Meeting up with friends dilemma

[FSU Girl]

I'm going to Disney Martin Luther King weekend in a couple weeks and have everything booked, dining, fast passes, etc. My fiance just told me his cousin is proposing to his girlfriend and planning one day at Disney while we are there. He's having a few family members come down to surprise his girlfriend and hasn't planned anything.

So I'm trying to figure out where to meet up with all of them. They're considering doing all four parks in just the one day and are not planners. I told him he needs to make some sort of dining or fast passes ahead of time, but he doesn't seem concerned. There will be 6 of them. I don't really want to give up anything I have booked. It was carefully picked for my first kids trip and there isn't going to be much available for 10 people I'm guessing.

Our plan for this day is to be in Hollywood Studios and then have dinner at Narcoossee's. The kids won't have park hoppers so we can't meet them in a different park. Should I try and convince them to have dinner at the Grand Floridian so we can hang out at that hotel? Or maybe have them meet up with us at Hollywood Studios? We're staying at Bay Lake Tower, so maybe they could come visit us at the hotel from Magic Kingdom since it's on the monorail? He's really excited about us meeting some of his extended family, but his lack of planning is making this difficult.

 

[mom2shayleeandlogan]

I’d keep my current plans and if timing works out to meet them then go ahead and do it. We had a similar situation a few years ago with a cousin. I bent over backwards and switched things around only to have the cousin flake and meet us a different time. My husband wanted to meet them again when we go in a few weeks and I said no. We can do arrival or departure day when we only have Disney Springs planned. Not a planned out park day with ressies and fast passes

 

[buckeyeguy1]

I would share your plans for the day and invite them to meet up with you while at HS if they want. They can only make fastpass selections for one of the 4 parks anyway. If he doesn't seem to concerned about making plans, you shouldn't either. Its always possible that they hit two parks and decide that they don't want to visit the others. You guys can all break bread at a QS in HS too. You wouldn't need to worry about reservations that way.

 

[hllb]

Yeah, give them your schedule and say, if you can join us for any of this, please do. But no, don't change your plans. This is your vacation.

 

[caribbeandream]

Whether you were vacationing at Disney or not I think the answer remains the same. Before he decided to make his engagement a family vacation this was your family vacation first. Inform him of your plans but don't change them to please people who have no idea what they are doing anyway. I hope I don't come off as rude but I'm related to someone who highly dislikes making plans and as much as I love her I have learned that it's not my job to feel bad about other people's lack of planning.

 

[Nettester]

I would say give them your itinerary for the day if they want to catch up with you. Let them know once more to get in touch with you asap if they want help with dining reservation or fast pass planning. I would not change your family plans or take it on as your responsibility to book larger group dining or rides together. You already have your plans. If they get some things in the parks that are close or overlap a little to spend a little time with you in the park, great. Maybe you'll just end up catching up at a fast casual lunch, ice cream or show, and that's fine too. Since they are winging it, I'd suggest that they stay in contact with you on that day, or the day before. And I'd just invite them to your resort after dinner, maybe for fireworks viewing.

 

[nkereina]

Agreed - keep your plans and see if you can work out some kind of meet up outside the parks. Whether dinner/drinks at GF, or meeting up on the Poly beach for fireworks, or something else over at CR, there's lots of options to meet up after dinner. Good luck!

 

[YawningDodo]

Agreed with all the others above. Even if both groups want to meet up, it's not the sole responsibility of one group (i.e. yours) to make it work. If they had firmer plans, I'd say make a little adjustment here or there to make it happen, but since they're being wild and free about it (and especially since they have park hoppers and plan to hop regardless) I think the best thing to do is to have a clear itinerary that you share with them and that you follow to the best of your ability, and to make sure they have your phone number. Suggest a couple ideal times to meet up (mealtimes, attractions you plan to wait standby for, etc.), and let them figure it out.

I will say, though...as someone who's done a four park day, I'm a little horrified at the thought of doing a four park day with five other people and no plan for how to go about it. It actually takes a good bit of plotting to make sure you keep a schedule that will allow you to make it to all the parks and have time to actually do something at each of them, and my memories of going to AK with a group of friends that size and no plan are mostly memories of standing around having committee meetings about what we were going to do next. No way would we have made it through more than two parks if we'd been as ambitious as this cousin of yours.

 

[FSU Girl]

Thanks everyone. I'm a super planner so they are like the complete opposite of me. He complained to me how he didn't get to eat anywhere nice because they didn't get reservations anywhere. I told him then he needed to plan ahead, I guess it didn't sink in. Good idea about giving them our itinerary so they can figure out where to meet up with us.

 

[luvsJack]

Is this meet up when he plans to propose? Does he have the proposal planned?

I wouldn't change my plans for a random meet up for dinner or to tour together but I would for the actual proposal.

 

[FSU Girl]

Is this meet up when he plans to propose? Does he have the proposal planned?

I wouldn't change my plans for a random meet up for dinner or to tour together but I would for the actual proposal.

No he's proposing before hand in Tampa where they live. Then they are all going over to Disney a few days later.

 

[bumbershoot]

I will say, though...as someone who's done a four park day, I'm a little horrified at the thought of doing a four park day with five other people and no plan for how to go about it.

Agreed.

No he's proposing before hand in Tampa where they live. Then they are all going over to Disney a few days later.

Oh thank goodness. I was getting extra worried about this whole situation. But at least that’ll be out of the way.

 

[DisneyWishes14]

I agree with the others. You have plans to be in DHS and he plans to hit all four parks, so they can certainly meet up with you at DHS. There is no way I would change my plans for a non-planner!

 

[MakiraMarlena]

You don't have to eat with them or spend any of your already planned time with them or even take a chunk of your day to hang out with them. if you have a cell phone and they have a cell phone you can arrange to get together and say hello and congratulations when they are at DHS, and then go on your way.

 

[rg35]

As others have said, I'd let them figure out when/where to meet you. If you tell them where you are going to be, the onus is on them to work it out. You made your plans well in advance do not change them for this meetup.

 

[PAsFab5]

I am in a similar situation, but reversed rolls!! My extended family is visiting the parks for the first time this spring, and they have every day planned (parks, meals, arrival times, fast passes...) our household decided to join them just last month (this will be our third trip) due to having to cancel our original Caribbean vacation destination because of hurricane damage.

Out of respect and understanding of the amount of planning that goes into a first-time Disney trip I have told them we only plan on visiting the same parks as them on the same days, we are not joining them for dining reservations or fast passes. I don’t want them to change any of their plans for us, I think that’s just too much to ask of anyone and nobody should expect you to change your plans either!

I would suggest to your family to join you for your preschedule fun, if they wish, but stick to your plans!!!!