Introducing Disney-Hating Grandparents to WDW/DCL?

[Dolewhipt]

Maybe go to Aulani?

 

[cmph]

An Alaskan cruise might be a good option, too. It's slightly muted on the Disney front - no big pirates party, on-deck movies are turned off during a big chunk of the cruise (with just nature scenes playing on screen, no sound), relative lack of crazy pool deck noise and crowds (ours was unseasonably warm but still nothing like the Caribbean), talks given by a naturalist on board. I was in agreement about the European cruise at first, but if they always go to Europe - then that might be a been-there/done-that situation.

Side note: I'm amused by his thoughts on Americans in Disney parks, since all you ever read from Americans are complaints about Brazilian tour groups and European line-cutters, LOL!

 

[jdb in AZ]

I was thinking of an Alaskan cruise as well. (Fine minds think alike.) The ports are cooler, and more relaxing than the Caribbean.

My father-in-law wasn't into Disney -- he said he preferred real animals to the Disney characters. He did enjoy Alaska.

An Alaskan cruise would give your family "real-life" animals as well as the Disney service.

 

[Carrie in AZ]

I would not do a land and sea vaca. Too much packing up, transportation, waiting around — they will not enjoy the wasted time. Will they be happy on one of the older, classic ships for Alaska or Europe? It doesn’t sound like it. My vote would be for a 7 nt on the Fantasy. They could dine at Palo and Remy.

If you choose a cruise, what do you envision them doing with your kids? What sort of activities?

Good luck and have fun!

 

[MomOTwins]

Lol, I didn't realize how obvious it was until all of your posts, but you're all right and the parks would totally be a disaster. They might really like the Europe cruises; I'll look into those. Alaska would be a bit far for the them to travel, but I agree they would like it. Will have to research some options.

 

[All about me]

I am a Disney skeptic.

If someone was trying to convince me of the magic of Disney, taking me to the parks would just reinforce every negative idea I have about them. I am not a snob but the fake... everything in the parks can be grating. I definitely would not take someone who travels Europe to the World Showcase. Personally, I loved it (it is the one area I would to revisit with an adult companion) but if I had seen the real thing in Europe, I would have likely been annoyed at the artifice there as well. Don't misunderstand me, I had an amazing time on my last two trips to Disney World (9.5/10 and 9/10) but I went as someone who loves amusement parks in general and was willing to set aside my own criticisms in order to make my granddaughters' visits as extraordinary as possible and, with that mindset, their joy and enthusiasm made it extraordinary for me.

Taking me on a cruise would not convince of the magic of Disney but I would more likely be able to appreciate what they offer in terms of service, entertainment and activities due to the slower pace and more classy theming. These are the things that won me over on my first Disney cruise. Not to Disney (or even cruising as I found out when I did Royal Caribbean cruise) but to cruising with Disney. My grandson loved the kids club and usually spent at least four hours a day in it (except for our Castaway Cay day) but we still spent time eating meals, watching the nighttime shows, meeting characters and swimming together every day during our cruise as well as doing a few one-off activities. And there is always the option of doing excursions together in various ports.

So I would go with the seven day Disney cruise. I may not find them 'magical' but I do think they are a fantastic experience and much more likely to win over a skeptic that does't enjoy amusement park rides than the parks.

Just My Opinion!

 

[Spork24]

What do you and your kids want to do. As much as I would want to please my parents, this vacation is for you guys as well!

Find something that balance what’s important to your kids and what your parents can deal with!

 

[fhtpdw20]

I would go with the Fantasy on a 7 night Western Cruise (one less at sea day) or maybe a Panama Canal Cruise might be something different? Try to steer them into the adult areas while the kids are in the clubs as there is much less "Disney" in those areas. Do a Remy or Palo on Pirates night. As for the land portion, I would stick with Animal Kingdom park and lodge for a day before embarkation. I would not try to introduce them to a full week to start. If they are a Star Wars fan then wait until that part is open with hotel connected to park. Plan to stay over the debarkation day at Grand Floridian and leave a last impression with an last evening at Victoria and Alberts before flying home. You folks might get a kick out of Disney Springs during that day. If your father is a car enthusiast, an amphibicar ride is something they probably cannot experience anywhere else. Not sure if DME is the way to go. While demonstrating the ease with the baggage, the video shown during the ride to the resorts would probably confirm their fear of everything is over the top Disney and make it hard to overcome the first impression.

 

[owensamo]

If you want to start slow, and show that Disney isn't all characters and cheesiness, try an off-site resort instead. We've found Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort to be as low-key Disney as you can find. Sure, there are hidden Mickeys around and some characters on signs here and there, but there are no meet-and-greets other than the resort-specific ones with the mascot Shadow (golden lab) an B'Lou Crabbe, who tells awesome stories. There's a campfire that does Disney-themed and non-Disney-themed campfire songs, and the refillable mugs have characters on them, but in general it's just a really nice, laid-back low country resort.

Another option would be Disney's Aulani Resort and Spa in Hawaii. There are more hidden menehune than Mickeys, and the Disney is really not present much at all outside of the available character meet-and-greets. In fact, we traveled there this summer with my daughter and 2 of her friends, one of whom commented that they did not realize the property was Disney at all until they saw Moana wandering around! They do have a character meal, and characters at the kid's club, but they're not in your face, and it's an awesome vacation - very relaxing, and still plenty to do, just more Hawaiian themed than Disney (even the elevator music is all Disney classics sung in Hawaiian).

Options like these might help ease your parents into appreciating the Disney deluxe experience and understand the appeal before taking the next steps into something a little more Mickey Mouse (in a good way, not a bad way).

 

[Miffy]

I'm gonna go overboard (hah!) here. I think you should do neither. Your parents have a clearly expressed distaste for Disney. The likelihood of your "converting" them is quite low. I agree with what others have said about the resorts and parks--those are not the places to take your skeptical-at-best parents. And the cruise? They've never been on a cruise? And you're thinking of taking them on a cruise--which they've never had a desire to do before--a Disney cruise--and they don't like Disney--and being basically trapped on a ship with them for 3 or 4 or 7 days. No way I'd do this.

If you want to vacation with your parents, let them pick the destination. Forget Disney. You love Disney. Don't taint your Disney experience with a difficult vacation. There are plenty of places you and the kids and your parents can go that'll please your parents and you'll like it too. Save Disney for your own enjoyment.

Just my 15 cents.

 

[mevelandry]

My parents DO NOT LIKE Disney, and have resisted joining us on any of our six Disney vacations to date, but have now finally agreed to go with us on our next Disney trip!!! I am so excited and can't wait to hopefully get them to see past their prejudices and finally enjoy some Disney magic with their grandkids. They have left all the itinerary/planning up to me, and I want them to have the best experience possible. They will definitely want the experience to be as high-end as possible, and we can pay for deluxe resorts at WDW and verandahs on the ship, although I don't think we can quite afford concierge.

But I am having a hard time deciding whether it would be better to do a land/sea vacation (a few days at Disney World followed by a 3 or 4 night cruise) or a 7-night cruise. On the one hand, I think they would enjoy the slower pace, excellent service, and "toned-down" Disney-theming of the cruise, especially since they do not really like theme park rides. On the other hand, the hotel rooms and pools at a WDW deluxe resort would definitely impress them more than those on the ships (they have never cruised so the small cabins and pools might be a bit of a shock), and they want to spend as much time with the grandkids as possible, so the kids clubs on the ship are a negative.

What would you do? Has anyone here had an experience introducing Disney skeptics to either the parks or DCL or both, and did you find they had a better reaction to one or the other?

I would suggest a Land & Sea.

Deluxe hotels: If you are looking for "High-End" I would recommend the Grand Floridian or the Yacht Club. They are both amazing.

I would add a 4 nights in a verandah cabin on the Disney Dream so they can experiment Palo brunch, Palo dinner and Remy.

And I would try to book a cabana on Castaway Cay.

As for Nassau, I have never experimented dining at Greycliff but it looks very nice and close from the port.

 

[hanscarlet]

In my opinion the skeptics tend to be against the ridiculous cost of everything associated with Disney so the cruise allows you to mask that a bit vs battling the crowds to pay a $$$ for a cocktail... I think a 7 night to the carribean would be best, either on Fantasy or Magic

 

[Kate_45]

I would do the cruise. I would not do a short cruise as I've heard they're a bit more manic, but a 7 day with lots of opportunities to get off and explore as a family could be just right. They sound independent and so I'm sure you'll be able to plan your time ashore happily away from the Disney excursions. They can also have some beach days swimming with the kids in port to make up for the small pools on board. On board time can be spent together doing crafts and those along with meals together I think will give them plenty of time to enjoy their grandchildren. They can choose whether or not they want to accompany them to character meets and being able to do that without the long queues of the parks might make the kids smiles more magical.

Just tactically take them up the back stairs to cabanas on sea days, to avoid the busy pool deck and funnel vision and maybe dine out of the main dining rooms if there is a repeat in a heavily themed one. I found all the screens got to me as they turned my kids into staring zombies. We only used the little pool as a result and I wasn't a fan of animators palette.

 

[squirk]

My parents DO NOT LIKE Disney, and have resisted joining us on any of our six Disney vacations to date, but have now finally agreed to go with us on our next Disney trip!!! I am so excited and can't wait to hopefully get them to see past their prejudices and finally enjoy some Disney magic with their grandkids. They have left all the itinerary/planning up to me, and I want them to have the best experience possible. They will definitely want the experience to be as high-end as possible, and we can pay for deluxe resorts at WDW and verandahs on the ship, although I don't think we can quite afford concierge.

But I am having a hard time deciding whether it would be better to do a land/sea vacation (a few days at Disney World followed by a 3 or 4 night cruise) or a 7-night cruise. On the one hand, I think they would enjoy the slower pace, excellent service, and "toned-down" Disney-theming of the cruise, especially since they do not really like theme park rides. On the other hand, the hotel rooms and pools at a WDW deluxe resort would definitely impress them more than those on the ships (they have never cruised so the small cabins and pools might be a bit of a shock), and they want to spend as much time with the grandkids as possible, so the kids clubs on the ship are a negative.

What would you do? Has anyone here had an experience introducing Disney skeptics to either the parks or DCL or both, and did you find they had a better reaction to one or the other?

What do your kids want to do?

 

[dakotix]

Yeah i would never try to convince someone to go to Disney if they disliked it that much. If they had a take it or leave it attitude then yes i would risk it. My husband's attitude was like that and he came home in mouse ears. But to spend all that money with people who really REALLY don't like Disney? No way. Like others have said, a Disney cruise or Aulani might be a better option. Be prepared for the stink eye every time Mickey walks by though lol.

 

[Spotthecat]

I vote cruise - they can be as non-Disney as they want and stay away from it, or see it from your kids' eyes jumping with joy every time a Princess comes by.

Oh, and please report back with a picture of them getting mugged by Stitch! That would be priceless!

 

[DisneyPiPhi]

Another vote for cruise only! They can spend all their time in the adults-only area if they want, and dining at Palo (and/or Remy) might convince them of the level of service Disney can provide.

 

[mevelandry]

In my opinion the skeptics tend to be against the ridiculous cost of everything associated with Disney so the cruise allows you to mask that a bit vs battling the crowds to pay a $$$ for a cocktail... I think a 7 night to the carribean would be best, either on Fantasy or Magic

...unless they are aware of the premium you have to pay to cruise with DCL vs other cruise lines.

 

[Candycane83]

You can also try Adventures with Disney? I’ve never been but from what I have seen, it’s much less Disney, more on service. If not, cruise will be better. My DH is not a Disney fan and grudgingly goes to parks with me. He never expressed dislike for it. If he did, I would probably suggest I go on trips alone with DS.

 

[lilsonicfan]

Lol, I didn't realize how obvious it was until all of your posts, but you're all right and the parks would totally be a disaster. They might really like the Europe cruises; I'll look into those. Alaska would be a bit far for the them to travel, but I agree they would like it. Will have to research some options.

You know your parents best, of course. Some of the posts here have said you should in no way consider anything Disney for them. In my family, the grandparents would put up with a lot just to vacation with their grandkids - and might even go beyond "tolerating" to "enjoying". While I still think dragging them to the parks is not a good idea, I even think a Caribbean cruise would be nice. Watching your grandkids build sandcastles, enjoying a cocktail on the beach, towing them out on a floatie in the ocean, I would lap that stuff up if I were a grandparent! And seeing the kids' faces when they meet characters would also be worth it to the grandparents in my family. Hope you're able to find something that works for everyone!