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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Family holiday drama

828 replies

familydrama1 · 21/08/2024 21:36

So we are due to go on holiday next year with family. We invited my parents, they booked their own room - they then invited my nephew (who is 17). My brother didn't pay for my nephew or even offer to pay for their place.

I found out I was pregnant recently and can't book the baby's space until they are born. Also there will be no spaces as, the baby is due 4 months before the holiday. Anyone we trust with our child will be on that holiday. We need to take my nephew off the booking and change it to the baby when they are born.

AIBU to take my nephew off the booking (I have spoken to my parents about this and they understand) but I know my brother won't be happy and it will cause drama. Or should just not go and lose thousands 😣

Need an outside perspective pleaseeee

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
blackcherryconserve · 22/08/2024 12:32

Madamecholetsbonnet · 22/08/2024 12:30

Or, additional child can be added to PILS room…

But a six month old baby? Disturbing Grandparents and DN!

ginnybag · 22/08/2024 12:33

OP, who actually booked the cabins? Are they one booking that you made or two separate ones - one by you and one by your DP (I'm leaving In laws out of this altogether, at the moment).

If it's one, how did your DP 'add' your nephew in the first place. If it's two, how are you working the payments?

It's going to come down to who has paid for what.

You are assumedly paying the whole of your cabin and all drinks packages etc for you, DH and the two kids in your room.

You are also assumedly covering packages and extras for your DD in the 2nd cabin.

Your DP are covering their own packages, and now have offered to 'pay for' your DN to join - presumably covering his add-ons.

Whether you are 'reasonable' (and this is not the same thing as 'decent' or 'kind' in this scenario) comes down to this:

What part of the cost of their cabin (once it's configured for four) have you paid for?

If your DP paid a half and you have paid half of a cabin cost, and there is now no extra 'cabin cost' for your DN, then, arguably, the fourth bunk wasn't theirs to offer without asking as you have/had already paid for it. You haven't agreed to fund any part of your nephew having a holiday, and either your DP or your DB should be paying an extra 1/4 share back to you of he does come. You might in this scenario have a technical argument for saying he now can't come, as you need the 2nd bunk you've paid for. (This is entirely separate to whether your DP agree to share with two young kids rather than one, but we can cross that later)

If, however, your parents have paid 'half' and you paid 'half' of a 3/4 or lower cost in the first place, and there's now an extra 'cabin' cost to adding your DN, which they have paid, then you don't have any entitlement to that bunk and you never did. You hadn't bought it, no-one did - until they chose to and they can now do what they want with it. You may still be due a recalculation with the exact figures, because if you paid 'half' before you are likely subsidising your DP's 'cabin costs' a bit but I'd let that go for the inconvenience of your DP having your DD.

Which is it, OP?

I'd also like to know how long ago your DN was offered his place - a week or so, fine, if upsetting, several months, not really okay - and exactly how long before your sailing date your due date is, because it really might not be as simple to switch one of them for the other as you are making out - as others have said, cruise lines limit age mixes of children for a lot of very good reasons including evacuation safety and if your baby is even 1 day under 6 months of age (and you can't lie, you'll have to show their passport) they won't be permitted on board full stop.

FWIW, I, personally, wouldn't get on a cruise ship with your configuration of adults and young kids at all, solely from a 'disaster' perspective. It's admittedly vanishingly unlikely that you'll need to abandon ship, but if you do, you and your DH have too many kids who'll need too much help to manage this easily.

mirrensidhe · 22/08/2024 12:33

you stay at home with baby and let everyone else get a nice break from this kind of whinging nonsense.

HelpAGirlOut1234 · 22/08/2024 12:34

@Anotherdayanotherdollar not saying move the nephew at all, it's just that on cruises an adult must be assigned to a room where a child under 18 is staying. So just 'assign' DH to the room and then sort out sleeping arrangements after.

Basically, just get another cabin

HelpAGirlOut1234 · 22/08/2024 12:35

Family121 · 22/08/2024 12:22

Why don't you just tell your parents you need to book a second room now to accommodate your family so will need half of your costs back to book this, this way your parents can book and invite who they want.

Exactly! All this faff for nothing....

Just book another cabin for now, and sort out who sleeps where later

Staunchlystarling · 22/08/2024 12:36

Madamecholetsbonnet · 22/08/2024 12:30

Or, additional child can be added to PILS room…

Sure, but I’m assuming they must have told her no way. For whatever reason.

Thursdaygirl · 22/08/2024 12:37

@ginnybag i think lots of passengers would abandon ship if this lot were on the same corridor!

wheretoyougonow · 22/08/2024 12:37

@Staunchlystarling because if I wanted to invite extended family I would have. Lots of reasons including change of dynamics, responsibilities (including moral stuff like letting them go out drinking etc). Not wanting a 17 sulking that we are mainly doing activities for babies/ young kids. Managing teenage moods. Especially when my I'm-laws - like the op- don't have a lot of money and can't say no for fear of upsetting brother in law.
But most of all- if I wanted someone there I would have invited them myself!!!

Garlicnaan · 22/08/2024 12:40

You're contradicting yourself op

You said your DParents paid for your nephew. Now you're effectively saying they didn't.

You said you invited them - but actually, they booked their own room so are kind of travelling independently.

It's your family that's growing, so you need to book another room.

Get your DH to book one under his name, then there's an adult in each of two rooms. It's not complicated is it?

Cosyblankets · 22/08/2024 12:41

So if your parents and nephew weren't there then you would need two rooms for your own family?

Garlicnaan · 22/08/2024 12:41

Cosyblankets · 22/08/2024 12:41

So if your parents and nephew weren't there then you would need two rooms for your own family?

Exactly haha

mamajong · 22/08/2024 12:43

I'm so confused, why would you even consider taking your nephew off the booking rather than just adding the baby, I'm sure there is a solution here as others must book holidays while pregnant.

Im sensing some resentment towards your brother and/or nephew driving this but yabu to want to remove him from.a holiday after he has been told he is going imo

HelpAGirlOut1234 · 22/08/2024 12:43

And the fact of the matter is, OP has 3 children, and one on the way so to go on a cruise holiday, she would have had to book and fully pay for 2 rooms anyway as you can't have more than 4 in a cabin.

Arrangements were all fine before OP got pregnant so I don't see why the poor nephew should miss out on his holiday because of the OPs conception choices.

theonewiththejellyfish · 22/08/2024 12:43

familydrama1 · 22/08/2024 10:15

If you read my previous replies. I did pay for half my parents cabin as my child would be in there too. My brother, however, did not pay a penny for my nephew

What was you plan with sleeping arrangements had your parents declined your invite to join you?

theonewiththejellyfish · 22/08/2024 12:45

Sorry just noticed this question has already been asked

Hoppinggreen · 22/08/2024 12:47

Iasonnas · 22/08/2024 12:20

It's your problem you decided to have another baby, not your parents and not your nephews. Fucking atrocious to bump him off the holiday when you could stop being so grabby and just book another room. That way you can accommodate all your little ones together and your parents and nephew get a decent break.

My understanding is that OP didn't invite the nephew. She invited her parents and then becasue they are scared of their son they invited the 17 year old. The 17 year old will be sharing a cabin with his grandparents and his female cousin, which may even be 2 double beds which is a nightmare to start with and most 17 year old boys would really not want to do.
I can completely see why Op would want to remove her uninvited nephew from the booking and in her shoes I would have tried to do that (and gone ballistic at my parents) when she first found out about it.
BUT if the GP's are so terrified of their son to start with they are very unlikely to agree and theres not a lot she can do without causing huge drama with her family.
I imagine her DH and his family are not impressd either

Hoppinggreen · 22/08/2024 12:48

HelpAGirlOut1234 · 22/08/2024 12:43

And the fact of the matter is, OP has 3 children, and one on the way so to go on a cruise holiday, she would have had to book and fully pay for 2 rooms anyway as you can't have more than 4 in a cabin.

Arrangements were all fine before OP got pregnant so I don't see why the poor nephew should miss out on his holiday because of the OPs conception choices.

Maybe because she didn't invite him in the first place?

Staunchlystarling · 22/08/2024 12:49

Hoppinggreen · 22/08/2024 12:47

My understanding is that OP didn't invite the nephew. She invited her parents and then becasue they are scared of their son they invited the 17 year old. The 17 year old will be sharing a cabin with his grandparents and his female cousin, which may even be 2 double beds which is a nightmare to start with and most 17 year old boys would really not want to do.
I can completely see why Op would want to remove her uninvited nephew from the booking and in her shoes I would have tried to do that (and gone ballistic at my parents) when she first found out about it.
BUT if the GP's are so terrified of their son to start with they are very unlikely to agree and theres not a lot she can do without causing huge drama with her family.
I imagine her DH and his family are not impressd either

Wow. What a reach,

MyBreezyPombear · 22/08/2024 12:50

wheretoyougonow · 22/08/2024 12:37

@Staunchlystarling because if I wanted to invite extended family I would have. Lots of reasons including change of dynamics, responsibilities (including moral stuff like letting them go out drinking etc). Not wanting a 17 sulking that we are mainly doing activities for babies/ young kids. Managing teenage moods. Especially when my I'm-laws - like the op- don't have a lot of money and can't say no for fear of upsetting brother in law.
But most of all- if I wanted someone there I would have invited them myself!!!

Who said he was a sulky teenager?

Cosyblankets · 22/08/2024 12:52

What about the husband's family? Can they take one of your kids in their room? Assuming this is the other set of grandparents.

Genevieva · 22/08/2024 12:53

DillyDilly · 22/08/2024 12:06

But they did have a spare bed -the grandparents paid for their cabin which sleeps four, somewhere along the way they paid for their grandson to occupy one of the bed spaces in that cabin and the OP paid for her daughter to occupy one of the bed spaces. So the room is to capacity.

Seems a strange set up to have grandparents, a 17 yo old teenager and a much younger child sharing the one cabin. But each to their own.

OP said she paid half, so arguably the extra bed is hers. But my point wasn’t about who paid for what. It was about the emotional impact. Your daughter’s husband’s parents organise a family holiday with all the kids and grand kids. You tag along to help with childcare, then invite a member of your own extended family along, only to find this will prevent your son-in-law, daughter and their children from going. You can be legalistic and say ‘we get to take nephew if we want to. Tough luck!’ Or you can recognise that this will create massive awkwardness and leave you unable to enjoy your holiday, because your daughter, her husband and kids are sitting at home. How they resolve it is up to them. I wouldn’t invite a 17 year old to share a cabin with a 6 year old without the 6 year old’s mother’s consent, so maybe they are stubborn fools. Or just maybe, as grandparents willing to help with childcare on their son-in-law’s family holiday, they are reasonable people willing to talk through all the options and reach an agreed decision.

BellesAndGraces · 22/08/2024 12:54

You do have enough adults to book another cabin, you just don’t want to. If your cabin has you and DH plus 2 kids, you and DH can split cabins so you have one adult per cabin. 1 parent then has a child in their cabin and the other parent has child plus newborn.

Ilovelifeverymuch · 22/08/2024 12:54

Lulu1919 · 22/08/2024 10:55

But baby will be in your cabin ...they'll just add a travel cot ?
Your nephew will be in his booked room
And your parents in theirs
You don't need another room

It doesn't work that way for cruises there's maximum occupancy per cabin due to safety laws, life jackets and life boat requirements etc.

The issue is she has a family of 5 3 kids and 2 adults and the cabins are for 4 people so she got her parents to come and get their own cabin or 4 so one of her children is assigned to her parents cabin so her cabin is now at the maximum of 4 and her parents 3. Her parents then invited her nephew bringing their cabin occupancy to the maximum of 4.

Now OP is expecting a 4th child but no space in either cabin so she wants to kick out the nephew to accommodate her baby.

Ideally she should be booking a larger cabin with higher occupancy for her family or book a second cabin with her husband as the adult and allocate some of her kids to that cabin to spread them out.

OP knows she now has a family of 6 and should be booking/planning accordingly not booking based on using other people's rooms or cabins.

Alternatively she should postpone her trip and ask the cruise line for cruise credits, that way she can save for and pay for a larger cabin for her growing family and more importantly give the baby time to grow a bit before taking him or her on a cruise. I wouldn't be going on a cruise with a 6 month old baby.

DaniMontyRae · 22/08/2024 12:54

Hoppinggreen · 22/08/2024 12:47

My understanding is that OP didn't invite the nephew. She invited her parents and then becasue they are scared of their son they invited the 17 year old. The 17 year old will be sharing a cabin with his grandparents and his female cousin, which may even be 2 double beds which is a nightmare to start with and most 17 year old boys would really not want to do.
I can completely see why Op would want to remove her uninvited nephew from the booking and in her shoes I would have tried to do that (and gone ballistic at my parents) when she first found out about it.
BUT if the GP's are so terrified of their son to start with they are very unlikely to agree and theres not a lot she can do without causing huge drama with her family.
I imagine her DH and his family are not impressd either

Oh yeah right, the parents are sooooo terrified of their son they couldn't ask for a contribution to nephews costs but will happily kick nephew off the trip to appease their daughter. Sounds like it's more the daughter they are scared of.

And it's not the OPs booking so she has no right to remove anyone from it. Its also really easy to get single beds and suggesting her nephew is a pedophile is disgusting of you. Her parents are actually subsidising the OP because without them, she still would have needed either a second cabin or a bigger one. They are also providing free childcare on top. She doesn't have any right to go ballistic.

Phantoma · 22/08/2024 12:55

This is trying to impart reason and logic to a teenager who is angry about her little planned holiday being overcrowded. She now wants group sympathy and permission to bump off the nephew. Nothing else will do. So don't waste any more practical advice... she is not interested in a solution that would keep the nephew.