).

It was really stressful and not much fun for me to have him in Orlando with me, as I'd be working so hard to find things he'd like, and it just didn't work. Also his lack of enthusiasm made it much less fun for me. Going with others who are absolutely thrilled to be there is delightful with no stress and just plain fun -- leave the Disney poops at home. DH is wonderful to travel with out west and super enthusiastic out there, but I am so much happier leaving him home if going to Orlando.

The only things DH ever liked in Orlando are (1) Gatorland -- This is his favorite place in Orlando by far. He likes it that it is the anthesis of a world class theme park; he likes it that alligators are native to the area, he likes it that the most exciting thing that happened there was some filming in an Indiana Jones movie and that they are still talking about it now, (2) He liked the Cirque du Soleil show in Disney Springs -- He liked the Blueman Group show at Universal (not sure if it's still there too), (3) He enjoyed the wind tunnel on I drive for practice sky diving, and (4) He used to like the buffet at BOMA (Animal Kingdom Lodge). The last time we went though they had replaced some of his favorite African dishes with foods that would appeal to a theme park crowd. (He doesn't like theme parks and that's a huge problem if what others are in Orlando for is to go to theme parks. He also dislikes things that are pretend and not real. He doesn't like crowds. He doesn't care for Florida either (was forced to go there on vacation every year as a kid to visit relatives there). It even bothered him that the walkways in the theme parks were so clean that he couldn't find a pebble or rock to kick. I love DH dearly, but he's not an Orlando guy.)

 

[Samantha*belle]

I would highly recommend spending an afternoon at Ft. Wilderness. You can visit the stables, go on a wagon ride/ride horses, rent kayaks/canoes and also book an archery experience. You can also rent pontoon boats at most of the Magic Kingdom area resorts or do fishing excursions from many of the resorts as well. If he likes scotch, you may want to look into some of the lounges at the resorts and parks and also Disney Springs (we like Nomad Lounge in Animal Kingdom). I believe Rose and Crown in the UK pavilion in Epcot has a scotch flight. Abracadabar on the Boardwalk is pretty cool and much quieter than Oga's.

Awesome ideas! Thank you

 

[Samantha*belle]

Love a lot of the above ideas!

Maybe let him help choose a resort based on what appeals to him.

What if you did a split stay? Say first 4-5 days at a monorail resort or Wilderness Lodge. Do MK and AK while you are there. You can do DS, pools and explore your resort as well as other resorts on off days. Then last two days stay at an EP resort and you and he can do HS and EP while kids stay with grandparents and hang at the pool. And grandparents can hit HS and EP for part of the days when you and hubby get back from those parks.

My husband also had no desire to go to WDW the first time we went (in his mind it was for kids) and by day 2 he was already planning our next trip! So you just never know.

I hope he gets bite by the Disney magic!

 

[Samantha*belle]

Face it, your going have to tell a whole bunch of Lies,
like how cheap it is, no lines, cheap eats and treat, a whole lot of bang for your buck.
but prepare for the payback, your life may be limited.

Haha. Well that is one perspective. I think the cat is out of the bag with the cost. His coworker told him to expect $1k a day. I hope that is an exaggeration.

 

[Samantha*belle]

At 2 the child will not remember at 5 the pool is what is most remembered. AKL has 2 great pools for kids. Jambo has a big slide the 5 YO will not be afraid to go as well as a playground. KIdani has a great kids Play area. You can use both. A 2 BR at Kidani will have a third bathroom as well. Always been a great resort when we took Parents and younger kids loved the pool areas .

The food and setting seem really awesome. I just wonder about the transportation side of things.

 

[Anna131517]

I’m an introvert. I don’t like crowds and I don’t like noise. Table service meals, desert party reservations, staying someplace with easy transportation, and going to shows makes it less overwhelming for me. Just some things to try.