Should I make him go?

[sditty]

Ok, here is the scoop and I would appreciate your opinions. My son is about to turn 7 and has been with us to Universal about 10 times so far. I want to plan a family vacation for the first of next year and want to take the family to Disney as we have never been. However my son and husband both are revolting on me and do not want to go. They say it is too babyish and they think they will be bored and by the way Mom we can't possibly stand in line.
What do you guys think? Will my son be totally bored. His favorite ride is the mummy and if he was tall enough he would be on Hulk and DD in a heartbeat. Please give me some insight on wether I should push the issue or just forget it. Thanks for any help.

 

[Bluer101]

Well my son is the same age as yours and loves all the big rides including Mummy. Last summer we broke down and took him to all 4 Disney parks in 2 days. He liked the bigger rides but keep asking to return back to RPR. The second day we had to beg him to leave Universal to head to Disney. We asked him if he would like to return to Disney during our week stay next month and he said no. Instead we are going to Seaworld for one of those days. Now if your son has never been to Disney I would atleast take him once before he gets older.

 

[sditty]

Thank you for your reply! This is so what I am worried about because what fun is a vacation that you feel like you are forcing them to do stuff. Especially if you are paying through the nose for it. I am seriously thinking of maybe taking the parks like one at a time added into our Universal vacations. We go about 4-5 times a year so could just do one park each time and maybe that would break it up enough that he would not get bored. THanks again for your reply

 

[Metro West]

If they don't want to go to Disney this trip...don't make them go. Maybe you could try Sea World and/or Busch Gardens one of the days instead of Disney.

 

[sditty]

Thanks metro. I tried Sea World this time and they went along with it to make me happy but they just were not happy. I think I have just spoiled them by staying onsite and not having to wait in line and how great the hotels are there. We are heading to Busch Gardens in October for 4 days and I am hoping that they will have fun because they have actually been excited about it and been looking up the great rides and stuff they have there. I am going to make sure that I book a really nice hotel and I am going to buy the quick que passes when we get there so maybe that will help. I just hate to have my baby grow up and never experience the magic of Disney. Maybe I just waited too long.

 

[denisegold]

That's a tough one, because you don't have your husband backing you up. It wouldn't kill him to make one trip to Disney, and put on a happy face, so your son will look forward to it (and most likely LOVE it!) Think of how much he will love Tower of Terror and Aerosmith (if you go to MGM). He will NOT be bored, and Disney is far form babyish. (sometimes I wish they would have a "no kids" day! haha) but if your husband won't back you up, you may be out of luck. Maybe YOU can go to Disney with another family member or friend- let hubby and son have a dad/son vaca at boing old Universal, and you go have a blast at Disney. (maybe just suggesting that will change their tune!)

I am guessing you get express passes for Universal, by the "can't possibly wait in line" comment? Disney lines can be bad, but there are Fast Passes, and there are down times. It's so do-able! Best of luck!!!

 

[sditty]

You so totally hit the nail on the head. My husband needs a good swift kick in the butt. I told him last night that I was not planning another single vacation unless he started backing me up on the choice of places to go. We always stay onsite at Universal and that is the problem. I just found some great pictures of the crowds though in January at Disney and hope to show him these tonight and how the wait times seem to be so much less an dmaybe this will get him more on board. Also he is a huge Aerosmith fan so I think I will work that angle a little. Thanks for the help!

 

[Metro West]

You so totally hit the nail on the head. My husband needs a good swift kick in the butt. I told him last night that I was not planning another single vacation unless he started backing me up on the choice of places to go. We always stay onsite at Universal and that is the problem. I just found some great pictures of the crowds though in January at Disney and hope to show him these tonight and how the wait times seem to be so much less an dmaybe this will get him more on board. Also he is a huge Aerosmith fan so I think I will work that angle a little. Thanks for the help!

The last few times I've been over to Disney, the crowds have been pretty bad. If you don't get there first thing in the morning the lines will grow long pretty quickly. Disney has some great rides so make sure you show your son some YouTube videos of the rides. That way he can see for himself there are thrills at Disney too.

 

[mjohnson96]

We did a Disney trip last February and the lines were pretty much non-existent. So depending on the time of year you go it might not be to bad. We usually try to go right after spring break and before school gets out since the lines aren't that bad then.

 

[Bluer101]

Thank you for your reply! This is so what I am worried about because what fun is a vacation that you feel like you are forcing them to do stuff. Especially if you are paying through the nose for it. I am seriously thinking of maybe taking the parks like one at a time added into our Universal vacations. We go about 4-5 times a year so could just do one park each time and maybe that would break it up enough that he would not get bored. THanks again for your reply

Paying through the nose is an understatement. We were going to add Disney this year but the price is way more expensive than Universal to go deal with the crowds. I think since you guys are like us (lots of trips to US every year) just choose an off season time and visit Disney so your lines are very small. Before our son was born we used to visit Disney every year offseason and found there to be little or no wait. Don't get me wrong Disney rides can be alot of fun but not worth a long wait.

 

[Darcy03231]

I just went through this. I love WDW and my kids (17 & 15) wouldn't care if they never went back. We were at US/IOA and stayed on-site during the last week of April. My solution was to get a one day park hopper. We were at DHS for rope drop. I went to get fast passes for Toy Story Mania while they went to ride RNR (I don't do upside down roller coasters). I met them back over there to do ToT (actually they did that before they did RNR so they got to do it twice). By the time we were done with ToT it was time to use our fast passes for Toy Story Mania. We then got the bus over to Animal Kingdom and did Dinosaur and Expedition Everest and had lunch. Back on the bus to DHS where we did the Back Lot Tour, saw Lights Motors Action and the Beauty & the Beast Show. Got in the car and made our way over the the MK parking lot. Took the monorail over to Epcot and did Test Track and then off to the Magic Kingdom. We did Pirates of the Carribean, had dinner, did the Haunted Mansion and then I made the kids to Its a Small World with me (family joke). Kids were disappointed that Space Mountain was down for rehab as its one of their favorites. Saw the fireworks and then headed back the Hard Rock. While it was a busy day, we had a great time! Kids got to ride the bigger rides they were interested in, Mom got to do to WDW (which she loves) and see the fireworks at MK. All in all it was a great day. You might want to try something like that so they can see the highlights. You might find your son likes it and wants to go back to do more.

 

[sditty]

Thanks so much guys for your help and replies. The more I think about it and the more I get opinions I think maybe I am pushing them a little too much. They love Universal and hey isnt that what vacation is about. We were thinking of going in January so the crowds should be low and I think I can get them to do a highlight tour like suggested by letting them pick what they want to do and just hitting those things. I don't want any of us to be miserable so why force them into a 10 day vacation all at Disney if they are going to hate it. We can do a couple of days and then spend the rest of our time at Universal. My husband will insist though that we stay at the Portofino. Does anyone know about how far it is from there to Disney?
Thanks again guys!

 

[denisegold]

Thanks so much guys for your help and replies. The more I think about it and the more I get opinions I think maybe I am pushing them a little too much. They love Universal and hey isnt that what vacation is about. We were thinking of going in January so the crowds should be low and I think I can get them to do a highlight tour like suggested by letting them pick what they want to do and just hitting those things. I don't want any of us to be miserable so why force them into a 10 day vacation all at Disney if they are going to hate it. We can do a couple of days and then spend the rest of our time at Universal. My husband will insist though that we stay at the Portofino. Does anyone know about how far it is from there to Disney?
Thanks again guys!

I hope they know how lucky they are to have you (hubby and son)! You're very accomadating, and more than fair.

 

[sditty]

Oh you are so sweet!! That statement just made my day. I try to tell them on a regular basis just how lucky they are
To be fair my husband is not as bad as I made him sound especially since he does all the paying but he has fell in love with Universal and nothing else can compare for him. In fact he came home from work a few minutes ago and wants me to think about planning a weekend for just me and him for our 12th anniversary. He did say he wants to make sure the new coaster is open when we go but other than that I could plan it for any weekend we had free.

 

[Amber74]

Oh you are so sweet!! That statement just made my day. I try to tell them on a regular basis just how lucky they are
To be fair my husband is not as bad as I made him sound especially since he does all the paying but he has fell in love with Universal and nothing else can compare for him. In fact he came home from work a few minutes ago and wants me to think about planning a weekend for just me and him for our 12th anniversary. He did say he wants to make sure the new coaster is open when we go but other than that I could plan it for any weekend we had free.

My husband and I went last year for my birthday without kids and we had the best time. It was a very relaxed pace and I didn't feel guilty every minute like I thought I would. My DH is also a Universal fan and is starting to want to go to Orlando every year like I do. He is a keeper
So go for it and have a good time.

 

[sditty]

Thanks Amber. It is hard not to feel guilty but my husband and I take my son with us everywhere. We are firm believers in not pawning your children off to grandparents or other people. We actually enjoy all the time we are lucky enough to spend with him. However we make a special point to take a trip every single year with just my husband and myself. We also need grown up time for our marriage. That being said I do not believe I will now ever get my husband to go anywhere but Universal. For him it is the perfect place to go. Lots of fun and excitement and also plenty of down time so since I love it too I guess I should just not fight it and go with the flow.