Bringing a friend vs family

[WDWalways]

I was just curious what you guys do when you bring a friend(s) instead of or in addition to family/spouse?? Do you ask for any money towards the room being that they are staying in a deluxe WDW hotel for free?? I know this may sound cold but I don't see why the member should pay thousands to be a member and if they always bring or very often bring the same friend along the friend should go scott-free?? What do you guys do if this situation arises?? I'm a new member and I go only once a year with my husband but I go at least one more time per year with my friend and I don't think it's fair to me that she go completely free. I don't know what to do so I need advice. Thanks!!

 

[ohiominnie]

Can't help you. We've taken friends and family on multiple occassions. We don't ask for anything towards the room. We usually pick up family's park hopper passes and several meals. They get their own souveniers (and friends have picked up their own hoppers)

We feel blessed to be able to share DVC style accomodations and Disney Magic with friends and family.

Would your friend really be going "completely free?" Wouldn't she still pay for her park ticket, meals and anything else she buys? Really the only thing you're "paying for" is the room....and since it's just two of you you wouldn't need to upgrade the room anyway (one stays for the same price as two)

Share the magic. I'll bet your friend will reciprocate by picking up a meal or two. I know if MY friend took ME to Disney I'd be overly grateful.

 

[SharonS]

It depends on who I am taking and their financial situation. I am single and own 350 pts at BWV. One friend that I travel with I know can afford to pay and in addition, she is the type of person that would not offer to buy a meal or anything else. So, when I went with her, I averaged the cost of a point over the 42 years that I belonged and added the cost per point in maintenance fees. I think it came to about $5.62/per point. I multiplied that by the number of points for our stay and split it in half. I think for our stay it ended up being $100 per night for a studio at BWV, so i asked the person for $50 per night.

I don't think you should feel guilty about doing this. You are right, you are paying lots of money for the privilege of belonging to DVC. I have no problem ocassionally treating someone to a stay, but if you travel together often, I think it appropriate for her to share in the cost.

I am taking my cousin in August. For that trip, I am covering the room and paying her airfare and park tickets. I also did this for a friend who had helped me a lot when my Mom was ill.

 

[jmminarik]

We agree with Ohiominnie...if we're inviting a friend, they're there as guests. If someone asked to stay on our points, we'd expect them to cover at least our costs, assuming we had enough points to 'rent' to them and we didn't go with'em.

Of course, with our friends getting them to accept our generosity is like pulling teeth somethings....my sister (ok, she's family, but still my friend) insisted on buying christmas dinner while at VB last year, and then she sent a 'suprise' check to us just because after we got home. Our other friends we sent on their honeymoon insisted we keep their big screen TV which we had been storing for them while their house was being built. The TV wasn't brand new, but the only way they'd go was if we kept the TV.

We don't expect to have these problems with my inlaws.

 

[dznymom1]

I never ask anyone to contribute for the room. I am either inviting them because I want to treat them, or inviting them because I want them to keep me company. Either way, I equate it to inviting someone to my home. I don't figure out the cost of my mortgage over 30 years and divide it up and present my guests with a bill for spending the weekend in our home, and I wouldn't do it at DVC either. However, most people I invite insist on treating us to dinner or providing groceries, and we graciously accept.

By the way, this is just my opinion and not meant to be judgemental of what anyone else does. I also don't invite anyone a second time if they are not appropriately grateful

 

[EmptyNester]

We've invited another couple to join us next February (don't have a definite "yes" yet, but that's another thread) and don't expect them to contribute $$ for the accommodations. We have the points available - there will be four of us in a 2-bedroom villa - and want to share the 'magic' of WDW. We do, however, expect that they will pay for their own airline tickets, passes, restaurant meals, etc. We would probably accept a meal, but nothing more, as a "Thank-you".

One of the reasons we purchased DVC was so we could invite friends/family along for some of our trips. JMHO, of course!

 

[JillU-DVC]

Since you're a new member, and it sounds like you vacation with the same person all the time (other than your husband), I would discuss with her that the vacation situation has changed.

Explain that you've purchased DVC, so that you'll be able to stay in much nicer accomodations (I assume) then what you've stayed in before. Discuss with her that since things have changed, you would like her to contribute in part to the room cost in a different way than before.

Remember, DVC does NOT give you FREE hotel rooms; you still pay for it, but you're paying for it a different way. If your friend that you vacation with usually pays her way for the hotel room when you vacation, she should have no problem continuing to pay her way. You may discover that she'll pay LESS than when you were splitting the ordinary hotel room, for MUCH nicer accomodations!

Simply discuss things up front, know before you discuss with her what you'd like her to contribute (and I assume you'll be reasonable with what you'd like her to contribute). Plus have options available and be flexible, if you want to keep her as a friend.

I like the calculation of cost per point, and having the other person pay cash to you for half of the actual cost to stay.

 

[Sorcerer]

I've done this several times in the past: if I've planned a trip with a friend, I'll offer to book us DVC accomodations with the understanding that my friend will pay me half of whatever it would have cost us to stay elsewhere on site (typically the cost of an All Star room split in half). The way I see it, if we've discussed taking a trip to WDW together, then she's not really going as my guest, we're just taking a trip together. Therefore, we should split the cost of the accomodations. Just b/c we use DVC shouldn't mean that the other person should stay for "free".

On the other hand, if I've invited someone as my GUEST, then yes, I wouldn't expect payment. But all my trips so far have been "hey, let's take a quick shopping trip/pin trading trip/need a break trip to WDW"...my husband isn't much on WDW (he'll go maybe once a year, if that) so I go with fellow Disney nuts (my friends, parents, etc.)

Bottom line, it's still a hotel room (albeit nicer than most). I've always split the cost of a hotel room with fellow travelers, and would expect to be compensated in kind when using DVC.

 

[yesdisneyfool]

Originally posted by SharonS
It depends on who I am taking and their financial situation. I averaged the cost of a point over the 42 years that I belonged and added the cost per point in maintenance fees. I think it came to about $5.62/per point. I multiplied that by the number of points for our stay and split it in half. I think for our stay it ended up being $100 per night for a studio at BWV, so i asked the person for $50 per night.

I like this idea and would use it if I needed a bigger unit. Having them pay for their meals, etc., A BIG smile and a Thank You would go a long way.

 

[WDWalways]

Originally posted by ohiominnie
Share the magic. I'll bet your friend will reciprocate by picking up a meal or two. I know if MY friend took ME to Disney I'd be overly grateful.

You don't know my friend!!!

 

[doubletrouble_vb]

If you've been splitting expenses in the past then I don't see any problem with asking her for something now. I wouldn't ask for what she would pay if you both had to go to a hotel room but if you are going for a week I might ask her for $200, 4 nights $100.

It's nice if you can afford to bring along people as a guest but not all of us can. The amount I mentioned would cover the usual guest gesture of paying for a meal or two....and rightfully partially covers your maintenance fees which are an annual expense.

<<Oops I didn't answer your question. Yes I have asked family and friends for a small amount of money when accompanying me on timeshare trips.>>

 

[wdw4me13]

I invited friends to go with me this fall. I wasn't expecting anything from them. They offered to pay for the rental car and groceries and I've accepted their offer. I think it will work out fine.

 

[AZKathy]

If I invite a friend and the family to join us, I won't even ask for any reimbursement financially. That friend knows up front that responsibility for airfare, tickets, food, etc not incuded, just the accomodations. If that friend offers some kind of help like with rental car or some groceries, I certainly would not turn it down.

I know this next trip we are taking a family that would never travel east to do this without our offer and the feeling of sharing some of the magic is wonderful. When the magic was shared with me, I got hooked and I want to do the same for my friends if I can! I remember vividly how impressed and excited I was the first time I stepped foot in our villa our first visit!

It is certainly up to you, but this is how I feel.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Originally posted by AZKathy
If I invite a friend and the family to join us, I won't even ask for any reimbursement financially. That friend knows up front that responsibility for airfare, tickets, food, etc not incuded, just the accomodations. If that friend offers some kind of help like with rental car or some groceries, I certainly would not turn it down.

I know this next trip we are taking a family that would never travel east to do this without our offer and the feeling of sharing some of the magic is wonderful. When the magic was shared with me, I got hooked and I want to do the same for my friends if I can! I remember vividly how impressed and excited I was the first time I stepped foot in our villa our first visit!

It is certainly up to you, but this is how I feel.

DITTO!

 

[Disney Doll]

It depends. We have a group we travel with pretty much every year. DH and I rent a 2BR, the other couple gets the 2nd BR and my single girlfriend sleeps on the couch in the 1BR part of the unit. We do charge the couple that gets the 2nd BR, because they are in essence getting a hotel room, with a kitchenette. We generally charge them what they'd be paying to stya in a moderate, since if we didn't have the DVC, that's probably the level of accomodations they'd be in. They are happy to pay it, because in their mind they are getting luxury accomodations at a moderate price.We do not charge my friend for sleeping on the couch.

This October we are going and staying in a 1BR. DH and I originally planned on being by ourselves, but then I invited this other couple to join us. They will be sleeping on our couch(and they are aware of their accomodations) so we would not be charging them, because whether they were with us or not, we'd still be getting the 1 BR. We did not get the 1BR because they were coming. It was just nice to have the space to offer them.

As far as DH's sisters or my brother, we'd probably rent a 2BR and not charge them anything, because they are family and we'd just be happy to be able to have them with us.

 

[Chuck S]

If we invite someone, they are our guests as far as the room goes. They pay their own meals and park passes (except in the case of one friend that I enjoy traveling with, and I know can't afford it). Those that CAN afford it, usually treat us to the luau, Hoop-de-doo, or Jiko at some point during our stay.

 

[Richyams]

We take people every time we go, we are only three and would get lost in that GV.

We never ask for or expect anything. I always go with my wife, except one trip with me and the kid alone, so it is certainly different that the situation you are faced with. If they are cheap and you have split vacation costs before, $50 per night sounds good.

For some family members, we have bought tickets and paid other things quietly, a family member can accept a free vacation when you already have the room easier then giving them cash to vacation with you. Most of the family members and friends we have brought offer to pick up a dinner or two and/or pay for the groceries, I know I would if I was someone's guest down there.