Why is it so complicated? (Long) About This Page:

[dzlovesdisney]

I would book what you and DH feel comfortable and happy with, regardless of where your extended family stays. If you want to stay at the Poly, and can swing it financially, then you should stay there. Your parents and sisters will only be a monorail stop away!

[nconover]

yeah I don't really see a problem. however, i do agree with several people that you should have a family meeting bring your quotes and decide from there. Don't make your decision based on them, do it based on your families needs and budget. Do at least a couple of meals together though. That's the fun part of being a family.

[Tigger71]

Book Pop and start planning another vacation with just your family in 2012.

[Tawnya]

I agree, Id price out the resorts I want to stay at and decide which works better for you financially and if later you can upgrade great but if you cant at least you will be happy with your decision and wont be financially stressed.

[jbd]

Thank you all for your advice! I've thought about this all day.

I am very lucky to have my sister, nieces, and parents who want to go with us on this trip. They love my children so much that the thought of taking ds and dd to see Mickey makes them giddy (except maybe my dad, who isn't really a giddy kind of guy). My sister was being a little pushy with her choice of hotel because she really wanted to make my dream of staying at the Poly come true. This in turn makes my husband feel pressured because he wants to give me what I want, but can't yet think of a way to make it happen. They both want, ultimately, the same thing, but don't know how to get there the same way. It may frustrate me to be in the middle of them, but they're really both trying to get me what I want.

And so this is what I've decided. I'm going to go ahead and book at POFQ and wait for a "better" offer. If one comes, it comes. If it doesn't, I'm happy at that resort. I've stayed there before and I think it would be perfect for my family and my wallet. Ds & dd will love the slide at the pool.

Once we get closer to having to make our ADR's, I'll get everyone ready to make a schedule of where and when. We'll be there for a reasonably long time, so it will all sort itself out. I'll make sure that the kids get plenty of daddy time and plenty of extended family time. For example, dh won't be into BBB, but dsis will be. Also, there are going to be rides and things that my sister and nieces want to see and do that my ds & dd can't and don't.

If we're going to stay at POFQ, we might be able to afford to rent a car, and therefore, it would be an easy shot between the hotels. If we can't, it's not that hard to get from one place to the other. Or...I might be able to convince dh to stay a few days more so that we've got some time.

I've sent another email to AAA. If I don't hear from them by Wednesday, I'll call them. I should find the local office. There has to be one, right?

Thanks again for helping me think this through! I appreciate the advice. I feel so much more clear headed about it now.

[lindawdw]

I think you've got a great plan! POFQ is a good choice and if you can get a rental car it will definitely be of help in getting between the CR and your resort! I hope you enjoy the planning stage for this trip as it's just as much fun to plan as it is to be at WDW!

[HeatherD]

Glad to hear you're putting a plan together that you are comfortable with. Regarding AAA, are you dead set on using them? It sounds like you've either got a bum person who isn't responding or a bum office that doesn't care. If you want to look at another option, consider using a Disney TA - they can work with your entire party and do things that many other TAs may not be prepared to do (like make ADRs and such). Some of your meals may count as a Grand Gathering, so it's worth looking into someone who knows Disney as well as (or better than) you do!

[jbd]

Originally Posted by HeatherD

Glad to hear you're putting a plan together that you are comfortable with. Regarding AAA, are you dead set on using them? It sounds like you've either got a bum person who isn't responding or a bum office that doesn't care. If you want to look at another option, consider using a Disney TA - they can work with your entire party and do things that many other TAs may not be prepared to do (like make ADRs and such). Some of your meals may count as a Grand Gathering, so it's worth looking into someone who knows Disney as well as (or better than) you do!

You're right about the TA. Dh wants to see what AAA can offer us in terms of a discount. I think what happened is that when I sent the original request it was on a Sunday, and I filled the electronic form out 3 times in about 15 minutes. The form doesn't allow for comparisons, so submitted it three times with three different options. That might have confused the system. So yesterday, I resubmitted--but only once. We'll see how that works out.

Initially I had thought that the discount through AAA would be minimal, but dh had heard that it could be decent. So we'll research that. I also have a discount through my union that I have to call and find more about. I'm wondering if we could get a room discount through AAA and a ticket discount through the union or vice versa. Or am I being too discount greedy?

[ferrazalves]

I also agree with the others. Two resorts seems a better choice.
Past trip we went with friends and using cellphones we meet at the parks and meals...keep us sane not needing to be together all the time LOL
You should book accordingly your budget...no pressures!!!

good luck planing

[Winston]

Originally Posted by jbd

She wanted to book at the Poly right away. Immediately. No ifs, ands, or buts--just do it. But, I couldn't. I needed to play around with the money. I needed to figure out what will be financially possible.

I finally convinced dh that we should book by the end of this month so that we could pay over time. He agreed, but wanted to do some research. I sent an email request to AAA to get some quotes, but have yet to hear back (it's been almost a week; is that normal?).

My sister called and said that she was going to book the Poly, and that she was going to drive down with my parents and her two daughters. Those were her plans, regardless of what we were going to do. She felt that since she had our parents she needed to be at a monorail resort. Dh was kind of resentful. He felt a little pressured that he was being forced to book the Poly. I didn't feel anything of the kind. She's got money we don't.

So last night, my sister called me and told me that she wanted to double check the dates because she was just going to book at the Contemporary. She found the Poly to be too expensive.

I felt immediately relieved. If she was going to book at the CR, then we could book somewhere else. I told my husband. His response was, "She would do that."

Do I tempt fate and price out a stay at the CR? Or do I just go ahead and book at our cheaper option--POFQ? Somehow, I don't think I'll win with either option.

I'll throw you two pieces of advice from a male perspective.

Based solely on what I've read in your post, it sounds like your husband is the more aggressive one in this situation, probably out of resentment over the fact that your sister is financially better off. You and he need to get that issue worked out before anyone goes on vacation together, especially if your kids are going along. Next month, I'm off to WDW with a friend for a week at the GF and the Poly. My cousin and his wife are coming along, and there's no way they were going to be able to stay in the same resort category. I told them upfront that they should look at all the options and book based solely on their tastes and budget. A WDW vacation is not a time to be keeping up with the Joneses or with anyone else. We'll be in the MK area, and they'll be at POFQ, which is convenient to Epcot, DHS, and Downtown Disney. So, we'll have two "home bases" to use as retreats no matter where we are on property. That's as nice of a deal as I can imagine.

Secondly, you guys seem hesitant about even booking a room due to cost. You need to remember that WDW reservations, especially if they are room-only, can be modified, moved, turned into a package, and even cancelled just five days prior to arrival with no penalty. I'd go ahead and book a room-only stay with a AAA discount, put down the one night's deposit, and see what happens. If money gets tight (or flush), scale down (or up) the resort category. If you go broke, cancel the whole thing. Keep a close eye on Mousesavers.com, and if a better room discount comes along, modify your reservation to take advantage of that. If WDW offers free dining plans again next year, consider turning the whole thing into a package.

One last thing - AAA should have gotten back to you within 24 hours. I've been a AAA member since I was 16 years old, and I love their maps, TripTiks, TourBooks, discounts, and roadside service. However, their travel agency has never impressed me. There are A LOT of great agents on these boards who work seven days a week. Contact a few of us and find someone with whom you're comfortable. Remember, planning a trip to WDW should be almost as fun an actually being there!