Should I feel guilty...our trip could cost less?

[crashbb]

I'm just going by the wording of your post "you convinced them to book a monorail resort". If it were me, I'd never attempt to convince someone paying for my trip that we should stay at the most expensive resort in the first place. And, if I found a great price for a good place (i.e. $99 for the Hilton) I would definitely suggest that we switch to that.

If it had been your parents insisting on the monorail resort in the first place, I might feel somewhat differently (though I would still mention the Hilton offer to them).

 

[Bonnie40]

My daughter just got back from staying at BLT and commented that it was lovely, but you're paying an incredible amount of $ for the convenience of staying on the monorail!

I have to agree with the previous posters....I think your folks are in sticker shock and are subtlely trying to find ways to reduce the cost. I would never want to put my parents in the position of feeling obligated to pay an exhorbitant amount of $ for a room just so it's more convenient for naptime. I'd be concerned about hard feelings after the fact - just imagine when they see how much everything costs down there! I would never want to risk that.

If you feel so strongly about staying at BLT - then I would be coughing up the cash to pay the difference. If that's not possible, then I would be gracious and make the switch.

The Hilton DTD is a wonderful hotel....very convenient to DTD which would be great for the kids. It offers EMH and the rooms will be much larger than what you will get at BLT!

 

[BelleWDW]

ouldn't 2 rooms there be cheaper?

Or 2 rooms at WL-its REALLY as fast as the monorail-riding the boat back and a lot less expensive!

 

[ppan77]

Ok let me start by letting everyone know some more details I left out. We have stayed at POFQ in the past with my parents during Easter. (moderate) We offered to pay the difference of BLT vs. POFQ to be on the monorail for our four nights. We have stayed by ourselves on the monorail before with our two little ones and absolutely loved it for our family. We have two small children and one that still naps. When we went to book we could do two POLY rooms or a villa at BLT. My parents liked the layout of the villas and plan on doing some evening babysitting and felt this was a better fit for us. Then they find out about the Hilton rate.

As far as napping, I know what is best for my kids and we need a break in the afternoon. We tried the whole "let them nap in the stroller" when ds was 18 months . He NEVER napped once in the stroller. Every day I thought he would and he just couldn't. He ended up sick and throwing up by the end of our trip. So we always take breaks for naps now.




I am going to look into the Hilton and talk to my parents once more. They insisted this would be great for when the kids are older.

 

[Beckypooh1972]

Ok let me start by letting everyone know some more details I left out. We have stayed at POFQ in the past with my parents during Easter. (moderate) We offered to pay the difference of BLT vs. POFQ to be on the monorail for our four nights. We have stayed by ourselves on the monorail before with our two little ones and absolutely loved it for our family. We have two small children and one that still naps. When we went to book we could do two POLY rooms or a villa at BLT. My parents liked the layout of the villas and plan on doing some evening babysitting and felt this was a better fit for us. Then they find out about the Hilton rate.

Well, it sounds like your parents are Disney veterans and know what to expect in terms of costs at Disney. Maybe your Dad was just throwing out the Hilton rate as an option. The BLT villa would make sense for a large family; if they can afford it, I'd go for it! If you are definitely not doing any driving, I wouldn't want to depend on the bus system exclusively either. If you stay at the Hilton after all, take my advice and rent a car or a van for quicker getaways with the little ones.

 

[cat83]

It seems like only you know your parents well enough to know the answer

I can only say, like others, that in my OWN personal experience, and with my relationship with my own parents, that I would feel guilty.
They save deluxe for only special celebrations.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

I've been to WDW with little kids a number of times. We've stayed onsite (monorail hotel, DVC, etc.) and offsite with a rental car. I've always been able to take my kids back to the room for a nap, with minimal hassle. The monorail only helps you for MK, and even there, walking would be quicker.

If it were me, I'd save my parents the money. It's the mature thing to do. Maybe they can stash that money away for another trip in the future, maybe they could use it for other things. But the right thing for you to do is to move to the cheaper hotel. Save the BLT when you can afford to treat your parents.

 

[tabithakp]

i get where your coming from. We stay at the poly because of the boat and monorail to mk, the ttc and epcot monorail being right there too. We have young children and although they will nap in the stoller i am on vacation and anything to make it more comfortable is worth it to me. I would see what your parents have budgeted for the vacation and go from there. There are more ways to save money then just changing the room. IMO

 

[kevschickee]

It seems like only you know your parents well enough to know the answer

I can only say, like others, that in my OWN personal experience, and with my relationship with my own parents, that I would feel guilty.
They save deluxe for only special celebrations.

I would feel very guilty too. You can still go back to the hotel without staying at an expensive resort like that.

 

[ireland_nicole]

I would never tell someone who was paying for my trip where I must stay. I would leave it to your parents and try to appreciate that they're paying. As far as napping, if you've gone during Spring break in the past you might be surprised at the difference in park hours in low season. So at least factor that in to your decision making process. Honestly, it isn't that big a deal to go back to an off monorail hotel a couple of times. I haven't stayed in a monorial resort since I was a kid, we go w/ our kids every year, and it's never been a problem getting back for a nap if needed.

 

[luvsJack]

I think it is just basically what you convince yourself you can and cannot do.

If staying on the monorail line is not an option but your child needs a nap, you find a way and it will be convenient for you. If staying there is an option (for whatever reason) then somehow it becomes "necessary" to stay there.

OP, it should be 100% totally up to your parents. Their dime, their decision. If someone is paying for you to go, you should not be convincing them to stay anywhere. Just MHO.

That is just too much of a difference in money to talk them into going one way or the other.

 

[Magic Mom]

I've been to WDW with little kids a number of times. We've stayed onsite (monorail hotel, DVC, etc.) and offsite with a rental car. I've always been able to take my kids back to the room for a nap, with minimal hassle. The monorail only helps you for MK, and even there, walking would be quicker.

If it were me, I'd save my parents the money. It's the mature thing to do. Maybe they can stash that money away for another trip in the future, maybe they could use it for other things. But the right thing for you to do is to move to the cheaper hotel. Save the BLT when you can afford to treat your parents.

Perfect answer. YOur father brought up the Hilton, so he must be considering it. Don't pressure him into paying hundreds more for BLT by laying the naptime guilt trip on him. Your kids can take naps at a cheaper hotel.

 

[AntePrincess]

I must be missing something. Your parents are paying for this trip. They are suggesting a cheaper hotel. Theoretically, the more expensive hotel makes nap times more convenient. So, you're holding out to spend over a thousand and change of someone else's money on your kids' naps? Wow, those are some pampered kids you have there.

Forget guilt, although the fact that you're considering guilt ought to be a clue, don't you apply basic etiquette to your own family? You're the guest. Your obligation is to be friendly, easy-going, compliant, and to be miraculously easy-to-please. (Don't believe me? Look up any of the various etiquette maven books on Google Books and search for "guest.")

 

[sk!mom]

If you are paying for the trip, stay wherever you want. If mom and dad are paying, I would tell them the Hilton was fine and change your reservations. If they didn't want to consider cheaper options, they wouldn't have mentioned it.

I completely agree! You are very lucky to have such generous parents. Please don't take advantage of their generosity.

 

[sk!mom]

You're the guest. Your obligation is to be friendly, easy-going, compliant, and to be miraculously easy-to-please. (Don't believe me? Look up any of the various etiquette maven books on Google Books and search for "guest.")

Very good point!

 

[DVC Sadie]

I would like to put a different perspective on this topic.

When my parents paid for our family to go on vacation (years ago) they decided where we would stay after keeping in mind what we would like. If it was in keeping with what they were willing to spend then that was fine but if not they had no difficulty in putting out other options.

Now we are the ones who bring our family on vacations (WDW) and other places and while I discuss with them some choices of places to stay, things to do etc.... the ultimate decision is ours.

Lets face it, some families have a lot more income to spend on vacations and there are others who have less to spend.

OP, please sit down with your parents and have a discussion with them in regards to expenses and expectations. You may be closer than you think or they may tell you that they need to re-examine the choices of places to stay.

 

[Colleen27]

My mom and dad are taking us to WDW for 4 nights in January. We convinced them to stay on the monorail and booked BLT 2 bdrm suite. We are soo excited and love the use of the monorail with our kids. It will be me, dh, ds4, and dd21 months, plus grammy and pop pop. Now pop pop has received a $99 at the Hilton-WDW through his company travel club. I feel soo bad. But we love being on the monorail especially since DD is going to need to nap each day. They said we can use the rate another time and that he will always have this rate being a Hilton club member or whatever it is. Should we offer to switch?

If I were in your shoes, I'd sit down with your parents and compare the two resorts point-by-point, then let them make the decision.

For us, offsite deals are never really deals in the end, mainly because we fly. With 6 of us, that means renting a minivan (big $$ compared to renting a car) because we don't want to rely on shuttle buses from offsite. Then you have to add in parking (more $$), factor in loss of extra magic hours and the extra travel time added to nap breaks (both potentially big issues with as short as park hours are in Jan), etc. The money saved isn't as much as it appears at first glance, and it comes with a huge loss of convenience.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

If I were in your shoes, I'd sit down with your parents and compare the two resorts point-by-point, then let them make the decision.

For us, offsite deals are never really deals in the end, mainly because we fly. With 6 of us, that means renting a minivan (big $$ compared to renting a car) because we don't want to rely on shuttle buses from offsite. Then you have to add in parking (more $$), factor in loss of extra magic hours and the extra travel time added to nap breaks (both potentially big issues with as short as park hours are in Jan), etc. The money saved isn't as much as it appears at first glance, and it comes with a huge loss of convenience.

I have to respectfully disagree. The rack rate for BLT is ~$450 a night for a 2BR. You could get a townhouse or condo at Windsor Hills for as low as $200 a week. On another thread, someone was asking about minivan rentals on Priceline, and people were saying $29 a day. Yeah, you lose EMH, but there are low crowds to begin with, and with 2 little ones, you're not going to be going dawn to dark anyway. I also have a family of 6, and found staying off-site to be amazingly fun and relaxing (we did a house rental). Don't misunderstand, I'm not ready to sell my DVC or anything, but off-site gets a lot of undeserved negative press around these parts, IMHO.

In a case like this, if the Hilton has a shuttle, then the car rental and parking fees are a moot point anyway. Besides, it's not the OP's money that she's spending--it's her parents'. I can't imagine being so cavalier about price when someone else is picking up the tab.

 

[esk]

I simply can't let my mother pay for trips.

We've been to Italy twice, WDE once and England once with my mom. I am always the trip planner, I ask her how much she wants to spend on hotel/villa and then I find something in that range.

Sometimes she says "let's spend more to get more" in the way of location or amenities. Sometimes she says "no, really don't want to go over $250 a night" or whatever.

We always insist on paying our park tickets or meals or what have you; she tries to whip out that card faster, and sometimes succeeds, but most times, we try to make it as even as possible.

But when it comes to the hotel/villa --- since I'm the planner, if I want to stay somewhere else, I get the price (for her) down to what she said. If she pays $200 a night and I pay $500 a night, that's how it is. Because she said how much she wanted to pay. Of course, she thinks we split it 50/50. Never. Can't compare a family of 4 and one grandparent and go 50/50. Always 60/30 at minimum.

 

[okeydokey]

If they are paying then stay where they suggest. Sounds like your Dad is suggesting the Hilton.