Walt Disney World In room Celebrations....are they worth the price tag?

[lanejudy]

Hello Fellow Disney Lovers,
My fiancé and I are going to Disney in August and we are taking his son for the first time. My fiancé wants to have an in room celebration for his son that's worth about $300. For me I can't justify that price tag especially when we originally booked this trip we were staying at Boardwalk Villas but due to financial issues we had to move our resort stay to AllStar Sports. So my question is, are the in room celebrations really worth the money????

It sounds to me like there may be 2 issues at play here. Both are valid points, but it will be beneficial for you to separate them and decide which is really driving your question.

1 - the downgraded resort accommodations. It seems as though that may have resulted in hard feelings. Maybe you feel that you had to give up the resort you really wanted but now extra funds are going to something specifically for the son. Discuss it. See if there is any compromise. Is there something special you'd really like to do/buy that can be fit into the budget? Maybe a specific meal, a souvenir, etc.

2 - $300 for an in-room birthday surprise. It is a hefty price tag, though obviously some feel it's "worth it" for varying reasons. I suggest asking your fiance what about the package makes him want to do this for the boy. Is it the particular character? Is it a particular item that comes as part of the package? Is it simply the idea of a surprise? Is this in lieu of other birthday gifts? There may be alternative ways to accomplish the same goal if the 2 of you can discuss it logically.

 

[tinkerjo]

You never said how old his son is. That may make a difference. While it may not be worth it for a younger child, an older one may love it. IDK, I’m torn on this one. I personally feel given the fact that there were some financial issues, that maybe you could compromise and do the celebration yourselves, but what a great dad to want to do that for his kid. As long as dad is paying, I would let him do it, even if you think it’s too much. Sometimes we do things for our kids that don’t make sense to someone else.

 

[Jenn51421]

Thank you to everyone who responded. I am sorry if my post resulted in some "active" discussions. After reading everyone's posts, my fiancé and I did talk it over and we both agreed that we could use the money somewhere else during the trip. I believe also, my fiancé wanted to do the in room celebration for his son since it will be his first visit with us. He has already been once with his mom and without getting into too much family detail / drama my fiancé has a lot of guilt when it comes to his child because he can't be around him all the time due to him and the mom divorcing and not doing very well with co-parenting either. So he will go above and beyond for him, which is not a bad thing. Please don't misread that statement, as I would do just the same for his son as well. I just personally feel like with the financial struggles we are going through and with me taking on a lot of the costs for this trip and our family that we can take that money and do something else in the park that his son would love.

Again thank you all for your comments and help with this situation!

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

If you had to move to ASSports to save $, I can't see how adding a $300 in room celebration would be a prudent decision. In reality, nothing about WDW is a necessity so really, just going is not really needed but let's face it, we all love it! That said, I'd probably pass on the expense and maybe suggest doing something on your own if your fiance thinks it's needed. You could pick up a few cupcakes at the food court or order a cake and bring a few items with you that maybe can help jazz it up. I don't know what you're celebrating but we traveled for my daughter's 16th bday and I packed a banner, candle, crown, sash and gifts and then had my in-laws grab a cake.

 

[flyingdumbo127]

that you and your family have a safe and fun trip, Jenn. I looked into this thread because I was thinking of one day possibly doing something special for a family member at Disneyland. God Bless you and thanks for the kindness and love, care, you give your stepson.