Anyone lie to friends and family about availability?

[ZekeKelso]

So I get a call from my brother, "Can you check and see if we can move our trip back a week? We just found out Little Timmy will have a soccer game that conflicts with the current plan."

Answer I wanted to give: "Look, he's 11. You've got him and his brothers signed up for 5 different "enrichment" activities each, making it nearly impossible to schedule anything. Whatever happened to just being a kid? And you know what? He <stinks> at soccer; I've been to his games. He'll spend most of the time on the bench. Then when he gets in, he'll run around not knowing what he's doing, trying not to run into a bunch of other kids who don't know what they are doing either. For *that* I need to rearrange all our plans? Anyway, yeah, I checked. The resort we are booked in is full, but we could get rooms at my least favorite resort. And that later week is much worse for me work-wise. There's no way we should reschedule so Timmy can go to yet another soccer game."

Answer I gave, "Sorry, they are booked up - no rooms anywhere."

The fact that they can't call MS and check for themselves? One of the unwritten benefits of membership.

PS - Don't get me wrong. I love my brother and spending time with my nephews is one of the highlights of my life. Being able to take them to Disney is the main reason for my buying DVC. I just think their parenting choices can be a bit over-the-top sometimes

 

[colonialtinker]

I would have done the same thing

 

[Quiksilvr]

There are very few extracurricular events in which children participate that would cause me to willingly reschedule a vacation. Especially in my line of work, where vacations aren't really vacations because I'm attached to that [insert negative adjective] blackberry and I end up having to work anyway even after shifting my schedule around so that I can leave the office in the first place.

And if my brother came to me with this sort of lame request, I would tell him that we're not rescheduling and to deal with it. If he wants little timmy to be a soccer player, send little timmy to soccer camp so he can learn how to cross.

 

[Monorail Purple&Gold]

What a guilty pleasure to admit to!

I probably would have done the exact same thing!

I'll probably have to do the same thing come June. DW and I offered her brother/fiancee 6 nights at AKV for their Disneymoon next year as their wedding present. He's a picky sort and I have the feeling he'll ask for VWL or BCV--I want to put them in a value studio @ AKV to maximize my points!!! I'm afraid VWL and BCV will be booked clean up next May! Shucks!

 

[BostonDisneyKid]

If I were in a similar situation, I would have given the answer you "wanted to give"...

 

[Chuck S]

My answer would have been (and has been)..."I'm so sorry, but I already have my travel plans made, and that is when we are going. Would you like me to cancel your room?"

 

[dianeschlicht]

I'm with Chuck on this one. And if they did go ahead and cancel within the 30 day window, I'd probably charge them a "cancellation fee" even though DVC doesn't reall have a monetary one.

I have to agree about kids being too overscheduled these days. I feel sorry for the poor kids who are falling asleep in class because they have so many extra curricular activities outside of school that go into the wee hours, and totally fill their weekends.

 

[luna99]

Answer I wanted to give: "Look, he's 11. You've got him and his brothers signed up for 5 different "enrichment" activities each, making it nearly impossible to schedule anything. Whatever happened to just being a kid? And you know what? He <stinks> at soccer; I've been to his games. He'll spend most of the time on the bench. Then when he gets in, he'll run around not knowing what he's doing, trying not to run into a bunch of other kids who don't know what they are doing either. For *that* I need to rearrange all our plans? Anyway, yeah, I checked. The resort we are booked in is full, but we could get rooms at my least favorite resort. And that later week is much worse for me work-wise. There's no way we should reschedule so Timmy can go to yet another soccer game."

that's hilarious!

 

[kmermaid]

ZekeKelso:
Your brother must live in my neighborhood. Its insane how many activities these neighborhood kids are in. My neighbor was out of the house before 8am and didn't return until after 8pm. No thanks! I would have given the same answer you gave just to keep the peace but would have loved to say what you were thinking!

 

[lovinthemouse]

Unfortunately for friends and family my DVC my dates. We have had family go and we offer a few date options, but they are on my schedule. Then we come to an agreement. If they want to change then sorry about their luck.

 

[dvcdisney]

My answer would have been (and has been)..."I'm so sorry, but I already have my travel plans made, and that is when we are going. Would you like me to cancel your room?"

I would definitely say the same thing. However, I think I would begin with: "Are you kidding me?!!!" (but then again, I don't think a soccer game is a good reason to change travel plans, my son will be missing two weeks of soccer and he missed two weeks of hockey during our Disney trips)

 

[stopher1]

Unfortunately for friends and family my DVC my dates. We have had family go and we offer a few date options, but they are on my schedule. Then we come to an agreement. If they want to change then sorry about their luck.

My thoughts exactly. We might be "accomodating to a degree" in the initial planning stages, but once the dates are set, they wouldn't change unless we needed them to change. Kids are way too over-scheduled these days IMO - and until they can drive, who ends up getting them where they need to be? The parents. We have a strict rule in our house - one activity at a time, not so with my nieces and nephews... so they won't be joining us at Disney anytime soon.

 

[kenny]

So I get a call from my brother, "Can you check and see if we can move our trip back a week? We just found out Little Timmy will have a soccer game that conflicts with the current plan."

Answer I wanted to give: "Look, he's 11. You've got him and his brothers signed up for 5 different "enrichment" activities each, making it nearly impossible to schedule anything. Whatever happened to just being a kid? And you know what? He <stinks> at soccer; I've been to his games. He'll spend most of the time on the bench. Then when he gets in, he'll run around not knowing what he's doing, trying not to run into a bunch of other kids who don't know what they are doing either. For *that* I need to rearrange all our plans? Anyway, yeah, I checked. The resort we are booked in is full, but we could get rooms at my least favorite resort. And that later week is much worse for me work-wise. There's no way we should reschedule so Timmy can go to yet another soccer game."

Answer I gave, "Sorry, they are booked up - no rooms anywhere."

The fact that they can't call MS and check for themselves? One of the unwritten benefits of membership.

PS - Don't get me wrong. I love my brother and spending time with my nephews is one of the highlights of my life. Being able to take them to Disney is the main reason for my buying DVC. I just think their parenting choices can be a bit over-the-top sometimes

Do we have the same brother?

You are fine in my book with "the resort is booked"!

 

[dwelty]

The marginalization of the family vacation is a BIG pet peeve of mine. The fondest memories I have a a child are spending vacations with my family. In my opinion All other activities should come second. This kid will remember this vacation his whole life, I doubt he will remember this one game.

I know I will get some flack for this but I think this even applies to school (in the lower grades). We pull our daughter out of school for trips and get her school work beforehand. Now I DO NOT advocate this for a child that is strugling in School. However it works for us. Family time should be paramount above all else IMHO.

 

[Chuck S]

The marginalization of the family vacation is a BIG pet peeve of mine. The fondest memories I have a a child are spending vacations with my family. In my opinion All other activities should come second. This kid will remember this vacation his whole life, I doubt he will remember this one game.

I know I will get some flack for this but I think this even applies to school (in the lower grades). We pull our daughter out of school for trips and get her school work beforehand. Now I DO NOT advocate this for a child that is strugling in School. However it works for us. Family time should be paramount above all else IMHO.

I agree with you. Even day trips to a museum with an exhibit the child finds interesting is as educational as a day in school for lower grades. I probably remember 95% of the field trips we took in school, and what we learned there.

 

[MaryAnnDVC]

We used to take our kids out of school for a week to go to Disney (the week after Thanksgiving) and oh, how I miss those days! We stopped doing it after oldest DD was a Freshmen in HS. Then, we cut down to a couple of days of that week, and then cut it out altogether. Those days were the best. And now that oldest DD is a Sophomore in college, and 2nd DD is going to college next year, trying to get all of us together at the same time is so difficult.

When DS was going into 6th grade, he was all upset because we had an August trip planned, and it was going to eat into MS soccer tryouts. I considered...briefly...rescheduling, but instead told him to do Cross Country (no tryouts) for that year...running would improve his soccer game anyway. (And it was a TRYOUT...no guarantee he'd make the team.)

I have a SIL whose kids were overscheduled, and she was also the family "event planner". She decided, without discussing it with us beforehand, that we were all going away for the weekend (in January, in New England) to celebrate my FIL's 70th birthday. Then, we heard she was backing out because her DS had a soccer tournament. Good thing she changed her mind, because I'd have been really PO'd had they not gone. We drove through a snowstorm to get there, and if she hadn't gone...

 

[Starr W.]

The marginalization of the family vacation is a BIG pet peeve of mine. The fondest memories I have a a child are spending vacations with my family. In my opinion All other activities should come second. This kid will remember this vacation his whole life, I doubt he will remember this one game.

I know I will get some flack for this but I think this even applies to school (in the lower grades). We pull our daughter out of school for trips and get her school work beforehand. Now I DO NOT advocate this for a child that is strugling in School. However it works for us. Family time should be paramount above all else IMHO.

You're not my DH posting here? He feels the same way.

Also you get some that think the activity is even more important than school.

As to the OP, my sister hates WDW and no way would we go with my SIL. So I don't have your problem. If SIL wanted to use points, DH would tell her sorry but we've used our yearly allotment.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

My answer would have been (and has been)..."I'm so sorry, but I already have my travel plans made, and that is when we are going. Would you like me to cancel your room?"

Would you like me to cancel your room, a Wonderful Response!

 

[Rock'n Robin]

I make our trip plans way in advance, so if stuff comes up it's just too bad. If I know about it I'll work around it, but last year we only went for 4 nights in August due to kids' stuff, and then found out 2 weeks prior that DD#1 would miss the fall cheerleading photo--her coach asked if our dates were flexible! If only airlines worked that way. That's another reason taking our vacation over spring break was so nice this year--no school, no conflicts.
Robin M.

 

[Sheribo]

Absolutely hilarious. I would do the exact same thing. Resort is booked!! I'm a planner and I book the first day I can so once the plan is in place I relax.