Tips on getting the husband back on board?

[rwdavis2]

We only go every 3-4 years. As much as we both like it, there are other places we want to visit. By going that infrequently it really makes the park seem almost brand new every time.

I spent almost 2 years traveling monthly to Los Angeles. By the third time at Disney land in 18 months I had enough for a while.

 

[JennyDrake]

Be prepared that you may not get him back on board.....mine never got back on board. He's reluctant for a trip even once every ten years.

Soooooo, I have found a plethora of other people to go with and I've cultivated friends in the area to meet up with while down on solo trips!

 

[GatorMama]

We did nine days in 2011. Then a week in 2012. When we left, DH SAID NO MORE DISNEY until our youngest was almost three. I agreed. Until we planned a trip to visit his BFFS and family in FL in Sept 2013... Then I talked him into the Halloween party. It had been his favorite part of our 2012 trip. Then we planned a special trip down for it in 2014 too but we stayed onsite one night 1) to get a taste of that side of disney and 2) so we didn't have to drive to Plant City at 1 am after the party. He booked our weeklong stay himself before we even checked out. And then he initiated an upgrade to AKL... Which actually ended up being an upgrade to Poly. He has not complained once! He may not be quite as excited as I am but he is eager for pool time and not driving much between park days!

 

[emilymad]

My DH really likes F&W so that is usually how I get him on board. Afternoon pool breaks are also a must. This year we compromised and are going to the beach for 4 nights first and then 6 nights in Disney. DH didn't want to go to Disney for a week so because of how the dates fall it doesn't seem like a week to him but it almost is.

We keep trying to plan a Disneyland trip has a compromise but we can't seem to agree. DH thinks we need 1 day for DL and I think more. That plus flying from the east coast just having made it work out.

We do have another Disney cruise booked which we may or may not actually do but I am hoping.

If all else falls, I threaten a solo trip and magically DH is on board again.

 

[marissamayhem]

Wow, reading all of you ladies stories makes me so thankful I have a husband that loves Disney!

He had never been when he was a kid and when we were deciding where to go on our Honeymoon, I immediately wanted Disney. He was a little apprehensive, so we planned a shorter trip 8 months before our wedding so he could try it out. He loved it! I admit, I had us running around like crazy people which wasn't the best way to introduce him to Disney. I'm glad he loved it regardless. That first trip though helped a lot to get him on board for more. I could see what he liked, what he didn't, what pace he liked to keep, etc. and it made planning the next trip even better. Maybe isolate the things that he liked the best and hype them up? Since you're limited in how many days you can take for a vacation, maybe spend less time in Disney? I know it's not ideal, but at least you'd get your fix and your husband can know that you'll be doing other stuff too.

 

[Disneychick75]

My husband can't stand WDW, so I go without him.

 

[GillianP1301]

My DH is not a Disney fan at all, far from it. We did a few trips together and then he was done, so I now go on my own with my DS.

For OP, if your husband actually has a place in mind to visit that you can plan for, then I would suggest alternating his choice with your Disney choice. If he's not offering up any choices at all, maybe he just isn't that interested in travelling (that's the case with my DH). Once we figured that out, he is much happier to stay at home and have some down time to himself and I'm happier taking my Disney crazed son and myself. Win-win.

 

[TravelingTotMom]

I've had a long journey getting my husband completely on board with Disney, but here are some things that worked for us:

-Slow down your pace. I'm a commando tourer too, but it definitely doesn't work for him, so I try to compromise. (We try to get to the parks early, move quickly for the first couple hours, and then go at a relaxed pace the rest of the day.)

-Stay at a resort that interests him. We always stayed at values, but then tried POR Riverside. DH loved it. Actually, just make sure you stay on site. Not having to drive was a big plus for him.

-Go to restaurants that would interest him. Coral Reef and Saana are great breaks. We also like to schedule a TS lunch, so it's a guaranteed a/c break in the middle of the day.

-Go during slower/cooler times. Just makes everyone happier.

-Try some special events. DH LOVES Food and Wine. He also enjoys Living with the Land, so next trip he is looking forward to doing the Behind the Seeds tour.

-Have kids (well, Disney shouldn't be your main reason, but...). Apparently he tolerated my excitement about going to Disney, but he cannot deprive our son of the pure joy he experiences there. Seriously, we have a one year old who has already been twice (we only live a few hours away), and DH is all on board (and even excited?!?!) to go back in the fall for Food and Wine and get FL Resident Seasonal Passes. Plus I mentioned going back for Candlelight Processional for one night, and his reply was "Only one night?" I consider this an ultimate victory!

 

[Dizlvr]

My dh is not a WDW fan so I wouldn't pressure him to take another trip a year after the last one. I'm with him, there are other places to visit maybe try that for next year and then see if he's willing to do WDW again.
In the mean time, since your dh doesn't really get any paid time off, there is nothing stopping you from going for a few days with a friend.

 

[GatorMama]

What I've found the problem to be about "other places" are that my DH can't decide on one...

 

[Gumbo4x4]

You said he wants to try something else, but won't choose. Surely YOU have other places besides WDW you'd like to see, right?

You know your DH better than we do. Find someplace you think you'd both enjoy and suggest that. That solves your "somewhere else" dilemma AND puts you on track for the next WDW trip. Plus, you get to plan a vacation somewhere new.

 

[SugarSweetLee]

We only go every 3-4 years. As much as we both like it, there are other places we want to visit. By going that infrequently it really makes the park seem almost brand new every time.

I spent almost 2 years traveling monthly to Los Angeles. By the third time at Disney land in 18 months I had enough for a while.

I think that's what it comes down to for him. We just had a long talk about it and in his opinion it seems less special if you start going more often. While I do not feel that way having grown up with several years of APs (thanks grandma!), I won't argue his opinion. We are tentatively planning a trip for 2017/18 when more of the new stuff is done at AK (his favorite park), and talking about some smaller, less expensive trips like camping in the mountains and maybe a C@rnival cruise, etc, in the meantime.

Thanks everyone for the advice

 

[nilla]

This doesn't really help you, but I got my wife back on board through the help of our crying, future-politician 9-year-old daughter.

 

[Simba's Mom]

My husband enjoys Disney but not nearly to the level I do. So my bff and I have instituted a tradition of a yearly girls trip. That way, DH goes about every other year, but I get to go more often.

We do the same thing, except that I go solo. DH just isn't the Disney addict I am.

Year before last, I booked a trip to Disney's Hilton Head Island for spring break. I got my Disney, and DH said it was the best family vacation we ever had. He admitted that Disney really has fabulous guest services.

Yes, DH readily admits that he much prefers HHI over WDW. The fact that he's WAY into golf, and HHI has a bigger choice of golf courses, has something to do with it.

 

[BrerNashville]

I would second (or third or fourth) those who recommend going during Food and Wine Fest. We've gone without our kids to the F&W fest four or five times in the last 5 or 6 years and have had a blast. If he liked the notion of eating and drinking around the world, the F&W fest will blow him away -- rather than only 12 or so countries, there's 50 or so countries/regions represented with their own representative food selections and wine/beer offerings. It's really well done. The special events are also pretty amazing -- there's Italian lunch food/wine pairings, and Italian food/beer pairings to name just two of my favorite offerings.