To be stressed to the hills over a surprise holiday

[Alfiemoon1]

My sister has paid for us to go to Florida in August as a Christmas present the flights Vila and car hire are all paid for. I am stressed as I am really struggling to save up for park tickets etc which is almost as much as the holiday on top of that I have my son moving to high school his uniform is over £300 bus pass £100 dd is doing duke of ed which is £250 ds trip £155 so this year we probably wouldn't have gone abroad. I am stressed I keep bursting into tears rowing with the hubby who refuses to make any cut backs so we can save money. To top it off my mum and sister are calling me ungrateful as I have mentioned I am worried about the money. Iam not but I am resentful of being put under this stress if she insisted on being elaborate and paying for a holiday why not a cheaper all inclusive instead of something that is going to cost me a fortune or ask me first instead of surprising me in front of the kids so I couldn't say no. Anyway any get rich quick schemes or free things to do in Florida so she hasn't wasted thousands on the flights and villa lol

[NicknameUsed]

Each to their own 😊

[ohdearme1958]

Nick. You really don't know how to enjoy yourself. Do you?

[NicknameUsed]

ohdearme1958 Two weeks of visiting theme parks would put me off them for life. We have spent two days in theme parks on Orlando and are having a day off tomorrow to lounge by the pool.

[ohdearme1958]

Spade - my thoughts exactly. There is no difference whatsoever between any of these so called parks. I wouldn't go near one if I was paid

[Spadequeen]

Completely off topic but you've said you're not doing sea world becaus of the ethics (excellent!) but look into discovery cove. I believe it's no better than sea world. Look up Ric O'Barry and the dolphin project, see where these dolphins come from.

[MyLlamasGoneBananas]

We did Orlando on a budget albeit a few years ago.

Spend a good few hours looking at ticket options. Font just plump for a 7 or 24 day ultimate ticket. There are do many options.

I don't agree your kids are too old for Disney at all. My dc is planning a Disney trip with friends aged 17 to 20!!

I'm sure there are 5 day tickets which can be cheaper as well as many other alternatives. You could hit the parks hard a few very long days then spend the rest by the pool chilling like you would in Spain. Once you have sussed out which tickets offer the best kind of deal for your family then research the cheapest place to buy from - checking that it's reputable.

Day 1 hit Walmart. Stock up on cans/bottles of cheap drinks and food and snacks. Take drinks and snacks into parks.
We ate at cheap places like The Golden Corale. There are several all 9ver Orlando. V v cheap and OK food with loads of choice.

First though get your Estate sorted.

Insure and Go may be worth looking at for insurance.

[Alfiemoon1]

Been going through what I need for ds uniform and he can use dd drama kit as it's hardly been worn u buy it and they end up wearing the pe kit. He can use Her Dt and cooking aprons and probably won't need a coat straight away as they never wear them over the Blazers anyway. It says black trainers for pe but dd wears her white ones with no problem and his are dark blue so will see if we can get away with them. Not convinced he will need football boots and Astro turf boots at the same time so may be able to spread the cost of those as well X

[Alfiemoon1]

i am not putting it on a credit card. Having looked at the mini combo ticket prices I am not quite as stressed. Kids don't want to do sea world due to the ethics and my sister is paying for them to swim with dolphins at discovery cove as part of their birthday presents.

[Boysnme]

Orlando can be ask expensive as you want it to be. Personally I wouldn't put this on a credit card as it seems clear that you will struggle to pay it back.
If I were you I would be working out your budget and sticking to it. When you know what you can afford then work out what tickets you can get. For your kids age yes they will enjoy Disney but they will probably enjoy universal better. Universal tickets are also cheaper and I hate to say it but if you can't afford it, it doesn't really matter if you love Disney, you may on this occasion need to give it a miss.
There is loads to do in Orlando that won't cost a fortune. I would also recommend the Dibb forum. Post the question of I've been gifted a holiday, what can I do there that won't cost a fortune and you will get a wealth of information. And going forwards talk to your sister and tell her she needs to ask you about these things before buying. But please don't get yourself in debt over it.

[Alfiemoon1]

Don't mind me it was very difficult when they were given to me in front of my kids and tbh Florida took a back seat with all the hype of the horse. I genuinely thought I would have saved more. I also at the time didn't realise dd was going to do d of e or the other constant demands for money from the school got another the other day £60 for science online revision guides.
Thanks to some poster I now know of cheaper options to buy tickets and other things to do on our none park days which has been very helpful

[ohdearme1958]

Alfie, my brother and his wife want to go and work at Disney for a wee while.

[ohdearme1958]

Dontmindme - we won't.

[DontMindMe1]

awww - poor op....constantly being given things that she just can't possibly say 'no' to

you could have easily refused to accept either of those 'gifts', you just didn't want to. you've had more than enough time/opportunities to tell your sister to NOT give such 'generous' gifts/spend it on herself etc,

if you secretly enjoy being given lavish gifts then take responsibility for it - instead of blaming your sister for putting you in a 'stressful' situation!

[Alfiemoon1]

We stayed in a villa last time and one down the road was up for sale we wanted to buy it hubby is a trucker and loves the American trucks and i am the perfect height to be Minnie Mouse. lol X

[Dowser]

Awww good. Your kids will have amazing memories.
My grandson was five when I last took him and we still chat about it. He still remembers his Winnie the pooh bedroom at the villa and the time we got left behind at Disney.

If you are staying in a villa you don't have to eat out all the time, so that's a bonus.
Look for the booklets with coupons..every little helps.
Maybe have your main meal at lunchtime . A lot of the buffets are much, much cheaper during the day.
Whereabouts is the villa you are staying in?
Re souvenirs...Walmart can be $$ cheaper for all things Disney
Sign up to p,aces like panera bread,sweet tomatoes.they often have special offers on.

Be thankful you are not staying on Disney . It can be crowded, noisy and food very expensive if you are not on a dining plan...at least you can escape to the peace and quiet of your villa and visit Publix or Target on the way home and stock up with goodies.

You will have an amazing time...you won't regret it.

( would you like to take me as your tour guide? Lol)

[Alfiemoon1]

Thanks for the tips. I love Disney my Christmas tree is all Disney decorations so I think we will have to go lol. Thanks for all the tips

[Dowser]

You might be able to park at one of the Disney hotels for free and get the monorail in.

Cor,, my Disney brain has gone to sleep. I used to know this stuff like the back of my hand when I had a house there

There you go
Grand floridian
Contemporary resort
Polynesian are all on the monorail. Like I said guests could park for free and get the monorail. You can just say you are hoping to ge a dinner reservation.

Also you can park in hotel boardwalk and walk into Epcot...obviously on a day you want to go to Epcot.
You can see the fireworks for free from the bridge

You can see the magic kingdom fireworks for free from the contemporary.

The lake park at Kissimmee is very nice...that's free
A trip to mt Dora to see a nice southern old town is lovely too. My daughter got married at the blue house overlooking the lake..herons cay I believe it's called now. It's. An ice walk around the lake and as well as the usual gators, you might spot the ospreys.
Celebration is lovely. It's what they felt Walt Disney wanted for Epcot. A little small town. It's lovely parking near the lake and eating on one of the many little restaurants in the sunshine.
You can follow the lake round, it leads to others and see the anhingas, herons ,gators, and we once spied a deer on the other side amidst the $1,000000 houses around the lake.

The boat rides at east lake toho ,( boggy Creek) are excellent . You can chill out there under the shady trees and there's a little restaurant.

There's lots to do . It's true ...but you can't not do the parks.

[Dowser]

You just cannot go to Florida and not do Disney or Harry potter at universal studios.
You just can't...your kids would never forgive you.
Universalorlando.com do good deals but disney are as tight as a ticks backside.
You must beg, borrow or steal the money...or sell the horse

Are you the owner of the name...fuckyouchrisandthathorse by any chance ;-)

[ohdearme1958]

Too old for Disney?

I go every 2nd year with my brother and his wife. We do the parks every day for two weeks. We have a great time. Its what Orlando is for us - the parks. We have plenty of other travel experiences in the year to ensure that that other things Florida has to offer don't appeal to us very much. Im just back from 3 weeks of history and art in Italy, and 6 months ago it was Whale watching in Alaska. And the turtles people say are a must see - I have one of the worlds best turtle hatching beaches on my doorstep so I don't need to see it on holiday.

Im almost 60, my brothers is 55 and his wife is 53. We're off again in September and Im looking forward to it very much.

You're never too old for Disney.

[OhSoggyBiscuit]

You're never too old for Disney- but yes it's expensive! Universal might be better for you as it's slightly cheaper and also really good. Lots of coasters and Harry Potter World.

[Wolpertinger]

Your sister isn't generous, she is inconsiderate. Also her gifts control you - the horse controls your time, costs you money, affects your relationships with your daughter, enables her to have the role of lady bountiful and keeps her in a place beyond criticism where you all have to be endlessly grateful.

What kind of person buys someone a horse as a surprise FFS?

You have to refuse her next gift whatever it is as none of them come without strings. A real gift of love would be done in discussion with you, something you really wanted, didn't have ongoing costs and her feeling wouldn't be hurt of you turned it down. Does this apply to any of your sister's gifts?

By the sounds of it during the course of this year, offering to pay for the DofE and giving you £500 towards a family holiday of your choice would have been better for your family all round than the horse and the Florida holiday - but of course that doesn't give her the hit she needs. Her gifts are about making her feel good not helping you out and so regardless of hurting your feeling they need renegotiation.

[diddl]

But really your husband is a problem if he isn't also saving.

Perhaps if he's not bothered enough to save he should sell his ticket & give the money to you & the kids?

[Alfiemoon1]

The horse isn't my financial responsibility I chip in as and when I don't pay for her stables vets etc my sister does. i agree u don't buy animals as presents but horses aren't a fad for dd she has ridden for 10 years yes that was my sister who bought her a years worth of lessons and all the kit lol. And we had loaned a horse at the yard we are at now so I suppose the next step was to buy our own horse but I said we couldn't afford it so my sister has bought her and is financially responsible everything is in her name not mine

[Oriunda]

Your children sound too old for some parts of Disney. We took our son to Universal Studios which is much more adult oriented and cheaper. Eating out/food/petrol is cheaper than UK. Go to beaches too - free. Florida so much more than theme parks.

[Dozer]

But you had a number of options other than to accept the gifts.

It's really irresponsible to gift animals, and how did you all think you'd afford upkeep and vets bills and things? upsetting DD would have been due to your sister's actions. It'd be far worse to have to sell the horse now or in future which, if money's so tight you're concerned about uniform costs, sounds financially necessary.

Suggest you brush up on boundaries and assertiveness to ensure this doesn't happen again.