Originally Posted By sweetpea70 Anyone have any tips for me on taking a non-Disney family with us? I'm not an AP but I fly down from Portland just as often as I can afford it, my 6 year old daughter has been 4 times already. I'm a bit of a DL expert in my circles here and help friends and neighbors plan trips etc. So a friend approached me about going with her and her 2 kids for our childrens' birthdays. Our girls are best friends and both turn 7 the same week, the brother will turn 9 the week before. She wanted to stay at the nicest place with he highest convenience. I jumped at the chance and booked us all at the Grand with 5 day hoppers, no side trips. I've never stayed at the Grand so I'm really excited. I've also made PS at the Plaza Inn Birthday Party and Goofys. I also contacted VP about buttons, balloons and autographed pics. More background on these folks - they just aren't into Disney. They are not familiar with most of the movies or characters, especially the old classics. They also claim they aren't into "rides" I think the bombardment of commercials got them thinking they were missing out on something and they know we sure love it so here we are. I have vowed to not be a dictator about it but have explained that there are just certain things you do at certain times. I'm pretty stuck on my beaten paths there but will try to be open to spontaniety and letting her kids choose what we do. I'm afraid this will be very hard for me but I just want them to have the best experience possible and see and do everything. I feel like I'm the host and will be responsible for their good time, as she has let me plan everything. I'm just worried I guess. To top it all off, it is a surprise for the kids so I'll have to "prep" her kids on the plane down there Does anyone understand my crazy rambling concerns?
Originally Posted By trekkeruss We all love to share the Magic... that's why we're here talking about it, right? So it's natural to want to share that fun with others. The big thing is, don't be disappointed if they don't "get it." Some people don't. But since they have expresed enough interest to have you be their guide, I wouldn't worry too much. Just don't go "commando" on them... unless they are showing signs of becoming Disney fans too. Then they might wear you out!
Originally Posted By sherrytodd Speaking as a person who took a non-Disney family to DisneyWorld, I have one piece of advice... DON'T =) If that doesn't work, What type of people are they? Are they looking for a structured routine or are they they types who will be wandering around in a daze? What type are you? As you have your routine, you'll probably avoid a lot of conflict if you are willing to deviate from it from time to time? I think that these are the two most conflicting elements to having a good time with others at Disney instead of Disney vs. Non-Disney People. Ultimately they may be looking to you for guidance which will most likely lead to a good trip for all. The fact of the matter is though, the bigger the group, the more difficult the dynamics and the harder it is to get around and get decisions made. Everyone has to be willing to compromise at times.
Originally Posted By Ursula I think it would be best to remember that not everyone feels the Disney love and to respect this trait in others. You can't shove Disney down anyone, but you certainly can show them what you love about the park and what makes you return so often. I've done it before with non-Disney type people and it can be fun if you plan a loose schedule so that you can see what you want to see, and so that they don't feel as if you are bossing them around. Let them know that they are free to split up from you to do their own exploring OR they are welcome to tag along. Or you can do three hours of tour guide-ing then oodles of free time for each party. Plan to meet up for dinner at X o'clock and compare notes and see what they liked/didn't like and you can help them that way.
Originally Posted By sweetpea70 All good advice. Thanks! They are pretty easy going and the kids are very well behaved. We have already discussed splitting up if necessary. I really do think they will have a great time, but I just wonder what its like to have fun but not "get" the Magic. Like the fireworks, for example, they just wont appreciate or fully understand the tribute. But I'm telling myself it is not necessary to enjoy it on our level, they will be wowed at any rate.
Originally Posted By wonderingalice We're taking Mr. Alice's mom with us this time for her very first visit, so I can relate with you on a couple of levels, sweetpea... and sympthasize with you on a few (one now-non-Disney-hopeful-convert is much easier to work with than a family full! ;-) I can't help but think, though... that once the non-Disney folks choose to make the trip, the magic WILL definitely rub off on them as they were already very open to being there. And I think we really can separate the movie knowledge and even some character knowledge (but I'll bet they'll know more of the characters than they realize beforehand) from the joy to be found at Disneyland. For example... Even though I've been a Disneyland fanatic since 1962 and have a fairly decent knowledge of Disney on film prior to about 1985, I haven't seen "Nemo" or "Monsters" among many others. But that won't stop me from loving the attractions based on them. It's all about the fun... and the MAGIC!
Originally Posted By MomofPrincess All great advice. I'm hoping you'll ALL be pleasantly surprised and have an absolutely amazing time.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan >>But I'm telling myself it is not necessary to enjoy it on our level, they will be wowed at any rate.<< Yep! One thing I've noticed is sometimes we Disney fans get a little too pushy about making sure people "get" it. I'd say let them ask you questions rather than offering unsolicited trivia all day. If they're into that, they'll ask. If not, you'll all have fun anyway. Have a great time!
Originally Posted By Disneyaria Oh we did this ONCE! They didn't get it. Don't take responsibility! Just relax. That is my advice. Let the group split up from time to time. We tried to stay good humored, but it got to a point they were trying to make us upset so they could mock us. During the opening hour of DCA we wanted to go hit Screamin' and he made us take detour after detour, and I could tell he was watching us out of the corner of his eye with a smirk on his face. He wanted a reaction, we tried not to give it to him. There was one morning he wanted to sleep in so I went alone with his wife to Fantasyland and we rode It's a Small World and she LOVED it, but she made me promise not to tell her husband that we rode it. She said he would make fun of her. How sad is that? I am so grateful my husband is an even bigger Disney geek than me.
Originally Posted By Disneyaria I hope I didn't sound too negative. My sister in law has a friend that she showed the Disney light too, and they are fantastic trip buddies now. It may work out and be great. Just don't stress, it will be fun no matter what, you will be in Disneyland!!!
Originally Posted By MickeyMommy You never know, you may convert them into being Disney Peeps! It IS contagious you know!
Originally Posted By disneymomsons << heart beating faster, sweating profusly, shaking.... THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO AREN'T INTO DISNEY ??? oh, I will have a panic attack now...... how can you not be into DISNEY ??!! I thought everyone was like us... completely obsessed !! hahahaaaa.... I hope your friends love the Disney experience, and maybe they will be addicted like the rest of us !! (we are going in 5 days.... I am so excited !!!!!)
Originally Posted By sherrytodd Disneyaria - My sister and brother-in-law were like that at DisneyWorld. Fortunately, the rest of the fam just ignored them and we had a good time. Now every thime I plan a Disney Trip, I get from my sister-in-law, "WHY ARE YOU GOING THERE AGAIN!"
Originally Posted By Disneyaria Sherrytodd - They just don't get it do they? I finally just threw up my hands and declared "Their Loss!"
Originally Posted By joeysmommy sweetpea Have you gone on your trip with the non-disneyers? If you have, how was it? I'm going with my husband's family in Sept and they are non-disneyers also. Just wondering how it went. I have nobody to share my enthusiasm of trip planning with! I told my husband that I'm "all about the Disney" so for 5 days while we are there he will "embrace the Disney". He and his siblings never went as children, so maybe that has something to do with it.
Originally Posted By sweetpea70 joeysmommy - yes we had our trip and it went really great, I have to say one of my best trips ever. It was really neat to watch our friends experience the magic for the first time Like I said originally, they are not all that familiar with Disney but I explained references when I felt it was important, but otherwise tried to keep my trivia etc to myself. The best part was they were not jaded as some who go to the parks frequently. Get this - they LOVED Star Tours! They were certain that was one of the newer rides and just thought it was incredible. That made me laugh. Also they thought DCA was just great and they liked the CA theme. The kids were willing to try all the rides and quickly had their favorites that they wanted to repeat over and over (Soarin, BTMRR and Indy) . They recognized some of the characters and soon were really into trying to figure out who they were and getting autographs. The only bummer part was we only saw the fireworks the 1st night, so the references to the different lands and attractions were lost on them but they still thought it was an incredible show. Overall, they just couldn't get over the variety of entertainment and attractions and in 6 days we still didn't get to everything so they want to go back. They were also surprised that the food was actually good and there was alot of choices. I made good of my word to not be a dictator about schedules, the only thing that I said was non-negotiable, and we agreed on it before we left, was that we must be at the gates at opening. They did it, even on Saturday EE at 7AM. The funniest part : before our trip the mom said "We are not going to buy a bunch of souvenir junk" Well our last day she laid down about $400 at WOD! Ha ha. We were actually sitting outside waiting for them...and waiting...and waiting...
Originally Posted By fkurucz We took my wife's brother and his family during July 2002. They were not big into things Disney. My brother in law takes a trip every summer along Route 66 with some other biker enthusiasts, so he ends p in LA anyway. So I suggested that we make a family trip out of it (we also visited the Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde). Their kids (pre teens at the time) loved it, but so did they. They especially liked Pirates and HM. They didn't become Disney junkies, but they did enjoy it.
Originally Posted By joeysmommy sweetpea- Glad to hear your trip went well..there is hope for me. Did they think EE was worth getting up early for? That will be a challenge with this crowd. I will tell them I'm leaving for the gates at 8 am, if you want to come then fine, otherwise we'll meet up later. I think it will be hard to for me to bite my tongue on the Disney trivia. I'll just blurt it out and if nobody cares I'll still feel better. I'm working on my sister-in-law, she is now addicted to shopping for DL merchandise on ebay. Hee! Hee! That's just the beginning! I'll turn her into a "Disney Psycho" as she calls me, by the end of our trip! I've been sending her an email everyday with the number of days until our trip. I always include an attachment of something to do with DL to get her pumped up
Originally Posted By jodiefra We took my sister and her husband last year, and he's definitely not a Disney person. We had a few tricks that worked... First, we stayed at the Grand Californian. It felt much less "Disney-ish" than the DLH but of course very classy. Kind of as much Disney as we wanted, but easy to escape the craziness. Next, avoid huge crowds whenever possible. My brother-in-law's idea of Disney was that it meant long lines and huge crowds, so whenever we could avoid those two things he was impressed. The worst moment, for example, was when we were stuck by Pirates after Fantasmic got over. It was like Times Square on New Year's Eve; I could tolerate it because I'm a Disney freak and knew it was temporary, but he nearly lost his mind. After that we kept him away from huge events unless we had "preferred seating." Also I would try to take your friends to attractions that most mortals would find cool even without being "Disney People." Soarin' comes to mind, as does Indiana Jones and the previously mentioned Fantasmic. And I go with the advice above -- let the place speak for itself; it does a great job!!! And if they still don't like it, I guess that's one less family to stand behind in line next year ; ).
