Traveling with family UGH any advice?

[minnie2002]

I am leaving Saturday for the world. I am traveling with my DS, her DH, DS and DM from North Carolina and my DH, DS, DS from Fargo. We have had this trip booked since Arpil. This was an opportunity for my kids to see grandma and everyone in a fun place.Orginally we were going to stay at the WL, then they wanted to stay at POP so we changed it. YESTERDAY she changed her room to AKL, and then called me later in the day to tell me she did this. I was upset, because I feel that it will be very hard for us to meet up and etc. I called and they do not have any rooms left at AKL. We are using AAA and she said she would check again tomorrow for me. What are the chances of a room being available? and can I change hotels when I get there if a room becomes available at check in. Also any Advice for traveling with a crazy family. I really am upset that she did this at the last minute. Plus my mother lives with her and my children do not see their grandmother much.

[5fromabove]

I'm sorry this happened, I'd be frustrated too. Are there no rooms at all, or just none at the AAA rate? If I couldn't get a room there, and I wasn't nuts about POP...I think I'd try to switch to your original plan and try to get a room at the WL. May as well do something you want too. Perhaps suggest to your Mom that she spend half of the nights in your room, so she can see your kids more. Whatever happens, good luck and enjoy your trip.

[Faver]

We did a group trip two years ago, and it was tough. My DH and Mom got into it, our energy levels were different, so we had frequent breaks. It's never easy traveling with a group, especially family. That's why this year, DH insisted that we travel alone!!!:thumbsup:

I would say to make sure you have a time during the day, when you go your seperate ways, even if its just for and hour or two. Go to another side of the parks, and regroup at a certain time. Go back to the hotel, take a nap or a swim. Just try to get some seperate time, join up again for lunch or dinner. But whatever you do, do not stay together all day, everyday!!!

Hope this helps, and have fun:party:

[diz_girl]

That's unbelievable rude!:mad:

There should be availablility at WL this time of year, however since you're using AAA as your TA, there may be a limited number of rooms made available to AAA at their rate. Three years ago I made same-day reservations at WL, which was also in September. If there are no more AAA rooms at the WL, try to get a Garden Wing room at the CR. A standard view Garden Wing room is less than $50 more per night than a standard view room at the WL. Although the rest of the family wanted Pop, I would doubt that they'd be upset about staying at the Contemporary.

If you're using AAA, then you're at the TA's mercy as to finding you another resort. Next time, use Magical Journeys, they work wonders.

[BigRedDad]

I feel for you. We are traveling with a group, al be it small, in Nov. I am getting dirty looks just talking about leaving early in the morning so I can take my DD to MVMCP. I do not plan on spending every waking minute with the family. We have all of our meals planned together. We will be seeing a lot of each other. We will go our separate ways a bit. The good thing is DD and DN are about a year apart. They love the same things and a lot can be done together.

We thought about breaking up from staying at the same resorts, but that would have put too much conflict in. We decided to downgrade from CR-MK View to WL-Courtyard. Very few regrets other than no monorail.

[cer]

Wow. I cannot believe she did that. I absolutely understand your frustration.

Best of luck on this trip. My best advice would be to not let them ruin it for you. Maybe you could plan for some separate time where your family can get to spend some time alone with Grandma.

I know that things can get a little tense with family, another tip would be to pray, pray, pray and make sure you think before you speak. Some of my worst times and deepest regrets have been the words I have spoken carelessly.

And of course enjoy the WORLD! :thumbsup:

[KineGirl]

Ohhh I feel your pain & frustration! Ive had my own Magical Family Fiascos. Most of them revolved around everybodys different ideas of "how to vacation" (commando/leisurely) and age ranges. I have to agree with PPs and say that to make sure ppl have their own time to do their own thing is a must! Maybe the night before discuss what your plans on for the next day and see if anyone jumps on board or whether you want to compromise or just do some things together then split up for a little while. Sometimes being at different resorts is a good thing - it gives everyone a viable excuse to split up at some point and can give you a little elbow room.

Good luck and either way try to just enjoy the family and the World!

[crazypoohbear]

I would NOT change my ressie just to be at the same hotel. I would tell them what park you plan on being at tell them to call your cell when they arrive.
IT is clear that you have differing views of a family vacation, so spend the time you have with your family (DH, Kids)
If your mother asks why you are not at the same hotel, tell her that you could not change and they should not have changed if she wanted them all together.
Do you have dinner ADR's together?
THat might be an option to "visit"
Please don't let this ruin your vacation, have fun and keep your head up

[d_m_n_n]

I admit, I would be very :mad: if they did that to me!! Try calling back and see if there are any more rooms at the AAA rate for the resort YOU want!

As for travelling with a group, good luck!!! We have tried this a couple of times and it can sometimes be very difficult! This is what we have learned:
1. Don't think you have to stay together all the time. We will no longer follow family around doing things we aren't interested in (our kids range from DS6 to 22 - my niece). Not to mention, as much as we all love families too much together time can drive some :crazy:
2. Stick with your own family's schedule. If you are up and at 'em early do that and plan to meet with them later in the day. My family is up at 8:00 ready to hit the parks while the rest of my family is "stay up all night and sleep until noon." No fun waiting in your resort lobby for others to finally roll out of bed!
3. When you do decide to meet give times..."We'll be at XXX place at 4:00. If you are not there by 4:15, we will meet at XXX place at 6:00." I can't tell you how much time we wasted waiting for my sister (who will be late to her own funeral) because she had to do one more ride or shop in one more store.
4. Give out of the way places to meet. In front of the castle after the parade may not be the best idea as 500 other people will be waiting with you there as well!

Re-reading this, I sound somewhat grouchy...but I will say that some of our best memories were shared with my family. Just be patient and when things get rough take some time away from each other!

[Cinderelley]

Our first trip to WDW was a family reunion trip, and we had a wonderful time. What worked well for us was to have everyone do what they wanted for the day, and we would meet up for a sit down meal every day. One day it was Crystal Palace in the morning, another it was the Princess Storybook Breakfast in the morning, another it was LTT for dinner, etc. It gave everyone a chance to get out and do their own thing at their own pace. Each "group" went their own way, and the "groups" changed each day or even during the day when we ran into each other and the kids wanted to change up where they were going/what they were doing.

I bet if you give this a whirl (make sure to make ADRs) it will work out well. No one has to be in the same hotel- just book the hotel you want.Grandma can hang out with the kids as long as she can handle it. Just remember that she may not be able to do as much as they do. This way, you don't have to stress yourself out by trying to micromanage everyone's day.

[jonahbear2006]

If I were you, I would go back to WL, and stay there. Stick to the original plan. If it were ME, I would grow a great deal of SPITE and I would book a room at Poly, Contemp, or GF just to be right next to the park and when they show up late or are having to wait on a bus, just say, well I guess ya'll should've stayed HERE. Same thing with WL, its right next to Monorail service. We went with my mom and dad and my cousin and it was a mess. My mom and dad couldn't handle the heat and they slowed us down greatly, my cousin didn't agree with my parenting (she doesnt have kids) and she called me an abusive mother in front of about 200 people in front of splash mountain. (my 6yr old daughter got into a charcoal grill that couldve been hot but wasnt, at Fort Wilderness. We were camping. She was black from head to toe and she knew we were heading out. I spanked her.) It ended in a horrible silent treatment on both of our parts and my mom cursing disney because the last day we spent in the park it was sooo busy. I won't ever do it again. I hope your trip goes better than ours did, but do plan to be away from family when you need to be. They can find their own way around disney while you take a breather.

[minnie2002]

Well we are headed off in a few hours. We are leaving at 4:00 a.m. to drive to the airport. It is a three and a half hour drive. It has been a stressful last few days because of this recent mess. I have also been very angry with my sister. All of your ideas have been great and I think we will meet for dinner. (that is if I can stand to look at her)

My mom offered to pay for the dining plan that we got free if that meant we could stay at the AKL with them, and if I paid the additonal money to upgrade. I thought it was a nice offer but there is still absoulutely no rooms left at any Deluxe resort for our dates. Then we called to see if POP had any room only rates and they had one room left. We took it and my mother is going to pay for her own room at Pop to be with my children more. She told me she tried to tell my sister to call me first but she didn't listen and that my sister figured it would be no big deal and if we wanted to change too, there would be rooms left.

I feel better knowing my kids can spend time with their grandma, who they only see maybe twice a year. My sister and her son see her everyday. I am sure my sister is mad because now she doesn't have her free babysitter with her during the evening hours. But too bad!

I am looking forward to a fun time with MY FAMILY and maybe some meals with the rest. I am so excited to return to the World I just can't sleep.

Thanks for all of your input!!

[WDWFanatic]

How nice of your Mom to change. I hope you are having a great trip, and let us know how it went.

[Ksmith75]

sorry to hear she did that....

when traveling with family, try to keep in mind that YOU are there to have fun. try not to let family members ruin your vacation. When they start to get annoying...lose them in the parks for a while.....or spend a day with just your husband and kids and meet up for dinner......

when it gets bad, just remember, this is your vacation too......have fun!!!!!!!

[KAT1811]

I am SO glad that things worked out well as far as your mother is concerned. The important thing is that you and your family get out of the vacation what is important to you and that sounds like spending time with your mother (a.k.a grandma) and your family.

My DH's family is dysfunctional beyond belief. We invited his parents (we also invited his 38 y.o. sister and her boyfriend, now husband, after she complained that they weren't invited but they declined anyway :confused:) on our last trip (we went with a group of 15 including my parents, aunt, uncle, cousins, and friends). My FIL said Chirstmas morning he would like to go, my MIL almost had a heart attack, and by New Years Eve they called to let us know that Disney (and family vacations all together) wasn't their "thing". Family really isn't their "thing" for that matter. I'm glad they didn't come now and we will NEVER invite them again. Sorry had to vent :mad:

I hope all is going well with you and your family and look forward to hearing how things worked out for you.

[minnie2002]

I thought I posted my brief review of how the week played out, but today I looked and it was gone so here we go again

My mother stayed in her own room at Pop for five of the seven days. This was the best compromise we could think of, so that our kids could spend more time with gram. This worked out great. She got a break from my sister who she lives with, and my kids could have sleep over with gram in her connecting room. We then had more room in our little beds. It was probably good that my sister and her DH stayed at AKL. Our DH's personalities are very different. My DH is a Sales Manager and hers is a nuclear engineer. That should say a bunch.

My sisters DH didn't understand why anyone would want to wait in line for rides. Keep in mind the lines are as small as they get. He would have died if we went in the summer. Their family went back to AKL early every day. They stayed two hours at MNSSHP. I couldn't justify paying $200.00 for a family and leaving that early. MY DH was shocked at how little of time they actually spent in the parks. We always try to get as much time as we can. But people do travel different. My sister’s husband gets five weeks of vacation and uses maybe a week a year. He doesn't like to travel he was counting down the hours until he was back at work. I told him I was happy to stand in the short line then to be at work. My mother was happy to stay at POP with us. She was glad because she enjoys the parks and would have been sitting in my sister’s room all day.

My sister’s husband did love the free dining. He thought it was great not to have to worry about spending the money. He is very frugal, very frugal. He was mad at my sister all day for buying a $18.00 hat for the Halloween Party. The funny thing is they have money. But everyone has their own idea of how to spend that money. But he loved the free dining. He spent most of his time sleeping.

My sister and I booked the bounce back offer, and plan on just having the trip be the women. We are going to do separate hotels as of now. I booked my WL, and she booked GF. At least it would be easier to get to the others hotel.

I don't plan on traveling as families again. It is too hard to keep everyone happy. I am a pleaser. So it drove me nuts to see my nephew wanting to stay at the parks but his father was so miserable. My nephew had a blast and wants to go again. I think it would be easier with the women only.

I know I rambled but it feels good to let it go.

Thanks for your advice.

I think the best thing is too just meet up for dinner. My sister didn't want to do that because she wanted our help navigating the parks. We stilled tried to limit our time in the parks as much as possible together and we did meet for dinner or they would tell us if they were not going to come so we could be seated right away.

[spoiledraf]

I'm just in the planning stages of a family trip. Daughter, son, spouses and three grandkids. We're going to be together in a BC villa and that will be more than enough time "together" (least expensive way to stay at BC since I'm footing the bill) I've already pointed out that we will do some things together but everyone is free to enjoy their vacation as they wish. First day in MK for the kids is a group. AK, we'll go as a group as well, to see the Lion King show. Then stay together until someone gets to tired and cranky. (A 5 yr old and a couple 2 year olds won't take long) One night for a nice family dinner at a top restaurant is about all I require. Well all Nana requires I should say. Evenings we'll let our kids go a couple times and we'll watch the little ones and a couple times we'll go our way and they can do what ever they want. I learned from the past that over scheduling is the absolute worst thing you can do So we'll have breakfast maybe together and if they want to join up other times fine. If not, thats fine too. My DD and DS don't always see eye to eye so I don't want them forced to spend too much time trying to make each other happy. First rule is no rules.

[KAT1811]

Glad to hear that things seemed to have worked out fairly well. I'm glad your children got to spend time with their grandma. Sounds like BIL is a ton of fun, poor kids missing out on the park time. At least you had a good time and to me that's all that counts.

DH and I swore that we would nver travel with a large group again, we did not enjoy it at all. Too many personalities and too much effort trying to make everyone happy, I too am a pleaser. We'll stick to the usual small group, us, the children, and my parents. We travel very well together.