To Invite Or Not Invite The Inlaws...that Is The Question??

[nickelsfamily]

OK, I AM GOING TO BE BOOKING A WEEK LONG TRIP AT SOG AT THE BEGINING OF JANUARY FOR MYSELF, DH, DS5 AND DS1. WE ARE THINKING ABOUT INVITING DHs PARENTS AS WELL. WE WOULD PAY FOR THE RESORT, THEY WOULD PAY FOR THEIR FOOD AND TICKETS. BUT, THAT IS NOT THE ISSUE. I IMAGINE THAT THEY WILL ONLY BE ABLE TO GO FOR 2-3 DAYS SINCE THEY OWN THEIR OWN BUSINESSES, SO WE WILL HAVE SOME TIME TO OUR FAMILY.

I GET ALONG VERY WELL WITH THEM. WHEN WE GOT BACK LAST WEEK, MY MIL SAID HOW MUCH SHE LOVES DISNEY AND HASN'T BEEN IN ABOUT 6 YEARS. SHE SAID THAT MY FIL IS NOT BIG ON DISNEY BUT, SHE THINKS THAT HE WOULD LOVE TO BE THERE WITH HIS GRANDSONS. (WE HAVE NOT MADE MENTION OF THE TRIP TO THEM YET.)

IT SOUNDS ALL WELL AND GOOD NOW...BUT IN ALL HONESTY HOW HARD IS IT TO TRAVEL WITH THE INLAWS TO DISNEY? WE HAVE BEEN ALL OVER THE CONTRY WITH THEM, BUT NEVER IN THIS TYPE OF A SITUATION WHERE YOU NEED TO PICK RIDES, TIMES, RESTAURANTS, SHOWS, BATHROOM VISITS ETC AND HAVE EVERYONE AGREE!!??!!

I ALSO, AM STARTING TO THINK IF WE GO AND INVITE THEM, MY DH WILL WANT TO INVITE HIS BROTHER (WHICH MEANS HIS GF WILL PROBABLY GO) AS WELL, SO THEN IT WOULD BE A TOTAL OF 8 OF US!

SORRY TO RAMBLE....BUT IS IT MORE STRESS THAN ITS WORTH TO TRAVEL TO DISNEY WITH A LARGE GROUP?
THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR INPUT AND ADVICE IN ADVANCE!!

 

[bopper]

I have traveled to Disney with my In-laws and all my DH's siblings and their families. There were so many people that we knew that we would not all stay together. So we made some dinner reservations so we would all be together some days. We ended up going to the parks with another family or two.

Since you have gone many times before, you could structure the two-three days that they are there to things they like. The other days you do what you want.

 

[Vickie46]

I say NO WAY! I have done this before!

 

[jcpuppy.com]

We brought along my inlaws last year. i would do it again in a heartbeat! It was nice to have them to switch kids off with and at night dh and I could easily go out, something as simple as a walk around the resort can be a chore with the kids. It was just nice to have the extra help and be able to do some things alone with hubby.
We paid for their whole trip, but they understood that it was to help babysit. We bought the BCV 2 bedroom, so they had their own room as did we, but we were "all together".
They were with us the whole 9 days, and there was no problems with rides or foods. We often separated and the times together, there was a partner for everyone whether they liked a ride or not(like someone to wait or do something else with)
I don't know about your siblings unless you really enjoy them I would avoid that..just starts adding planning nightmares. grandparents like the kids and its a nice relaxed way for them to spend time with them

 

[PaulaSue]

We went w/ my parents and my ILs in Jan. It was 9 of us. We had a meeting before we booked to go over all the info and prices and "rules".

My suggestionn is to plan some meals with the family and some time apart so each can do what they want. It worked well for us.

 

[luvmesometigger]

For Christmas 2005, we gave my MIL, FIL, my step mother and my sister an all expense paid trip to DW in June. We do not live near our family so we thought this would be a great way for our kids to spend some time with their grandparents. Also, the grandparents are not getting any younger so we needed to do this trip soon.
I already told everyone that I am not a tour guide and I do not expect us all to be together 24/7 while we are there. I only planned a character BF and one dinner. The rest of the time we can wing it. If we all want to be together, fine. If not, that's fine too!!
I say go for it. It will be a great memory for the whole family!

 

[ameraumi]

We are planning the big family thing as well now. When we got back we mentioned to the ILs how we would love for them to go with us next time. They went on a Disney Cruise last year with SIL's family so I wanted them to see WDW thru our kids eyes as well. Plus, havinga sitter for a night out would be nice. So MIL said something to SIL about it and now they want all of us to go together! 10 of us in 2008! I'm thinking on planning at least 1 meal together a day and then splitting up is going to be the best thing to do.

Whatever you decide, have fun!

 

[Cinderumbrella]

We invited mine, sigh.

It was the only way DH was going to agree to go again this year, sigh

His sister decided she wanted to bring her family too, sigh.

Before we even booked everybody insisted on changing the dates we had originally picked for OUR trip, sigh.

Now we are trying to pick ADR's so we can eat a couple of meals together. Some want to be at Chef Mickey's at 8am and some want to be there at 10:30am, sigh.

BUT, that all being said and done we are going to WDW and I couldn't be more excited!
Good luck with your decision!

 

[jennifer293]

We took Dh's parents last year and I LOVED IT!!! We had a blast!!! We did all of our dinners together and spent everyday together. They were so great..they watched the girls and let us go ride the rides by ourselves. We are going again in July and they are coming with us this time. I don't think I will ever go on another vacation without them!!

 

[luvmesometigger]

One thing I am having issues with is ADR's for 8 people. We don't qualify for magical gatherings because technically we are only 7 (my daughter will only be 9 months old) I had to do Chef Mickey's at 10:40 since we needed a table for 8. I could have done earlier but then we wouldn't be sitting together. I can't get Hoop De Doo for the same reason..no tables for 8. And forget about Mickey's Backyard BBQ. So my suggestion would be..make the ADR's asap!!

 

[5wdwfans]

We did the world with DH family. There was a total of 10 of us and If I were to do it all over again I would plan ahead for time apart. We had to much together time. We are park comandos and eat meals in the parks, they are very slow going and eat ALL meals in the room and etc.. you get the picture. We had moments of high tension because they wanted to stick right with us on THEIR time. We had a fun week over all but I will think long and hard before inviting family to WDW again. Just make sure to go over meals and have time apart planed each day ahead of time.

 

[nickelsfamily]

THANKS FOR ALL OF YOUR STORIES. THE ONE THING THAT I KNOW IS THAT MY INLAWS WOULD ABSOLUTLY WATCH OUR BOYS ANYTIME WE ASKED. I JUST DON'T WANT TO PLAN MY VACATION AND IT END UP STRESSING ME OUT... I CAN DO STRESSED OUT AT HOME!!

THANKS FOR THE TIP ON ADRs. WE WILL BE CONSIDERED 7 INSTEAD OF 8 IF WE ALL GO I GUESS... AS DS IS ONLY 1.

I AM GOING TO TALK WITH DH ABOUT IT TONIGHT AND TRY AND MAKE A DECISION BECAUSE I WANT TO BOOK AS SOON AS I CAN AND GET PLANNING!

 

[budbeerlady]

We are trying to do this in Dec. The problem is people spend money differently. They wanted a mono-rail hotel at an all star price. They were all excited to come and talking about it non-stop. Then I gave them quotes on the 3 diff hotel levels. Ouch! Then they wanted to stay off site to save money and rent a car. In reality we would need 2 cars so everyone isnt stuck together 24/7! It was alot of work to get everyone to agree on everything.

 

[Wackiemommy]

My MIL came with us 2 yrs ago and it was great! She did everything we wanted to do and at our speed. She was just glad she was able to go with us and see everything through our kids eyes. We do have a great relationship with her and we knew we wouldn't be stressed with her. It sounds like you also have a great relationship with your in-laws and it just might one of the highlight of their lives to see Disney through their grandkids eyes! Good luck!

 

[100AcreWood]

Last September my parents joined us for a 7 day trip. It was my parents first vacation ever (other than beach trips when I was very young). So this was even their first flight! About two days into it I thought I would scream. My mom is very chatty and I think she was a little nervous so she talked a lot. My Dad is very laid back and enjoyed everything. When they didn't want to ride something or stand in line for characters they found a shaded bench and waited patiently. I started to think they weren't enjoying their trip but they haven't stopped talking about it since.

I'm 100% sure I'm glad we took them at least once. They were so appreciative and it created a great memory for them. Good luck whatever you decide. And even with big groups you can do your own thing. Most likely they have certain things on their list they want to hit too. Have fun!

 

[nickelsfamily]

My MIL came with us 2 yrs ago and it was great! She did everything we wanted to do and at our speed. She was just glad she was able to go with us and see everything through our kids eyes. We do have a great relationship with her and we knew we wouldn't be stressed with her. It sounds like you also have a great relationship with your in-laws and it just might one of the highlight of their lives to see Disney through their grandkids eyes! Good luck!

Last night I spoke with DH about it and he likes the idea of having his parents there so we can go on some of the rides together. We picked what dates we want to be there (I have turned my DH into a Disney addict....he said he doesn't care when, just as long as we go!!) So, either tonight or tomorrow, I am going to get together with my inlaws and tell them ours plans and let them know I will be happy to book as many nights for them as they like, they just need to let me know ASAP. I will in no way change our dates for them. Also, I'm going to tell her where I will be booking ressies at and she can tell me which ones she does or doesn't want to do with us. We would both have our own cars as we all live in Fl, so they can do their own thing at their own pace.

Thanks for all of your advice....no I just need to look into some restaurants that have a good vegitarian menu!!

 

[golden1]

We are taking the In-laws with us this December for the last 5 days of our trip. We have been to Disney together before before we had kids and it was actually my most fun trip! I loved planning for everyone and we all had a great time. The information I gained on that trip is helping me plan our next one as well. My in-laws like to sleep in and we like to get going early so this time we are just going to meet up at the parks when they get up. We have already agreed that two nights we will stay with the kids and two nights they will watch the kids so that we can have some adult time! Yes!!!! It will be really nice to have some help with the kids and I know that they are looking forward to showing Disney to their grandkids. I can't wait!

Oh, we are each paying for our trip seperately.

 

[Hasil72]

I agree with everyone who said that if you set up ground rules, you'll be fine. We traveled last May with an entourage of family members from both sides. It started out as the four of us and the grandmothers for Mothers Day. Then the brother-in-law and his family decided to go...then my brother and his girlfriend...then my husband's aunt and uncle, etc. They didn't understand that this was our vacation, we don't need to spend every waking moment together. Since the group was from 4 different states, MIL was constantly pushing for bonding time. By the end of the week, there were a lot of hard feelings. DH said the only way we go this year is if we go alone.

However, friends of our always travel with various family members and love it. They set ground rules and try to arrange a few meals together with the understanding that everyone is free to go their own way. If you have a great relationship with your in-laws, go for it. Guaranteed your father-in-law will love every minute. Seeing Disney though the eyes of a child gives the experience an entirely new spin. Good luck!

 

[budbeerlady]

Plus there is the situation I am now stewing over! Airfare dropped this a.m. for a Delta flight out of our home airport for $20 more a person than driving to Ohare and flying from there. I called m/l to make sure it was an alright time and get all the info from her to book. They cannot book right now, maybe in a month or two? I am so irritated and really want to book my flight. But using the AAA discount I need to check them in at our hotel. So we were going to fly out together!!!!! Aughggghhhhhh! This is going to kill me, I know the rates are only going to keep going up! Instead of the normal $336 this was $256pp.

 

[princess aurora]

We went with the in-laws last year and are going again next week (so close).
We do get along well and they would do just about anything to spend time with the grand kids!
I knew all about the DIS and we had the FREE dining plan so I planned out most days and all meals. I asked them ahead of time and the only night we didn't eat together was when we ent ot Mexico they ate at UK. They were so impressed at how organized I was and how wonderful it was to just go to a restuaruant and not have to worry about picking where to eat.

I built in flexibility into our trip and constanly asked what they wanted to do but they were happy doing what we had planned and where we were going each day. By the end of the trip we would aske everyone what was their favourite part of what they NEEDED to do again and we made sure we got it in.

We did need to wait longer for them to get ready and take more breaks out of the sun (not a bad idea) but they were really good sports and I know our girls loved having them along and they loved spending the time with the girls.

This time we may even let them go off with the kids for an afternoon by themselves! I think as long as you have a basic guideline to follow and understand that adding more people means adding more bathroom breaks etc... you'll be fine. Talk it all out how you see the trip going BEFORE you leave. They can do the same and you can compromise on some things and have it roughly worked out BEFORE you go!!!!!!

Have fun...the memories will be worth it!