What have I got into?

[msprincess20]

unfortunately staying in the same room is the only way we can afford it. Staying off property is more expensive than staying on (crazy to think huh?) and it would cost my parents and me and him each $1000 more to stay in seperate rooms. I'll add though that they do get along GREAT we are an extremely close family. My parents have agreed to date nights and they'll take our DD with them.
I didn't think about the driving experience.. my DH is a huge car freak so that might be fun for him. I'm convincing him that drinking around the world would be fun for him at Epcot, he loves his beer.
He does love rides and rollercoasters so that part is in my favor. I think my biggest worry is the heat now, all the posts about how hot it still is in October have me nervous. Our jobs make us pick vacation a year in advance so no going back on that one though! thank you all for your opinions though!

And trust me to the ones who say book seperate rooms, if I could I so would!!!!! there's always next year for that?!

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

I'm glad I don't have that problem. DH loves WDW just as much as I do. It would be a real problem if he didn't, because we dont' have children.

OP, I would also suggest you look at early November, as October is during peak season, as far as resort prices go and it is still quite hot and miserable. In fact, in Dec 2007 and 2008, it was in the 80's during the day and the kids were able to swim. It wasn't miserable hot like right now, but it did still get quite warm.

I couldn't imagine 4 adults in a Value room, especially with a 2.5 year old. We stayed in one Value room with 3 adults and a 7 year old once and that once was enough. Dh and I have a bit of a hard time with just 2 of us in a Value room, but we make it work because we dont' spend alot of time there and we have been fortunate enough to have been given a king bed the last few times we have stayed at Pop.

Suzanne

 

[DaisyMaisie]

You must be going on a really long trip if you couldn't even find an off-site room w/o it costing $2,000 more for an extra room. ( Personally I'd even stay at the motel 6 near the entrance instead of sharing a small room like that.)

'I just looked at hotels.com for Oct 3-10 and saw some pretty affordable options. I would also think there would be some kind of value room discount.

There is always next year if your husband has a good time. People can just get really miserable and grumpy at the end of a Disney Day and coming back to a crowded hotel room and having to share a bathroom with people who aren't your immediate family can sour a trip pretty quickly.

 

[GovieMom]

You must be going on a really long trip if you couldn't even find an off-site room w/o it costing $2,000 more for an extra room. ( Personally I'd even stay at the motel 6 near the entrance instead of sharing a small room like that.)

Agree. And as much as the four adults enjoy being around each other, I just cannot imagine sleeping in the same room with a son-in-law. Eeewwwww!!
Wearing bedclothes around him, four adults sharing one (close) bathroom ... Yikes!!

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

Agree. And as much as the four adults enjoy being around each other, I just cannot imagine sleeping in the same room [/B]with a son-in-law.[/B] Eeewwwww!!
Wearing bedclothes around him, four adults sharing one (close) bathroom ... Yikes!!

I'm curious, why do you say that. Dh and I took my mom on every Disney trip we ever went on, except one, until she passed away and we shared a room almost every time. Heck, we all lived in the same house for the majority of our marriage before she passed away. She lived in her house dresses or gown and robe.

Suzanne

 

[hookedonears]

70 deg.? 0% humidity? Where do you live? Those are some pretty stringent guidelines for any time, or place, or anywhere. I understand your point though.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

You must be going on a really long trip if you couldn't even find an off-site room w/o it costing $2,000 more for an extra room. ( Personally I'd even stay at the motel 6 near the entrance instead of sharing a small room like that.)

'I just looked at hotels.com for Oct 3-10 and saw some pretty affordable options. I would also think there would be some kind of value room discount.

There is always next year if your husband has a good time. People can just get really miserable and grumpy at the end of a Disney Day and coming back to a crowded hotel room and having to share a bathroom with people who aren't your immediate family can sour a trip pretty quickly.

I can understand not wanting to stay off-site, we haven't ever found anything less expensive off-site, in fact every room we have ever looked at off site was more expensive than a Value room. But, as I said earlier, I think she is booked at a more peak time. I couldn't do it with the group she has going.

 

[ducky_love]

Well - my Dh understood that he married in! Within a year we had moved to Orlando. We're still here 8 years later!! Even though he doesn't love it like I do he still toughs it out and goes with me a good 50% - 75% of the time (depending on the season).

You should have gotten a WDW prenup!!

Have you thought about a Disney Cruise? My DH love, love, loves the cruises!!

 

[deuceswild10]

I would not want to share a room with my in laws, so I can totally understand if he doesn't want to do that. I would get two rooms.

Ad for adult time, how about scheduling some nice dinners? Does he golf? What about spa time?

 

[mrzrich]

For those of you who are interested in cheap accommodations with 2 separate bedrooms, check out the "We LOOOVE Bonnet Creek" Thread. When I am going with more adults than just me and DH we rent a 2 bedroom for about $120 a night with a full kitchen, 2 bathrooms Living room Dining Room and Washer/Dryer. FOr those not in the know, Bonnet Creek is located between CBR and Typhoon Lagoon. Pretty much "On property" but its not owned by Disney.

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2114303

We usually stay on site, but when we go with my SIL and her family we go to Bonnet Creek. The pools are spectacular, and the location can't be beat.

 

[mrzrich]

My biggest piece of advice is to find some down time. RELAX! When I first started visiting these boards I took on the commando attitude that many people who post here ascribe to. I dragged my DH to Rope Drop, I had ADRs for every meal. I ran my poor DH from one side of Epcot to the other. Then he started telling me he didn't want to go back. I realized it was my fault. I made out trip SO NOT FUN for him.

Now I let him sleep in if he wants to. I mean he is on vacation right? If we get up late we'll hang around our resort, enjoy the pool. Maybe have a nice lunch at one of the many Full service restaurants located in the resorts. (Most of the resort restaurants are not busy at lunch time when most people are in the parks) On these relaxed days we'll hit the parks with a "Whatever we see, we see" attitude.

I've started making only a few "MUST DO" dining reservations. Usually one every other day during the trip. On days when we don't have an ADR, we either do CS or we go to guest services at the park and see if there is any TS availability in the park that we've landed in for that day. There's usually availability some where.

On days when we have hit the parks early, we leave after lunch and go back to the resort for a swim or a nap.

Then we hit the parks refreshed after the unforgiving sun has gone down. We have really enjoyed doing this on EMH nights. We have been in MK at 1:30 AM and got to ride Splash and Pirates over and over without even getting off the ride!

 

[mom2rtk]

Seriously....... if he has reservations about "family time"......... this isn't going to make him love Disney. It could make him swear off it forever.........

I know we stayed at at Residence Inn one trip and had TONS of room. Kitchen, bedroom, sleeper sofa in a separate room. WAY more conducive to a group like yours. And it wasn't much more than a value Disney resort. I love being onsite and all, but I'd do that again in a heartbeat.

And brace yourself. I hope you get some unseasonable weather. But we were there the first week of October 2 years ago. Summer hot. And summer humid. And don't skimp on the sunscreen.

I'm DYING to go back for the Halloween party again, but I just can't take the heat.

 

[MonoManBlue]

madame Leota would say "this will not end well...."

 

[WDSearcher]

unfortunately staying in the same room is the only way we can afford it. Staying off property is more expensive than staying on (crazy to think huh?) and it would cost my parents and me and him each $1000 more to stay in seperate rooms. I'll add though that they do get along GREAT we are an extremely close family. My parents have agreed to date nights and they'll take our DD with them.
I didn't think about the driving experience.. my DH is a huge car freak so that might be fun for him. I'm convincing him that drinking around the world would be fun for him at Epcot, he loves his beer.
He does love rides and rollercoasters so that part is in my favor. I think my biggest worry is the heat now, all the posts about how hot it still is in October have me nervous. Our jobs make us pick vacation a year in advance so no going back on that one though! thank you all for your opinions though!

And trust me to the ones who say book seperate rooms, if I could I so would!!!!! there's always next year for that?!

I'll bet there are about a hundred people here and on the budget board who could find you off-property accommodations at far less than you're paying for on-site. Just sayin' ...

There are literally thousands of rentals -- apartments, timeshares, houses -- that will save you hundreds of dollars on your accommodations, if that's something you want to pursue. You have plenty of time to research it and find a place. A little more space -- and a little more distance, since DH is not a Disneyphile -- might make any other problems far less likely to surface.

If you are on a tight budget, you should know (before you mention to DH) that drinking around the world at Epcot can be expensive if you truly do stop at each country, and the driving experience can run anywhere from $100 for a 3-lap ride-along to over $300 if he wants to drive the car himself. So do keep that in mind when you plan. You don't want to get him all excited about driving a race car only to discover that you can't afford it.

As for weather ... the average high temp for Orlando in October is in the mid-80s. It's been as high as 95. So keep that in mind. During the timeframe you're looking at, you'll also run into MNSSHP (which means shorter MK days, so be aware) and also the Food & Wine Festival (which will up the crowds at Epcot, particularly on the weekends). While drinking around the world might be more fun during F&W simply due to the variety, it will also be significantly more crowded with lots of other people drinking around the world. Try to plan that activity for mid-week, not a Saturday!

 

[KimTinVA]

I will say that my husband also is not a fan of wdw. So.... for the last 4 years (since my twin girls were 4) we have taken a girls trip. The three of us all love Disney and can enjoy every moment without having to worry about someone who doesn't. Plus we save money because its one less adult. Not saying this would work for every family...but it works for us!

 

[mill4023]

Staying off property is more expensive than staying on (crazy to think huh?)

I think you need to do more research.
You can definitely find less expensive options off-site. Especially when you consider the extra fees for more than 2 adults in a Disney room. And more importantly for your purposes, you can find accommodations at the same price with a lot more space.

We are going in June and staying in a 5 bedroom house with a pool within 10 minutes of WDW for $140/night. When I was looking, there were tons of 2 and 3 bedroom condos around $80 to $90 per night.

I'm a big fan of staying on-site and I enjoy the value resorts. But traveling with parents, I think the benefits of having a condo with separate bedrooms would far outweigh the benefits of staying on-site.

 

[grandmadebby2]

Maybe try looking on ebay at Wyndham Bonnet Creek or some of the other close to WDW time share properties. You can get a 2 or 3 bedroom for less than a value room usually. Make sure they offer free shuttle if you don't want to pay for parking. I know there are some places that you can rent from if you don't trust ebay.

 

[minandmick]

Three things men love-

-good food
-good drinks (Especially in the heat! non-alcoholic as much as possible)
-physical...ahem...touch

Find a way to include those (happily) into the trip and he will at least tolerate the trip and have good memories.

I agree with the PP that said you can't make him love Disney, so don't even try. Just let him know that your expectation of him is that he is civil to everyone involved...that he makes an effort to enjoy your daughter and encourage her to enjoy herself...... and even if he hates every mickey ear he sees that he doesn't ruin everyone's trip. Then do the three things listed above and see how it goes. And most of all....DON'T NAG AND AVOID ALL ADULT MELTDOWNS IF POSSIBLE!!!!

If he is a total jerk or just makes you miserable, you have to accept the fact that Disney just isn't his thing. It will be hard, but you can't force him.

Most importantly, realize you can't make him enjoy it and you can't enjoy it for him. You can't change someone that doesn't want to change, so don't let it ruin the trip for you! If he's miserable in the heat and wants to stay in the room, let him! go and enjoy yourself and your daughter.

I hope it all works out perfectly. Have fun!