bring non-family members to WDW

[spiceycat]

I will pay the tickets and meals for my niece, nephew and sister-in-law - but I really can't afford to pay for their guests - each child will bring a guest.

how do you handle this?

do you send out a letter (I don't know the guests and never meet the parents - my sister in law will know them) and explain that you are only furnishing the villa - place to stay - but that is all.

how do you handle this part?

what if because of costs their favorite friend can't come - do they just find another friend - or what?

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

You don't need to send a letter just tell your SIL that the friends will have to proved their own tickets and spending money...Will you be cooking at the villa? If so make your menu's and adjust for what two extra's will cost...have you made PS you could print menu's for them or their parents to review..are they children 3-9 or teenagers? They shouldn't expect a FREE trip and your SIL should have made that clear before invatation was extended.
Just because your generous to you SIL, neice, and nephew you shouldn't be expected to prvide free vacations for other children you don't even know. Nor should their parents accept for them without providing them with their basic needs.

We once invited one of my nephews friends to join us on one of our vacations..never again.

 

[spiceycat]

okay magic - what happened that was so bad?

 

[Candace]

I agree with Magic that it is your SIL's place to explain the deal to the parents of the children. We once brought 3 of my son's friends - they were all teenagers and were able to go off on their own. I told them they were responsible for park admission and money for lunch/souvenirs/ other spending money. I took care of them at breakfast (always in the villa) and dinner, either in the villa or at a park. I told them to send $15/day for lunch. It all worked out great, and the same boys came back the next year. It just needs to be planned out and explained in advance. You don't want any surprises!

 

[MAGICinMYHEART]

O.K. SpiceyCat

Well my nephews friend Woody was org planning on coming with us, I knew Woody and his parents. At the last minute Woody had a family emergency and couldn't come so the invitation was moved to another friend (JIMMY)

My nephew then lived about 45 minutes away from me, my sister had spoken with JIMMY'S parents, arranged a meet with me. Now they didn't request a meet, my sister and I thought they would want to meet me as their son was going to be alone with strangers for 10 days....I made the trip and they didn't show up they had gone shopping...I visited with my sister and nephew. Then DN and I went to JIMMY'S house still no adult home. I should have known right there to say"Oh well maybe next time."

But no, Jimmy's Mother called my sister, said it wouldn't be any trouble for Jimmy to go, even though they didn't know me from Adam...

I came to realize to late "I DIDN'T KNOW JIMMY FROM ADAM."

He packed his own cloths he was apx 12 years old, no underwear, socks, toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, or hairbrush
two pair of shorts..apx four T-shirts (dirty and with holes)
I had picked up my DN and JIMMY the night before we left for WDW so I also knew no PJ's....My DH ran to Walmart and got above hygiene products I washed the clothes he had brought and bought DN and JIMMY new t-shirts almost every day we where at parks as souvenirs. I made DN loan him some shorts as his red shorts wouldn't look to good with some of the T-shirts. No swim trunks, DN had two pair no problem...ect..ect...

He had no table manners, and everytime we tried to share something with him, he said "Oh, I KNOW" yet he had never been to WDW before in his life, and the response was to everything not just limited to Disney information.

He was a typical bad boy....spitting constantly...body noises I was ready to harm him, it's very hard to discipline another person's child, when it's apparent he had never been disciplined before. (Believe the parents where to blame not the child)

My nephew was very upset with him and didn't even want to be around him toward the end of the trip, and we did leave two days early, I just couldn't take anymore.

We had also been trying to call his parents during the trip not to give reports but so he could talk to them....never could reach them and we tried at different times both day and night. My sister picked the boys up on the day we returned and just let JIMMY off at his house after trying to reach his parents all day to notify them we would be home. (What if there had been an emergency)

So I know I will never take take someone else to WDW with me again.

"If they ain't blood they can go with somebody else."

 

[spiceycat]

Oh you did have a bad one - you have to feel for a child sounds like he even had to pack his own bags - I am so sorry that your trip did not turn out like you wanted it too....

People like that don't understand why they are never invited back.

I actually have a friend that say that too me - her first trip to WDW and she knows it all - she hasn't been back.

I took my niece and her friend for the July 4 a couple of years ago - my problem was they kept trying to lose me - but when they knew there was trouble - too many people/strangers tried to talk to them - they stayed very, very close. I just got upset because I couldn't see them at all time- so I thought this time bring her mother would help - but they will all be teenagers - the boys will be 17 and the girls will be 15 or close to it - so I hope they could have some along time....

 

[lenshanem]

Well this is a nice lesson t learn for the future when my kids are older.
Magic, I really feel for you! That is awful! I feel so bad for the boy, too. How very sad indeed.

 

[RumpleMom]

As a mom of two teenagers, I speak from experience, that when teenagers are left on their own at WDW they will find each other like magnets.

I want to add that this has always been a good experience for our family, but you need to know the teens you are bringing who are not family.

DD met a boy at MK they exchanged email addresses and talked on the computer for a year. We had been walking about 30 yards ahead of her and her older sister. They arranged that both families would vacation at WDW the next year at the same time. We didn't realize this from the very beginning, but DD is a good kid and told us well before the trip, so I turned this information into-great when can we meet his family? The two families met and spent an evening together. They wanted to meet us as much as we wanted to meet them. They live 2 time zones away. DD and her older sister and this boy spent an evening at Disney Quest too.

Anyway, 5 years later- these two kids still keep in touch. His whole family met DD this past summer at their local airport because DD was traveling with her Spanish teacher and other kids on a school trip to Mexico and had a several hour layover.

Just remember to think of every possibility of what they could run into and discuss how they should handle each situation before letting them on their own.

 

[DeeDeeDis]

Spiceycat,

for my son's graduation, i am sending him and 2 friend to WDW in January. I will be taking care of the accomodations and limo from airport to resort, but all other costs are the friends. I sent out a letter to the friends parents giving them the name of the resort, maps so they'd have an idea of the layout of the different parks in conjunction with where the kids would be staying and also letting them know the cost of tickets, average cost of lunch in the park and menus from some of the different restuarants (mosty buffets). I actually started feeding them information back in february so that they would have plently of time to save for this trip.

Every time i send out a little update, i get a call from the parents thanking me for being so informative and keeping them up to date on all the plans.

I don't like surprises, and i usually have to save for a while for my vacations, having a large additional unplanned cost would really put a damper on my vacation.

I vote for a letter, starting off with "rah Rahs" happy they're joining you, blah blah, give them a describtion (or a picture) of the resort, the room, what it offers or is around it. type of transportation available for use, all the good stuff, then go into what they will need, even send them a price list of passes, and which pass you recommend they purchase for the lenght of stay.
good luck

ps my kids have brought friends on vacation with us many times, and we've never had a bad experience.

 

[lenshanem]

Curious for those that ahve taken their kids' friends...
Did it feel like it was riuning family time or make it more enjoyable since they had soemone to keep them entertained?

 

[Ms. WDW]

DS brough a friend with him this past trip and it was great. First of all it takes the pressure off of ME to play "companion". I love my son with all my heart, but Mommy needs "down time" too. I know the young man very well and his parents also. Actually his Mother met us down in WDW towards the end of the week so I had "a pal" too.

Personally, I feel that once kids reach a certain age, the love of WDW is still there, but the fun is amplified if they have someone of their "own age" to share that fun with.

Would I bring a friend again; yes. As a matter of fact....this next trip is being planned as a "family" trip. Meaning no guests. DH has never been to WDW since joining DVC. (Work issues kept him home) So I've finally managed a trip with him this summer.
And much to the dismay of DS, there will not be any friends. I just felt that since it was my husbands first time as a Member and he hasn't been to the World in about 8 years, that it should be just family. DH has alot of catching up to do!!

 

[SueOKW]

I can see it both ways - good to have kid's friends, good not to have friends. I worry that once we open the door to friends, I'll wave goodbye to mother daughter stuff. Will I be ready to do that when the time comes? (My DDs are 11 and 9)

I see from above so much good can come from bringing friends as well as bad!




Sue

 

[DeeDeeDis]

Lenshanem & SueOKW

One of the "cost" to the friends we take is spending the morning with Mom & Dad. This is totally selfish on our part because there is nothing like seeing the faces of these kids when they experience the "Magic" for the first time". Its almost as good as the feeling you get when your kids first saw Mickey at disney.

My DH is at disney as i write this with DS#2 (16th B'day) and his friend. DH was very excited about this trip because Neal (friend) has never been to disney. Traditionaly their first stop will be "Its A Small World" (poor kid) that way Neal will have that song in his head all week (we love doing that).

Watching someone become a true believer in the "Magic" is so cool.

In our experiences, when given the option to "dump" us. 9 out of 10 times they end up spending the whole day with us.

Share the "Magic", bring a Friend

debbie

 

[SheriB]

We took our DD16's friend with us this summer, and she was very well behaved. All the financial arrangements had been made ahead of time. The problem we had was with our DD, who had her own itinerary in her head when we got there. She thought she and her friend were just going to lay by the pool all day while we went to the parks and met them back at the room later. WRONG! She can lay by our pool at home all summer, we didn't buy park passes for her and her friend so they could lay by the pool. It took some adamant persuasion to get her to realize that she wasn't exactly an adult who could make her own decisions as to what she wanted to do on a family vacation. We did plan pool time for each day, but only a couple of hours-not all day. And they got time to explore each park by themselves and be on their own. It all worked out in the end. But communication before you even get there is the key to a successful and happy trip.

Sheri

 

[spiceycat]

thanks everyone - good advice!!!

I know the girls will want to go with me to WDW - but the guys will probably want to go to US/IOA - I have tickets for both - should I pick where I want to go - or do I let my Sister in law choose which group she wants to be with.

 

[speedway66]

Know the kids, know the parents. This is your vacation too. You shouldn't have to do substantially more to include extra kids. If it seems like it could turn into a logistical or financial burden, drop the plan. Our son (age 15 at the time) invited his best friend for our last trip, and all was going well until his mom became pregnant. The kid himself asked if he could bow-out of the trip, because he knew his parents could find a better use for the money. Good kid, raised right. We'll invite him again.