Internet Backs Mother Rejecting $11K Superyacht Vacation From Ex-Mom-in-Law

A mother stressed by a gifted vacation she doesn't know how to pay for has been backed online.

In a Mumsnet post shared on Saturday, user SillyFood revealed how her ex-partner's mother had spent over $11,000 on a luxury yacht trip for the poster and her children.

Value Penguin reports that the average vacation spend in the U.S. is 2 percent of a family's annual household budget, but chartering a yacht—something that has gained popularity in recent years—often costs considerably more than most households would spend on a vacation.

Yacht chartering prices vary from between around $10,000 per week on smaller sailing yachts and catamarans to over $150,000 on the most luxurious superyachts.

SillyFood explained: "I recently inherited some money and I used most of it to pay a large chunk of the mortgage, but put £10k ($11,600) aside and have booked a proper holiday of a lifetime to Thailand in October for myself and my children. My aunt, who I inherited the money from had always made me promise I'd spend a chunk of it on a big treat for myself that I'd never normally do so that's exactly what I've done."

The Mumsnet user explained that she and her ex-husband are separated but she is still close to his family. The poster had been getting help from her former sister-in-law, who works in the travel industry, to plan the trip.

"She's booked us various excursions that I couldn't work out how to do and got us some amazing discounts on hotels which I am truly grateful for," she said. But the price of the trip had started to worry the poster.

"When I first started talking to her about it one of the things she suggested was a sailing charter," explained the poster: "Although I could just about stretch to the cost of the charter itself, about £4,000 [$4,600], she said that tips of 10-20 percent are pretty much expected so I ruled it out and booked other stuff instead. The trip is now pretty much completely booked. It's costing £8,200."

But not long after booking the trip, the Mumsnet user received a call from her ex-mother-in-law who excitedly told her that she has booked the sailing charter for them instead: "She really wanted to spoil her grandchildren and didn't want to wait until she was dead for us to have a treat," explained the poster: "I told her that we had everything booked now, that it was in a different part of the country to where we'll be on the date she's booked it and I didn't know if I'd be able to get everything refunded. She brushed this aside and said she'd sent me the link, that she'd paid for it and once I saw it then she knew that I'd love it."

When she opened the link, the Mumsnet user found that it was to charter a superyacht. "Looking at prices she's spent an absolute minimum of £10,000 on the 3-day charter," she said. "The original one we were looking at was sailing on a traditional boat, going to nature reserves and snorkeling. This is suggesting casinos, nightlife, possible firework displays."

Distressed at the thought of the expensive trip, and knowing that her ex-mother-in-law is not rich, the Mumsnet user asked for advice on what she should do next. "Even if I cancel the 3 nights accommodation that I've booked and rearrange the whole thing so that I'm in the place I need to be for this boat I still need to cut back spending so I've got extra for tips. I am so grateful that she's thinking of us but it is neither what I want to do nor what I can afford."

Unable to get her ex-mother-in-law to listen, the woman says she expressed her stress about the trip: "I don't think I'm being ungrateful but I would genuinely rather she donate the money to charity than spend it on something that makes this holiday that I'm so looking forward to into something I don't want," she wrote.

"Well I think it was super kind of her, and nice she wants to experience her grandchildren telling her all about it whilst she's alive, not spending her inheritance when she's gone," wrote another Mumsnet user: "However, if it doesn't meet with your plans (or costs) then she needs to cancel it."

Another commenter said: "You need to explain this to mother-in-law, she will have thought at that price it was fully inclusive."

In a later update, the user SillyFood told followers of the thread that the issue may have been solved: "[My] sister in law just messaged me: 'I've spoken to Lynn and I think (hope!) I've finally got through to her that she needs to cancel the charter. She's utterly adamant that she's going to pay for something for your holiday though but I couldn't persuade her to give you cash/vouchers. I've told her that absolutely everything is already booked but that flight upgrades might be an option.'"

After hearing about this option, the Mumsnet user was thrilled and said: "I think flight upgrades would actually be amazing! I really hope she can sort that instead and manage to cancel the charter."

"Flight upgrades is a sensible suggestions and would be a real treat," said another reply: "Hopefully it will all be sorted soon."

Newsweek was unable to verify the details of this case.