Update to previous question about adding on days. About This Page:

[tammyg]

So, the last time I was on here, I had asked about adding days on to qualify for free dining. Before I get to that, I just want to vent about the roller coaster we've been on for the past 5 months.
We've been planning a Disney trip since last January, maybe before that? The In-laws said they would go one last time and they would pay for us to go and they wanted to do the deluxe dining. Awesome! Let the planning begin.

In March, they took us to D. C. We all had a great time, my FIL was a slow walker, but he did much better than we all expected. Still talking about the Disney trip, looking forward to dining at Jiko, and doing the Behind the Seeds tour. (For the tour, my MIL was going to need to get new hearing aids, no big deal, or so we thought)

After we get back from D.C. we waited for free dining to be announced, I got impatient and went ahead and booked our trip anyways. FD came out and I called back and had it applied to our In-Laws package, but could not get it for ours. After playing around with dates, I called Disney and found that by adding on an additional 4 or 5 days, we could get FD applied. Woo hoo! (I did this because I had heard that you could do this and later on, call and cancel the days you did not need)

I waited a few weeks, then called Disney and told them we needed to drop the extra days and they did it, no questions asked. Still had Free Dining!

Around this time, my FIL decided he did NOT want to go. Not sure if it was a money thing, or he didn't think he could do all the walking (refused to rent a scooter, even though MIL has one). We said ok, but I didn't want to give up just yet (He had just been to DC and did great with his walking!) MIL was really looking forward to eating at Jiko and doing the tour, so I suggested they drive down separately, eat at Jiko with us, go on the tour and do the F&W festival, then they could go visit my MIL's family in FL & GA and then head home. MIL loved the idea, FIL not so much, in fact, he called the next day and said they would still go to Disney after all. Yay!
To be continued.

[tammyg]

Another month goes by and my MIL calls and she is either upset or confused because she got an email with the balance due and she thought I had sent it to her. (Not sure why she was upset though?) I went over to the house and looked at it, it was the standard Disney email showing the balance due and the due date. I explained it was from Disney, they had until August to pay it and that we should be getting one as well. Then she tells me that they will have the money and can pay it in full by then. O Kayyyy, then she comes out with the doozy...Will we be able to pay ours by the due date?? What??? (I'm thinking, boy she is really confused or something. I didn't know what to say, so I said yeah, I guess. Thinking the whole time, I'm going to tell my husband and see what he says). Now, don't get me wrong, we are perfectly fine with paying our own way, BUT they had offered and insisted on doing the deluxe dining and with no warning up to this point, we hadn't saved any money for the trip).

[tammyg]

After talking with my husband, he said whatever, he was due a bonus check from his work, so fine, we would use that. In the meantime, my In-laws bought a used car for our oldest son (yes it was nice that they bought him a car, no it was not nice because it was an old corvette that needs a lot of work on it and they were determined to get it even though we didn't want him to have it. My FIL wanted to get him a fixer-upper to work on with him; translation...a fixer-upper that my husband would work on and we would have to pay for all the parts) I love them to death, but lately, they are driving me crazy!! (Somewhere in this timeframe, they decided they weren't going to Disney again, arrggghhh!)

So, our son is over the moon happy with the car, what kid wouldn't be, right? So, one day we decided to go out to eat and he wanted to drive his car too. On the way to the restaurant, the car starts smoking and we all pull over on the side of I-85. It was overheating. We let it cool off, then tried to take it to the mall that was close by. We made it to a store right off the exit and it was much worse than expected...a blown engine. Right, there goes the bonus check.
(We still had 2 day tickets, so we took a quick weekend trip before school started back, and we could tell the boys weren't enjoying themselves, so this put another kink in the October Disney trip. They really want to go somewhere else for a change)

We decided that the October trip was just not going to happen, so yesterday, I called and cancelled both packages. I was already very sad, and the CM that I
was talking with asked what our reason was for cancelling. So I told her that our In-Laws weren't going and then she said we could still go, or did we want to reschedule? It just broke my heart to say no, we can't.
I'm fine with going somewhere else, although October is my favorite time to go, and I also hate to let the trip go since we did get free dining. I guess I will get over it. I hope I don't sound like a spoiled brat (maybe I am one) but I just feel like if you offer to pay for someone's trip, you should at least give a little more warning that you can no longer do that. Who knows when we will go back to Disney, but I do know this, it will only be the 4 of us. I don't think I care to go on any more trips with anyone else in the equation.

[KimmyAnn1147]

Originally Posted by tammyg

(We still had 2 day tickets, so we took a quick weekend trip before school started back, and we could tell the boys weren't enjoying themselves, so this put another kink in the October Disney trip. They really want to go somewhere else for a change)

Hard for a Disney Addict to understand, isn't it? In my family, I know there will come a time when if I want to go, I will just need to go solo.

Sorry about your roller coaster of disappointment.

[tammyg]

Thanks for letting me vent, I can't put any of this on Facebook, because I'm friends with my MIL on there and she sees everything I do and comments on everything I do, whether it's on facebook, or to my husband. This has become worse since they moved down here and live less than a mile from our house. We are the only people they know (besides my family) and they don't seem to care to get out and find a hobby or meet new people.

[GingerJ]

Wow, that stinks!

Anyone would be disappointed in your place. Too bad all that happened to you!

Sounds as if you'll need to plan the family-only trips, or even you & hubby only, in the future. Try to think about how much fun those will be, and maybe start your planning now so you can go that much sooner.

And I can't even begin to imagine grandparents giving a Corvette, or any needs-a-bunch-of-work car, to a teenage boy! This, plus the not-remembering your trip makes me wonder. Seriously, are they showing other signs of impaired judgment or memory problems?

for a fun trip in the near future!

Ginger

[HiddenMickey]

So sorry you had to cancel your trip. I'm sure other opportunities will come eventually.

With teenage boys, Disney isn't usually their first choice for vacation. Have you asked them what they want to do instead?

I'd also try to get your inlaws involved in a new church or something, so they have other interests besides your family. Good luck.

[Hugmonster]

I send good thoughts your way! Maybe just a trip in the future with you and DH?

[CinderAbby]

You are definitely not a spoiled brat. I'm sorry to hear everything you've been going through but sometimes things happen for a reason. Start planning that family only trip, save where you can, and whether it be Disney or elsewhere, enjoy the time with your family (but just not your in laws).

[wheezie]

So sorry to read about all of your troubles-and especially about having to cancel your trip.

I get it though b/c our trip is shaky too. Dh has killed his back, and he may be facing surgery.

Anyway, if it was me, I'd start planning another disney trip-WITHOUT the IL's!!!! Even if it's 2-3 years from now, planning a trip can take the sting out of a cancelled trip.

[KimmyAnn1147]

Originally Posted by wheezie

Anyway, if it was me, I'd start planning another disney trip-WITHOUT the IL's!!!! Even if it's 2-3 years from now, planning a trip can take the sting out of a cancelled trip.

Agreed!