- Joined
- Jul 22, 2006
- Messages
- 5,539
Vent alert...
We really do love to travel with family and friends, but the stress level is pretty high to make it all come together. People just don't seem to get it when you tell them, "I need a firm commitment. I'm borrowing points to get the extra room for you. I could lose them if you cancel on me."
Second year in a row that the group we invited has bailed on us. (Different groups, same stress.) For this year's trip, we started with a group of 6. The first couple cancelled on the day I was going to call for the booking. I guess I scared them enough with the "firm commitment" part. They weren't sure if they'd be able to save enough by summer for their park tickets and food. Fair enough. We told them to start a vacation fund and we'd keep them in mind for another year. The second couple told us they were definitely still in, so I went ahead and booked the two-bedroom.
I absolutely don't blame them for having to cancel. He had a bad case of pancreatitis a few months ago, and spent nearly a week in the hospital. I can understand how the unexpected hospital bills would affect their ability to afford a trip to Disney World.
I sent them a note on Facebook the other days saying, "90 days until Disney World! Is everyone excited about the trip?" They replied back about how sorry they were, but they'd have to cancel. I'm glad I didn't wait until 30 days out to send the "excited yet" message. The most upsetting part, though, is that we were really looking forward to vacationing with them. All four of them, actually. I guess we’ll have that to look forward to another year.
I’ve just gotten off the phone with Member Services, and in the end, everything worked out. We decided to go on our own instead of finding someone to take the second bedroom. I cancelled the dedicated two-bedroom, and was able to re-use all the borrowed points for the studios. I'll be able to bank the other points, so nothing lost. The only down side is that we have a multiple split stay, now. Unless the pixie dust comes through on a waitlist request, we'll have to move twice in the 12 days we'll be there. This will be an inconvenience, but it isn’t the end of the world. I'm just glad we were still able to get a Savanna view at Animal Kingdom for part of the trip. The silver lining is that we also managed to get 5 nights at Bay Lake, which we’ve really wanted to try. We’ll be in a lake view room, there. Unfortunately, those 5 Bay Lake Tower nights are in the middle of the stay, so unless the waitlist comes through, we're packing again to head back to Animal Kingdom for the last 3 days.
End of vent.
We really do love to travel with family and friends, but the stress level is pretty high to make it all come together. People just don't seem to get it when you tell them, "I need a firm commitment. I'm borrowing points to get the extra room for you. I could lose them if you cancel on me."
Second year in a row that the group we invited has bailed on us. (Different groups, same stress.) For this year's trip, we started with a group of 6. The first couple cancelled on the day I was going to call for the booking. I guess I scared them enough with the "firm commitment" part. They weren't sure if they'd be able to save enough by summer for their park tickets and food. Fair enough. We told them to start a vacation fund and we'd keep them in mind for another year. The second couple told us they were definitely still in, so I went ahead and booked the two-bedroom.
I absolutely don't blame them for having to cancel. He had a bad case of pancreatitis a few months ago, and spent nearly a week in the hospital. I can understand how the unexpected hospital bills would affect their ability to afford a trip to Disney World.
I sent them a note on Facebook the other days saying, "90 days until Disney World! Is everyone excited about the trip?" They replied back about how sorry they were, but they'd have to cancel. I'm glad I didn't wait until 30 days out to send the "excited yet" message. The most upsetting part, though, is that we were really looking forward to vacationing with them. All four of them, actually. I guess we’ll have that to look forward to another year.
I’ve just gotten off the phone with Member Services, and in the end, everything worked out. We decided to go on our own instead of finding someone to take the second bedroom. I cancelled the dedicated two-bedroom, and was able to re-use all the borrowed points for the studios. I'll be able to bank the other points, so nothing lost. The only down side is that we have a multiple split stay, now. Unless the pixie dust comes through on a waitlist request, we'll have to move twice in the 12 days we'll be there. This will be an inconvenience, but it isn’t the end of the world. I'm just glad we were still able to get a Savanna view at Animal Kingdom for part of the trip. The silver lining is that we also managed to get 5 nights at Bay Lake, which we’ve really wanted to try. We’ll be in a lake view room, there. Unfortunately, those 5 Bay Lake Tower nights are in the middle of the stay, so unless the waitlist comes through, we're packing again to head back to Animal Kingdom for the last 3 days.
End of vent.
