Advice for going with a first-timer

[bellerose]

Hello everyone! I am taking my new husband to Disney in April and he has never been to Disney...ever. Why did I marry him? He's pretty cute.
Anyway, what would you guys suggest I take him to see, besides the parks, to show him how great WDW is?? I was thinking of taking him fishing in one of the lagoons and maybe the Hoop Dee Doo?? Any help would be much appreciated!!

[tadcd]

My husband and I lavished in the "adult side" of Disney for years before our little one came along. Of course, "adult" is relative as our families think we act like kiddos...
Hope this list of ours helps!
Have a lovely time!
Teresa

Here are the things we love...
Visiting AKL at night for dinner at Jiko and time exploring the resort, especially the safari with night vision goggles
Hiking from the Wilderness Lodge to Fort Wilderness
Strolling and eating our way around Epcot WS at night and watching the fireworks
Walking around the lake at Coronado Springs taking photos of the beautiful foliage along the way (plan to try the same at CBR this visit)
Couples massage at Mandara Spa at the Dolphin (or Swan, don't remember which, atmosphere gorgeous)
Listening to the orchestra play in the GF
Taking the boat from DTD to POR and POFQ stopping to explore each of the resorts
Pin trading with cast members with books of pins in the resort lobbies and stores
DTD in the morning before it has come alive
Time in the hot tubs at the resort
Strolling the Polynesian at night
Night time monorail resort hopping

On our to do list
Renting a boat at DTD and travelling the Sassagoula River
Taking a fireworks cruise
Mini golf
Watching fireworks from Polynesian beach
La Cava and The Italian Wine Cellar both in Epcot
Drinks in the Lounge at the Boardwalk
Jellyrolls

[BigRedDad]

Its too hard to tell what he may enjoy. For me, it turns me into a 42 year old kid. I don't mind acting like one there because it is almost normal. My recommendation is to plan adult things, but don't ignore the kid things. Definitely see the stage shows.

Has he been reluctant to go or is he excited about it? Will he feel goofy if he was wearing a Mickey Ear hat? Does he enjoy Disney movies?

[caryrae]

One thing that my Wife and I did and still remember is we had dinner at the California Grill during the fireworks show at MK. It was such an awesome time. We were lucky enough to get a table by the window facing MK.

Does he like Racing? If he does he may like the Richard Petty Driving Experience, I have no clue what it costs.

In Downtown Disney you could try Splitsville since that is new, or Cirque du Soleil, or Disney Quest if you guys are into that stuff.

[bruin1344]

Do you guys enjoy having drinks? If so, check out Jellyrolls at Boardwalk or some of the World Showcase restaurants.

Boating in the lagoon near MK is another fun activity

[bellerose]

Wow, so many great ideas!! Thank you! He already is talking about the Richard Petty Experience since I told him I did it a few years ago. I never thought about JellyRolls either. I haven't even been there yet. I was also thinking about going to the Wilderness Lodge and renting bikes to take the path to Fort Wilderness, too.
His family just never went to Disney. It wasn't their thing. He says he's excited about it and is looking forward to going. He is a big kid and likes to have fun so I am hoping he will enjoy it. Thanks again!!

[jonahbear2006]

1. wishes from polynesian beach with dole whips
2. get someone to high-five you on the people mover
3. watch finding nemo the musical from the front rows
4. Hang back in Epcot and MK past closing and leave as slow as possible. some of the most magical moments are just hearing the music on the dark streets.
5. Spend some time hanging out by the pool bar and in the sun. Dont forget down time.
6. Try to pack a lot of rides into one day, so that the rest of the week you can really hang out and just enjoy the parks for what they are.
7. photopass it up! be kids, enjoy the pass for all its abilities and then you have something to check out when you get home. Get to camp-mickey-minnie and other areas like this.
8. Find at least one restaurant that is romantic, Le cellier, Narcoosees, Vic and Alb...something for a nice romantic evening.
9. Dont over plan
10. End the trip with wishes, no matter where you watch it from. It is really hard to leave disney feeling bad about THAT.

[jonahbear2006]

Couples massage at Mandara Spa at the Dolphin (or Swan, don't remember which, atmosphere gorgeous)

The Dolphin and FYI this was THE BEST massage I have ever had in my lifetime! followed by a wonderful time in that spa! what a beautiful place to be!!!!

[PopPhan]

Don't overplan!

Set up a few things that he might like, but allow him to set the direction in the parks. You might find that when he has the opportunity to get a glimpse of the place, he will have ideas as to what he would want to do....

Above all else....HAVE FUN!!!!!!

[PETE FROM NYC]

Just don't try to get him to act like DW and I do. We are theme park commandos when its just us two. We try to open and close the parks. When we are on a short vacation, less than a week, we do the parks every day. Now that we are both retired, we stay longer and take a much more leisurely pace, with a day or two of relaxing.

[bellerose]

I am planning on taking it slow. We are stretching three parks over five days, mostly so he doesn't get overwhelmed. Also, so we can take our time seeing the parks.

I really like the high five idea on the TTA!! I'm going to use that!!!

[tinkman]

One piece of advice I can give that I wish I had thought of when I was in a similar circumstance: Don't talk Disney up. In other words, don't tell them how great a time they'll have or how fantastic everything will be. Made this mistake twice and the people we took were completely disappointed because we built it up too much, tried to do too much.

[bellerose]

That is a really good point. I have been telling him how much fun we will have so I will stop doing that and let him find out for himself.. Thank you for that great piece of advice!!!!