Honeymoon Opinions

[MississippiBelle]

Apologies in advance if this isn't the right place to put this/isn't "Disney" related enough for this site, but any opinions on this would be appreciated!

I am getting married in December and my absolute dream honeymoon would be... wait for it... going to WDW. My future DH, on the other hand, doesn't like theme parks. He willingly went to Universal with my family for four days and had fun, but said he was getting super bored by the third day. I've tried explaining that there is so much more to do at Disney that he wouldn't be bored, but he wasn't convinced.

Ideally, we would take our honeymoon either right after the wedding (second weekend in December) or wait until the end of Jan/beginning of Feb. to try to go during a "quieter" time. I have only mentioned this to him in passing once before. While I'd love to go, I do not want him to agree to it because he thinks I'll be disappointed otherwise. I want him to be excited and enjoy where we go as well. So after this long winded approach, my question for my fellow Disney fans is: Should I bring it up as an option in the hopes that he actually has a great time (and falls in love with Disney) or drop it and go for a more neutral option? Also, for later on down the road, how have you gotten your Disney un-enthusiasts to get into the magic?

 

[belledream]

Congrats on your upcoming wedding! How exciting! I don't blame ya for wanting a WDW honeymoon because there's SO MUCH TO DO and SO MANY POSSIBILITIES. I think that's what you have to sell him on. (Btw, I got bored at Universal on the 3rd day too...it's not just him lol) Disney is much more diverse, with options spending a day at MK like a princess and prince/bride and groom, being adults and enjoying the 'travel' and culinary fare of Epcot, doing a 180 in a day in AK that makes you feel somewhere way different from Central Florida, and then there's HS maybe for a more relaxing day haha.

That being said, between December and early next year, I would say if you want to stay in the holiday spirit, December would be a really magical time for you to go (right after the wedding, right before the holidays with fam). But depending on what type of park-goer your hubby is and if you can convince him, there's lots of upside to going when there are lower crowds. It might make the experience more enjoyable with lower crowds.

Also, we did a Disneymoon, land and sea style! So WDW first, then a Disney Cruise to the Bahamas. If time/budget allows, that would help make it a more 'neutral' option as you say. You could always do a non Disney Cruise if it seems like overkill at that point.

Either way, even if you don't end up going, you have the right idea in your head and heart. It's about going somewhere to celebrate the both of you and you obviously want to enjoy it together. Good luck and enjoy whatever you choose!

 

[MotherofaPrincessLover]

My husband's first Disney experience was on a cruise. I actually think that was the way to go because it introduced Disney at a more relaxed pace (well, as relaxed as I get). It was probably easier in my case to convince my husband to go to Disney because I already had a daughter before we got married. I told him I was going regardless and he could choose rather to go or not. Now he's actually looking forward to our next trip (but he pretends he's not ).

 

[MississippiBelle]

My husband's first Disney experience was on a cruise. I actually think that was the way to go because it introduced Disney at a more relaxed pace (well, as relaxed as I get). It was probably easier in my case to convince my husband to go to Disney because I already had a daughter before we got married. I told him I was going regardless and he could choose rather to go or not. Now he's actually looking forward to our next trip (but he pretends he's not ).

I'm convinced if I could just get him there, he would love it! He just doesn't know what he's missing yet!

 

[MotherofaPrincessLover]

I'm convinced if I could just get him there, he would love it! He just doesn't know what he's missing yet!

That is probably true!

 

[BigRedDad]

As long as he is not anti-Disney, you have a chance. There is absolutely nothing you can do for anti-Disney people. They are right and you are wrong. No matter what you do.

As the other poster stated, a Disney cruise may be a happy medium and still get a Disney fix. Disney will be all around, but there are excursions off the ship, fun pretty much everywhere, and great dining. Explaining Disney to people is like the old marketing hype for Nahtazu. Trying to convince everyone that AK is not a zoo.

 

[LeighM]

Congrats!! My husband and I honeymooned at WDW and it was fantastic. He's not a big Disney fan but he wanted to make me happy so he agreed to go. It was our second trip and it was by far our favorite trip there. We went the 1st week in March to take advantage of the Play, Stay, and Dine package and go before the spring break crowds arrived. The weather was perfect and the crowds were low. Loved it!!! But going to WDW during the holidays is on my bucket list so I would suggest that. I've heard from my friends that have gone that no one does the holidays like WDW and it's even more magical. And in December, EPCOT has their events in full swing as well.

 

[MississippiBelle]

Congrats!! My husband and I honeymooned at WDW and it was fantastic. He's not a big Disney fan but he wanted to make me happy so he agreed to go. It was our second trip and it was by far our favorite trip there. We went the 1st week in March to take advantage of the Play, Stay, and Dine package and go before the spring break crowds arrived. The weather was perfect and the crowds were low. Loved it!!! But going to WDW during the holidays is on my bucket list so I would suggest that. I've heard from my friends that have gone that no one does the holidays like WDW and it's even more magical. And in December, EPCOT has their events in full swing as well.

My family and I have been in December multiple times, I definitely recommend it!! I'm not picky about when we go for that reason. It would be cool to go back for the Christmas spirit in the parks, but from our experience during the most recent trips December is busy no matter when you go now! Also, @BigRedDad he isn't totally anti-Disney thankfully! I grew up going to Disney as often as we could afford to, but his family only went once when he was younger so he doesn't quite get the hype.... yet Plus, I know he won't mind going later on, especially when we have kids of our own.

 

[Cosmic Commando]

The Universal part of the story gives me hope. I can ride PotC 37 times on my 10-day tickets and want to get in line again; some other people ride it once, and they're good for five years or so. Everybody's different. If he had fun at Universal, then he can definitely have fun at Disney. I would just plan on a shorter time at WDW than maybe you were thinking of. Make it quick and hit all of the big WOW things, and skip more of the filler. If there are tours that suit his interests, then check those out. I wouldn't give him time to get bored. If you have the budget, I'd try to find a way to do a quick trip to WDW, and another half of the trip that's more his idea of what the honeymoon should be.

 

[LAKid53]

Tell him there are very adult things to do on a Disney cruise, like the mixology & wine classes. And adults only restaurant, like Remy or Palo, both would be great places to have that special intimate honeymoon dinner. Just make sure to select a cruise period that's not also when families typically cruise. Disney's cruises are family oriented, so certain times of the year you'll have more kids on board.

I'd make up a list for him to peruse, based upon y'alls planned budget for the honeymoon and his interests...and sneak in either a trip to WDW or a Disney cruise.

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

 

[jasmine217]

Congratulations!! My husband and I threw around the idea of going for our honeymoon, but ultimately ended up going last summer for a short 4-day trip. We had so much fun, we're going back this summer for a longer trip!

I hope our perspective as two childless 26-year-olds can help you. It was definitely my idea to go to Disney the first time, and while my husband likes it and looks forward to it, he likes for me be the planner and do the research. He's not into that part of it. Some tips I have for planning a trip for two adults where at least one party is "Disney-neutral" are:

- Choose a more "adult-friendly" resort. For moderates (which is what we usually choose), POR is great because of the more grown-up theming, multiple quiet pools for adults to enjoy, and the boat to DS, and Coronado Springs is known to be great for adults too. Several of the Deluxes are great for adults, too.

- Skip the character stuff. If he's Disney-neutral, I'm guessing that's not something he will be into, so don't spend the time on it. Some people love it, but we personally don't do any of that kind of thing.

- Go resort-hopping - this is a great way to take in the sights and scenery without being in the actual parks. There is SO much to see. Ride the monorail and find a great brunch spot along the way!

- Take advantage of Disney Springs - from bars and restaurants to shopping and a movie, there's tons of adult-friendly stuff to do at Disney Springs.

In closing, I think if you balance out your trip with some time at DS and resort-hopping, your fiancé will have a great time and won't feel overdosed on Disney. But, if you talk to him about it and you sense that he would sincerely prefer to honeymoon somewhere else, just remember - you can do what we did and go elsewhere, but take a "quick" trip to Disney later on to test the waters.

 

[DisneyDaver]

Apologies in advance if this isn't the right place to put this/isn't "Disney" related enough for this site, but any opinions on this would be appreciated!

I am getting married in December and my absolute dream honeymoon would be... wait for it... going to WDW. My future DH, on the other hand, doesn't like theme parks. He willingly went to Universal with my family for four days and had fun, but said he was getting super bored by the third day. I've tried explaining that there is so much more to do at Disney that he wouldn't be bored, but he wasn't convinced.

Ideally, we would take our honeymoon either right after the wedding (second weekend in December) or wait until the end of Jan/beginning of Feb. to try to go during a "quieter" time. I have only mentioned this to him in passing once before. While I'd love to go, I do not want him to agree to it because he thinks I'll be disappointed otherwise. I want him to be excited and enjoy where we go as well. So after this long winded approach, my question for my fellow Disney fans is: Should I bring it up as an option in the hopes that he actually has a great time (and falls in love with Disney) or drop it and go for a more neutral option? Also, for later on down the road, how have you gotten your Disney un-enthusiasts to get into the magic?

I would have loved to Honeymoon in WDW, but I didn't even bring it up because I knew that it was not my wife's first, second, third, forth etc choice

I think you should suggest a place you both will love. My wife and I went to Hawaii and we both had a blast! ... even though I would have had more fun at WDW.

All that said, I suggested (and my wife agreed) to celebrate our 1 year anniversary at WDW. My wife always has fun when we go to WDW and she enjoys seeing how much I love it when we are there, but she will never love it the way I do (and certainly doesn't get into the magic). And that's ok. We have been going once every two years and when our daughter is older, we will go once a year.

 

[Weather_Lady]

Congratulations!

I think you're right that he doesn't know what he's missing. Once you've had a chance to explain (perhaps show him a Disney planning DVD), perhaps there a way to compromise. If he wants to go on a cruise, why not combine a 3-4 day cruise with 3-4 days at WDW? If he wants a road trip to see historical sights... let it be a road trip to WDW with stops along the way. If he wants a week of umbrella drinks on a beach, or spa treatments, or fine dining... well, he CAN have that at WDW, so you can do those things simultaneously!

 

[correcaminos]

While I think you have a chance in the future with him, I would not push it for the honeymoon. My husband and I chose together where to go (happened to be Disney), and this should be something you both want. Like my husband lived in Hawaii and after living there he doesn not have any desire to go back. I would love to go but don't want him unhappy. If your fiancé got bored of Universal after a few days he could woth disney too, so why risk him being unhappy on your honeymoon?

 

[MississippiBelle]

Great news folks!!! We were tossing around honeymoon ideas and I jokingly (as far as he could tell ) said "well I know you're dying to go to Disney so that seems like an obvious choice!" Y'all. He actually said "I actually think that sounds like fun because you know so much about all the cool stuff to see and do. And we could go back to harry potter world for one day. But i'm only going for 4 or 5 days." I'm keeping my excitement level waaaay down just in case he suggests another option, but it sounded like a yes to me!

Edit: while my own personal joy was doing cart wheels on the inside, my response was "Oh I thought for sure you would hate that idea. I'll do some pricing and we can decide then"

 

[Cosmic Commando]

Great news folks!!! We were tossing around honeymoon ideas and I jokingly (as far as he could tell ) said "well I know you're dying to go to Disney so that seems like an obvious choice!" Y'all. He actually said "I actually think that sounds like fun because you know so much about all the cool stuff to see and do. And we could go back to harry potter world for one day. But i'm only going for 4 or 5 days." I'm keeping my excitement level waaaay down just in case he suggests another option, but it sounded like a yes to me!

Edit: while my own personal joy was doing cart wheels on the inside, my response was "Oh I thought for sure you would hate that idea. I'll do some pricing and we can decide then"

He's a keeper.

 

[wdwfamilynh]

Apologies in advance if this isn't the right place to put this/isn't "Disney" related enough for this site, but any opinions on this would be appreciated!

I am getting married in December and my absolute dream honeymoon would be... wait for it... going to WDW. My future DH, on the other hand, doesn't like theme parks. He willingly went to Universal with my family for four days and had fun, but said he was getting super bored by the third day. I've tried explaining that there is so much more to do at Disney that he wouldn't be bored, but he wasn't convinced.

Ideally, we would take our honeymoon either right after the wedding (second weekend in December) or wait until the end of Jan/beginning of Feb. to try to go during a "quieter" time. I have only mentioned this to him in passing once before. While I'd love to go, I do not want him to agree to it because he thinks I'll be disappointed otherwise. I want him to be excited and enjoy where we go as well. So after this long winded approach, my question for my fellow Disney fans is: Should I bring it up as an option in the hopes that he actually has a great time (and falls in love with Disney) or drop it and go for a more neutral option? Also, for later on down the road, how have you gotten your Disney un-enthusiasts to get into the magic?

My husband's first time at Disney was our honeymoon. While I think he may have been so/so on the idea when we planned it, he loved every minute. There is so much to do that it's really not all-theme-park-ish. Needless to say, he remains a huge WDW fan even 13 years later. Best wishes for a happy marriage!

 

[mdubm]

I browsed the post, so I apologize if this has been said already. Be careful to avoid runDisney events if you put it off into Jan/Feb.

My husband is a non-enthusiast. It took us having kids to get him on board. He watched my daughter have a ball and has come around, but he doesn't want to go often. He keeps threatening that our upcoming trip is the last for a while. I take the practical approach. I looked at Universal, even Great Wolf Lodge, but by the time we paid for those, we could go to Disney and I'm sorry, but great wolf and Disney just aren't the same. So I spell it all out for him so he sees what he's getting- entertainment, food, etc. Disney really caters to so many demographics. Maybe show him some of the fun things you can do besides just rides.