Pre-Trip A First Timer and a Veteran Take on the World - An Anniversary Trip

Hello Everyone!
I am very excited to be bringing you my very first trip report! Here are the basics.

Who: Myself (Julia) and my boyfriend John
When: November 22-27, 2019
Where: Pop Century
Why: We will be celebrating our seven year anniversary, plus free dining!

I am a lifelong Disney veteran and a long time Disney addict. I have been going to Disney World since before I was even born! That's right, my first trip was when my mom was pregnant with me, and my family has gone regularly ever since!
John on the other hand has never been and just doesn't really understand the hype. He knows that I'm a little Disney crazy and I've practically been begging him to go with me for years. His answer has always been that we'll go someday but there are so many other places he wants us to see together first (understandable, I guess.)
Last week when I half-jokingly mentioned that we take a Disney trip in November to celebrate our anniversary and mentioned the free dining offer he said let's do it! I was in disbelief (who knew free food would be all it would take!)

(Here's a photo of us from my sister's wedding in March)

So, you could say a lot is riding on him enjoying this trip! I'm hoping that he will fall in love with the magic of Disney, or at least be willing to go back again in the future! I'm trying to plan a more relaxed, leisurely trip to not overwhelm him. We did upgrade from the Quick Service Dining plan to the standard Disney Dining plan and I am very open to any suggestions anyone has, dining or otherwise, to help this trip be a success!

 

[Nunu]

I'm so happy for you and John! Can't wait to hear more about your plans and adventures.
I really like Pop Century, great choice!

 

[Katiekitten]

I can't wait to hear what your trip has in store for you!

 

[fizzieee]

Woohoo! Can't wait to hear more!

 

[KellBelle]

Along for the ride!

 

[juliaf08]

Thanks everyone!
Here is our rough daily plan and the dining reservations I've made so far!
I am planning on doing split park days most days with breaks in the middle.
November 22, 2019 - Arrival Day
We will not be having any park time today but will have a relaxing afternoon by the pool, possibly tour the monorail resort loop.
ADR - Dinner at Sanaa
November 23, 2019
Epcot (catch the end of Food and Wine)
Magic Kingdom in the evening
ADR - Dinner at Kona Cafe
November 24, 2019
Animal Kingdom
Hollywood Studios in the evening
ADR - Fantasmic Dining Package dinner at Mama Melrose
November 25, 2019
Break Day!
We will be hanging by the pool (weather permitting) and spending some time at Disney Springs
ADR - Dinner at Frontera Cocina
November 26, 2019
Magic Kingdom - full day with midday break
ADR - Dinner at Skipper Canteen
November 27, 2019 - Departure Day
We are planning on having some park time this day but I'm not sure which park yet. I'm thinking Epcot or Animal Kingdom will be John's favorites but I haven't committed yet. Also we will have used all our table service credits at this point so we will be using up any quick service or snack credits we have left!

 

[zeebs758]

Sounds like a great plan! I was curious if you thought about doing the Christmas Party at all. There is a party on the 24th, the same night as your Fantasmic Dining Package.

 

[ajrwdwgirl]

Sounds like a fun trip!

 

[Darstarr]

Looking good!!!
Can not wait to hear all about it!

 

[juliaf08]

We are officially 10 days away from our trip!! Starting last minute planning and packing now! My sister gave me a $75 dollar gift card for my birthday and we are planning on declining mousekeeping so that will be an additional $40 gift card. Does anyone have any suggestions on something we could use $115 in giftcards for? I'm thinking some kind of experience but I'm open to any ideas!

 

[PeoplemoverTTA]

How fun!!

I can’t make any promises, but my BF was similar to yours (although he had been to WDW once as a kid and once as a teenager but found it “meh”). I saw our first trip together as a test to see if he could have fun and if our travel styles were compatible. This was 6 1/2 years ago.

We celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary in July, and had a Disney wedding that was HIS idea . So you never know!

Have a great trip! I think your balance of park and downtime is solid

 

[juliaf08]

How fun!!

I can’t make any promises, but my BF was similar to yours (although he had been to WDW once as a kid and once as a teenager but found it “meh”). I saw our first trip together as a test to see if he could have fun and if our travel styles were compatible. This was 6 1/2 years ago.

We celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary in July, and had a Disney wedding that was HIS idea . So you never know!

Have a great trip! I think your balance of park and downtime is solid

Thanks!! Being so close I'm a little nervous about how he'll react to it all, especially since we're going at such a high-crowd time but that makes me feel better about it. He's been more interested in the planning of it than I thought and he says he's excited about it so things are looking pretty good!