Need Tips for having a non-Disney fan along

[ToddyLu]

I thought Non-DH meant that you guys were divorced and he was going to be with your son....now I see that it is Non-Disney DH....how did I miss that...oh yeah, I am blonde.

 

[Mom&RN]

When DH and I were dating I tried to convince him he would love WDW as much as my family did. He was not convinced. One year my parents offered to let us use their DVC and it took THEM talking to him for him to say yes. He started to get more of an open mind but still told me that this would probably be his only trip.

Well he fell in love right away! And as soon as we got back he started talking about when we could go again. Then we got engaged and planned a wedding and a few Disney things in the wedding (like the cake topper in my avatar) and honeymooned at Disney. We are going again this year and he’s so excited now. My family sucked him in and now he’s one of us.

Also my brother liked WDW as a kid but like many teenagers reached a certain age and wasn’t into it anymore. My parents go a lot and they invite us on some of their trips. It wasn’t until his late 20s that he gave it another try and now he is back in love with WDW.

I’m sorry that I don’t have advice for you, just some hope that maybe he’ll change his mind once he’s there especially since its first trip!

I'm also hoping he will find the Disney love!

Wishing you the best of luck! My DH was so anti-Disney before our 1st family trip. And I made myself crazy worrying about it. And now we are planning our 3rd Disne family trip... so it all worked out!

But, just in case-

Do not go Commando while DH is around- save that for the times that he is off on his own. Excellent advice - we would make him CRAZY going commando. I was thinking that it might work well if my DS and I hit the parks first thing in the morning and do all our commando things and thrill rides then have hubby meet us mid-day for lunch and we can have a slower paced afternoon together.

In addition to Disney Quest, there are other male-type things at DTD- they have boat rentals, etc. Boat rental is a good idea....

If you are on the meal plan, definitely try to visit some of the higher-end, best table service restaurants. He is very excited about the restaurants and my DS is a foodie in the making so this is definately something we are all looking forward to. I'm actually considering doing the Deluxe dining plan but need to find out first how much time hubby wants to spend on-site and how much he'll want to wander off property on his own.

Don't do ANY character meals with DH (ditto for Character meet & greets) DEFINATELY NOT!! Hubby said he would not be cool with interacting with characters, I think punching Mickey if he hugged him might have been mentioned.... (though he wasn't serious at all)

If the weather will be hot, schedule hotel pool time or visit one of the Disney water parks. Thankfully we are going in January so at least the weather won't be hot and the crowds should be manageable so I think that will help

Make sure to spend 1-2 days at Epcot- it is not as overwhelmingly Disney for a newbie

Once in past my hubby spent one day at Epcot (never made it out to world showcase) and he liked it and, thankfully, Epcot is my DS favorite park so I think we'll be spending lots of time at Epcot.

My DH is not as big a fan, but he did find that he likes WDW. Just be aware that sometimes we go so far out of our way to try to make someone else happy that no one is happy in the end. My recommendation is that you do not waste too much energy trying to make the trip different to please him. Plan as you would if he were not along, communicate the plans to him and be flexible if he wants to opt out of some of the activities , return to the hotel early, etc. This is not to say you should not plan something special that you think he would particularly enjoy. Just make sure you are doing all the things you want to do and be willing to go your separate ways at times.

OH MY GOSH!!! You just made my day!! I think I have been spending all my energy worrying about how to plan around him but I think you are right, my DS and I should plan our regular things and give hubby the option of joining us our not. Its not like he is a child, he is a grown man who can do his own thing when he has had enough park time.

I thought Non-DH meant that you guys were divorced and he was going to be with your son....now I see that it is Non-Disney DH....how did I miss that...oh yeah, I am blonde.

That's ok - I'm blonde too, and often live up to my hair color

 

[littlebit0863]

I'm worried about this too. The only Disney trip my husband went with me on was the trip where we got engaged 4 years ago, and he honestly did not have a very good time. He liked the thrill rides, and he really loved Test Track, but this trip will be different. Before it was just the two of us, and now we are travelling with two other couples and 3 toddlers. He is not looking forward to a trip of character greetings and Dumbo rides. He is extremely sick of me talking about our Disney trip, so I try to limit talking about it at home, esp. since it's 3 months away. I have told him he doesn't have to go, but he wants to see my son experience it for the first time. I hope the magic of that will help him have a good time as well.

 

[GeraldineW]

My DH is not a fan of Disney. He is going on his 3rd trip - not because he likes Disney - he still hates it - but because I want to go. My Dh will complain throughout the trip and I try to nicely remind him that I would enjoy myself more if he kept his negative comments to himself. I do try to plan stuff that DH will like. He did Seqway Around the World and enjoyed being on the Seqway, but says he would have liked it better if not in Epcot. I offered him the Seqway at FW for our upcoming trip and he declined in favor of a Seqway tour of our home city. My Dh's least hated park is Epcot so I try to get him enough time at that park. I try to plan an itinerary so we minimize waits because waiting makes it worse (as for anyone). DH does understand the benefits of a good touring plan and does stick with the plan which is all I ask of him if he is coming along. I just go planning to have a good time knowing it is not and will never be his ideal vacation. We do other trips with his likes in mind. I do often catch DH smiling but he will never admit he likes Disney and makes me work to convince him to do another trip. I don't think everyone enjoys Disney and I don't think everyone will be "converted" or drink the disney cool aid. But, you can still make the most of your time together and enjoy the trip.

 

[Mom&RN]

I'm worried about this too. The only Disney trip my husband went with me on was the trip where we got engaged 4 years ago, and he honestly did not have a very good time. He liked the thrill rides, and he really loved Test Track, but this trip will be different. Before it was just the two of us, and now we are travelling with two other couples and 3 toddlers. He is not looking forward to a trip of character greetings and Dumbo rides. He is extremely sick of me talking about our Disney trip, so I try to limit talking about it at home, esp. since it's 3 months away. I have told him he doesn't have to go, but he wants to see my son experience it for the first time. I hope the magic of that will help him have a good time as well.

I think your husband will definately enjoy seeing your son have the joy of his first Disney experience. I think if our son was younger when we "discovered" the joy of Disney my husband may have been willing to go before. However, I would have missed out on some really great Mother/Son times. My husband has been a stay at home Dad since my son was five and I went back to work (I stayed home before that) so I really appreciated the special times with my son. I also have been thoroughly shut down by my husband in my interest in talking about the trip (thank goodness for my son and the DIS). My only concern is that soon it will be our 180 day mark and I want to get input from my husband on what restaurants he might like.... I think I'm just going to have to pick for him! Here's hoping we both have great trips and figure out ways to make the trip work for ourselves and our husbands!

My DH is not a fan of Disney. He is going on his 3rd trip - not because he likes Disney - he still hates it - but because I want to go. My Dh will complain throughout the trip and I try to nicely remind him that I would enjoy myself more if he kept his negative comments to himself. I do try to plan stuff that DH will like. He did Seqway Around the World and enjoyed being on the Seqway, but says he would have liked it better if not in Epcot. I offered him the Seqway at FW for our upcoming trip and he declined in favor of a Seqway tour of our home city. My Dh's least hated park is Epcot so I try to get him enough time at that park. I try to plan an itinerary so we minimize waits because waiting makes it worse (as for anyone). DH does understand the benefits of a good touring plan and does stick with the plan which is all I ask of him if he is coming along. I just go planning to have a good time knowing it is not and will never be his ideal vacation. We do other trips with his likes in mind. I do often catch DH smiling but he will never admit he likes Disney and makes me work to convince him to do another trip. I don't think everyone enjoys Disney and I don't think everyone will be "converted" or drink the disney cool aid. But, you can still make the most of your time together and enjoy the trip.

Thank you for your words of encouragement. I KNOW my husband will never drink the Disney Koolaid, just won't happen. I am going to schedule a behind the scenes tour which he said he would be interested in. I have found out since having that discussion with him that he is actually LOOKING FORWARD to the doing the tour (not just "that would be ok" which is what he told me). How did I find out? He told a friend of ours, who told me how excited he is about the tour!!! I was going to do the 1/2 day Keys to the Kingdom tour but now I"m thinking about doing the whole day, all four parks tour. Guess I"ll ask our friend which tour my husband would like better

 

[ckpoodge]

My tip is one that someone else posted: Don't plan to go commando when DH is with you. Be completely open to the fact that he MAY not enjoy everything, and concentrate on the things that he DOES enjoy (i.e., Epcot - does he enjoy the occassional cocktail/beer? Then park him on a bench overlooking WS and trot off to do a show while he's enjoying himself).

Perhaps since he's on vacation, he'll want to sleep in/hang out at the resort. Or if he's a gamer, maybe he'll want to check out DisneyQuest.

Try this for your arrival day: a Character meal. Perhaps if he sees how much you are all having fun, he will be able to ease into it.

Here's a little story that shows there is hope for everyone. Just don't get discouraged.

I dragged (literally DRAGGED) my entire family to Disney for my wedding. No one could understand why we went year after year, and some were furious that I decided to have my wedding there.

Well, time passed, and wedding day was upon us. Everyone was impressed with the service Disney provided. We had Magic Kingdom day the next day. Everyone came at their leisure and did whatever they wanted to do. If they wanted to hang with us, that was great, and most chose to do that because we were the "experts". We didn't see my parents until dinner (except for passing by) because they were enjoying the parades and shows. They didn't ride any rides until after dinner, and then it was only 2, but by-golly, they want to go back next year.

My brother, who yelled at me for being selfish, is now an AVID Disney park fan. Every time I talk to his wife, she tells me that he's planning his time off, he can't wait, etc., etc. He doesn't ride roller coasters, but he's planning a week (at least) next year. They opted to stay near us so we could show them the best, and now they want us to go with them. He was there, bright and early, with the cheesiest smile on his face that just wouldn't wipe away. No one knows why. It just happened.

Can anyone say "Disney Magic"?

 

[Mom&RN]

Thank you ckpoodge! You made me smile! I am definately seeing hope already - he asked me to get him some Disney maps so he could find things he would like to do (be still my heart!). He does enjoy an adult beverage every now and then and he loves to eat (a man after my own heart) so I know he'll like the dining. My son is a foodie in the making so he really looks forward to dining in the World so I think that is something we'll all like. I was thinking he could definately take time to sit, drink an adult beverage, and people watch at times. Also, I think he might enjoy hanging out at the resort in the morning while my son and I do the big thrill rides then meeting us at the park for lunch and we can do the stuff we may all enoy in the afternoon. We'll play evenings by ear....