A rant, and a question

[KateDrake]

I apologize in advance if this turns into a rant, but I promise there is also a question. Namely, how important is it to stay at the same hotel as the family members you are traveling with? Can you make it work staying at different locations?

Here's the sitch: My family (me, DH and DD3) and my DMIL and DSIL are coming down in mid-Oct. to celebrate my DMIL's 60th B-day. The trip was my sister-in-law's idea, but they know I'm the Disney expert in the family, so I got charged with planning. DSIL is accustomed to the high life, but changes in circumstances have her now living on a strict budget. So we booked the two rooms at the Del Sol because it's the cheapest hotel I could find that still gets decent reviews. I don't mind staying there, but I'd rather stay somewhere nicer if I could. So when I heard about LMT and how you could figure out which hotel you are getting, I was super excited. I booked a room at the FFI for only $6 per night more than Del Sol, and told my in-laws to do the same.

Now here comes the issue: They didn't try to book the FFI until today, and of course the rooms are all sold out. So, do I keep my room at FFI - which is my preferred place to stay - or do we cancel and head back to the Del Sol? How tough is it to make it work if you are all staying in different locations?

Along the same line, how likely do you think it is that FFI will open more rooms through LMT? I know my in-laws would much rather stay there as well, as my SIL still refers to WDW's Pop Century as "the worst hotel I've ever stayed at." While she does drive me nuts sometimes, I do love them both dearly and I wish we could all be together. Any advice is much appreciated! And sorry for the rant!

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I apologize in advance if this turns into a rant, but I promise there is also a question. Namely, how important is it to stay at the same hotel as the family members you are traveling with? Can you make it work staying at different locations?

Here's the sitch: My family (me, DH and DD3) and my DMIL and DSIL are coming down in mid-Oct. to celebrate my DMIL's 60th B-day. The trip was my sister-in-law's idea, but they know I'm the Disney expert in the family, so I got charged with planning. DSIL is accustomed to the high life, but changes in circumstances have her now living on a strict budget. So we booked the two rooms at the Del Sol because it's the cheapest hotel I could find that still gets decent reviews. I don't mind staying there, but I'd rather stay somewhere nicer if I could. So when I heard about LMT and how you could figure out which hotel you are getting, I was super excited. I booked a room at the FFI for only $6 per night more than Del Sol, and told my in-laws to do the same.

Now here comes the issue: They didn't try to book the FFI until today, and of course the rooms are all sold out. So, do I keep my room at FFI - which is my preferred place to stay - or do we cancel and head back to the Del Sol? How tough is it to make it work if you are all staying in different locations?

Along the same line, how likely do you think it is that FFI will open more rooms through LMT? I know my in-laws would much rather stay there as well, as my SIL still refers to WDW's Pop Century as "the worst hotel I've ever stayed at." While she does drive me nuts sometimes, I do love them both dearly and I wish we could all be together. Any advice is much appreciated! And sorry for the rant!

Personally, if I were the one charged with looking into reservation info and such, after getting the information and giving it to the others involved, if they don't act on it, that's on them. And I would keep my reservation, if that's what I wanted. You certainly can make it work, by setting up meet times throughout the day. That's something I would suggest at any rate. That way you don't have to worry about who wants to go on what all the time, each party can do what they wish and meet up for the "communal" stuff.

 

[It'sKim]

I apologize in advance if this turns into a rant, but I promise there is also a question. Namely, how important is it to stay at the same hotel as the family members you are traveling with? Can you make it work staying at different locations?

Here's the sitch: My family (me, DH and DD3) and my DMIL and DSIL are coming down in mid-Oct. to celebrate my DMIL's 60th B-day. The trip was my sister-in-law's idea, but they know I'm the Disney expert in the family, so I got charged with planning. DSIL is accustomed to the high life, but changes in circumstances have her now living on a strict budget. So we booked the two rooms at the Del Sol because it's the cheapest hotel I could find that still gets decent reviews. I don't mind staying there, but I'd rather stay somewhere nicer if I could. So when I heard about LMT and how you could figure out which hotel you are getting, I was super excited. I booked a room at the FFI for only $6 per night more than Del Sol, and told my in-laws to do the same.

Now here comes the issue: They didn't try to book the FFI until today, and of course the rooms are all sold out. So, do I keep my room at FFI - which is my preferred place to stay - or do we cancel and head back to the Del Sol? How tough is it to make it work if you are all staying in different locations?

Along the same line, how likely do you think it is that FFI will open more rooms through LMT? I know my in-laws would much rather stay there as well, as my SIL still refers to WDW's Pop Century as "the worst hotel I've ever stayed at." While she does drive me nuts sometimes, I do love them both dearly and I wish we could all be together. Any advice is much appreciated! And sorry for the rant!

We stayed at a different hotel than my mother-in-law and nephew the last time we went. We stayed at the PVI and they were down aways at a Best Western. It worked out fine. We just gave them a call when we were getting ready to leave and met them at the gates. Then in the evenings we said goodnight and went back to our respective hotels. It wasn't a problem at all.

 

[revwog1974]

I think you can make it work staying at different hotels. With your sister-in-law's circumstances, I wonder. If she's the kind of person that would be angry you were staying at a "better" hotel and then bitter? Or is she the kind of person who would accept that she didn't jump when she should have? If the answer to the first question is yes, and the second is no, then you have to ask yourself if family peace is worth staying at a hotel you don't want to stay at.

 

[Capt Silly]

We have been going through a similar situation. My sister booked rooms for her and her family at FFI, but because of sleeping arrangement (we need 3 beds, not a fold out chair) we were going to stay elsewhere.

To solve this we found a house two blocks from DLR that will sleep everyone. It's a longer walk than the Harbor Hotels, but not dramatically, and a lot cheaper. We will miss out on the maid service , but we'll have our own kitchen to pack lunches in. We will also see more of each other, which is one of the goals of this trip. I have not tried this before, but it looks like it will work out wonderfully.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

I think you'd be alright. You weren't sharing a room at Del Sol , spend all day together and sleep in your own hotels, you could keep checking FFI on LMT *isn't that so neat?!?! and maybe it'll show up again, maybe try calling LMT....

 

[blackjackdelta]

All myyoung adult kids just stayed at the PVI and we stayed at the DLH...it was a great time and I never feel guilty about some one elses problems.

Jack

 

[sheetz]

Maybe if you call FFI they might be able to do something for you. If not book a cancelable room at the Del Sol and keep trying for the FFI on LMT.

 

[KalamityJane]

It is a blessing in disguise - you won't have family all up in everyone else's business! I would stay at the FFI without a second thought. You told them, they didn't do it in a timely manner, them's the breaks.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Our family stays in different hotels every trip, and it works better for everyone. My sister gets her concierge room at the GCH, we get our hotel points at the Sheraton, and my parents can have plenty of privacy and rest at the Sheraton as well. We arrange meeting times and check in with each other throughout the day. People can get up when they like, eat together or not, and go to bed when they like without worrying about disturbing anyone else. You gave everyone the information they needed. If they chose not to act on it promptly, that is not your responsibility. Next time, they will act more quickly. As stated by a pp, this could be a blessing in disguise! Enjoy your trip!

 

[IBLarsen]

We planned a trip a couple years back with SIL and BIL and their children, We made sure to have adjacent rooms at the FFI (I planned everything), as we were meeting up from different states and wanted to spend as much time together. But honestly, it didn't really make much of a difference. Everybody kind of got started at different times, and met up at the parks most days and in the evenings we generally went back to the hotel earlier than they did. So in the end it didn't really matter that we were at the same hotel. We hadn't planned on any 'hotel' activities anyways, just a place to sleep and all our time was spent together at the parks (most of the days, but wasn't an issue to separate for part of the day either).
So I would say, keep your hotel and see if they can get into the FFI at some point, great, but if not, don't sweat it

 

[DisneyMommy403]

I know that the situation would be ideal - had your MIL and SIL acted fast and booked the same hotel. But, I don't think you should pass on a good deal, at a hotel you'd be comfortable at because of their procrastination. It's a trip to Disneyland, everyone should be focused on spending time together and enjoying the magic of the park. For the most part, you're just sleeping at the hotel anyway. Sure, it makes coordinating in the mornings a little bit more hectic, but I think if you all communicate well, and say "this place, at this time" it should work out fine. Maybe don't even bring the MIL and SIL to your hotel, so they don't feel they're missing out on anything... Meet every morn by the World of Disney store in DTD or somethin!

And if you're worried about your SIL's judgments or remarks (this is all in generalities; you know her best) just talk with her about it. Stress that you didn't do this to ice her out, and you wish the situation was different, and the hotel is a minor detail to all that will be happening on your vacation. I'd stay away from the "you took too long" thing though. No matter how truthful, that I don't see going over too well.

best of luck!

 

[Geemo]

With cell phones it will be a breeze to meet up from where ever you are!

It just takes a call or a text and everyone will be informed.

Stay at the FFI and have a good time!

Geemo

 

[Sally_fan]

We stayed at different hotels than our friends on more than one occasion & meeting up has never been a problem. We touch bases in the morning to meet & use texting in the parks to figure our where everyone was if we split up mid day.

 

[KateDrake]

Thank you all so much for your responses! I feel so much better now.

I think I'll just hold on to my reservation and see what happens. I am still hoping we can get adjoining rooms at FFI, but if we have to stay apart, that's fine too. Maybe I will talk to my MIL and SIL and make sure that is OK by them. I was able to hold my original ressie at Del Sol and can cancel with no penalty, so that is always an option, too. I WILL NOT stay in a room with four adults and a toddler, that is just too much!

I'm not too worried about being able to meet up each day, but I am worried about the jealousy factor. So maybe not inviting them back to our room is a good idea. We didn't really have hotel activities planned, other than swimming, hanging out, etc. The sad part is that my MIL is the sun worshiper who loves laying out, which is why I thought we should move to FFI in the first place, as the Del Sol's pool is practically non-existent! Oh well! More park time, right!

Thanks again all for listening. You know you can always count on your fellow DISers to understand the weirdos who don't want to plan every detail of their trip

 

[starshine514]

I have an oddball question. If you booked the FFI without 'knowing' which hotel you were getting, can you even cancel it? I haven't booked through LMT, but the other sites I've used that don't reveal what hotel you're getting until you've booked (Hotwire and Priceline NYOP) don't allow cancellations. Would love some more insight on how the LMT deals work.

 

[sasywtch]

I am going to be the lone dissenter on here but gosh, no wonder there are so many MIL trouble threads on the Community Board. I'm just curious if MIL and SIL realized just how quickly rooms would go at the FFI and thought they'd have time?

It's MIL's 60th birthday and she's staying at the lower end motel while you are at the FFI? Yes it's their fault but I would talk to them about it. My feeling is, you were going as a family, I'd stay in the same hotel/motel

Yes I know they didn't act on it but no way would I have stayed at a better place then my mother or MIL. Now if they were coming in on a different day and said, we are joining you and you had already made plans for FFI, then that's one thing but you all started planning together. I just wouldn't be enjoying myself doing that to my MIL even if she wasn't aware how important it was to act right away. A vacation isn't as important as my mom or MIL. SIL, pretty much wouldn't care about sorry to say.

 

[sheetz]

I have an oddball question. If you booked the FFI without 'knowing' which hotel you were getting, can you even cancel it? I haven't booked through LMT, but the other sites I've used that don't reveal what hotel you're getting until you've booked (Hotwire and Priceline NYOP) don't allow cancellations. Would love some more insight on how the LMT deals work.

Good question. From the LMT FAQ:
http://www.lastminutetravel.com/info/FAQ.aspx

Q. What is your hotel cancellation policy?
A. Unless noted otherwise on our website, all hotels--with the exception of all Disney hotels and hotels in US National Parks--follow this policy:
Change or cancellation requests received by our Customer Support 3 days prior to check in time (noon local hotel time) will be subject to 1 night's fee

Change or cancellation requests received by our Customer Support 1 day prior to check in time (noon local hotel time) will receive no refund

No-shows will not be refunded

It sounds like if you decide to cancel the FFI reservation you'll be charged for one night.

 

[longistheday]

I would call LMT, last week I canceled my FFI reservation for Oct(going in Sept now!) and they were able to cancel and issue a full refund, no penalty fee!

 

[KateDrake]

I have an oddball question. If you booked the FFI without 'knowing' which hotel you were getting, can you even cancel it? I haven't booked through LMT, but the other sites I've used that don't reveal what hotel you're getting until you've booked (Hotwire and Priceline NYOP) don't allow cancellations. Would love some more insight on how the LMT deals work.

I booked knowing for sure I was getting the FFI. You can tell from the photos, the distance from the airport, etc. There is also a trick, which I would have to Google again, where you can take the URL to their parent site, and plug in the individual hotel code, which will show you which hotel you are bidding on!

I don't know how it works if you book with LMT online, because I called to get a lower rate. They told me that if you cancel more than 4 days in advance, you get a full refund. 72 hours, you pay for one night, and if you no show you pay for the whole thing. So it sounds like that's the same policy they gave the PP who was able to get a full refund.

I am going to hang on to both reservations and just hope that we can get another room at FFI. It will just be so much easier if we are all together!