Un-Disney mate?

[jenperich]

Does anyone out there have a mate(boy/girlfriend, fiancee, spouse) who just does not understand your passion for Disney? My boyfriend made the awful mistake today of calling the World "just a theme park". I almost fell off the couch! Is there anyone else out there in the same shoes? :confused:

[Kate In Wonderland]

My DH was like that. When we first started dating he hadn't been to WDW since he was 4, and didn't get what all the fuss was about.

Then we went there on vacation. He was a little overwhelmed at first and got "Mickey-ed out" halfway through the second day after being in MK. But then we went to Epcot and he loved it, and same with Downtown Disney. By the end of the trip, he was walking around with a Pirate's hat on singing "Yo Ho" wherever he went.

So when we got engaged and were planning our wedding, HE came up with the idea to go to Disney (specifically the land and sea cruise vaca) for our honeymoon. And now here we are 6 years later, leaving in 18 days to celebrate our anniversary (and we've gone just about every year since then).

He isn't quite the fanatic that I am, but he definitely enjoys Disney and "gets it" now. As he says to other people: "there is nowhere else in the world that you can go that will guarantee excellent service all the time, fantastic food and great nightlife. As well as truly allow you to leave your stress at home and just be able to play".

Give your boyfriend time, maybe he'll come around too. Or if he doesn't, then that's ok too. I'm sure there are some things that he gets excited about that you may not really get either (I know my DH has some of those!!). But hopefully he will learn to love it and become a Disneyhead like the rest of us!

[DizNee143]

my fiance is almost the same way..he kinda liked disney when we went..he said he had an ok time...but he just doesnt get it...he said he didnt get why i was soooo fascinated with anything Disney...and doesnt get why i wanna go so often...i wish i can change him!!! lol..but we are going again in Nov..so im hoping everytime we go..he'll start to "understand" lol :mickey:

[TennesseeTink]

I grew up going to Disney World and have always loved it. When my first husband and I got married, we went to Ormond Beach for our honeymoon and I talked him into driving to WDW for a day. We went to MK and he just didn't get it at all. If I had known then that anyone could go to MK and not love it, I might have suggested Epcot instead. Who knew?! Anyway it was the worst time I ever had at WDW. He was no fun at all and made me feel silly for enjoying it.

My second DH(been married 10 years now) totally gets it! :thumbsup: He also grew up going to WDW. We went for our honeymoon and have been back several times since then, with and without the kids. Our upcoming trip in Oct will be just the two of us. I'm so very thankful that he loves it as much as I do.

On the other hand, my sister totally doesn't get it. She hasn't been since she was 6(she just turned 40). I'm taking her next April for her birthday. She and I have a great time anywhere we go together. I intend to totally convert her to Disneymania! Then she won't be able to say "Don't you ever go anywhere else besides Disney World?" anymore.:mickey:

[magicman]

This type of question MUST be part of all pre-marital counseling.;)

[mouseketeer mom]

This type of question MUST be part of all pre-marital counseling.;)

HA! Thats so funny, I agree!
My DH goes along with it for me. , he really likes to see me happy. I'm sure he would love to go a zillion other places, but he has come around. He is always amazed by the quality of vacation Disney provides. Disney's attention to details. He's not all swooped up in the magic like me and the kids, but he likes it alot now.

[mickeys_princess_mom]

HA!
My DH goes along with it for me. , he really likes to see me happy. I'm sure he would love to go a zillion other places, but he has come around. He is always amazed by the quality of vacation Disney provides. Disney's attention to details. .

Mine is similar--content to go every few years or so, but not as often as I want to go. Thank goodness for the Princess and Just2Mickey, who are just as possessed as I am. We have a ball together, and go as much as we can! :crazy::crazy::crazy:
DH recently told me he was wanting to take me someplace special for our 30th anniversary next year, and asked if I wanted to be surprised, letting him plan it.....I told him, "Sure", thinking to myself "Brace yourself, open your mind, cause you know it's not going to be Disneyworld...." And then it was! (He's letting me plan it now cause he knows I enjoy that part, too....)
I like your comment about Disney's "attention to detail"....I say this all the time!:magic:

[kgoulash]

i grew up going to disney as well whereas my hubby went once as a child and it was an awful trip, so when he came with my family a few years back he was reluctant, but trying to impress his future inlaws, nowadays he's been back once and has a trip coming up. he loves it when he's there but stresses about all the money it takes to get there whenver i bring up a trip

[Wolf]

Yeah my BF has gone only once right after he graduated high school and they only went to MK for 1 day in May. (crazy I know) But he's seen me on intercot so much that hes talking about us going "because it means so much to you" I think he really wants to see it again with someone that really loves it so, plus hes a total nerd like me so I'm thinking about showing him EPCOT WS and FW and possibly trying to star wars weekend so I can convert him through bribery of meeting Chewbaka again!
I'd try to find something that applies to your signifigant other, cars-mgm cars parade, travel-show them WS.

[PirateLover]

I have been lucky in love when it comes to finding a mate who loves WDW as much as me. My current BF and I seem to feed off each other. We have been together 5 years and are getting ready to go on our 3rd trip together. Now he was more of a fan of the parks when we first started dating. I think I've turned him into an overall Disneyholic at this point though. Good luck to those of you who don't have a supportive parter. It sounds silly but I'm not sure I could stay with someone who didn't have the capability to understand why an adult would love WDW/Disney :mickey:

[Belle619]

My fiance` is the same way - he just doesn't understand my fascination with Disney. I've tried to explain to him the attention to detail at the parks, how Walt Disney was a creative genius, etc. - but nothing works. However, I have to admit that there are a lot of things that he is very interested in, which I don't particularly enjoy.

But, I'm not giving up! He is a very mathematical/business oriented guy, so I'm going to play up those aspects of Disney so that I can convince him to take a trip with me!

[Kate In Wonderland]

But, I'm not giving up! He is a very mathematical/business oriented guy, so I'm going to play up those aspects of Disney so that I can convince him to take a trip with me!

Buy him a few shares of Disney stock, then he'll REALLY love Disney when he sees what it does for his wallet!! :thumbsup:

[Emily]

Yep, I had one of those. I divorced him. ;)

OK, so in all seriousness it wasn't his lack of Disney enthusiasm that split us up, but it sure didn't help either! It got old going on vacations to WDW by myself. I do that now, but at least I'm not worrying about somebody else here at home that I left behind.

People can scoff if they want, but I'm very serious when I say the next guy I get involved with has to have at least more of a tolerance for (but preferably really enjoys) WDW. I want to go with someone who WANTS to be there!

[tinksmom02]

My husband is VERY un-disney. He tolerated the trip in January--I think he did have a good time once or twice during the week--and doesn't really understand how I convinced him a September trip was necessary. He thinks I'm a nutjob for spending so much time researching Disney on this website and others, and why I feel the need to buy guidebooks. He doesn't want to hear about our dining/park plans at all. The only thing he says is that "we're not rushing around this next trip, it's going to be hot and we're going to relax." Well, duh...I have some specifically scheduled down time planned :blush:

Seriously, he just doesn't get it! You absolutely cannot go to Disney without some kind of a game plan, or you will see and do nothing (just ask my brother). I thought last trip he would've been so appreciative of all the hard work I put into planning everything out, but he didn't really seem impressed. My folks were, though, so I guess that counts for something.

Oh, well, I have DD on my side, anyway...I'm training her to love WDW as much as me, so our disney battles will be 2-1!!!

Along the same lines, none of my family, friends, co-workers, really understand my Disney obsession, either. Thankfully I have you guys!

[2Epcot]

My wife is like that. She does not share my passion for Disney. Though she has enjoyed her visits to the parks when we go. We have not made a trip to WDW together. Her first Disney experience was Hong Kong Disneyland, which she thought was magical, and she's been to Disneyland a few times now. When she is there, she has fun, but doesn't share my enthusiasum, and need to return so many times. We have friends who love Disney ... she calls us all crazy Disney fans.

[magicofdisney]

My husband totally doesn't get it. He even mocks me sometimes. :sad:
But I challenge him to find a vacation destination that provides all that Disney has to offer. We keep going back to Disney. :mickey:

[showmethemouse]

My boyfirend dosen't like disney I don't know way .The first time we when was is oct.2003 and he payed for everything. It was him me and my son and my sister and some friend when with us. wasn't much fun with him that year. I think we when in every store in every park that disney has there. My best friend came down when we was there and all I did was cry. I was so unhappy that year.MY friend and I and are kids when down the next year and had a geat time.its been 3 years. I and going back this aug with my sister and some friends that I work with I said him if he wented to go with us and he said No his been there and done that and he dones wont to do that again. but
i'll five hundreds go and emjoy yourself. But if I said ask him if he wented to going to a football or baseball game he would be welling:smickey: :minnie: :mickey3: BUT I"M A DISNEY FREAK

[DisneyMP3Maker]

When my wife and I first started dating, she didn't get why I loved Disney so much. But then she met my family who is the same as me, and she thought we were all really strange. As time went on, she tollerated my obsession and began to sing Disney songs unconsciously around the house :mickey: For our honeymoon, I told her that there is no place more fun than Disney World, and she didn't want to go! A little convincing later, she agreed. She had a blast...singing and dancing and having a good ol' time all around the parks. We've been back once since then, and she keeps asking me when we are gonna go back again!!! That to me is awesome.

[Clotho]

My hubby has always been very supportive of my Disney-vacation-love. I think he is secretly glad I am not so much of a fan that I don't, like, decorate all our house in Disney or wear a bunch of Disney clothes or own a bunch of movies...however, if I slit my vacations between DIsney and Vegas the rest of my life, I think I might just die content. "Sure, Italy sounds great, honey," I say. "But at World Showcase we can see Japan and Mexico, too!" LOL!

We have been to DLR about every year/every other year in the 8 years since we have been married, and to WDW once, with a return trip to WDW planned for this September. It just so happens that he interviewed to work for Disney this spring (in a tech position in our city), and got the job! He talked a lot about Disney during that time, naturally, and mixed in with our planning, we got to explore the differences in our enjoyment of the phenomenon. He revealed that over the years with me, he has come to love it more and more, and would consider himself a "Disney fan" as well, "but when you hold a candle up to a spotlight, it's hard to compare the two." So while it's clear his love and trip planning obsession is nowhere NEAR on par with mine, he has grown to love it, too!

He is excited right along with me about our trip in September, and we extended our stay to 10 days this time, to be able to see everything. He has actual opinions to offer about what he wants to see and do this trip. And he ever suggested a Disney Cruise in our future! This is a switch from when we met. It's a gradual, but welcome, change! (of course, getting mega employee discounts doesn't hurt either...)

[Sean Riley Taylor's Mom]

My DH was never a fan before we got married. He was actually shocked and frustrated when I suggested WDW for our honeymoon back in 1996. I won, he had a great time. ;)

Now, we have gone every year since. We even became DVC members back in January.

He really changed when we had kids and started bringing them there. My oldest son took his first steps on Main Street in MK two weeks after his first birthday, his first trip!! :cloud9:

I think seeing WDW in their eyes has totally changed his appreciation for everything there. He really loves our trips there now and looks forward to going each time.

Now...he would love to take another big trip somewhere else. With DVC, we can do that. We are thinking about a Disney cruise next year. I just tell him all of other long weekend/short week trips we take during the year are just for him! ;)

[biodtl]

DH had never been to WDW before we got married. We were going to Fl on our honeymoon, but not to WDW because we had a free condo/airfare in Sarasota from my Aunt as a gift. I decided we should head up to WDW for a couple days in the middle of the week and he agreed, though grudgingly. He kept saying, "I'm not really into amusement parks"

I kept telling him that WDW is not an "amusement park", but he wouldn't believe me. Finally, a week before the wedding, his boss & coworker took us out to lunch and gave us our gift - $250 Disney dollars and reservations at Narcoossee's (their favorite). And although he didn't believe me, he started to get excited over their descriptions of WDW.

We had a great time and he wanted to extend the stay. Now, he's not as big a fan as me (he'll never be), but he IS a fan. It's like between visits he forgets how much he loves it, and then remembers once he gets there.
So sometimes it's a little work to get a trip planned, but he has a great time while we're there and talks about coming back.