Should I let it go or ask her to cancel

[quietgirl]

I will try to keep this short and still include enough details. My In-laws (75 and 70) (mainly MIL, I doubt my FIL knows exactly how much this is costing) have invited us to go to disney world with them (main reason being to spend sometime with our sons 6 and 9). It will be the boys first time and no one else has been in a very long time. It will also be the first time we have done this type of vacation with them. My MIL wanted to use a AAA travel agent (since she is paying I have no problem with that it got us some bonuses. My MIL is sort of the under the impression we are planning a long way out..we are not..we are going in June. I had done a bunch of ADR's before she had even seen the travel agent but canceled because the travel agent implied to my MIL that she either needed to do all of them or none of them (strike one on her) and I knew my MIL would be happier that way. At my MIL request I picked a couple of TS meals my MIL talked to travel agent about it and for one of the places the agent told her that place did not do breakfast (it does and it was NOT a matter of there not being tables there was then and still are now) so strike 2.

Today I got the ADRs today and I say strike 3. One of the places I specifically requested (I was directly in contact with her by email) she has a different place (similar type food but NOT the one I requested and the one I asked for does have tables). We ended up with 3 buffets (again not what I talked to her about).

so what we have is

Sun 5:25pm Plaza Restaurant
Mon 6:00pm San Angel Restaurant
Tue 5pm Hollywood & Vine w/ Fantasmic Viewing at 9pm
Wed 5:35pm Coral Reef
Thu 9:20am Chef Mickey’s
Fri 4pm Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue


I really don't want to eat at Hollywood and Vine but I know that my inlaws will prefer having the viewing for fantasmic so I don't want to change that but I have made 2 ADRs one for Sunday at the place at our resort to eliminate the plaza and one for Monday for La Hacienda de San Angel at 4:45 as compared to San Angel at 6:00pm. (my MIL wanted all the reservations for at close to 5 as possible..so 4:45 is closer then 6.)

I know that I did it partly to prove that I could but also because I had put some thought into the first set of suggestions and my MIL was happy with them

So the question..do I just let it go as is and remind myself that it won't be horrible and I'm not paying for it. or do I wait a couple of months and then tell my MIL to cancel the two dates that I have got subs for, that I found some place I think she and FIL would enjoy more/or at a better time.

I don't want to involve the travel agent again. (She told my MIL that she would handle everything and then gave her phone numbers to make her own tour reservations for something my MIL and FIL would like to do). If we lived close to each other I'm sure it would have all worked out differently.
I just want everyone to have a good time and to enjoy their meals.

 

[MAYNARDS99]

Hmm...I think you answered your own question. "Since she is paying" sums it up.

Suggest to your MIL that you would like to pick, and pay for, a few places to eat.

 

[amos07]

I will try to keep this short and still include enough details. My In-laws (75 and 70) (mainly MIL, I doubt my FIL knows exactly how much this is costing) have invited us to go to disney world with them (main reason being to spend sometime with our sons 6 and 9). It will be the boys first time and no one else has been in a very long time. It will also be the first time we have done this type of vacation with them. My MIL wanted to use a AAA travel agent (since she is paying I have no problem with that it got us some bonuses. My MIL is sort of the under the impression we are planning a long way out..we are not..we are going in June. I had done a bunch of ADR's before she had even seen the travel agent but canceled because the travel agent implied to my MIL that she either needed to do all of them or none of them (strike one on her) and I knew my MIL would be happier that way. At my MIL request I picked a couple of TS meals my MIL talked to travel agent about it and for one of the places the agent told her that place did not do breakfast (it does and it was NOT a matter of there not being tables there was then and still are now) so strike 2.

Today I got the ADRs today and I say strike 3. One of the places I specifically requested (I was directly in contact with her by email) she has a different place (similar type food but NOT the one I requested and the one I asked for does have tables). We ended up with 3 buffets (again not what I talked to her about).

so what we have is

Sun 5:25pm Plaza Restaurant
Mon 6:00pm San Angel Restaurant
Tue 5pm Hollywood & Vine w/ Fantasmic Viewing at 9pm
Wed 5:35pm Coral Reef
Thu 9:20am Chef Mickey’s
Fri 4pm Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue


I really don't want to eat at Hollywood and Vine but I know that my inlaws will prefer having the viewing for fantasmic so I don't want to change that but I have made 2 ADRs one for Sunday at the place at our resort to eliminate the plaza and one for Monday for La Hacienda de San Angel at 4:45 as compared to San Angel at 6:00pm. (my MIL wanted all the reservations for at close to 5 as possible..so 4:45 is closer then 6.)

I know that I did it partly to prove that I could but also because I had put some thought into the first set of suggestions and my MIL was happy with them

So the question..do I just let it go as is and remind myself that it won't be horrible and I'm not paying for it. or do I wait a couple of months and then tell my MIL to cancel the two dates that I have got subs for, that I found some place I think she and FIL would enjoy more/or at a better time.

I don't want to involve the travel agent again. (She told my MIL that she would handle everything and then gave her phone numbers to make her own tour reservations for something my MIL and FIL would like to do). If we lived close to each other I'm sure it would have all worked out differently.
I just want everyone to have a good time and to enjoy their meals.

I used a AAA travel agent the last time we went and I had all control over my dining. Call up the dining and see if the ones you want to change can be cancelled.

 

["Cinder" Ella's Mom]

I am close with my MIL, so I would sit down with her and discuss options. Have your computer nearby and show her that you can easily get ADRs for otehr times and ask if she would prefer to change them. If not, simply say ok and suck it up for the sake of the (free-yeah!) trip. If she is willing to let you help with the ADRs and plans, then all the better. Hopefully she will understand that her TA might not be a Disney "expert."

 

[Sunnywho]

If it's the first time you've done this sort of trip, I would try to be as easy-going as possible. Travelling with relatives is hard on both sides.

The Plaza is lovely. My boys love the ice cream there. It's also one of the least expensive table service restaurants. That's good for their budget.

San Angel at 6 pm is close enough to 5 pm. They'll be fine. Don't let them know that you could've done better.

Hollywood & Vine and Chef Mickey's are both not my favorites, but many people eat there every day and have perfectly fine times. It's just food, the fun part is the parks.

 

[Gantu]

Best advice (I've done 3 family trips of 11 people)... just let it go and have a good time! I fully understand what your saying, I really do. But for your peice of mind.... let it all go and go with the flo!

 

[dvc at last !]

If it's the first time you've done this sort of trip, I would try to be as easy-going as possible. Travelling with relatives is hard on both sides.

The Plaza is lovely. My boys love the ice cream there. It's also one of the least expensive table service restaurants. That's good for their budget.

San Angel at 6 pm is close enough to 5 pm. They'll be fine. Don't let them know that you could've done better.

Hollywood & Vine and Chef Mickey's are both not my favorites, but many people eat there every day and have perfectly fine times. It's just food, the fun part is the parks.

Read the above quote again -
just go with the flo and have a great time !

 

[Trish.Glenn]

I agree with the other DISers go and have fun. Where you end up eating is not very important in the big picture.

Good Luck!!!

 

[quietgirl]

well I was going to just let it go and then my MIL told me that the travel agent made a reservation for her and FIL to take a tour at the same time as she had made an ADR for us all to have breakfast together. So I wrote a very polite email with the 3 changes (2 that my MIL wants and 1 that I would prefer) because MIL is babysitting her daughter's children this week and has no access to her own email. Hopefully it gets done, if not I will do whatever my MIL wants in terms of helping her change/cancel/make new ones. If we lived in the same state, it would be easier. I think the travel agent loves disney and has been to disney but I don't think she is quite the expert that MIL thinks she is (or the woman has something else going on in her life and some of the details of my MIL trip are getting lost in the shuffle). Either way we have plane tickets and we have a room reservation so everything else will work out. Thanks for the input