Why do I do this to myself? (long, sorry)

[murphysmom]

Some of you may remember me posting a while back about a trip I was supposed to take to WDW in October. A trip my sister and her family backed out of with less than a week to go. We rebooked our trip for March. Upgraded the resort, and were able to take advantage of Free Dining even. So I thought we were all good to go. Not so apparently.

When our travel agent made the new package reservations she split us up equally between 2 rooms, which put 2 of my sister's children (ages 20 + 16) into a room with me. Fine. No problem. Except for some reason my sister decided that meant she didn't have to pay anything for them. For some reason she thought I was just fine paying for that whole room cost myself, even though it is a package, and as such has her kid's tickets included in the cost.

I have been asking her for a while now when we were going to figure this all out, and now that we have around 2 weeks before we have to be paid in full, she wants to sit down and "discuss" things. I don't get what there is to "discuss", honestly. Your family can't all fit into one room where we are staying (CSR). Even if you could all fit into one room you would still have to pay for park passes for your kids. The cost wouldn't change.:veryconfu

Should I add that she still hasn't paid me any money for the airline tickets we didn't use for our last trip? The ones that went on my credit card? Writing this all out, man do I look stupid!:hammer:

The thing is, her husband has a great job. She is a SAHM, and they are not hurting for money, by any means. But it really making me angry that she seems to not give a crap about how much money I have already put out towards trips to WDW.

I guess I'm at a loss. How on earth could she think I would pay the same for my vacation as she is paying for her family of 5?:shrug:

The next time I post how I'm planning a trip to WDW with her, someone needs to smack some sense into me. Please.

 

[Monty]

When you meet her to "discuss" it, hand her an itemized bill of her share [dividing the cost of your room equally between the three occupants] and include the lost airfare from the previous trip.

Being "nice" to family that has the means shouldn't cost you money.

 

[nepalostparks]

I agree with Monty. There is a difference between being nice and being taken advantage of.

Best of luck to you!

 

[harveyt0206]

Ugghhh...family drama. It is not your responsibility to pay for your sister's kids. When you meet, tell her that if you have to pay 100% of the cost of the room then you would prefer to have 100% of space to yourself and that she should look at arranging a separate room for her kids. I bet she quickly calculates the cost difference between 2/3 of a room vs. total cost.

I really do hope the conversation goes smoothly and that you all end up having a great trip.

 

[rsoxguy]

Please forgive me for speaking candidly, as I am just another stranger on the internet, but I do remember your previous post. It seems impossible to me that your sister’s character flaws are either recently developed, or that they are a sudden and recent revelation to you as her sister. It seems more plausible that she has been this way for some time. I think that it is high time to come to terms with the fact that your sister is not a gracious person. The sooner that you are able to acknowledge this in a more practical way, the more effectively that you will be able to deal with her and her husband in the future. Continuing to make plans with her in life as though she were a reliable and giving person will only prolong your misery from one event to another.

I would suggest that you “lay down the law” regarding the payment plan for this trip, and stick to your guns regardless of her reaction. Why? Because her behavior is selfishly abusive, and her actions have already caused you to become sour regarding this trip. The damage has been done, and it is time to set things right, regardless of the emotional outcome. You stand the chance of becoming bitter if you don’t take a strong stand on this issue, so it is far better to air your feelings and let the chips fall where they may. She may not like it, and problems may ensue, but the abuse will end with this one instance. I believe that any temporary pain will end the potential for prolonged years of bitterness that will ensue if you decide to allow her to neglect the mandatory need for proper behavior toward her own sister.

Again, please excuse my boldness of speech if I have crossed a line with you. I honestly mean no offense.