Non-Disney Loving Spouse

[luv2plan]

My husband won't go either. He says, "I've been on Peter Pan, why do I need to go on it again?" And, "why am I getting up at 7am on vacation?!" I just go without him! If he doesn't want to go, that's his choice, but that is where we want to go. We do go on other vacations, so he isn't completely out of luck. And I did get him to go the first week of December in 2009. We all really enjoyed that trip. We slept in and only one rope drop in four days. Actually, it was a great trip.

If your DH will go, do all you can to appease him. Make ADR's to alleviate dining problems. Let him sleep in and meet up with him at lunch time back at the hotel. Spend time at DTD, just see a movie. Go mini golf, go to the water parks. Spend a few days at the beach to end the trip.

Good luck, I feel your pain!

 

[Micca]

Maybe there is something else at Disney he might like - Golf? Sports Complex? Fish? Going to ESPN? Staying back at the room on the internet? Then he doesn't go to the parks, let him do what he wants and then maybe it becomes a vacation for him.

We don't have the same problem, we all love it. I really feel for you! Good luck!

These are great suggestions. If you have a guy that doesn't like golf, fishing, drinking at ESPN, or surfing the web, you've got a problem.

Full disclosure: I don't like any of those things, but I am a WDW fanatic. Surely there is no guy who doesn't like WDW or any of the above???

 

[ben1993]

My Dad never came to Disneyland Paris with us when i was a kid. it was my Mom and the 4 of us kids, there is no way he ever would have come, even though I think anyone that has been to Disney and doesn't like it crazy!

 

[grafxgirl]

I'm glad my husband loves Disney as much as the kids and myself. In fact I was the one who vowed to not get sucked in with the rest of his family, but on my first trip it happened.

My husband has already planned out our next 3 trips to Disney!!

 

[PoohsFan1]

I am blessed my DH is as nuts for WDW as I am. Sometimes I think even more!!!

I am blessed too. Sometimes I think he knows more about Disney than I do

 

[CopasFamily]

In all honesty, I hated WDW when I married my husband. I had only been twice once at 8 and once at 16. I had convinced myself at 16 that I would never set foot back in the place. But a lot has changed since then, and I think you could safely say that I love THE MOUSE.

If he had his way, the mouse would have somehow married us and we would have spent our honeymoon there, but it took almost a year for DH to convince me to go to Disney with him and our daughter (my step-daughter).

Witnessing Disney through the eyes of a child certainly did a 180 on my opinion. Even if it wasn't instantaneous, each trip during the past five years turned my skepticism into appreciation and from appreciation grew love and awe. Sorry I don't have any suggestions on how to get your DH to enjoy your time in MCO.

 

[jking6]

LEAVE HIM HOME ..... Thats what I do. He would rather spend his time at the races or hunting so he leaves me home then and my DD and I go to Florida without him. Went last August returning again in May. girls only
It works for us we have been married 34 years so for me this is compromise....

 

[SnipsNSnails]

We went to MK usually once a year for the day while visiting my grandparents in FL each year. We never stayed on property until I was 16 and then again when I was 18. I think it was finances. I Disney and our financial situation isn't so that we can go stay every year, if we could I would totally do it. We stayed 3 nights 2 years ago and I decided I wanted to go this fall for a week before our oldest starts kindergarten next year and before our younger DS is 3.

I think my DH had been once and stayed at CBR when they were kids. He does not care for theme parks in general. My family loves them! LOL I would say we usually made 2-5 visits to various theme parks in any given year, usually MK was one of those. His idea of a great vacation is camping, a houseboat, beach house etc. I've done that stuff in the past and I'm sure we will do it all again. I personally don't care to cook on vacation but I'm sure I'll get over it. I'd prefer WDW, a cruise (my family loves those too!), or even an all-inclusive, or a hotel at a destination. I think it's just the differences in how we were raised and what types of vacations our families favored. At the ages our boys are 4 & 2 the idea of a houseboat is I'd rather they be good swimmers before we do that again. He even offered to stay home from our upcoming trip in Sept to save some $$! I told him the boys would be dissapointed. I think it's safe to say that I will probably never score an anniversary trip to the Poly like I've always hoped for once the kids are grown, Oh well. One trip at a time and we're going in Sept.

 

[Cruz91]

It's the only logical solution. EARreconcilable differences.

...I'm a lucky one two. I'm very happy to have a wife who is as nuts about the place as I am. I'm also very proud to say we're raising two very DisNuts kids.

 

[mellvswdw1]

It took a while to get my DH to where he is today, a Disney lover, not a Disney tolerator. We do not have children, and are blessed to be able to travel. I have compromised several times by going a beach every other trip.

I was shocked when he agreed to DVC. I truly thought he would never go for it, however he agreed. He tends to be a very sentimental man, and now WDW holds some of our most treasured memories, and we can't wait to share them with our future children.

I say don't press too much and let him ease into tolerating, or even liking WDW. Good luck!

 

[Suellen]

I think my husband enjoys going mainly because he enjoys seeing his girls so happy and having so much fun. That said I've made several trips without him because he can't get out of work.

I can't imagine him being such a curmudgeon about a vacation with/for the kids. They will only be kids for a few years and soon will not even want to travel with us.

 

[carrie1626]

When I met the woman who is now my wife, I made very sure she knew what she was getting herself into right from the start, because going to WDW as often as possible was non-negotioable for me -- whether I went with her or by myself. I'm glad that she always enjoyed Disney and has come to love it more over the last six years. She isn't engrossed in trivia, Disney history, facts and figures, Imagineering backstories and such to the degree I am, but she still loves it. For this, I am exceedingly thankful. She may not always want to hear me spout trivia for hours on end, but she does understand why I love to do it and why it is important to me.

She still hasn't made good on her promise to take me to Disneyland, however -- she used to live right down the street and could watch the fireworks from her balcony every night.

Something to look forward to, I suppose.

Scott

Do you have a twin brother, available to travel with any of us, at any time?

 

[Mouse's Shadow]

I've been married to a wonderful man for 27 years. He's perfect in every way, except, he doesn't love Disney. His attitude is, "I've been there twice, why do I need to go again." (OK, so maybe he's not perfect, but...)

We are total opposites. His ideas of a great vacation is being 500 miles from the nearest person with a caribou or moose tag in one hand and a bow and arrow in the other. We are quite happy taking separate vacations. (Something that developed over years) 3 years ago, my best friend and I went to Italy for 17 days. The previous year he went with his brother on a Moose hunt in Newfoundland. And every few years we take a vacation together. Last year I went to WDW with friends. This year we're going to Disney as a family, mainly because our DS is in a wheelchair and it is one of the few places that goes to great lengths to be accessible. It also helps that DH's best friend and his family, who live in Alabama, are meeting us there. (They haven't seen each other since our last WDW trip over 4 years ago.)

Life is a compromise. There are always ways to make it work. Disney may not be my husband's favorite place, therefore I try to incorporate things he likes and I'm not afraid to tour on my own, while the rest of the crew head back for some pool time. Good Luck!

 

[KarenAylwood]

Reading this thread because I'm trying to prep myself for this situation...

DF and I are getting married this year. He hasn't been to Disney since... 1989 or 1990 when he was a kid. He believes it's something that parents should take their children to (thank god for at least that!) but he doesn't get my obsession. I have gotten him to agree to go to Disney sometime before kids- I'm pushing for our one year anniversary because we'd like to start trying for kiddos right around then. I am SO nervous that he won't enjoy it at all and it will be like pulling teeth to plan future trips. I'm already trying to think of how I can brainwash my future kids into loving Disney as much as I do!

My dad isn't a Disney fan. We went as a family when I was 9 and he spent most of what I can remember taking naps in the hotel or golfing. My mom and I would go off to the parks on our own and everyone was pretty content with that. I've been to Disney almost 30 times now- all on mother-daughter trips except three of them (two of those were with dad, one was with a family friend & her kids). Dad owns a small business anyway so he couldn't take much vacation when I was growing up so we would go to Florida twice a year on school breaks. Worked out for us but I know it wouldn't work for DF and I since we want to vacation together, no matter where it may be.

DF loves skiing so we've talked a little about alternating. One year ski trip, one year Disney. We'll see how things go!

 

[AuroraMeansDawn]

I am much more of a Disney Nut than my DH and we've made compromises over the years and gone different places but as our 25th Anniversary drew near we reached a compromise. We're going on a non Disney Cruise at the beginning of our vacation and spending two nights at Disney on the tail end. I hope to show him on that trip with a day to leisurely stroll the WS and dinner at the CG that there is an adult side to Disney and it's still a great place to play there after the kids are grown.

So he will be with me as I wake up in my happy place on our special day and while he doesn't exactly get it he's very loving and tries to undestand.

A few days ago on my birthday he gave me a Mickey/Minnie birthday card that read "Next to you is my happiest place on earth." So while he doesn't get the Disney love, he does get the "my wife loves this so I'll try too" love.

And because he does that for me I am willing to camp, go to the mountains, jetski, golf and fish with him. Its worked for us for nearly 25 years. Here's to 25 more.

 

[nettekay]

My DH doesn't get t either!!! I convinced hm to go in 08 for a family trip. He said once was enough! DS15 and I went alone last Sept and will be going again in may. Yea first SWW!!!! I tried to convince him but he really doesn't enjoy it so we decided on seperate vacays!! He enjoys camping and hunting yuck!! It has worked out for us since now we don't have to travel with grumpy!! I say just go alone or with a friend!!

 

[kathy884]

DH doesn't care for Florida / Orlando / Disney. He, though, for work has had to go to four different four day semiars at the Contemporary and likes this facility for a conference (says they do a great job with everything -- facilities, setup, food) // Doesn't mind going there for business, but never steps foot in a theme park.

My family loves Disney, so on top of conference trips, he's come on four different trips with me to the World. On these I made huge efforts to do some things he'd like - went to La Nouba on three of the four trips -- he loves a Cirque show. Did Blueman group on the other, he likes that. Did Boma and Jiko dining (Boma on first three trips was a huge hit, but now he thinks they've taken out the more exotic dishes, so Jiko was a great add on). DH doesn't like any of the world class theme parks, but he really likes the more laid back Gatorland and also enjoyed indoor sky diving at Skyventure. That's really it, though, a pretty small list of likes in the area.

It took us a while to get here, but now what happens is that our major vacation each year is somewhere we all enjoy that is not Florida/Orlando, and once a year DS and I go to Orlando for a mini trip, leaving DH at home. DH is thrilled not to feel pressured to go. It's less expensive for him to stay home, and it's a breath of fresh air just to be with DS and maybe other extended family who love the parks and love being there. DH who is so enthused other places really complains a great deal about everything when he is in Orlando -- no fun for me at all / gets old fast.

This for us seems to be a win / win, and DS and I are off next week, meeting up with extended family wihout DH for the third year.

 

[ntikos]

My wife doesn't hate Disney but doesn't understand why we have to keep going back.


I don't hate the beach - but I don't understand why she always wants to go back to the beach.


so this year we are going to the beach, then to Disney.

 

[homedad]

i guess he doesn't like it then he doesn't like it. my wife only will go every other year and thats fair. But I wouldn't consider camping for a week much of a vacation and others would give me all the reasons that I don't get it. Some people just aren't Disney people and that isn't right or wrong it just is.

 

[cheerforchelsea]

My DH is not a Disney Fan either. My youngest daughter was 10 before she ever went to WDW - my oldest was 17 at the time. They both LOVE WDW. Now we go as often as possible (and take their spouses and kids) but leave my non-Disney-loving husband at home. I missed so many years of great fun with them just because he didn't like it. I wish I had it to do over again...........