It Finally Happened - They Flaked!

[808blessing]

Right after I read the original post I told my husband, I don't want to be in this position. Then a few days later I saw the perfect amount of points at a good date and surprised a friend with a too perfect birthday stay. She is over the moon and I'm prepared to take it (just one night) if she flakes. She won't. Right?

 

[sndral]

WHO IS READY FOR A HAPPY ENDING? (maybe)

For a week, I've been calling who I thought had the time and money to do this. It conflicted with everyone's school/vacation/wedding plans. Even Grandma didn't want to go in the heat.

Well, as the crazy Disney person, a friend called me for Disney advice. This is not a friend who I thought was able to afford this. We've never even talked about Disney before. They have a family member deploying who has always wanted to go to WDW, they have military tickets, and they were sticker shocked by the crazy hotels. Enter 2BR Beach Club!!!

We are going to have this room packed! We cut the trip a couple days to scale back the cost. Boy, is 2BR BC a steal compared to the three hotel rooms this would take! They insisted on chipping in, and everyone is happy. I was able to book studios at Poly/OKW/Boardwalk to extend a little for just us and have a quadruple split stay haha. And I still managed to avoid my home resort of SSR. Everyone wins! Hoping to finalize this in a couple days, but we may have worked all of this out!

It's been a week, and I haven't heard from Flaky Friend at all. I guess they don't care what I was able to work out. I'm not sure what happens to a relationship after something like this.

“When one door closes, another opens.” Alexander Graham Bell.
I think it’s great that you are able to help out your friend & to participate in enabling their soon to be deployed family member fulfill their wish to go to WDW. & if the flakey friends hadn’t pulled out you wouldn’t have been able to make the offer. As for the flakes, it sounds like you’ll be going w/ a much nicer bunch of people - folks who might be better friends going forward.
Personally I’d probably graciously refuse their offer to ‘chip in’ for the villa, but suggest they treat me to a meal or two.
Also, I’d be seriously stalking & waitlisting to try & reduce that quadruple split.

 

[RoseGold]

Personally I’d probably graciously refuse their offer to ‘chip in’ for the villa, but suggest they treat me to a meal or two.

This is more a familismo Latin thing for them, kind of like an amount to feel like it isn't charity? I mean, this isn't really about the money, it's less than they would have paid for one room. I'm good with this middle ground, it's what they feel comfortable doing, everyone is good with the arrangement. If I wanted money, I would have rented it out.

 

[BamaGuy44]

WHO IS READY FOR A HAPPY ENDING? (maybe)

For a week, I've been calling who I thought had the time and money to do this. It conflicted with everyone's school/vacation/wedding plans. Even Grandma didn't want to go in the heat.

Well, as the crazy Disney person, a friend called me for Disney advice. This is not a friend who I thought was able to afford this. We've never even talked about Disney before. They have a family member deploying who has always wanted to go to WDW, they have military tickets, and they were sticker shocked by the crazy hotels. Enter 2BR Beach Club!!!

We are going to have this room packed! We cut the trip a couple days to scale back the cost. Boy, is 2BR BC a steal compared to the three hotel rooms this would take! They insisted on chipping in, and everyone is happy. I was able to book studios at Poly/OKW/Boardwalk to extend a little for just us and have a quadruple split stay haha. And I still managed to avoid my home resort of SSR. Everyone wins! Hoping to finalize this in a couple days, but we may have worked all of this out!

It's been a week, and I haven't heard from Flaky Friend at all. I guess they don't care what I was able to work out. I'm not sure what happens to a relationship after something like this.

We’re Disney fans, OF COURSE we love a happy ending. Glad it worked out, but it makes me sad that Flaky Friend would treat you like that. Things happen, people need to cancel but it’s all in how you handle it. They handled it poorly IMO

 

[gregskellington]

So glad you got a happy ending! That brings a smile to my face. I was going to offer my services to be your new friend and fill up the room, otherwise

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Been a legal assistant for years. Trust me when I say this … friends and family are at the top of the list of the people you need a contract with. They will stick it to you before an absolute stranger, because they can.

I know that's true. When it comes to money, I always consider money to family and friends a gift and not a loan for that reason.

When it comes to things like bringing them on vacation, I refuse to live my life asking my friend to sign a contract for me to bring them to Disney. What would it say anyway? They didn't pay me and I didn't pay them. I am certainly not going to create a contact that says they only have to pay me if they cancel. I just won't do it.

WHO IS READY FOR A HAPPY ENDING? (maybe)

For a week, I've been calling who I thought had the time and money to do this. It conflicted with everyone's school/vacation/wedding plans. Even Grandma didn't want to go in the heat.

Well, as the crazy Disney person, a friend called me for Disney advice. This is not a friend who I thought was able to afford this. We've never even talked about Disney before. They have a family member deploying who has always wanted to go to WDW, they have military tickets, and they were sticker shocked by the crazy hotels. Enter 2BR Beach Club!!!

We are going to have this room packed! We cut the trip a couple days to scale back the cost. Boy, is 2BR BC a steal compared to the three hotel rooms this would take! They insisted on chipping in, and everyone is happy. I was able to book studios at Poly/OKW/Boardwalk to extend a little for just us and have a quadruple split stay haha. And I still managed to avoid my home resort of SSR. Everyone wins! Hoping to finalize this in a couple days, but we may have worked all of this out!

I am SSSOOO glad that worked out! Woohoo!!!

 

[suebeelin]

Yay happy ending!

 

[RoseGold]

To follow up on this thread, replacement trip was BANANAS. Replacement Friend was ALL IN and listened to all the crazy Disney stuff. It was pretty amazing. They could not have been happier to be there, or happier with a 2BR at BC. Military family got to spend some quality time with family before being deployed, and some other family members stayed offsite. It was more than I had hoped for, when I booked that room. The suite and BC was just amazing in this context.

I didn't hear from Flaky Friend much after this mess, and telling them the position they had left me in. They never apologized. They didn't check in to see I was able to handle the booking or anything. We communicated a little on neutral topics. We met up every couple months for the kids. They grilled food for us and some other people once. We didn't talk about Disney at all.

Flaky Friend sent me a text message around Thanksgiving, asking if I would be willing to plan a trip for them to go to Disney this summer with another family. I left it on read. I was stunned, honestly.

 

[Tiggerette]

Wow... the way this summary reads is that Flaky Friend expects you have a part-time job as a travel planner. My initial reaction was to send info about actual travel planners, since that may not be a side hustle/job for you. I can also appreciate leaving it unread until the friend follows up. Also, it's so heart warming to hear about the military family. That's really nice to hear how the trip made such a positive impact.

 

[sndral]

To follow up on this thread, replacement trip was BANANAS. Replacement Friend was ALL IN and listened to all the crazy Disney stuff. It was pretty amazing. They could not have been happier to be there, or happier with a 2BR at BC. Military family got to spend some quality time with family before being deployed, and some other family members stayed offsite. It was more than I had hoped for, when I booked that room. The suite and BC was just amazing in this context.

I didn't hear from Flaky Friend much after this mess, and telling them the position they had left me in. They never apologized. They didn't check in to see I was able to handle the booking or anything. We communicated a little on neutral topics. We met up every couple months for the kids. They grilled food for us and some other people once. We didn't talk about Disney at all.

Flaky Friend sent me a text message around Thanksgiving, asking if I would be willing to plan a trip for them to go to Disney this summer with another family. I left it on read. I was stunned, honestly.

you’re a better person than I, I think I would have sent a reply saying
‘How exciting to hear that you are planning a trip to WDW, we loved the 2 br. we stayed in at the BC & I highly recommend booking there (insert photos.) I’ve already made my travel plans for next summer, but let me know after you’ve made your hotel reservations & if we’re there at the same time we can meet up . Here’s a link to Disney’s booking site (insert link hopefully showing price of a 2 br. at BCV) hope this helps w/ your planning.’
.

 

[CarolynFH]

Flaky Friend sent me a text message around Thanksgiving, asking if I would be willing to plan a trip for them to go to Disney this summer with another family. I left it on read. I was stunned, honestly.

Wow.

I think I'd send them the link to a Disney travel agent, like Dreams Unlimited, without any further comment.

And I'm really glad that the replacement trip turned out to be so wonderful!

 

[kilik64]

you’re a better person than I, I think I would have sent a reply saying
‘How exciting to hear that you are planning a trip to WDW, we loved the 2 br. we stayed in at the BC & I highly recommend booking there (insert photos.) I’ve already made my travel plans for next summer, but let me know after you’ve made your hotel reservations & if we’re there at the same time we can meet up . Here’s a link to Disney’s booking site (insert link hopefully showing price of a 2 br. at BCV) hope this helps w/ your planning.’
.

All the passive aggressive pettiness in this is amazing. Love it!

Glad the trip turned out great, sucks about flakey friend but maybe you and other friend that went grew closer now? So could be a win win for ya!

 

[RoseGold]

Glad the trip turned out great, sucks about flakey friend but maybe you and other friend that went grew closer now? So could be a win win for ya!

It really opened my eyes to Flaky Friend's character, that's for sure. I don't perceive them as someone I can trust anymore, which is a loss, but maybe not, because maybe it was never what I thought it was. When I sell all my DVC, I'll still be glad I made that military trip work for a family who was really appreciative and never would have been able to pull anything like that off.

I thought about sending a travel agent response, or even just saying no. But that seemed more aggressive-aggressive than just not responding. I wouldn't say I'm avoiding conflict, it's not like I was subtle about the situation they put me in. I was just stunned when I read it and knew that I needed to not do anything rash. And now it's a month later, so I guess I made my point.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

It really opened my eyes to Flaky Friend's character, that's for sure. I don't perceive them as someone I can trust anymore, which is a loss, but maybe not, because maybe it was never what I thought it was. When I sell all my DVC, I'll still be glad I made that military trip work for a family who was really appreciative and never would have been able to pull anything like that off.

I thought about sending a travel agent response, or even just saying no. But that seemed more aggressive-aggressive than just not responding. I wouldn't say I'm avoiding conflict, it's not like I was subtle about the situation they put me in. I was just stunned when I read it and knew that I needed to not do anything rash. And now it's a month later, so I guess I made my point.

First off, I am really glad that the trip went so well and that you were able to treat the military family. That is so nice to hear, and it's nice to hear that you all had a terrific trip!!!! You are a rare, special kind of person and I appreciate that about you (even when we bicker).

I would probably have done the same with you as regards to flaky. Although I would be tempted to respond with "glad to hear you are finally able to go. Enjoy your trip", I would not have suggested planners, or gotten involved and I would probably have just left it unanswered as you did since any other answer would invite discussion and I would not want to do that.

I am grappling with a related issue, but different since I know these friends are not flaky. I have some friends who we really wanted to treat to Disney. We saved points from last year so we would have enough to take them this year. I am running out of time to book a trip..... BUT my friend is VERY LIKELY to lose their employment in a few months. There is no way they could afford even their part of the trip (airfare, tickets) without a job and any new job if they got one might not give them time off. So I do not want to book it... but I have to make a decision soon or I am going to lose my points. So it's not the same issue, but I am still stuck with what to do with the points. No fault of friend, though.

 

[js]

Thanks for thr update and so happy everything ended up working out so nicely.

We have good friends that flake and we no longer will invite. They flaked when I booked a GV at SSR a few years ago for our Friendsgiving with another one of our couple friends and canceled the night before we were all going to Nashville last month with two other couples. I will stay friends, they are good friends we have been together over 35 years, but I will NEVER invite them and if they want to go away, they can do the planning and book it.

Happy you had a great ending to your story!!

 

[crisi]

First off, I am really glad that the trip went so well and that you were able to treat the military family. That is so nice to hear, and it's nice to hear that you all had a terrific trip!!!! You are a rare, special kind of person and I appreciate that about you (even when we bicker).

I would probably have done the same with you as regards to flaky. Although I would be tempted to respond with "glad to hear you are finally able to go. Enjoy your trip", I would not have suggested planners, or gotten involved and I would probably have just left it unanswered as you did since any other answer would invite discussion and I would not want to do that.

I am grappling with a related issue, but different since I know these friends are not flaky. I have some friends who we really wanted to treat to Disney. We saved points from last year so we would have enough to take them this year. I am running out of time to book a trip..... BUT my friend is VERY LIKELY to lose their employment in a few months. There is no way they could afford even their part of the trip (airfare, tickets) without a job and any new job if they got one might not give them time off. So I do not want to book it... but I have to make a decision soon or I am going to lose my points. So it's not the same issue, but I am still stuck with what to do with the points. No fault of friend, though.

Book two studios, then rent one if your friends can't make it. Or just talk to them and be honest "things look financially uncertain for you guys, lets push this out a year or two."

I have said before I'm the queen of trips that didn't happen they way they were originally planned. My own family trip that started as "my sister, her husband and baby - my baby sister and her boyfriend - and my parents (plus us) got pushed once when my sister got pregnant and again when that sister got cancer (with a six month old at home), but they time we went, my other sister had broken up with her boyfriend and skipped the trip - and the baby my sister hadn't conceived yet was a toddler. In the meantime, we used some points to take other friends. Then my husband's family trip turned out to be the four of us in a Grand Villa when his brother died of cancer (he hadn't relapsed when we made plans).

 

[bobbiwoz]

That has been me with the big family trips so far. So far, been lucky to have no one not be able to go. But, I have 2 bedrooms booked for next December and if things change and my guests don't go, I will be enjoying them all by myself!!!

How did this December trip go?

 

[Sandisw]

How did this December trip go?

It ended up with three of us and to be honest, it was great!

 

[bobbiwoz]

Our earlier December trip had two friends cancel, with reasons that could not be faulted. So DSis and I each had a studio. DSis admitted it was nice!

One of our group has immune deficiencies and for now, cannot plan on a trip to WDW.

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

I don’t think when someone flakes out as this person did that it is accidental. I think there is a certain amount of malevolence involved. Not sure what it stems from but it could be something as simple as her jealousy over your owning DVC. Be careful.