Planning a Trip for a Disney Hater

[juliaf08]

Hi Everyone! I'm working on planning a (potential) trip for me and my boyfriend. I am an avid Disney World lover and my boyfriend claims to "hate" all things Disney World. I tend to not believe him because he hasn't actually ever been to Disney, but he says he doesn't like thrill rides, theme parks, zoos or crowds. I grew up going to Disney and have been 10+ times. I'm hoping that I'll be able to help him see that Disney isn't your typical theme park. Does anyone have any suggestions on things he might like, where we should stay or any other tips? Thanks so much!

 

[Schneewittchen]

Maybe give him a curated map of all of the bars on property. And pick a hotel with a nice pool.

I wouldn't take him to MK first, maybe Epcot instead. Maybe only bring him into the parks in the early morning / late evening so he doesn't get overwhelmed by the crowds.

Maybe try some outdoorsy activities at Fort Wilderness or on Bay Lake.

Good luck.

 

[DisneyJoe]

Don't ask him a ton of questions or he may grow to "hate" it more.

What does he like? Maybe try to connect some of those things to Disney and your trip - a good meal or two may help.

 

[larryz]

Behind-the-scenes tours, like Keys to the Kingdom, or maybe Backstage Magic... if he's into systems and/or engineering, those might whet his interest.

 

[HwdStudio]

He will more than likely be miserable. It could possibly ruin your relationship. It sounds like he has made it perfectly clear that he has no interest. Forcing it on him will not have a good outcome.

 

[MotherofaPrincessLover]

Maybe you'll want to do more resort time and less park time. Maybe a monorail bar crawl or hit up different bars at Disney Springs. Spend time at the pool and do other resort activities. Definitely try to plan the trip for a time that isn't super high crowd.

 

[juliaf08]

@HwdStudio He actually suggested the trip because he wants to know what all of my excitement is about. Also, I'm confident enough in my relationship that I know a Disney trip won't ruin it. Thanks for your input though.

 

[juliaf08]

Thanks everyone for the ideas. A behind-the-scenes tour is an awesome idea! Does anyone have thoughts on where a good place to stay would be?

 

[MotherofaPrincessLover]

Thanks everyone for the ideas. A behind-the-scenes tour is an awesome idea! Does anyone have thoughts on where a good place to stay would be?

Depends on how much you're looking to spend. For a moderate, I would go with Port Orleans French Quarter for the smaller size and the boat to Disney Springs. If you want to go deluxe, I'd think about Beach Club for the awesome pool and being within walking distance to HS and Epcot. You would also be by the Boardwalk for some nighttime entertainment.

 

[winstongator]

What does he like?

The VR experience at Disney Springs is pretty cool.

 

[larryz]

He will more than likely be miserable. It could possibly ruin your relationship. It sounds like he has made it perfectly clear that he has no interest. Forcing it on him will not have a good outcome.

Here's a chance for him to find out what Disney's all about, and once he experiences it, perhaps they'll come to share a level of Disneyphilia.

 

[James J]

He will more than likely be miserable. It could possibly ruin your relationship. It sounds like he has made it perfectly clear that he has no interest. Forcing it on him will not have a good outcome.

That's not a particularly nice thing to say. As @juliaf08 has mentioned, she knows what's best for her relationship.

For where to stay, I love POR and my girlfriend and I will be staying there together for the first time next week! I've taken on all of the organisation for our trip and am excited for us to do all the things she's never done before, such as staying at a Moderate resort, having a dining plan, signature dining etc. I'm sure you'll have the same experience when you get to show your BF all of the things you love!

 

[James White]

Dive right in head first. To bad you cannot pull some strings and get him to lead the parade. He will leave a big Disney fan and help plan the next trip.

 

[LeighM]

Hi Everyone! I'm working on planning a (potential) trip for me and my boyfriend. I am an avid Disney World lover and my boyfriend claims to "hate" all things Disney World. I tend to not believe him because he hasn't actually ever been to Disney, but he says he doesn't like thrill rides, theme parks, zoos or crowds. I grew up going to Disney and have been 10+ times. I'm hoping that I'll be able to help him see that Disney isn't your typical theme park. Does anyone have any suggestions on things he might like, where we should stay or any other tips? Thanks so much!

I don't like thrill rides, zoos, or crowds but I still LOVE WDW lol. Animal Kingdom is so much more but it's hard to explain to someone that isn't familiar with it. He's just going to have to see for himself. I get park hoppers so if one park is getting too crowded for me, such as MK, then I can hop to another park. Crowds can trigger my anxiety and I've never had much of an issue in any park except for MK. And with the park hopper, we can get on the monorail and easily go to Epcot and have dinner there. My husband and I prefer to stay at Port Orleans Riverside because we like the larger size compared to French Quarter. Although we often walk down to POFQ for their beignets. It's such a relaxing break from the crowds of the parks. If he doesn't like crowds, the Port Orleans resorts might be the welcome break he needs. We've done two of the tours - Behind the Seeds at Epcot and Caring for Giants at AK. We really enjoyed both of those. You could also try to pick good table service dining that you think he might like. My husband and I go to WDW as much for the food as anything.

 

[KBLovedDisney]

Tell him not to judge it until he has tried it and to stop thinking it is a Chuck E. Cheese or something McDonald's has concocted. My hubby was very skeptic about going to Disney because he only went when he was really young and didn't remember it at all. Thinking it was something only for kids (or maybe he thought he was just too cool for it..) he was cold at first and looked around the Magic Kingdom nonchalantly like he didn't care at all, but after going to the World and experiencing the rides and the atmosphere...the man was starting to plan the next trip and all of this stuff he wanted to do next time.

Tell him to just give it a chance.

 

[juliaf08]

I don't like thrill rides, zoos, or crowds but I still LOVE WDW lol. Animal Kingdom is so much more but it's hard to explain to someone that isn't familiar with it. He's just going to have to see for himself. I get park hoppers so if one park is getting too crowded for me, such as MK, then I can hop to another park. Crowds can trigger my anxiety and I've never had much of an issue in any park except for MK. And with the park hopper, we can get on the monorail and easily go to Epcot and have dinner there. My husband and I prefer to stay at Port Orleans Riverside because we like the larger size compared to French Quarter. Although we often walk down to POFQ for their beignets. It's such a relaxing break from the crowds of the parks. If he doesn't like crowds, the Port Orleans resorts might be the welcome break he needs. We've done two of the tours - Behind the Seeds at Epcot and Caring for Giants at AK. We really enjoyed both of those. You could also try to pick good table service dining that you think he might like. My husband and I go to WDW as much for the food as anything.

I completely agree AK is impossible to explain to someone who has never been! I will definitely be getting a park hopper because we'll probably be doing a relatively short trip for his first one but I'd still like to show him all of the parks if possible. I've heard great things about Port Orleans so maybe I'll look into that. Thanks so much!

 

[aliceismad]

My hubby is lukewarm on Disney, but the idea of the food at the various hotels, Epcot, and Disney Springs is alluring for him.

 

[JIMINYCR]

You haven given a lot for us to go on but I'd suggest going on line and view some of the wonderful ride throughs, park walk throughs and give him a look at all Disney has to offer. Find out where his interests lie and plan some time specifically for him around his desires. Nothing says you must stay on property the entire time so look at what the Orlando area has to offer as well. You can fit in some off property trips to other things he might enjoy. Most people have a skewed idea of what WDW is about and offers until they experience it themselves first hand. Make this trip enjoyable for him and he will want to take you back. If he stiill remains a non-Disney type person theres always girls only trips and solo trips available for you. I was very lucky that my spouse enjoys WDW every bit as I do.

 

[Weather_Lady]

I'd simply plan the most 'grown-up' possible Disney trip - meaning as quiet as possible, as few characters as possible, and avoiding crowds (e.g., moderate or deluxe resort, no character meals or planned character meet-and-greets, touring in small doses (e.g, early morning, then go back to the hotel and relax by the pool, maybe have a nice dinner, then go back to the parks in the evening), visiting some fun lounges (e.g., Trader Sam's), etc.

Also, I'd involve him in the planning, but just in areas that interest him so he doesn't get overwhelmed. (Is he a foodie? Does he like to golf? Swim? Work out? Run? Shop? Bowl? Explore? See shows? View cultural exhibits? Ride rollercoasters? Show him what Disney offers in those areas and let him make some choices.)

It's easy to think you "hate" what you've never done, and he may have the idea that Disney is just for toddlers, or that it's all about shopping and meeting characters or waiting in long lines. I suspect your boyfriend will warm up to it once get gets there -- if nothing else, if he loves you, then watching you have a good time should give him some happiness all by itself.

 

[JohnD]

Be ready for anything. Advance planning may not always work. You may have to immediately adjust.

For example, I went with my folks several years back.. I planned on our grazing food booths during F&G festival forlunch. Nope. Dad wanted lunch NOW. We settled for the cafe in Norway. Just be ready to be flexible based on their desires.