Help Me Get My Non Disney Wife to DW

[Bounds77]

Hello All,

I need help convincing my non-Disney wife to get to DW. She likes FL, she likes beaches...really likes them. Does not seem at all interested in DW. The only thing Disney she really likes is Snow White. I, on the other hand love Disney. I'm thinking 3 days at DW for a 8/9 day vacay. Would be towards the end of April before it gets too hot. Stay at DW M-Th with 3 park days and a day at DS. One of her good friends lives in the Orlando area so she could meet us at DS for a day if she doesn't want to go to the park and spend the rest of the vacay on the beaches (minus one day at the Space Center). How can I pitch this to her?

 

[BrianL]

April is Epcot Flower & Garden Festival season. I find the festivals to be a good "gateway drug" for non-Disney types. See if that would interest her and plan a day around it. They even have seminars and such if she is interested in that. If you do get her on board, try to go easy. The parks can be overwhelming to some people - make sure there are some breaks and quiet meals. Just don't push too hard and she may find she's loving every minute. Best of luck!

 

[DeterminedOne]

Buy her some Snow White inspired gifts. T-shirt, coffee mug, trading pins, etc. Have her open them one by one then "propose" she go to Disney with you. Or, if you're artsy or know someone who is - how about a Snow White inspired invitation.
If she says yes then you have to take her to dinner at Storybook Dining where she can meet Snow White, Grumpy and Dopey.
If she says no, tell her there's a lady on Dis that will go with you.

 

[fhtpdw20]

Consider staying at Beach Club. That will give you the largest pool/sand beach. That will put you nearest to Epcot for Flower and Garden. The SW and 7D topiaries are always in Germany. First Ride in MK 7 Dwarf Mine Train. Check the tours to see if any align with other interests. Disney has a lot more to offer besides rides. It is ok to split up and allow her to do other things if she fears this will be commando touring sun up to sun down. You said 3 days. Which park would you skip and or spend half day? If one is Animal Kingdom, consider a dinner at Animal Kingdom Lodge for a taste of the park. Plenty of observation decks with rocking chairs to see the animals, unique shopping in gift shop, beautiful lobby with artifacts, and a good dining location.

 

[Rach3975]

You said she really likes beaches, but how do you feel about them? If that's your usual vacation because it's what she likes, then I'd also mention that and ask her to compromise with a few days of what you really like.

 

[James From Utah]

Just book the vacation, then tell her. Once the money is spent she has to go.

 

[Bounds77]

I don't mind beaches. I do prefer my water with a concrete bottom but I love Hawaii and such. I just don't want to go to FL and miss DW. She has said she'd enjoy AK and Epcot. The one I'll have problems with is MK. We'd probably skip HS. Not sure if we'd use the park hopper option or save and just go to one park each day.

Have a question though. Since we would be going to straight from MCO to DW and not renting a car until we leave DW, since I don't want to pay for parking if we're staying on Disney property and leaving it until after can you use the Magical Express one way to get to the parks and then rent a car afterwards?

 

[Moliphino]

Have a question though. Since we would be going to straight from MCO to DW and not renting a car until we leave DW, since I don't want to pay for parking if we're staying on Disney property and leaving it until after can you use the Magical Express one way to get to the parks and then rent a car afterwards?

Yes, not a problem.

 

[DisneyCraig523]

I would stay at the Boardwalk or Beach/Yacht Club and carve out time to do non Disney things outside of the parks. maybe rent one of the water crafts from Poly or Contemporary, make some ADR’s at signature restaurants, book a spa day at GF. I have booked vacations in the past where I didn’t go to the parks and only did things at different resorts, Disney Springs, etc, and I had a great time.

 

[VandVsmama]

OP - I'm in a similar situation. My DH is not a Disney fan like I am. But a few days ago, I convinced him to go on an adults-only (not bringing the kids!) 6 day trip to WDW...and this is a guy who just a month ago said that he didn't want to go to a Disney park for awhile (we're going to Disneyland for 2 days this next March).

I used a few sales pitches with DH. In his case, he's a bit of a foodie and enjoys eating at places that our kids would NOT enjoy. He also doesn't like doing the parks commando style where it's go go go from open to close. In my case, what convinced him was the following:

• we can get the dining plan, so basically all of our food will be pre-paid (with the exception of tips, for example).
• we can eat at a fancy TS restaurant every day and try a new place every day if he wants to
• we can do stuff at his pace since there won't be our kids there to whine about "I'm tired of sitting on this bench. Let's go on a ride!"
• if he wants to sleep in? Sure, we can do that.
• no pressure to go on any roller coasters with me (he gets lots of pressure from the kids on this and he hates roller coasters).
• we'll go during 1 of the Epcot food festivals so he can use snack credits at all of the food booths trying different stuff (we've done the food & wine thing at DCA in Anaheim before and he really liked it).
• we'll have time to unplug from everything

We stayed 1 night once in a savannah view room at AKL. That was an amazing experience. It truly felt like we were transported elsewhere. So cool to wake up in the morning and watch the animals from your balcony.

You know your wife best, of course. If she's truly a beach person, then the fake beach thing at the Beach Club pool could just end up being like "Meh, give me the real thing on the ocean instead." On the other hand, it might be just enough for her to be willing to "tough it out." If staying at Beach Club would be in your budget, then you could totally consider it...even better if you could rent a cabana for a half day there.

 

[Bete]

Try to find out why she doesn't like DW. Is she not a fan of roller coasters? Do simulator rides get her dizzy? In other words she may not care for rides. Maybe, go on the calmer rides and she might like it better. There are shows to enjoy. We love the live street entertainment. Parades and fireworks can be fun. Gear it towards her and you might find her liking it better.

There are many places to have a special dinner. If you don't look at the budget eating can be quite fun.

I totally believe in taking turns on vacation. One day she picks where to go and one day you pick and so forth.

I know someone that does not enjoy fantasy. They prefer museums, scenic train rides, concerts, plays, and so forth.

 

[MaidMarian444]

This was an entertaining trip report written by a Disboard member whose DW was not into Disney:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/super-inconvenient-barely-entertaining-sept-27-oct-5th.3773824/
Sounds like resort time, fastpasses, massages, and shopping helped things for him.

My husband is not a Disney person and I fear there's no hope for him. He had very little Disney as a kid (grew up without a TV in the house), so he has none of the nostalgia that I do. He also doesn't like crowds or rides. We've been once with the kids and he was not happy. Somehow convinced him to go again and he's dreading it. I do think that going without kids is a good idea, I think maybe half the reason my DH didn't like it is that he gets anxious about our hyperactive kids in crowds and restaurants. Also when we go to Disney we can't afford a suite so we can't separate from the kids.

However, if your wife doesn't like WDW because she's disgusted by the idea of visiting a "fake" culture created by a corporation, by the constant monetizing of "IPs", by the grown-ups queuing up to meet other grown-ups dressed up as cartoon characters, by the overabundance of unhealthy food, then I don't think there's anything you can do . . . Tell her just to come for your sake!