I need help ASAP....

[Peter Pan Poppa]

We'll I'm officially in a dilema and don't know what to do. My wife and two boys have been going to Disney the past few years and some family friends with girls the same ages as our boys asked us if we might go together this year. The great news is our kids get along great and we get along with the husband and wife. We're all easy going and its a given that we'll have an excellent time. Well this past weekend our friends are eating with another group of mutual friends and it comes out that we are planning on going together. The other friends get excited and say that they want to go and would love to join in. Not knowing what to say the couple we booked the trip with said OK but didn't really give them many details. Today the wife of the couple that invited themselves called my wife to talk about how excited she is and asks what she needs to do about booking the trip. We like this other couple but it will completely throw off the dynamic of the trip for multiple reasons. They do not parent like we do and to be honest their daughter is horrible when we go out to eat and we'll be eating out pretty much every meal since we are on the dining plan. The other thing is they will pretty much expect us to plan the trip and are not go with the flow kind of people. We love our friends but feel like they are going to take away from the trip. I know I sound awful but you spend a lot of money to go to Disney World and you want it to be perfect. I hate to say it but it actually takes the joy a way a bit. Does anyone have any advice or experience with a similar situation? Please help.

[ogreenlee]

don't ya hate when this kind of stuff happens?

i'd make it a point to send out an email encouraging everyone to go at their own pace, and only meet up at certain intervals. let everyone know that it's too hard to tour together, and it ends up slowing everyone down.

then if they want your wife to plan it, you tell them.. "no. our plan is to not have a plan." then tell them to have at it if that's what they want.

[DisneyBoundinDec]

oh my gosh! that is awful! did they ask if they could go? or were they just like were in too?
I totally understand how you feel and honestly don't know what I would do? I would tell them to make all their plans themselves though.. are you all flying down or do you live close?

[DWGal210]

Originally Posted by Peter Pan Poppa

We'll I'm officially in a dilema and don't know what to do. My wife and two boys have been going to Disney the past few years and some family friends with girls the same ages as our boys asked us if we might go together this year. The great news is our kids get along great and we get along with the husband and wife. We're all easy going and its a given that we'll have an excellent time. Well this past weekend our friends are eating with another group of mutual friends and it comes out that we are planning on going together. The other friends get excited and say that they want to go and would love to join in. Not knowing what to say the couple we booked the trip with said OK but didn't really give them many details. Today the wife of the couple that invited themselves called my wife to talk about how excited she is and asks what she needs to do about booking the trip. We like this other couple but it will completely throw off the dynamic of the trip for multiple reasons. They do not parent like we do and to be honest their daughter is horrible when we go out to eat and we'll be eating out pretty much every meal since we are on the dining plan. The other thing is they will pretty much expect us to plan the trip and are not go with the flow kind of people. We love our friends but feel like they are going to take away from the trip. I know I sound awful but you spend a lot of money to go to Disney World and you want it to be perfect. I hate to say it but it actually takes the joy a way a bit. Does anyone have any advice or experience with a similar situation? Please help.

I'm sorry for your dilemma. That does stink.

Here's what I would do; the cat is out of the bag now, so to speak, and you can't NOT invite them. If you enjoy the company of the other couple more, I would just plan more meals with them and not inform the other family. Maybe that sounds rude, but that's what I would do.

To go along with that, I would also communicate with the family and say something like, "We all have different ways we like to see Disney, so let's just plan on doing our own thing and then maybe getting together for a meal once or twice while we're there." They might actually appreciate that, knowing you're all not going to be attached together the whole time. AND that leaves you free to do more with the family you prefer to hang out with and there are no expectations that you will all hang out together the entire time.

In terms of you planning everything; I would just say something like "We already have our travel plans in order. If you call 407-W-Disney, you can book all your arrangements through them, they'll help you get everything sorted out." Hopefully that will get you off the hook for planning everything.

Is this that family's 1st trip to Disney? That might make it easier to sell them on the idea of you do your thing, we do ours.

Hope that helps!

[8disneyfans]

That's a hard one! I don't envy you at all. I do agree with PP though. Let everyone know that it is really difficult to tour together all day long. And not everyone likes the same food. So why don't you do something like eating at 1 sit down together as 1 big group, somewhere fun like Chef Mickey's and then get together maybe 2 afternoons and maybe a couple evenings at the pool? I know you would to spend time with your good friends, but this might solve some problems. And this way you will get to spend time with your family.
And whatever you do, do not have your wife plan everyone's trip. Even if she loves doing it, it is a huge thing. Then they might not like what she has planned and then it's just plain old frustration.
Good Luck!

[Peter Pan Poppa]

This is defintely a stressful situation. We think we are just going to be honest with the other couple and tell them that planning for that many people is going to be too tough. The issuse is that they have never been before and said tonight they are depending on us to show them the ropes. They are the type that will totally depend on us to plan for them. Oh well.

[DISNEYNV]

I would help them plan and try to make their family trip enjoyable...just without yours!!! It is really hard to go on vacation with family let alone friends. I would just let them know that your family likes to do things that they might not and that you can meet up for a meal and fireworks one night or to take the kids to MK for half a day, etc., but it's up to you to schedule your families ADRs and daily plans and it's up to them to schedule theirs. If your paths cross then great...Disney is a HUGE place!!! It's going to be rough to do what everyone wants to do with their family...been there done that!

[amyj1024]

Ugh! That stinks for you. We are planning a trip with good friends and sounds like your original plan. Altho, this is the SECOND time we are going together and on the first trip we barely got to see each other!! For this trip we are doing much more planning to make SURE we get to see each other and the kids get to ride together. Because we want to make sure we tour the parks together.
I guess what I'm saying is that, maybe it will all work out for you. It is hard to meet up in the parks and travel at the same pace. So maybe you will end up not spending too much time together anyways.