DVC causes family problems?

[Candace]

Wheeler - I think our husbands must be twins separated at birth! The comment about him lying on the bed with the remote is EXACTLY what my husband does at WDW on vacation. Our boys and I have been about 20 times since 1989, and he has been twice. I bought DVC in 1994, and I didn't even tell him about it until 1999. He really sees vacations as frivolous - and WDW as super expensive, but he doesn't mind my going, thank goodness - because I would just go anyway. LOL! I will say, however, that the DVC accomodations really did impress him the two times he has been. He stayed in a 2BR at OKW and a 1BR at WLV, and I have booked a GV at OKW for Christmas week of this year. I expect that will blow him away - but I will never expect him to go near a park. Each to his own, but I am sure am grateful for my DVC!

 

[Terry S]

I guess I am lucky a far as hubby goes, he loves WDW and the effect it has on our family just as much as I do, so that is not a problem. I am a new owner so we will have to see about the other part. I already had a neighbor tell me "I invited you to my cabin up north so are you going to invite me to your place?" As I said I am new so maybe I am being a bit selfish, but why would I want to spend my extra points to book a room for someone else. It didn't cost her a thing for my family to sleep on the floor of the cabin she invited us to and it didn't even compare one bit to WDW.

 

[Lesley]

I'm a lucky one with my dh too....he started the whole thing by planning our honeymoon to WDW (not where I wanted to go...but I wasn't asked...he has apologized...many times).

I'm the planner in the family...so his love of WDW and my love of planning things like vacations just worked out well! DVC was my idea for the most part, but he wasn't hard to convince.

As far as other family.....I've offered points to a couple of relatives but they don't seem that interested (ha, good, more for us!). My parents are visiting with us this december...and we've already let my dh's brother and sister know that they are invited to join us in Sept. 2004. I'm guessing bil won't make it, though I'm quite sure he'll let us know last minute that he's not....and I don't think it would be any different if we were paying for everything. There's just no way we can afford to pay for anything but the room for anyone else...and if we could I'd be bringing the kids' friends!

 

[TheWho]

It sound's like the majority of the posts cite the husband as being the one that is NOT the Disney nut. In my case, I'm the husband and I'm the one that is fascinated with anything that's Disney (WDW, Walt's life, DVC, etc) I guess it's a good thing that I didn't marry one of the ladies on this board. Otherwise, We'd probably would have brought thousands of DVC points and also named our kids Old Key West and Boardwalk.

 

[TandyR]

I knew my parents would be all upset about DVC if they knew about it and knew how much we paid to buy in etc. etc., but my MIL is a Disney addict on a limited budget, so when we were figuring out the number of points we want/needed we added in enough so we could get a studio for my MIL for a few days when we go down. Our first trip is in 16 days and I am dieing to find out her reaction to the VWL studio after all these years of staying at the All-Stars Resorts.
So I guess I am saying I have friends and family who I don't even bother talking to them about DVC and Disney, but I also have plenty of friends and family who I can talk about it forever.
BTW, I really wanted to buy DVC, but I am a very cheap Yankee....and I was trying to get over the money we had to put out up front, but then my DH broke it down figuring out how much each trip would be costing by doing DVC so he convinced me.

 

[DVCinderella]

I can relate! I have always loved all things Disney. DH had never been to WDW before I took him in ‘94. He loved it! We have vacationed there every year since.

In Dec ‘00, I went to WDW with a single girlfriend who had booked a timeshare off-property, and was looking for a travel companion (Note – I will never stay off-property again!). One day, she went to Discovery Cove to swim with the dolphins, and since I knew I could never get in the water with them, I opted to spend my day at WDW. I went to the BW and sat through the DVC presentation. Afterwards, I was completely convinced to buy into the program. I came back to NJ with all my DVC brochures and meeting notes. DH was not as easily convinced.

A few months later, DH and I visited WDW, and I knew I had to get him to sit through the DVC presentation. I knew the visual aids would help (the touch-screen computer), and of course, seeing the model rooms would be the icing on the cake…and it was! So we bought into DVC, and so far we are very happy.

I’ve gotten the occasional “You’re going there again?!” remark from family and friends, but I think DH gets it a lot more than I do. Most people think it’s all me…that I’m twisting DH’s arm to go to WDW, when actually he usually suggests the next trip to WDW! Whenever someone says to him, “You’re going there again?” he rolls his eyes as if to say, “Yup…she’s forcing me to go again.” I could just scream! If only these people could be a fly on the wall when DH is eagerly looking through “Vacation Magic” and "The Disney Magazine”. But I think after 10+ trips to WDW, people are finally starting to catch on to him. If he truly wasn’t enjoying it, why does he keep going back?

I suppose I can live with the snide remarks. They don’t know what they’re missing. My Disney obsession was even joked about at our wedding. Our Best Man ended his speech by turning to DH and saying, “If your first two kids are named Happy and Sleepy, you know you have 5 more coming.”

 

[maepartner]

Im just getting the biggest charge out of these posts.....but I cant even get my hubby to wdw and we're only 3 hours away! ALthough he is 22 yrs older than me, I just know that he would LOVE it,,,but I cant get him to go.....maybe if I just keep going without him, he might change his tune! Counting down.....11 days !

But I do agree with alot of you that there is no point in dragging a tried and true disney hater to WDW.....it wouldnt be worth the hassle of "forcing" them to have a good time. Just go alone, with the kids, with a friend, and have a great time! Just remember to call your spouse every nite and give them the ole "wish you were here" routine,,,,, Mae inkbounc

 

[Terry S]

maepartner... just had to tell a story after your comment regarding if you could get your husband to go. Last October we convinced my parents to go to WDW with us. My mother didn't take any convincing she had never been to WDW but loves all things Disney and couldn't wait to see her Grandkids there. My Step-Father was another story. The old "what are we going to do in WDW for 10 days?" line. I had to hear his grumpy tune for months prior to it. I was starting to get worried that he might not have a good time and I would feel bad if he didn't have a good time. Needless to say he really enjoyed himself and when I was on the phone with him a few months back I jokingly said "we are going to WDW in April, should I book 2 rooms or one?" he just laughed and ended our conversation and hung up. He called me back about an hour later and asked me what the dates were that we are going and I now have 2 rooms booked.

 

[Laurabearz]

I grew up at Disneyland.... My husband wasnt crazy about getting into DVC until we stayed at OKW this past January. On the second day he said.... so you want to buy into this place huh? Okay with me!
Now.... just 3 months later we are working our our second add-on (looking for a wonderful BWV contract!)
My husbnad still isnt convinced this is a good thing... but our upcoming trip in May will swing him over..... (as I have mentioned before) we got a great deal on our OKW resale with lots of banked points. We are splurging on a 9 day trip split between BC Con and Poly Con. (600 points YIKES) We are only heading to the parks for 2 or 3 days. THis is a resort vacation. We plan on hanging out at the pools with our girls.... soaking up the FLA sun!!! THe bonus is we get to do that with Mickey!!!

We do have some freinds who are jelous (sp) And some people have said.... YOur going again so soon??? We just say we are DVC'rs and love it!

 

[maepartner]

Great story Terry,,,I wanted my DH,,,,,,(and the D doesnt stand for Dear about now, if you get my drift) to read your post.....arrrgghhhh he is so stubborn! ITs hopeless, truly hopeless....but ya know,,,,,Im going anyway! The more I go, the more he will break down.....just a matter of time

Laura great that youre able to add on, and nice that you dont have to have fisticuffs to get DH to go LOL

Actually I d much prefer to go with my DS and DD's They love it! (hubby is not their father) And I dont have to pull teeth with them......cest le vie!

Mae

 

[wheeler]

So I'm *NOT* the only one?????!!!!!!! Thank GOD! And to be fair, yes, he *DOES* enjoy himself once he's there and we're into it for a few days. I've learned I CANNOT do the "commando" thing with him. He always stages a revolt around the 5th day.......even on our first trip in '97 he did that. He either "pretends" he doesn't feel good and says he wants to stay in bed and to meet him back at the room around one o'clock so he can sleep-in, OR, (and I hate when he takes this option) he begrudgingly plods along, complaining, whining, eye-rolling, etc., until finally, I lose it completely and we go back to the room for food and rest....and a little time apart... I'll head off to EPCOT for an hour or two by myself and come back feeling refreshed, like nothing ever happened, and he's been relaxing by the pool with the kid, so he's fine too. Last year I used a different strategy that was a huge success, so I'm kinda surprised he's not coming with us in April. What I did was, make a loose itinerary. I plan nothing for the first and last days, which left 8 days to plan. Of the eight, 3 days were all mine, 3 days were "Daddy's Choice", and 2 days were 1/2 and 1/2, so Mom got to pick what we did before noon, and Dad got to pick what we did after noon. And it's flexible, I mean we don't stick to that plan like glue. The funny thing is, my two DD's have virtually the exact same taste and interests as me, so I had to have a little "chat" with them ahead of time warning them to not roll their eyes/ complain/ whine, etc. at what Daddy wants to do, because they think Dad likes "boring stuff" (I have to agree). He literally LOVES to just drive around Florida and "sight see" from the car! UGH! I just bring plenty of magazines for me and paper and crayons for the kids, and instruct them *NOT* to ask, "Where are we going?" every 10 minutes (because the answer is "nowhere", which is completely ridiculous to *US*, but not to him). I think the other (and maybe BIGGER) problem, and most likely the cause of his sour moods at WDW is that he's self-employed, so I think he has this running total of how much money he's "losing" instead of just having fun, which is too bad, but there' nothing I can do to change that. It's a small business with only one other employee, so then he's also dreading the HUGE backlog of work that's piling up while he's gone, and it makes him miserable the closer we get to the end of our stay, and he "announces" how bad things will be. The worst is when he calls there (which I tell him not to do) and then it ruins his whole day.

to Granny: No, this is *NOT* the guy whose head I weighed.....that guy was kinda a loser, but he did have a better sense of humor. My DH would never submit to such shenanigans and would be immediately suspicious. If I had a nickel for every time DH asked me (in a serious tone no less) "What is WRONG with you?" regarding some twisted thing I just did I could have bought DVC ten years ago!!!!!!

 

[Granny]

Originally posted by TheWho
It sound's like the majority of the posts cite the husband as being the one that is NOT the Disney nut. In my case, I'm the husband and I'm the one that is fascinated with anything that's Disney (WDW, Walt's life, DVC, etc) I guess it's a good thing that I didn't marry one of the ladies on this board. Otherwise, We'd probably would have brought thousands of DVC points and also named our kids Old Key West and Boardwalk.

LOL, TheWho!!!

I've had that same thought many times. If my DW was as much into Disney as I am, we'd probably have to move to Florida to get the AP discount and be able to afford our10 trips a year to WDW!!!

On the other hand, if there's a single lady out there with about 1,000 or so points......



On the off chance that DW ever reads this....that last line was a joke, dear!!

 

[maepartner]

OMG this thread is too funny.....so glad to see Im not alone here LOL more more more! Mae

 

[jmminarik]

wow...this is a hot topic.

I'd guess I'd have to consider myself in the lucky catagory compared to many of ya'll that posted. Wifey-poo is as big a Disney fan as I am, so there's never any complaint about going.

As to the family and friends, maybe its because we live in the middle atlantic area, but so far we've not had any negative comments from anyone who knows. Of course, our Disney fanatic friends are all jealous, but not resentful in the least.

As to the family, my sister gave us some money for the trip we all took last Christmas. She's cool that way and realizes even though we didn't fork over money directly tied to the reservations, ownership does cost money. She's also smart enough to know we'll probably be sending her back in the future.

The rest of my family that we are closest with go to WDW every year or so, therefore there's no resentment or wonder at our going from them. In fact, my cousin-in-law moved his family to Orlando and took a job with Disney. Why others in the family haven't joined DVC is a mystery to me, given how often they go.

Then there are our closest friends we sent to BWV in a 1br for their honeymoon....they insisted it was too much and 'forced' us to keep the 32" TV we were storing for them while the construction on their home was being completed.

-Joe (obviously lucky....or just has good taste in friends and family)

 

[maepartner]

What an awesome gift! Joe, can you be my new best friend? Mae

 

[wheeler]

I also get that " You're going AGAIN???!!!" comment all the time, (like it's the Hoover Dam or something, and you'd never need to go there more than once!) so I've decided I'm just not gonna mention it anymore. Worse still, I think, is the people that assume you're millionaires. I feel like saying, "No, I'm just intelligent", but if they don't "get" WDW, then they certainly won't "get" DVC, or that comment either! Isn't it sad how people leap to conclusions? The "millionaire" thing can really work against you, I've noticed. You really have to pick and choose what you say to certain people. You can't go off complaining like everyone else about rising property taxes, car payments, health insurance, etc., because you can just SEE the looks they give you like, "Yeah right. As if *YOU*, little Miss 'I go to Disney twice a year' needs to worry about THAT" . When I've NEVER spoken like that or bragged about it. I also tell my DD's not to brag about it, because once last year, my younger one came home from school, and told me that everyone in the class had to describe the best vacation they ever had, and that "this one girl DROVE to Connecticut to visit relatives and stayed with them in their house and played with her cousins. They didn't even GO anywhere! That's not even a vacation!" So we had the big "sit-down", and I explained what "perspective" means, that you're perspective that something is "great", or the "best", only stays that way until you have the opportunity and good fortune to experience something "better", and that it is extremely unkind to try to convince somebody that "driving to Connecticut is no vacation" if THEY think it is. She insisted that she never said anything to the girl, she just "thought" it. (I hope) I am constantly hammering them to count their blessings, and that they have way more to THANK God for, than ASK him for......... and all that can change on a dime. A little "deep" for the elementary set, I suppose, but a lesson many people NEVER learn........

 

[Simba's Mom]

Thank goodness I'm not alone here. DH didn't even go on the sales tour, and used his usual phrase "Whatever you want to do is fine with me, dear". But then the wheels started turning in his head and he bought a 1996 Corvette, not just a motorcycle or a dirt bike. So now the wheels are turning in my head. I definitely think I need to go back to him and say that since the Corvette was so much more money, I NEED MORE POINTS!

 

[DVCajun]

Goodness, Simba's mom-- are you guys ever planning on retiring?

 

[Shadeaux]

Originally posted by Granny
I've had that same thought many times. If my DW was as much into Disney as I am, we'd probably have to move to Florida to get the AP discount and be able to afford our10 trips a year to WDW!!!

I didn't realize how fortunate I was that my husband is as much into Disney as I am. We've talked about retiring in Florida. I knew dh was serious but didn't know how serious until he said maybe we should start looking into buying a retirement home NOW instead of in 10 or 15 years when he's ready to retire. I'm not ready to take that step just yet. For now I'm happy with my 12 or so days a year at OKW.

 

[hunnypotmama]

I may be unusual, I am a late bloomer Disney wise...I was 37 before I actually started to "get it." I had had 3 prior trips to DW that weren't enjoyable, and finally one last year with just me and 5 year old DD, and we had a blast!! Ate at Cindy's table our first morning there, and it was just magical beyond my wildest imagination...the fact that we got in at all was a miracle, it was a spur of the moment trip, and we were there on July 4th! So we had such a good time, DD and I "dragged" Dh and baby son along on an October trip, and then Feb, went all the way to DL!! I think the whole family has fallen victim to Disney-itis, but our friends all think we're insane...I refused to even tell any of my friends that we went to DL this last time, I just said it was a conference for my DH's work (not a lie, just not the complete truth!)

NOW, if I can just convince DH to buy into DVC (of course, we won't be telling anyone that, either!)

hunnypotmama