Tell me your stories about Disney stays w/ the in-laws - the good, bad & the ugly!

[Jessica527]

I am getting very excited for 2014 pricing to come out so I can plan our big family trip. Traveling will be my husband, my MIL & FIL, my older SIL & her boyfriend and my younger SIL. All are adults!

As I am planning this trip, I just started to think that there must be PLENTY of In-law / Family trip stories that DIS members have!

I would love to hear your stories, suggestions, rooms setups, the good, the bad & the ugly!

Grab the popcorn it should be good!

 

[stargazertechie]

Just got back from the first vacation ever with my husband and my mom

Two suggestions

1) separate rooms
2) separate touring plans/planned alone time for each family.

 

[carrie1626]

I am getting very excited for 2014 pricing to come out so I can plan our big family trip. Traveling will be my husband, my MIL & FIL, my older SIL & her boyfriend and my younger SIL. All are adults!

As I am planning this trip, I just started to think that there must be PLENTY of In-law / Family trip stories that DIS members have!

I would love to hear your stories, suggestions, rooms setups, the good, the bad & the ugly!

Grab the popcorn it should be good!

I've never done the in-laws, but I have with my own parents.

TIP# PLAN on doing your own thing: here, there, maybe everyday!
DO NOT let anyone insist on the "we're family", "it's a family vacation," "we need to do it all together."

 

[Jessica527]

Just got back from the first vacation ever with my husband and my mom

Two suggestions

1) separate rooms
2) separate touring plans/planned alone time for each family.

Yes to separate rooms! Any experience with one of the suites? Are the "separate" enough?

 

[dansdad]

Yes to separate rooms! Any experience with one of the suites? Are the "separate" enough?

IMHO, no there is not enough separation in a suite.

 

[jkCT]

We went with my parents, my husband and two daughters, my sister/BIL and their 5 kids. Separate rooms for each family, all three rooms next to each other, which was great.

We planned one night for the grandparents to do something with the kids while the parents had a special dinner. (one set of kids just wanted pool time- easy! The other set of kids wanted to ride Soarin' repeatedly lol)

We started each day together at the same park so that we could all do one ride or show together, then go our separate ways.

The early rising kids/parents went swimming and exploring the resort while the other adults and later rising kids were getting their acts together.

We ended up meeting at random times if we were in the same area of a park, and the kids regaled each other with their adventures every night before bed. It was great!

 

[Pakey]

I have done 5 WDW vacations with sons and daughters in law. We have stayed anywhere from the 3 bedroom grand villas all the way to separate rooms at separate resorts.

1. Separate rooms are the way to go. Honestly, the rooms don't even need to be close to one another.

2. Don't tour together. Bits and pieces are fine but don't plan entire days together. Let everyone start their days when they want or go off on their own whenever they want.

3. Don't plan all meals together. Not everyone likes eating at the same time or eating the same food.

I paid for all 5 of these vacations and learned after the first one that even if its a free vacation, people want control of their own days, meals, etc.

Now I tell them where I plan to eat--each couple is free to join or do their own thing (I give them gift cards to cover costs). Each morning we have a designated meet spot. Whoever shows up, we decide where we are going. It's no big deal if some or all don't show up for the meet.

They still do several things/meals with us but its because they choose to-not that I scheduled it do them. Everyone is much happier.

 

[poohgirl6]

I am getting very excited for 2014 pricing to come out so I can plan our big family trip. Traveling will be my husband, my MIL & FIL, my older SIL & her boyfriend and my younger SIL. All are adults!

As I am planning this trip, I just started to think that there must be PLENTY of In-law / Family trip stories that DIS members have!

I would love to hear your stories, suggestions, rooms setups, the good, the bad & the ugly!

Grab the popcorn it should be good!

Oh yes, we took my in-laws in 1995. Stories you bet, but since this is a family-friendly board, I'll just say that I would rather stay at home and get a root canal and colonoscopy (simultaneously) rather than go with them again.

But hey...good luck with that But I do realize that your in-laws are not my in-laws (Lucky you )

 

[poohgirl6]

I have done 5 WDW vacations with sons and daughters in law. We have stayed anywhere from the 3 bedroom grand villas all the way to separate rooms at separate resorts.

1. Separate rooms are the way to go. Honestly, the rooms don't even need to be close to one another.

2. Don't tour together. Bits and pieces are fine but don't plan entire days together. Let everyone start their days when they want or go off on their own whenever they want.

3. Don't plan all meals together. Not everyone likes eating at the same time or eating the same food.

I paid for all 5 of these vacations and learned after the first one that even if its a free vacation, people want control of their own days, meals, etc.

Now I tell them where I plan to eat--each couple is free to join or do their own thing (I give them gift cards to cover costs). Each morning we have a designated meet spot. Whoever shows up, we decide where we are going. It's no big deal if some or all don't show up for the meet.

They still do several things/meals with us but its because they choose to-not that I scheduled it do them. Everyone is much happier.

I think this is great advice and I plan to follow it on our 2014 trip with all of our kids & their spouses and our grandchildren

 

[roydavid7771]

I just did the in-laws trip last year. My FIL, MIL, SIL, and her boyfriend joined my wife and I for a week at BWV. A couple of things I would recommend....

1. If possible, come down by yourselves for a couple of days prior to everyone else joining you. My wife and I had a chance to relax and enjoy some quiet time alone in our Happy Place before the chaos ensued. It saved our sanity!

2. Take your time and enjoy everything! I really had to cut down on my breakneck speed touring while my in-laws were with me, but it made me appreciate all of the things I never saw because I was sprinting by.....

3. Plan some time away from each other and explore what you want to explore. There's something for everyone here, let everyone create their own magic!

4. Get enough room to spread out. We stayed in a 2 BR at BWV, my wife and I in one R, my FIL and MIL in another bedroom, and my SIL and her boyfriend on the pullout in the living room.

I had a great time with my in-laws, I'm sure you will too!

 

[Deb & Bill]

I am getting very excited for 2014 pricing to come out so I can plan our big family trip. Traveling will be my husband, my MIL & FIL, my older SIL & her boyfriend and my younger SIL. All are adults!

As I am planning this trip, I just started to think that there must be PLENTY of In-law / Family trip stories that DIS members have!

I would love to hear your stories, suggestions, rooms setups, the good, the bad & the ugly!

Grab the popcorn it should be good!

Three rooms. One for SIL and her boyfriend. One for MIL, FIL and younger SIL. One for you and your husband (at a completely different resort ).

 

[dis_guy]

Three rooms. One for SIL and her boyfriend. One for MIL, FIL and younger SIL. One for you and your husband (at a completely different resort ).

Deb, your answer is the winner in my opinion. Lol!

Actually, it was my Inlaws who took us all down the first time. Separate rooms are needed. Everyone needs space and privacy. No, you don't have to do "everything" together like a tour group. However it is nice to meet for lunch or dinner each day- or two?

I think it can work. Don't be afraid to communicate your wishes to the group and they in turn should respect that. Have fun!

 

[Lynn2205]

My husband and I always go to WDW every year, twice if we can! Coming from the UK, it is hard to try and get the in laws to come with us, so it usually work out that Husband and I go 1 year and then the whole party goes the year after and then repeat the process. so far husband and I have been to WDW at least 8 times since 2007.

we book 2 rooms, one obviously for husband and me, the other for FIL, MIL, younger BIL (he's 15 with mild autism). sometimes getting a room can be difficult as my husband is disabled with a prothetic leg and sometimes requires a wheelchair.

we have stayed POR and staff/ rooms have been wonderful and made it easier for us. Husband and I have stayed at AKL last year for our honeymoon and the staff couldn't have been more helpful if they tried!

In the parks, the in laws and I get on brilliantly. There are times when the BIL can make the day stressful due to the autism, especially when its crowded or during the firework shows as he struggles with loud noises.

Also we have to take into consideration that he will eat basic food (bugers and fries etc.) but restaurants for finer dining or AK's asian restaurants can be a bit of a problem but we usually can find somewhere to suit all of us.

On the whole, we always have a great trip. So much so, that husband and I are going in 12 weeks time and we're in the process of booking for October 2014 with the in laws.

 

[Caseheidi]

We have done Disney with both sets of in-laws. With DH family, my biggest issue was that I am a stop and enjoy the experience type of gal, and DBil is a travel quickly without looking around to the next destination. He was inpatient with my getting my DMil side tracked with me to take things in. For my part, I just ignored his attitude and refused to let him dictate everything as DH and DMil had been doing forever. The other big issue that trip was that DBil got me sick. DH and I skipped one day at the park as I was just too miserable.

With my family, we planned to separate but rarely did. Overall it really worked out. We planned together for months and had clear expectations on what everyone wanted. I think that is why it was so successful.

So my advice is to force every group to be involved in the planning. Do not take the sole responsibility or let someone else. Make sure everyone is on the same page and understands everyone else's expectations and desires. It save heartache later on.

 

[Missyrose]

We did an extended family trip with my fiance's mom, sister, BIL and nephew in 2012. We priced and researched all different options for accommodations. And the best route we found for ourselves was a rental house. Everyone got their own room and there was still a pool and living room when we wanted to be together.

So I would say whether it's an offsite house, three rooms at the same resort, or even three rooms at different resorts, plan to give each other some space. And also be prepared for people to say they don't want to do what was planned, traveling with a large group takes flexibility (and the option to split into smaller groups when necessary).

 

[Happyjen27]

We did Disney with our ILs, and BIL/SIL. The only kid were our twins (5yo).

We all got separate rooms, 3 in total. You NEED separate rooms. Nobody wants to share a bathroom with in-laws. Nobody wants to feel like they can't walk around without a bra in their own hotel room.

We got a head start on the trip and were there 4 days before everyone else arrived. It was our first trip, and we wanted to explore without ILs.

That head start was awesome! I highly recommend this for Disney addicts, even for adult travelers to get a 1 or 2 day head start on everyone else, especially if the other members of your party aren't quite as Dis-crazy as you.

We all made it clear that it was fine to branch off and do our own thing. We decided to have our once a day sit-down meals all together, but otherwise we ate on our own. I think as long as that's verbalized up front, there should be no hurt feelings.

Bear in mind, my ILs are the best! My MIL/FIL are a pleasure, and my SIL is one of my BFF. YMMV.

 

[fairestoneofall]

we have been on a trip with just the ILs. we've been with the ILs and my parents and sister. and we've been with just my parents and sister.

all trips went well. what i did was planned out what my family would do and they could either come or not come. some days, we were together the entire day. other days, we'd split up for part of the day. we always end up eating any TS meals together (even though everyone is given the option to do something different).

i will say that i've never had any issues with any family members on vacation. those who i thought would bother me, didn't bother me at all. and really, it's nice to have extra adults around to help with kids.

on our last trip, my youngest was only six months old. we had connecting rooms with my family. it was nice in the evenings to let the baby sleep and my parents stayed behind (they wanted to). the rest of us could go back into the parks and stay late without worrying about dragging a sleepy baby with us. it was a total win-win.

 

[Mayhem1976]

We did a trip in August with my parents, sister's family and brothers family (8 adults, 6 kids) We had separate rooms, which like most I rec! You'll want a place to just relax.

I did most of the planning. We had 1 meal most days planned and I let everyone know what parks were rated the lowest crowds. Some times we split up, sometimes together. It worked out well. My parents would watch the little ones while we went on the rides. We stayed at BC and my parents liked going over to Boardwalk by themselves!

I wouldn't go with my IL's, but they drive us nuts!!

 

[GaBelle]

My inlaws have gone with us every trip, September will be number 4. (At this point, I think we've set a precedent and would hurt their feelings if we didn't invite them.)

So far I've also had all of the trips go very well. We get connecting rooms which work for us. My girls love to "camp out" with grandma and grandpa (G+G) while DH and I have a little alone time. Like a PP said, I like having additional adults to help out with the kids. Now that they are older its not that much of an issue, but its still nice to have other riding partners on rides that some adults (me!) don't want to do.

Encourage them to take some time to themselves for rests, touring or meals. But if they are like my ILs, they won't. Mine insist on doing everything we do with the kids, so I have learned to schedule in lots of downtime. Otherwise we get grumpy G+G on the latter part of out trip.

 

[melifeld]

We have never been with my inlaws, but have been with my parents (who are divorced and have been since I was 4, so a loooonnnnggg time). Both my parents wanted to come along for DS's first trip, DS was almost 3. We got 3 rooms next to each other at POR. My DM's room was adjoining ours. She even let DS sleep in her room a couple of nights. My mom would come with us in the mornings, but my dad likes to sleep late and would meet us at the park later most days. We had all our TS meals together, and my dad even got up early (for him) one day for our pre-park opening Tusker House breakfast and a morning at AK. And my parents took my DS one night for dinner and bedtime so DH and I could have a nice meal alone together at Artist Point. It was a really fun trip.

Here are my tips:
1 Make sure everyone has their cell phones and that they are charged! That way you can catch up with each other later in the day.

2 Make plans, but don't expect everyone to go along. And set expectations that you intend to follow your plan and they are welcome to join you if they would like.

As long as everyone understands what others want to do, and is willing to split up for part of the time, you will have a fun trip.