Traveling to Disney World With Someone Who Just Doesn't Get It

If you haven't already noticed, I am a huge fan of Disney, so it's no surprise that Disney World is my favorite travel destination. There's just something about stepping off of a monorail, hearing the whimsical classic Disney songs play throughout the entrance and seeing the tips of the castle. It's all so magical. When my boyfriend of two years, Jake, suggested we go on a trip, I immediately brought up Disney World. Somehow, I convinced my macho guy to fly to Orlando and spend a week in fantasyland. He hadn't been in many years, so I was excited to reintroduce him to my favorite place. As we walked up to the entrance of Magic Kingdom on our first night, my eyes filled with tears and my chest swelled with happiness, but when I looked up at my Jake, I saw a blank stare. Sure, he was happy to be warm and away from our daily life, but the magical feeling just wasn't there for him. I'm sure many of you out there have had the same issue with your significant others, and I'm here to tell you that there is hope! My boyfriend and I have since been on two Disney trips and are always talking about our next trip! Here's how I got my man hooked on the mouse.

Rides:

This may be a little on the obvious side, but when Jake thought of Disney World rides he only pictured the flying dumbo ride and the carousel. Little did he know, theres so much more to do. Although Disney is mostly geared toward children, they have their fair share of thrill rides. First, we hit the famous Mountains at Magic Kingdom: Thunder, Space and Splash. These were a good warm up for him. We also went on the Haunted Mansion, and while it's one of my favorite rides, it actually freaked Jake out a bit!

At Epcot, Jake loved Test Track. The ride was recently refurbished and is now sponsored by Chevrolet. While you wait in line you design your own car, including the tires, engine, and even decor. You then sync this car up to your MagicBand and when you get on the ride, you go through a series of car tests and can see how your car scored. This was a big hit for my car fan.

In Animal Kingdom there are a couple thrill rides that got the "Jake Approval". First off, Kali River Rapids. Although this is a short ride, it has a couple large drops and tons of opportunities to get wet. I'm not sure if he liked the ride or if he liked how I got completely soaked from head to toe...I think we all know the answer to that. Expedition Everest was a huge hit with Jake, but after 3 times we had to take a break.. we ain't as good as we once were.

Finally we reached Hollywood Studios, the park with the largest thrill rides. Jake's always been a tough guy so I was extremely surprised when he looked up at the Tower of Terror and wanted nothing to do with it. Aand once he found out The Rockin' Roller Coaster goes upside down he was out of that as well! Crazy. While my Jake wasn't up for the larger rides, I'm sure many of your S/O's would be. Jake was, however, in love with the Toy Story Mania ride, where you go through a series of moving 3-D shooting games; this is his all time favorite ride!

Animals:

I don't know about you guys, but my S/O loves, and I mean LOVES animals. Animal Kingdom was his heaven. From the numerous trails through gorilla, monkey, reptile, and bird enclosures, to the African safari ride, there are hundreds of animals on the property to look at and learn about. At Epcot, we went during the annual Flower and Garden Festival, where they had a butterfly encounter set up, which Jake loved.

Drinking:

Yes, you read right, you can drink in Disney. The best place, in our opinion is Epcot at the World Showcase. Walk around to all of the countries and get a drink at each country. There are 11 countries so by the end, you'll both be feeling pretty happy! There are drink carts and restaurants in every park, for your convenience.

Food:

My Jake loves chicken fingers, don't get me wrong, but a romantic vacation wouldn't be complete without at least one romantic dinner. We had dinner at the Brown Derby in Hollywood Studios one night and both got filets and cocktails. It. Was. Fabulous. Another night, we were a little more low key and got dinner at 50's Prime Time Cafe. They made us both soy and nut free fried chicken and potatoes (we have a lot of allergies!). We also had a breakfast reservation at 1900 Park Fare at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa where we were made soy and nut free waffles, fruit and bacon. That was the perfect way to start a Disney day! My momma always said the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach, and let me tell you, she was right.

Disney Springs:

Many people shame Disney for their lack of adult night life, but these people have probably never been to Disney Springs. The abundance of bars, music venues, upscale restaurants, boutiques and art galleries are more than enough to satisfy the adult palette. If those weren't enough, there's also Splitsville, a luxury bowling alley and restaurant, where we have played many a game together.

So you see, Disney World can most definitely be a great place for a romantic vacation, now go and use these points to talk your S/O into a magical trip!

xoxo,

Emily

#disney #boyfriend #husband #travel