Was I unreasonable to be dismayed...

[duffy]

...that my sister expected me to go to Walmart on our trip to shop for a swim suit for her daughter?

Here's the situation: we leave TODAY for Orlando. My sister, her 2 kids, me and my 14-year old daughter. My sister drove to my house (a 2-hour drive for her) for Thanksgiving dinner, and then the plan is they stay overnight, we all go this afternoon to the airport.

Her daughter could not find her swimming suit at their home. They looked all over, nothing. So, my sister's friends at work told her that it would be no big deal, we could easily run to a Walmart near the parks to buy a suit, they're sure to have them. We don't want to try to find a suit at our local shops today, they'll be crazy with the Black Friday shoppers, and probably no swim suits in stock anyhow.

Meanwhile, I'm the only one who can drive the rental car. That means I have to take them shopping during the trip!!

I'm picturing after a day at the parks, we go back to Port Orleans Riverside, and...I have to take my sister and her daughter shopping, no jump in the pool for me! I was quite dismayed at the idea, but my sister kept saying, "we'll just run over to Walmart."

I ended up asking my 14-year old daughter if she had an extra suit. She found one, my niece tried it on, it's ok. No Walmart trip needed. But, did I have reason to be less than thrilled? Or were my sister's expectations reasonable?

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I think you are being dramatic over it. I would have just stopped at got the suit. It's not that big a deal.

 

[JUJU814]

I agree, this is not that big of a deal. It won't take much time.

Also, what if the shoe were on the other foot? What if your dd forgot her bathing suit and you needed one? Wouldn't it be nice if your sister said "no big deal sis, we can just run and pick one up at walmart...no worries..it's VACATION"

I think your reaction is a little unreasonable. Just forget it and enjoy the trip. Life is too short!

 

[duffy]

I agree, this is not that big of a deal. It won't take much time.

Also, what if the shoe were on the other foot? What if your dd forgot her bathing suit and you needed one? Wouldn't it be nice if your sister said "no big deal sis, we can just run and pick one up at walmart...no worries..it's VACATION"

I think your reaction is a little unreasonable. Just forget it and enjoy the trip. Life is too short!

Ok, I was unreasonable.

But, there is no way my daughter will be forgetting her suit!!

I am the planner, I am the one who arranged the whole trip, made the reservations, both for the rental car and the dinners, because my sister basically doesn't have any idea of what or how to do any of it. Her lack of planning really gets on my nerves sometimes! She waited until the day they were to come to my house to even pack!

I guess it was just that she EXPECTED me to just take them shopping and force me to waste my time waiting for them, due to her own lack of foresight to plan ahead, that annoyed me.

 

[Rylee]

Your sister was probably picturing, after a day in the parks, going back to Port Orleans Riverside, and... no jump in the pool for her child.

You are traveling with 3 other people, besides your own daughter. They have needs and desires, too. Relax a little, so the trip is enjoyable for all.

 

[goofycruise]

i agree you are on vacation , life is to short however my sister in law is the exact same way ~ we are doing a disney c ruise and a week at the parks in 2011 -- she has known about this trip for 4yrs now we are taking only my niece . we are paying for the entire trip! all she has to do is get birth cert. passports etc. you'd think i was asking for her first born ! i deal with her because i love my niece and want her to enjoy the trip but it is super frustrating so i feel your pain lol

 

[MariDisney]

I agree with the PPs. As they used to say on Saturday Nigh Live, "No big whoop". The plastic hook on my DD's suit broke when we were in WDW in Sept. The suits in the shop at CSR were $40 or so minimum, and I just wasn't paying that. So, we took a 10 min or so trip to Target and bought another. All told, we were gone from the resort about 40 minutes. I was surprised, though, that Target only had the last few clearance suits. I had assumed that in Florida places like that would have suits all year round. Apparently not.

I'm glad your DD and niece were able to work out borrowing a suit. Now, everyone can be happy and relax!

 

[happymommy]

If I were your sister, I wouldn't expect you to drive me to Walmart, though. I would have sucked it up and bought one in the gift shop. It would waste a lot of time to drive to Walmart the week after Thanksgiving just to look for something they MAY or may NOT have, so I'd just spend the extra few dollars.

Lucky you solved the situation!

I also never pack until the day I go anywhere.

And I am an obsessive planner.

Yeah, you may have had a moment of Oh God not another issue, but sounds like you're like me as well. I get a bit stressed out right before any trip, and finally calm down once I'm on the plane and nothing else can be done.

It's hard to travel to WDW with family - you won't please everyone. I hope you split up some of the time to do what you each want. That can help!

 

[JUJU814]

I would like to add to my post.

My in laws, OMG, are the worlds most disorganized, non-communicative, disheveled group of people you'll ever meet in your entire life. I'm the planner.

I likely wouldn't forget my kids' bathing suits either..for like, uh, Florida..DUH

BUT because I am the way I am, and after 12 years I've learned they are the way they are, and after probably ulcers, anxiety attacks and fits of rage of their "irresponsibility" and disorganization, I have learned that "if it's not fatal, it's no big deal".

It's for my own self preservation.

One year, we had to pick them up to take them to the airport for Disney. They were packing when we should have already left, and MIL was taking her rollers out in the car. aaaaahhhhhhhhh! LOL

So, my motto is "it is what it is" and "it's not fatal so chill" LOL

 

[duffy]

If it weren't for me, her kids would have no character meals planned, no pins to trade, no autograph books, no swimming suit for one ( ), and they'd be standing just inside the parks, looking at a map instead of being in line for Dumbo.

She also annoyed me when we were first planning to fly out of Pittsburgh. She planned to drive to my house, and then just ride with me to the airport. Great, except, my husband (who is not coming on the trip) was going to drive me and my daughter to the airport, and then pick us up. There's not enough room for him, me, my daughter and the 3 of them. I thought she'd meet us at Pittsburgh's airport?? Since it's a 2-hour drive to my house, driving southeast, and then I have to drive 2 hours west to Pittsburgh, and she is only one hour north of Pittsburgh, I honestly had no idea why she wanted to do that. She would be doing a lot of extra driving, just to ride in my car, instead of taking her own to the airport.

It turned out that she wanted to do that so that she would not have to pay to leave her car in Pittsbugh's lot for a week. If she came with me, I would be paying it, and she thought that she would not have to pay a dime. Ok, but...if we did decide to leave my car there, why shouldn't she pay 1/2 the parking fees??? She said, "that way, I won't have to pay anything for parking." If we're sharing my car, you can pay 1/2 the parking, and 1/2 the gas too!!

We're now driving to Hagerstown, leaving in about 5 hours!! Parking at Hagerstown airport is free, so we ARE leaving my car there. We paid $59 for each ticket, each way, and she was disappointed at first that it was "so much".

She had to pay me for her 1/2 of the trip. She paid it in 3 installments. The final one was $616...but she said, "I thought you said it was $516." No!! I said, "SIX SIXTEEN" many times!!

Aaarrgh!! I'm glad I'm venting here, and getting it all out.

I think we'll do best if we split up several times a day, and just meet for dinner. What do you guys think??

 

[Mlissa88]

Splitting up might be a good idea. I love vacationing with family but don't want to be at the mercy of everyone else's schedule - meaning, if we sleep late it won't affect anyone or if we want to skip on over to another park for a while, or go back to the room for swiming, it wont bother anyone. We just meet up at a meal and plan something for later....like watching the fireworks together or walking around downtown disney together. If you are already feeling some resentment towards your SIL, then splitting up sounds like a good plan or you'll be fuming inside during a vacation when you're supposed to be enjoying your time and what time you do spend together.

 

[powellrj]

I agree with splitting up. We have been on many WDW trips without character meals, pins to trade or autograph books and we still had a wonderful time. What is important to one family isn't to another.

 

[npmommie]

I don't like to go into walmart anytime let alone on vacation
I would have been annoyed, but I would have done it, why not just stop on the drive from the airport to the resort?

and I would have told her to hurry it up

 

[Indiana Rose Lee]

It wouldn't have fazed me. I'd do anything for my nieces and nephews.

 

[duffy]

I don't like to go into walmart anytime let alone on vacation
I would have been annoyed, but I would have done it, why not just stop on the drive from the airport to the resort?

and I would have told her to hurry it up

That's what I was planning to do, if my daughter didn't have an extra one.

Leaving in about 3 hours now, and I just had to go through all her stuff in her carry-on, telling her what's ok and what's not. The sun lotion is in a huge bottle, like 16 ounces, so it's a NO. Same with the hair spray, so they're being left behind. And of course I've told her many times the rules of 3 ounces or less. And of course she didn't have any baggies. And said, "we can just use your toothpaste, right?"

sigh.

 

[Dee77]

OK here's my 2 cents... I agree with several people that have the attitude to go with the flow and not stress about these things HOWEVER after so much back and forth about the planning and paying for the trip, plus you had company for Thanksgiving the night before leaving on vacation to then expect to take a side trip to Walmart to get a bathing suit on Black Friday (and they may not even have one, right size... color etc) What would you do then, go to an alternate store or two until they found one? I would be annoyed, glad it worked out and I second the idea of splitting up and having some space during the trip. Take a deep breath (like I will after such a run on sentence/thought above) and Have fun!

 

[duffy]

Ok, one more rant, and then I swear I'm done!!

She forgot her bag to carry around in the parks, and asked me what all I'm carrying in my bag. You know, to see if I had room for her stuff too.

I do not want to carry around HER stuff in addition to mine-and I told her so!! Her stuff includes 3-yes, THREE cameras. One for each of them.

Despite my posts, I really love my sister and her kids, and we'll have a great time. I can't wait to see their faces when they see the castle for the first time. My nephew will just love everything, and I'll love seeing him see it all!

One more hour and we're outta here!! Thanks, everyone!!

 

[james'mommy]

Maybe next time you should rethink going with your family since your sister seems to annoy you. If it were my family I wouldn't have a problem. We bring our own car and everybody else flys. Since we are the only one's with a car I understand that we may need to make a side trip or two. People forget things all the time. DH forgot his swimsuit on a cruise. We went and bought him another. No big deal.

 

[bumbershoot]

I think the other things are annoying, but buying a bathing suit in late Fall in anywhere BUT Florida is a problem, unless you want to go to a swimshop, where you're buying $$$$ suits meant for swim meets.

Heck, I once tried to find a swimsuit in early Fall in southern CA, and it was a no-go unless I wanted to go to the beachside shops (and I did not).

So I wouldn't have had a problem stopping to get a suit. Even now I'd get her a new suit, 'cuz frankly, wearing someone else's bathing suit skeeves me (and I'm NOT a germophobe at all).

 

[Pumbaa_]

It would be a big deal to me too to go to Walmart just for a bathing suit. Anyway you slice it, it would be 2 hours out of your day. That place is huge! You know you would end up doing some shopping.

I would just suck it up and pay the inflated Disney price too

Glad it worked out nad hope you are having a wonderful time!