Disputing with my husband. . . Please weigh in

Hi all. I so appreciated all your responses to my OP that I'm hoping you chime in on my plans in order to make this a magical vacation and hopefully one that will make my husband want to go again! (He is still not thrilled about this vacation). We are currently booked at CBR. Booking here put me slightly over my original budget but I wanted to ensure Queen Beds for adequate sleep for all. Recently I decided to add on an extra day so could fit in DHS and am now considering changing to POP in order to put me back closer to my original budget. Obviously I'm hoping for a refurbished room with Queens but I'd be taking a chance that I won't get one and be stuck on standard beds all week. Thoughts?

Below is my trip plan. Reminder I'm traveling with DH, DS 6, and DD 4. We will plan to do rope drop (as kids will likely be up anyway) but I'm not going to stress if were moving slower some mornings. As of now I'm only planning one night and will try to stick to 8pm bedtimes if possible. I have also tried to carve out some days for my DH to nap. (He NEVER sleeps so he truly to recharge on a vacation.) We will also be adding LEGOLAND on to the beginning of our trip as my son is crazy about legos and has asked a number of times if we can go there. Also we will have a car.


Saturday: Fly into MCO/Enjoy Legoland Resort

Sunday: Legoland all Day/Check into Disney Resort

Monday: MK (Crowd Level 3 )

Fantasy Land

BOG for LUNCH

Parade then back to resort

Cape May Dinner

Tuesday: MK (Crowd Level 2)

Remainder of Attractions

QS Lunch

430 Dinner at Ohanas

Fireworks

Wednesday: Resort Day

4pm Hoop Dee Doo

Chip and Dale Campfire


Thursday: Epcot (Crowd Levels 2 )

Rides in the Am

Askheraus Lunch

DH/DD can go back to resort to rest while DS and I travel the World

QS Dinner


Friday: Animal Kingdom (Crowd Level 3 )

Flame Tree Lunch

QS Dinner


Saturday: DHS (Crowd Level 5)

DS, DD, and I Hit Rope Drop (Star Wars attractions and shows)

DH can sleep in and check us out of resort (He hates Star Wars)

Hollywood and Vine Lunch

FP rides in afternoon

Head out to MCO around 4/4:30 for 8:30 flight
 
I LOVE Pop Century. I have two trips planned and am staying there both times. I can also highly recommend Ohana and Flame Tree. They are two of my favorite restaurants at WDW. I have not eaten at several of your restaurant choices. However, one that we always found to be disappointing was Hollywood & Vine. It just wasn't very good in our opinion. I would change that one to 50s Prime Time, which is my favorite WDW restaurant.
 
Hi all. I so appreciated all your responses to my OP that I'm hoping you chime in on my plans in order to make this a magical vacation and hopefully one that will make my husband want to go again! (He is still not thrilled about this vacation). We are currently booked at CBR. Booking here put me slightly over my original budget but I wanted to ensure Queen Beds for adequate sleep for all. Recently I decided to add on an extra day so could fit in DHS and am now considering changing to POP in order to put me back closer to my original budget. Obviously I'm hoping for a refurbished room with Queens but I'd be taking a chance that I won't get one and be stuck on standard beds all week. Thoughts?

Below is my trip plan. Reminder I'm traveling with DH, DS 6, and DD 4. We will plan to do rope drop (as kids will likely be up anyway) but I'm not going to stress if were moving slower some mornings. As of now I'm only planning one night and will try to stick to 8pm bedtimes if possible. I have also tried to carve out some days for my DH to nap. (He NEVER sleeps so he truly to recharge on a vacation.) We will also be adding LEGOLAND on to the beginning of our trip as my son is crazy about legos and has asked a number of times if we can go there. Also we will have a car.


Saturday: Fly into MCO/Enjoy Legoland Resort

Sunday: Legoland all Day/Check into Disney Resort

Monday: MK (Crowd Level 3 )

Fantasy Land

BOG for LUNCH

Parade then back to resort

Cape May Dinner

Tuesday: MK (Crowd Level 2)

Remainder of Attractions

QS Lunch

430 Dinner at Ohanas

Fireworks

Wednesday: Resort Day

4pm Hoop Dee Doo

Chip and Dale Campfire


Thursday: Epcot (Crowd Levels 2 )

Rides in the Am

Askheraus Lunch

DH/DD can go back to resort to rest while DS and I travel the World

QS Dinner


Friday: Animal Kingdom (Crowd Level 3 )

Flame Tree Lunch

QS Dinner


Saturday: DHS (Crowd Level 5)

DS, DD, and I Hit Rope Drop (Star Wars attractions and shows)

DH can sleep in and check us out of resort (He hates Star Wars)

Hollywood and Vine Lunch

FP rides in afternoon

Head out to MCO around 4/4:30 for 8:30 flight

I think that looks very doable and gives your DH plenty of room to rest and relax.

As for the resort situation- you know your family's needs best. I'm not certain when your trip is planned, but also keep in mind the construction occurring at CBR. There have been mixed reports from folks over on the official CBR board about experiences with construction noise during the day, which may impact nap times and your resort day.
 
I LOVE Pop Century. I have two trips planned and am staying there both times. I can also highly recommend Ohana and Flame Tree. They are two of my favorite restaurants at WDW. I have not eaten at several of your restaurant choices. However, one that we always found to be disappointing was Hollywood & Vine. It just wasn't very good in our opinion. I would change that one to 50s Prime Time, which is my favorite WDW restaurant.
I chose Hollywood for the characters. One last interaction with the Mouse before we go home!
 
I recently began planning our first family trip to Disney. My DS will 7 and DD will be 4.5 at the time of trip. My DH thinks they are too young and it will be a waste because they wont remember any of it. And in his words, "he's only giving the guy with big ears money once." He would prefer to put it off until they are 10 or older. I think its the perfect time and if we wait too long it wont be as magical. They may not remember but I will!

Any feedback would be most appreciated.

Haven't read any of the replies, but here's my take on it...

Take them. They're only small once. If this is the one trip he pays for then so be it. My nieces are begging me to go bc their dad wants nothing to do with the place. They're both under 6. Yes, it might be tedious lugging them around or using a stroller, but wake up dad, be a dad.

You can plan other trips in the future and he doesn't need to go and if he misses all the fun, then that'll be on him.
 
My husband doesn't mind Disney but he has the same thought. He thought it was pointless to take a Disney cruise and Disney world with our youngest but after we got there and he was able to see her excitement it was worth it. Our youngest just turned 4 but you know what the reactions that you get from them seeing the characters and fireworks is priceless. We also have two teens and a preteen and you just don't get the same reaction that you get when they are young.
 
My kids were 7 and 4 on our most recent trip and they remember everything. They can't wait to go back. Your husband is a Debbie downer and can stay home!
 


Just chiming in. Our last trip was in 2013. My youngest was 4, my oldest was 7. They absolutely loved it!

We're going back this fall, but the youngest is thoroughly over the characters now. ("I know they're costumes, Mom..." :cool:). He's spoiling for the roller coasters, which he's been talking about since 2013, when he couldn't quite ride everything. (Even then, he loved Thunder Mountain.) I'm so glad I had one trip where the characters were still magical for both of them.

His big brother has special needs and is still enchanted by the characters. And YDS will play along for him. ;)

(FWIW, we took ODS when he was only 15 months old. He loved it. He doesn't remember it, but we'll never forget it!)
 
Ds went when he was nearly 4, and when he was JUST 5. He remembers a LITTLE of the second trip.
We are going again in December, when he will be 11, and DD will be 4.5. This is the time we can go, and it is definitely our last trip. I *hope* she will remember some of it, but, we have memory maker, and will take a gazillion pictures so, fingers crossed it will be worth while. Plus she is SUPER excited to meet Elsa, Sleeping Beauty, Doc McStuffins, Alice in Wonderland, and Minnie Mouse....
 
With this schedule you are going to have to pick out your "must do" attractions. You should be fine at EPCOT and DHS. 1 day at AK would not be enough for us. Especially if you want to hit up the shows and the new attractions. You will have to pick what is the most important things to do. Same with MK, it looks like you have 1 1/2 days planned, prioritize and have a plan!!!

Personally I would not take a resort day, but breaks are never in my travel schedule at Disney!!!

I think your kids would like POP better, and you'll save money. Not sure when you're going. Will they have the majority of rooms refurbished by then?
 
When we went on our first big family trip (there were eight of us total, and five alone in my family) my daughters were 9 and 7 and my son was 2 years and 9 months. I think their ages a perfect to go for a first time!! Their faces LIGHT UP at everything at those ages!! I took a ton of pictures and printed them when I got home so that my kids could grab it and look anytime they want. And my son loves that book! He grabs it at least three times a week. We are planning another trip for next year, and they are just as excited as the first time we went. Hope this helps! :)
 
We took our daughter for the first time to the Halloween Party for her 2nd birthday. She's almost 8 & she still remembers it.
 
We are taking our second trip to Disney in a few months after 7 years. My daughters were 2 & 3 when we last went and my son, now 5, has never been. My daughters still have memories of that trip(which was shorter than yours) so you can be guaranteed your kids will enjoy it at their age and make plenty of memories. One nice thing about Disney is that there is so much for all ages that they will likely connect with and enjoy a certain segment of the parks at this age and next time you go they may likely enjoy other areas of the park more. Plus in addition to age related preferences, the parks are always changing and changing/adding attractions to provide something fresh in addition to the classics for subsequent visits. In, my opinion, going now and then again later is a better option than just delaying (assuming the finances allow...).
As for your husband, I really enjoy Disney myself(probably more than my wife) and am not ashamed to admit it. But if Disney is not something he'll let himself get into, I really hope he doesn't share any negative thoughts in front of the children and that may interfere with their perception of the experience and they may reflect his sentiment though they would have otherwise enjoyed it. A father should focus on enhancing his childrens' enjoyment (or occupy himself behind the camera viewfinder to preserve their happy memories). I wish you all the best.
 
My second trip to Disney was at 3 yo and we stayed in Fort Wilderness with my grandparents in their camper. We went to River Country and watched fireworks. (I also punched Mickey in the nose.) That trip was over 25 years ago and I still have fond memories of it. I may not have remembered the whole trip but I loved what I still do remember. Don't worry about what your kids may or may not remember. The trip is just as much for you as it is for them. (I will never live down punching Mickey in my Disney-loving family. Enjoy your trip!
 
Our son was 14 MONTHS on his 1st trip, and WE have some the best memories of him and photos of his interactions. Would not change a thing. We spent time at the parks, pool and he took naps in the stroller at times. Some of our easiest trips were when they were young enough to still be in a stroller vs. carry dead weight after fireworks when they were a bit older.
 
Hi all. I so appreciated all your responses to my OP that I'm hoping you chime in on my plans in order to make this a magical vacation and hopefully one that will make my husband want to go again! (He is still not thrilled about this vacation). We are currently booked at CBR. Booking here put me slightly over my original budget but I wanted to ensure Queen Beds for adequate sleep for all. Recently I decided to add on an extra day so could fit in DHS and am now considering changing to POP in order to put me back closer to my original budget. Obviously I'm hoping for a refurbished room with Queens but I'd be taking a chance that I won't get one and be stuck on standard beds all week. Thoughts?

Below is my trip plan. Reminder I'm traveling with DH, DS 6, and DD 4. We will plan to do rope drop (as kids will likely be up anyway) but I'm not going to stress if were moving slower some mornings. As of now I'm only planning one night and will try to stick to 8pm bedtimes if possible. I have also tried to carve out some days for my DH to nap. (He NEVER sleeps so he truly to recharge on a vacation.) We will also be adding LEGOLAND on to the beginning of our trip as my son is crazy about legos and has asked a number of times if we can go there. Also we will have a car.


Saturday: Fly into MCO/Enjoy Legoland Resort

Sunday: Legoland all Day/Check into Disney Resort

Monday: MK (Crowd Level 3 )

Fantasy Land

BOG for LUNCH

Parade then back to resort

Cape May Dinner

Tuesday: MK (Crowd Level 2)

Remainder of Attractions

QS Lunch

430 Dinner at Ohanas

Fireworks

Wednesday: Resort Day

4pm Hoop Dee Doo

Chip and Dale Campfire


Thursday: Epcot (Crowd Levels 2 )

Rides in the Am

Askheraus Lunch

DH/DD can go back to resort to rest while DS and I travel the World

QS Dinner


Friday: Animal Kingdom (Crowd Level 3 )

Flame Tree Lunch

QS Dinner


Saturday: DHS (Crowd Level 5)

DS, DD, and I Hit Rope Drop (Star Wars attractions and shows)

DH can sleep in and check us out of resort (He hates Star Wars)

Hollywood and Vine Lunch

FP rides in afternoon

Head out to MCO around 4/4:30 for 8:30 flight

I also have an anti-Disney husband, but that one trip turned into three (so far) for us and we will have to go back with our new baby! That said, keep your rest day and the moderate resort for the queen size beds. Make this trip as enjoyable as possible for your hubby. My commando park touring gets on my husband's nerves.

I like your plan! When my daughter was four she loved Soarin' and Bog Thunder Mountain. Flame Tree BBQ is great! I would recommend dropping Hollywood & Vine for Mama Melrose. The buffet food isn't that great and Minnie is relatively easy to meet. Good food makes for a happy husband!
 
Our son was 14 MONTHS on his 1st trip, and WE have some the best memories of him and photos of his interactions. Would not change a thing.

Was going to say the same thing. Went on a large family trip with my son when he was 4. We know he won't remember it when he gets older, but we will. His grandparents will. His aunt and uncle will.

We go as much as we can because we have some of the best family times we have ever had.

I don't care if he EVER remembers these trips, my wife and I will. And to be totally honest, those shared memories bring us closer together too.
 

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