To force dh to Disney world

[squareears]

We have a limited budget for everything to come in for a 2week holiday in July for two adults and 5yo for up to £4K. We get travel discounts from friends.

Dh has found a deal to a not great hotel in Caribbean for £3k in July (st kitts)
Or all stars resort (3*) in disneyworld Orlando including park tickets (with mates rates) for £3k.
Both have no food included and I’m pretty aware £1k isn’t a lot for extras in Disney world but I realllllly want to go.

Husband says he doesn’t want to go to DW. He keeps comparing it to DL Paris which imo is ridiculous as hes not been to Florida one.

I really want to go to DW and actually am not keen on a non resort hotel in Caribbean with our hyper, never ever sleeps 5 yo. I can’t see what we’d do with her once it turns nighttime and whenever I’ve been to Caribbean pre dd I just used to go to bars etc.

Aibu to insist we go DW or are we going to end up breaking the budget?! It would not be holiday of lifetime or anything like that so would really be food and maybe trips that need the extra money.

Tbh I would be skipping the holiday this year, maybe a few nice days out at home, and focus on getting her settled into routine and sorting things out.

Some things are much more important than holidays!

@hotcrossbun83 would you only go for one week even if you then still had 7 weeks summer holidays left with hyper 5 go alone?!
I’m trying to get 2 weeks annual leave out my dh so I can survive the summer hols.
I’m sahm so dh will go on holiday but not take annual leave just to be at our house in U.K.

Dd has a routine. It’s term time. Every day same wake up and bedtime. Nothing has worked but that’s not the point t of this thread... even with two weeks in long haul she’d still have 6 weeks left to settle into a routine before school as she gets 8 weeks off.
Anyhow thanks for the replies. I really don’t like the idea of 8 weeks in U.K.. last year all the sunshine seemed to hit in September and was very longgggggg days of rain and me staring out a window wishing I could be anywhere but here!

But surely it doesn’t take a genius to realise that long haul is going to mess things up?

Seems to be all about what you and your dh want tbh with little consideration for the child!

@TerfinUSA we did look at going in December but it was cold!

Not when we went. We had Christmas week on the beach in the Florida keys (which are tropical so definitely not cold), and spent the week before in Orlando. The daily highs were 23 to 25 Celsius, daily lows 11 to 15. Sunshine all day, no rain, like VERY good British summer weather.

Certainly wouldn't have wanted it any hotter at all, not with covering 10 miles a day (or whatever it is) at the theme parks. July sounds like a nightmare.

WDW all the way. Wish I could get that price!

He’ll like it once he’s there and seeing his child in the magic.

Leaving it a bit last minute to get your rides and meals etc booked though.

Top tip. (Although I’ve not stayed at AS so not sure if there’s and in room fridge.) Get a Garden Grocer delivery to your hotel.

We get loads of water and snacks and even bagels/cheese/pastries etc.

Save yourself a fortune.

Not all adults lie Disney. I took DD to Floriday for her 16th birthdaythday/post GCSE treat a couple of years ago. OH just didn't want to go, so we went without him. It wasn't the best holiday I have been on. It was OK, not brilliant, but I am not really a theme park sort of person. There was nothing wrong with the holiday, it just wasn't my "thing".

Trying to force your husband to go on a holiday he doesn't want to is a really bad idea.

Unlike most other posters we always chose the sort of holiday that suited us when DD was little, and avoided all inclusive/resorts with kiddies clubs/Benidorm like the plague (because we are holiday snobs unsociable and prefer quieter places).

DD is 17, and this year we are staying in what looks like an upmarket hotel in Majorca. One of her friends is coming with us, so they can go off and enjoy themselves without us.

I'm with your OH.

I am sure there are plenty of places in Europe where entertainment goes on after 8pm. Most children I have encountered on holidays don't seem to be bored. Even a caravan park in UK should be able to entertain her.
As money doesn't appear to be an issue, then you should be able to enjoy plenty of days out during the summer holidays.

Well I massively didn't want to do Disney, thought Paris was shit, but an opportunity came up for a deal to DW Florida so I thought I'd suck it up for the sake of DD, well my god, I bloody loved the place, I didn't think I liked Disney but after 3 weeks I cried on the last day as I didn't want to come home, we had the most amazing time, probably one of our best trips.

I hate rides and theme parks, DH doesn't like queues. Even so, the DW holiday when DS1 was 6 and DS2 was 4 was the most magical holiday we've ever had. They were so enchanted by everything, it was amazing just to experience it with them. Of course they couldn't go on every ride but to be honest unless you're racing around and in the parks all day (not our idea of a relaxing break) then you wouldn't easily get through every attraction anyway.

If this was your only shot at DW then I'd say wait a couple of years so that they remember it but it sounds like you can afford to go again if you wanted to. I'd try the gentle encouragement but I would also suggest you upgrade the resort and stay in a mid range resort. Our routine is always mornings in the parks and afternoons around the pool and then we go back to the parks or to downtown disney to eat and see shows.

We've been the florida a few times now and I thought we'd done it but the dC are desperate to go again next year (at 14 and 12). We go in October though when the weather is fab but there re no queues.

Go to disney without DH. It will be cheaper, so more money left for spends. He doesn't want to go, so leave him to it for a fortnight. Disney is certainly one place where you don't need to both be there. You can go at your own pace paying attention to DDs needs and tiredness levels. Go for it!

Husband a snob? No I think you take that crown. Moaning about 4K holidays and stressing, really stressing that you could afford to pay more quite frankly I'm embarrassed for you. My husband and I are quite wealthy but would never in this day and age come in a thread to complain about a holiday that most could only ever dream of as a they don't even have that to feed their families for a year, so show some class. Go to Butlins (im not joking, Butlins is great for the kids, we took our grand children and they wanted to live there, plus we all really enjoyed it too) donate the rest to charity and eat some humble pie.

I totally get you point about not wanting to do the 8 weeks of school holidays on your own. I had the same battle with my DH who only wanted to holiday in term time to avoid the crowds.
But I've forced the issue.
You know you've left it too late for a good price so you have two options. One of the discounted hols or something else more pricey. DW sounds perfect for your daughter and I'd book that and tell husband holidays are for your daughter for the next few years. The Caribbean option sounds dreadful in terms of entertainment etc so is a none starter.
Other options are family all inclusive short haul which are geared up for entertainment. Look for a 5 star option maybe one that has a private villa so you can be away from the masses. That option may exceed your budget.
Final point is next year, you book the holiday in January!

What about Vegas? The city that never sleeps! Surprisingly child friendly if you don’t want to gamble. Stuff to do night and day, great pools, aquariums, direct flights, trips to Grand Canyon, might be a happy compromise with DH?
Also ignore the haters on the sleep front, my best friend had two daughters who NEVER slept, now 6&9 and perfect
Sleepers.

I am a Disney lover so compromised with my other half who is not as keen so we go for a week to Florida and then somewhere else, like Miami day and in the week we do stuff like Kennedy space centre that he is more into. Or Epcot food and wine (which he enjoyed).
We are off to the Asia parks this summer, so one day in the parks and a few days sitseeing.
Could something like that work? Maybe LA?
(And as I am 100% the only one of us who will plan and book something, generally we go where I want, if he wants to do all that wifework he can pick. But he doesn't want to)

Have you thought of a couple of short breaks for just you and DD during the holidays in the UK, plus a 2 week holiday somewhere like France or Spain, so you aren’t at home for the full summer holidays?

Personally I think 5 is too young to go to DW to get full enjoyment and it will be mega busy in July with long queuing times which is not ideal with a hyper child. We did a 4 week break in Florida when DD was 12 which meant we got time at DW and other theme parks with days off to relax in between visits. We went to the west coast for beaches and down to the Keys and had a fabulous holiday.

Also bear in mind that July/August is definitely rainy season with chance of Hurricanes. We had one that took 5 days to pass through and definitely not something I would like to repeat.

You are bored on holiday without the (awful) hotel entertainment? You have bigger problems than £4k!

I agree with a PP, its far too hot in Florida in July and 2 weeks in Orlando is too much anyway (and I LOVE disney - we've been over 10 times).

The weather in the Caribbean is also not great in July, very humid and loads of flies.

I'd just go a resort-type hotel in Europe.

Tricky one. I may be wrong but £3k does seem like a great price as it includes park tickets as well and presumably transfers to the hotel?

It would be possible to keep to a fairly low food budget as well even in Disney- just stick to the fast food places and where you can eat outside of the parks.

When we went we didn’t buy much in the way of souvenirs, or indeed clothes and as the meals are so large over there you only need one big meal a day then snacks.

DH wasn’t keen to go to Florida but actually liked it a lot - his favourite thing was Kennedy Space Center and he wants to go back when DS older- maybe convince him with that although you’d need to add the cost to your budget.

"and tell husband holidays are for your daughter for the next few years."

Adults are entitled to a holiday as well
We never tailored our holidays round DD. We chose something that all of us would enjoy, and avoided places that were geared towards children because we dislike other people's children we prefer something quieter.

I also don't understand the need for evening entertainment. We prefer to have a meal and go for a walk. In fact, OH loathes evening "enterteainment" in hotels.

@VioletCharlotte talks good sense.

OP I would still get dh to take 2 weeks holiday, just do 7-10 days abroad and the rest at home. If your DH has holiday to spare but won’t take it to help you out at home (as suspect you’ll say), then you have bigger problems than holiday destinations

I wouldn't go to Disney world until your kids are old enough to remember it, there's a lot of parks and they won't be old enough to go on a lot of rides, it's a waste of money when they're young imo.

July is a crap time to go to Florida or the caribbean. Rainy.

I’d book two weeks in a nice all inclusive resort hotel in Greece or something if you like that kind of entertainment.

Or like a PP said a cruise would suit you well.