I shared once before that my family is not even remotely excited about their first WDW trip. First time for my husband, daughter (age 9) and son (age 12). I was at the verge of telling them ‘We’re going to the happiest place on earth and you are going to like it!’.
Just wanted to share for your amusement.
I’m just going to be an annoying pedant here, but the happiest place on Earth is Disneyland.
There is always a risk of building it up too much, and it becomes a let down when they arrive.
My DIL is going with us in May, and she’s never been. It is tricky trying to describe the experience, because most people seem to associate the idea of WDW as being an amusement park with Mickey Mouse if they’ve never been, which isn’t accurate at all. So, how do you describe a place like Disney to manage expectations? That’s the trick.
…clearly the only option is to start a new family. Give this one up for adoption. I’m sure there’s a Pod People family just waiting for newcomers!
whhhhhhyyyyyy? shhhhh let people enjoy things. 
True. I’m pretty sure the official slogan for Walt Disney World is, “The most debt-inducing place on Earth!”
I’m helping my friend plan a first trip for her family and even though she has read my last 3 trip reports and seen all my pics, she still says she can’t imagine what it’s like. It’s so hard to describe!
I can’t help myself.
Punch her in the face.
“Not like that. At all. In fact, the opposite of that.” 100% accurate description
If all else fails I’ll try that.
Thank you for sharing.
It is indeed tricky. I’ve been focusing more on what I know they will like–food at Epcot, a safari at AK.
If 75% of you aren’t excited, why make it a family trip?
My BFF has never been, nor her DH. They have 7 kids and travel the world. They’ve been pretty much everywhere except DLR/WDW. She asked me once - quite seriously - if I thought she was depriving her kids by never taking them. I paused and the only thing i could reply with after a minute or so was, “Well, have they every asked to go?” No way I would try to convince someone it is going to be great. There is plenty about it that doesn’t always feel great.
Because if we don’t go at least once, I don’t want hear ‘you never took us to WDW!’
Are the family dynamics such that whenever something goes wrong you’ll hear about it? Are they just not excited or do they actually not want to go?
They are not excited.
My family was happy to go but was hard to be excited, since they had never been. As the trip got closer they got more curious about what was there.
When’s your trip?
Solo trip. Send post cards. Use all that extra money saved on dole whips and Victoria and Alberts.
I feel you. My family is the same. Upside, after our first trip my DH claimed it was the best trip we had ever taken. All of our trips have gone well and everyone came back happy. My daughter, almost 5, is beginning to show excitement. I have to think in terms of small victories.
I have resolved that maybe it is just more my thing than their thing and I am ok with that.
I think there is a difference between people who don’t want to go and family who don’t know what to be excited about.
Disney is not for everyone (my brother hates WDW and never wants to go again), but you never know until you try.
If they are not excited, I wouldn’t try to emphasize that they should be excited. It sounds like they are at least willing to try.
So, let them “not be excited”. Make a plan you think they will like. And then see what happens.