The end of friendship at WDW

[GrimGrinninAnna]

I'm home on a Saturday night because of a horrible cold I caught from a friend I took to Disney World last week. I've heard taking friends on vacation is a bad idea, but this was beyond horrific. I came home with this cold, and minus much money and a friend.

I paid for a 5 day park hopper for my best friend- My boyfriend and I got a room with our extra credit card points so I told her she would just have to pay for gas along the way (our first NY to WDW roadtrip!) and her own meals and extra expenses. It was a thanksgiving trip, and a much needed vacation for me since I work in an extremely fast-paced and stressful industry!

Well, let me tell you, not only did she complain the entire time, she tried to control every part of the trip, from what kennel my dogs stayed in to what rides we went on, to where we ate. At one point my boyfriend wanted to go on Small World (he loves classics and thrill rides) and she said "NO. I don't want to go on that." Okay, so lets go on Space Mountain. She had been on it once while we took a break to get a drink so figured she liked it and would go again. "NO. I already went on that." She woke up hours before us to get breakfast and go to the store without asking if we needed anything. She took every opportunity to stop single fathers in the park with their kids and flirt with them (very embarrasing). Finally, she wakes up one morning in the middle of the trip and screams "WE have to go home! I need to be at the dinner table for Turkey!" She actually made such a fuss that the room next to us knocked on the wall and we did end up leaving a day early- not a total loss because the lines were horrible anyway, but still- I paid for five days.

On the way home she didn't pay for gas at all, and didn't thank us for leaving early, paying, or driving her all the way to her front door. Trying to ruin WDW for me, doubled with the way she treated my boyfriend- is a total friendship breaker.
Has this happened to anyone else?

 

[EPCOT.nut]

Oh my.....

:fork:

 

[mcstensrud]

Sounds to me like you and your boyfriend need a vacation from your vacation!
I say go back ASAP.

 

[Monty]

I've had similar experiences taking my ex-wife to WDW and DL. I paid for everything so she could be there with her son but all she did was complain and manipulate him ['no sweetie, you won't like that ride' for wet rides she didn't want to go on]. In the end, I stopped taking her along when we go, but I got over the aggravation and we do get along OK these days.

Give your friend a chance, clearly you don't vacation well together but if you recognize that you might still be able to be friends and do what you've always done together. Don't let one bad week destroy a friendship if you can help it.

 

[EPCOT.nut]

Time heals most wounds, true, but it sounds like she really showed her butt. And not in a good way.

 

[SweetMagic]

Wow, what a mess. This happened to me once, not at WDW, but in New Orleans. I traveled with a friend who completely took over everything once we got there, whined about everything, refused to leave the hotel room one day because her hair wasn't coming out right, and forced us to walk ALL over the French Quarter and even beyond the Quarter on the last day because we hadn't eaten a certain dish she wanted to try yet and she wasn't leaving until she tried it. We walked and walked and walked until we found a restaurant that served it. Then, we arrived between that restaurants lunch and dinner service and they were closing briefly, and she whined so badly to them that they actually let us in and served us. I was mortified. This was maybe 10 years ago, and to this day, while I still talk to her on occasion, I have never, and will never travel with her again!

When you involve money, the whole thing gets even worse. Sorry that your vacation was ruined and money was lost. Just be glad you and your boyfriend are happy and healthy and start planning for the next trip! That always cheers me up :animwink:

 

[brkgnews]

Time heals most wounds, true, but it sounds like she really showed her butt. And not in a good way.

Nicely put. :lol:

 

[ZapperZ]

Luckily, after going there with several friends, I've never had anything coming remotely close to that kind of a horrible experience. In fact, practically all of my trips to WDW with friends have been overwhelmingly positive.

One of the things that we establish way in the very beginning is that people can do whatever they wish on their own. It would be nice to hang around each other most of the time, but if someone doesn't feel like doing something, or would rather do something else, people are always free to break off from the group or each other. People can go back to the resort early, go elsewhere, or just stay at the resort if they wish. No one is forced to do what they don't want to do. So some time we break off and then meet each other later on if we wish. That way, no one gets deprived on doing what they want to do. This is especially true on attractions that some like while others don't. So far, it has worked very well. Luckily, during most of my trips, we all get along very well and tend to stick together in the big group.

I think if I were you and your friend didn't want to do such-and-such attraction, I would have politely told her that she can go and do stuff on her own for a while while you and your bf go on those attractions, and meet up with her afterwards. Maybe then she knows that she can't take advantage of you or control your vacation.

Zz.

 

[DMC-12]

Drama... ew... major drama on what was supposed to be a fun trip. Who needs friends like that? :veryconfu It sounds like someone is a control freak to. :lol: :lookaroun

 

[Nemo14]

I've had good and bad experiences with friends at WDW, but I've never let it ruin a friendship. You must have been good friends before for you to make such a generous offer. I'm sure your relationship is worth saving!

 

[GenerationX]

I, too, work in a stressful job. I look forward to our vacations so that we have family time that is not influenced by other peoples' preferences. We have discussed vacationing at Disney with friends or family, but we always talk ourselves out of it for two key reasons:

1. We would have to consider their opinion in determining what we do.
2. Our vacation "style" (likes, dislikes, schedule, etc.) is not compatible with other people we know.

We aren't interested in compromising on vacation.

I recognize this sounds selfish. It is. In our regular lives, we work hard and have many responsibilities to others. We will vacation with others on short, cheap trips. But on an expensive Disney vacation ... we want to be accountable to no one but ourselves.

 

[macsmom]

We aren't interested in compromising on vacation.

I recognize this sounds selfish. It is. In our regular lives, we work hard and have many responsibilities to others. We will vacation with others on short, cheap trips. But on an expensive Disney vacation ... we want to be accountable to no one but ourselves.

I totally agree on this. If you come with me to The World and you don't like what I want to do, then I will meet you later on.

danna

 

[HRT+3]

I can say that we went last time with family, and won't be this time...people just have different ideas on what a vacation is ya know?
Give your friend a chance though, although I'd make sure to tell her why you are unhappy.:xmas:

 

[SDav10495]

Sorry this happened to you. That kind of thing hasn't yet happened to me on vacation, but with WDW it's totally understandable. Our family has best family friends that we love and do practically everything with, including a few vacations. So a few months ago I posed a question to my family: why haven't we ever been to WDW with them? We love WDW, they love WDW (though we've got them beat ), we all love each other...it only seemed natural.

Then I thought about it for two seconds and realized that it would never work. A Disney park is just one of those places where you need to have your own routine, and anyone who refuses to follow it with you is just not worth bringing. A WDW trip is either totally well-oiled or it totally falls apart...and it brings your friendship down with it.

 

[Gator]

This is exactly why I won't go with my friends. I spend so much money that I don't want anyone having a say in the trip other than my wife and kids.

 

[Space Mountain]

When I read the title I thought something was happenning to the boats.....



Anyways, if anyone can't appreciate what you do for them, they really shouldn't be your friend.

 

[JML42691]

To me one of the worst parts of this story is the fact that she was flirting with other parents, AT DISNEY WORLD???

 

[Erika]

Sometimes even the best of friends clash on vacation. Who knows what may have been going on in her head :shrug:

If you guys don't usually have problems, I'd take a deep breath, let go and resume normal life. Don't let your bad feelings escalate. It happened to me once and I ended up losing a very good friend for a period of almost 2 years. Luckily we eventually got over it, but I really wish I'd been big enough to avoid it in the first place. Just my experience.

 

[DMC-12]

To me one of the worst parts of this story is the fact that she was flirting with other parents, AT DISNEY WORLD???

:lol: How does one flirt with a complete stranger while at WDW? What would the pick-up lines / come ons be? :lol:

-"So... I noticed you have a churro. I to, happen to enjoy over priced churros." *wink*

-"I couldnt help notice you being run over by that ECV... cause baby.. you've been running through my mind all day." *wink* *flashes teeth*

-"Baby, I wanna take you for a magic carpet ride.... conveniently located in Adventureland."


..ok.. I am done... for now. :lookaroun

 

[PeterPan1985]

Thanks for the post. I'm sure that myself and a lot of others can relate. During my college years, a group of us went down to WDW in March over spring break (my fave. time to go.) Two girls, and two guys (including me). The one girl I travelled with decided that we had to almost jog to every attraction (by the end of the fourth day, I barely could walk.) This girl also decided that we had to do and see everything her younger sister had done and seen (Her sister had gone to WDW a few months earlier). I mean seeing one or two things her sister had liked was one thing, but hearing, WE HAVE TO SEE THIS BECAUSE SARA SAW IT got old after a day or two.

The guy we went with (a former friend who was a little off in many ways), hated everything to do with WDW (and made his feelings perfectly clear). He complained about prices the entire time (especially food prices...he never let the fact that he spent 25 dollars for breakfast go.) After the trip, he went as far as to blame me for FORCING him to go and spend money. He also was uncomfortable with meet and greets (he felt that the Mad Hatter made fun of him?!?)

So to the original poster, I feel for you. Fair-weathered and toxic friends often show their true colors when you take them away.