Do I invite the in-laws?

[Jack Kerouac]

We got the kiddos to sleep, so I’m going to share all of these different ideas and perspectives with her. I told her today that I’m going to be the one to make the choice. But everyone here has helped me remove a lot of the emotion of this decision and to think about it in a reasonable and rational way. Thanks again and I’ll let you know what she decides.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

As you mention potential challenges, one other thing just dawned on me— Sept at DW is likely going to be way hotter/more humid than the Midwest. Can they handle that?

We've been in WDW in September in 2011 and in 2017 and it was basically the same as our midwest. I have a hard time getting fall and Halloween decor out even into October where I live (at least the early part of October). When the season shifts over it shifts over though.

But different parts of the midwest can be different our DISer friends lived in Ohio and found our weather to be worse here in KC from the summers with the humidity to the winters and something I guess never dawned on me they considered it windier. They enjoyed being around us other DISer people that live here but they've lived in Austin, TX, Ohio, PA, and now Orlando and they still say KC has been the worst . Granted this was in July 2020 when they still lived here but this is what they said "90+ degree heat with 20 mph winds and high humidity is something I had not experienced"

Absolutely though humidity can suck the living life out of you and it's no joke while down on a WDW trip. Granted the OP's in-laws would be taking it easy during the day IF they went but still it can surprise you no matter what.

 

[Sammie]

The question your wife has to answer. Is she wanting them to go because it will be an enjoyable experience for them and your family or is she doing it out of guilt. If guilt, then there is your answer.

We never took my inlaws as they would have been miserable and so would we. My MIL was a saint and my FIL was about as closest to the opposite as one could have gotten. Nothing pleased him and he enjoyed making everyone as miserable as he.

We did one trip with my parents, and my brother and his family, even though everyone was in a great health, very able to get around, it was still difficult as we are all so different in what we like. My father did not like the heat, my Mom wanted to boss everyone and my brother's family does not like crowds, heat and are one and done on the rides. They enjoyed the pool more. The only real fun was getting together for a meal and honestly, we could have done that back home for way less money.

 

[zavandor]

Just tell them how much it is for one ticket for one day tO the MK. It could easily be $189. I'm a Disney fanatic and spend an inconsiderate amount of money for Disney vacations, but even I wouldn't pay $189 for one day. Staying at the pool, have a dinner together: Disney is the most expensive way to do those things. Why don't you do 6-7 nights at Disney and then add 3-4 on a beach somewhere in FL or SC and ask them to chose to join you for either part of the trip. I'm sure they'll enjoy more the beach vacation.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

The question your wife has to answer. Is she wanting them to go because it will be an enjoyable experience for them and your family or is she doing it out of guilt. If guilt, then there is your answer.

We never took my inlaws as they would have been miserable and so would we. My MIL was a saint and my FIL was about as closest to the opposite as one could have gotten. Nothing pleased him and he enjoyed making everyone as miserable as he.

We did one trip with my parents, and my brother and his family, even though everyone was in a great health, very able to get around, it was still difficult as we are all so different in what we like. My father did not like the heat, my Mom wanted to boss everyone and my brother's family does not like crowds, heat and are one and done on the rides. They enjoyed the pool more. The only real fun was getting together for a meal and honestly, we could have done that back home for way less money.

So I sent a screen shot of this post to my wife. She said it definitely made her think and asked if I thought she was doing it out of guilt. I told her if it's not the primary reason, it's at least a secondary one.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

So my wife and I talked last night and this morning. It looks like we have enough points to stay in a LV for about 8 nights if we host her parents for 3 nights. She doesn't really think they will want to stay much longer than that. We would try to get them a room closer to the lava pool and restaurants and suggest they visit MK one day, if they feel up for it. My wife thinks that if they do take us up on our offer, they may actually decide to stay at the resort the entire time. They are generally pool people and then head in early. They would be able to be there during our middle son's birthday, which I'm sure our son would be grateful for. I understand other posts mention looking at other resorts and having them meet there. That is an option, but due to school and work, we are trying to maximize the vacation time while minimizing the amount of school and work missed. I work for a family financial company, so the most I can really miss is about a week and even with that, I will probably have to check in from time to time. I think in the future, we want to go in late May right after school gets out. I think that would then be a really good option since the only constraint would be my work, and a beach vacation would be less expensive than a WDW-park based vacation.

 

[Sammie]

So my wife and I talked last night and this morning. It looks like we have enough points to stay in a LV for about 8 nights if we host her parents for 3 nights. She doesn't really think they will want to stay much longer than that. We would try to get them a room closer to the lava pool and restaurants and suggest they visit MK one day, if they feel up for it. My wife thinks that if they do take us up on our offer, they may actually decide to stay at the resort the entire time. They are generally pool people and then head in early. They would be able to be there during our middle son's birthday, which I'm sure our son would be grateful for. I understand other posts mention looking at other resorts and having them meet there. That is an option, but due to school and work, we are trying to maximize the vacation time while minimizing the amount of school and work missed. I work for a family financial company, so the most I can really miss is about a week and even with that, I will probably have to check in from time to time. I think in the future, we want to go in late May right after school gets out. I think that would then be a really good option since the only constraint would be my work, and a beach vacation would be less expensive than a WDW-park based vacation.

I think this sounds workable. You can always take a break and meet for a meal. Being on the monorail you have lots of options.
I am not sure where you live but you and your family and in-laws might enjoy DVC Hilton Head or DVC Vero Beach at some point.
The other consideration, will they be bothered by construction noise next door at the site of the new DVC tower. Not sure how much it will affect the enjoyment of pool time. The DVC villas are thankfully on the opposite side of the construction but closer to the Lava pool.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

I think this sounds workable. You can always take a break and meet for a meal. Being on the monorail you have lots of options.
I am not sure where you live but you and your family and in-laws might enjoy DVC Hilton Head or DVC Vero Beach at some point.
The other consideration, will they be bothered by construction noise next door at the site of the new DVC tower. Not sure how much it will affect the enjoyment of pool time. The DVC villas are thankfully on the opposite side of the construction but closer to the Lava pool.

We live in IL, as do both sets of our boys’ grandparents. DVC is likely a once a year trip, but I think we will definitely do WDW and Vero sometime. I’m sure my in-laws would be Vero people.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

I think this sounds workable. You can always take a break and meet for a meal. Being on the monorail you have lots of options.
I am not sure where you live but you and your family and in-laws might enjoy DVC Hilton Head or DVC Vero Beach at some point.
The other consideration, will they be bothered by construction noise next door at the site of the new DVC tower. Not sure how much it will affect the enjoyment of pool time. The DVC villas are thankfully on the opposite side of the construction but closer to the Lava pool.

I’m not sure if they would be bothered by the construction, but they aren’t the easiest going people; generally they are more half empty than half full types.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

So my wife and I talked last night and this morning. It looks like we have enough points to stay in a LV for about 8 nights if we host her parents for 3 nights. She doesn't really think they will want to stay much longer than that. We would try to get them a room closer to the lava pool and restaurants and suggest they visit MK one day, if they feel up for it. My wife thinks that if they do take us up on our offer, they may actually decide to stay at the resort the entire time. They are generally pool people and then head in early. They would be able to be there during our middle son's birthday, which I'm sure our son would be grateful for. I understand other posts mention looking at other resorts and having them meet there. That is an option, but due to school and work, we are trying to maximize the vacation time while minimizing the amount of school and work missed. I work for a family financial company, so the most I can really miss is about a week and even with that, I will probably have to check in from time to time. I think in the future, we want to go in late May right after school gets out. I think that would then be a really good option since the only constraint would be my work, and a beach vacation would be less expensive than a WDW-park based vacation.

It sounds like you are your wife are on the same page. The important thing is that you are talking about it together. Remember through the trip as well your love for each other. There is always a negative one in the crowd, but don't let that get you down. Remember you are DVC members now. You are part of OUR family, too and we welcome you!

Look forward to your first DVC trip, no matter who you have with you and my only advise if it comes to when people want to do different things is this:
1. You do not have to do everything together. It's MORE than OK to let someone go do their own thing (as long as they are adult enough to find their way back. Don't let your 4 year old wander off).
2. DO NOT STRESS about seeing it all. Be OK with doing something that is not your thing. You WILL be back. Maybe you will find fun in something you never expected.

I have a policy (this is toward the second point) to try to find something new EVERY TRIP I take. It does not have to be a new ride or place to eat. Sometimes it's just a new thing to do. There are LOTS of hidden secrets at Disney and lots of things I bet you never knew they did. I have found much joy in things I thought I would detest. So let yourself do something new and give yourself permission to try something different even if it takes time away from what you thought you wanted to do. If you miss something that was on your personal list, catch it next time (the only caveat here is pay attention to what is being sunset so you do not miss your one chance to catch it if it's really important to you).

 

[Jack Kerouac]

It sounds like you are your wife are on the same page. The important thing is that you are talking about it together. Remember through the trip as well your love for each other. There is always a negative one in the crowd, but don't let that get you down. Remember you are DVC members now. You are part of OUR family, too and we welcome you!

Look forward to your first DVC trip, no matter who you have with you and my only advise if it comes to when people want to do different things is this:
1. You do not have to do everything together. It's MORE than OK to let someone go do their own thing (as long as they are adult enough to find their way back. Don't let your 4 year old wander off).
2. DO NOT STRESS about seeing it all. Be OK with doing something that is not your thing. You WILL be back. Maybe you will find fun in something you never expected.

I have a policy (this is toward the second point) to try to find something new EVERY TRIP I take. It does not have to be a new ride or place to eat. Sometimes it's just a new thing to do. There are LOTS of hidden secrets at Disney and lots of things I bet you never knew they did. I have found much joy in things I thought I would detest. So let yourself do something new and give yourself permission to try something different even if it takes time away from what you thought you wanted to do. If you miss something that was on your personal list, catch it next time (the only caveat here is pay attention to what is being sunset so you do not miss your one chance to catch it if it's really important to you).

Thank you so much for the kind words and great advice! Yes, my wife and I are trying to be very open about this whole DVC thing since it’s new, exciting, and and we want our boys to have amazing memories because of it. When I wrote my first post on this thread, my wife and I were communicating, but probably seeing things differently with inviting my parents. But everyone posting has been so kind and honest, even if they have completely different perspectives. It has helped me see things in a much clearer way and one that helped me give more to my wife. I honestly feel like this is another home, everyone is welcoming, and it really makes me happy we made this jump into the Disney family. I guess Walt hasn’t lost his magic on bringing out the best in people after all these years.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

In-law update: my wife invited her parents last night, telling them about the resort, the parks, etc. Today, they called and said they were going to decline our offer because they didn’t feel like their health was good enough for this type of trip. My wife is happy she invited them and gave them an opportunity to visit WDW with us. Now we know and can begin thinking about the vacation we want to take as a family. Thanks again to everyone!! It was so helpful!!

 

[toodycat]

In-law update: my wife invited her parents last night, telling them about the resort, the parks, etc. Today, they called and said they were going to decline our offer because they didn’t feel like their health was good enough for this type of trip. My wife is happy she invited them and gave them an opportunity to visit WDW with us. Now we know and can begin thinking about the vacation we want to take as a family. Thanks again to everyone!! It was so helpful!!

I’m so glad the situation is resolved. It sounds like this ending is best for all concerned. I just wanted to share a cautionary tale for anyone else considering inviting parents for a partial stay. We stayed at the GF with our son on our first trip to WDW and loved it so much we offered to treat my MIL and FIL to one night there on our next visit the following year. They lived less than two hours away and weren’t big Disney fans, so we thought it would just be a nice opportunity for them to see their grandson enjoy the parks. Well, they accepted and then called back a couple of weeks later to say that they had booked All Star Sports for a few more nights, so they could be with us even more. My MIL’s personality is Debbie Downer and while MK with an 8 year old is always a good time, she definitely sucked some fun out of our trip. (Three years later, she invited herself on our 7 night Disney cruise and complained the whole time. Even Cast Members were rolling their eyes.) Moral of the story: if you invite someone to enjoy part of your vacation, they may stay for the whole thing.

 

[Jack Kerouac]

I’m so glad the situation is resolved. It sounds like this ending is best for all concerned. I just wanted to share a cautionary tale for anyone else considering inviting parents for a partial stay. We stayed at the GF with our son on our first trip to WDW and loved it so much we offered to treat my MIL and FIL to one night there on our next visit the following year. They lived less than two hours away and weren’t big Disney fans, so we thought it would just be a nice opportunity for them to see their grandson enjoy the parks. Well, they accepted and then called back a couple of weeks later to say that they had booked All Star Sports for a few more nights, so they could be with us even more. My MIL’s personality is Debbie Downer and while MK with an 8 year old is always a good time, she definitely sucked some fun out of our trip. (Three years later, she invited herself on our 7 night Disney cruise and complained the whole time. Even Cast Members were rolling their eyes.) Moral of the story: if you invite someone to enjoy part of your vacation, they may stay for the whole thing.

Wow. Just wow.