Do you invite Friends and Relatives?

[RAD]

Last October DW and I blew a bunch of points at BWV and had a bunch of family/friends come down to visit home. We had a total of 17 and took two 2BR's and 3 studios. In a couple of weeks we'll start planning for a late 2004 trip with some friends.

 

[DownNeckBoy]

We have invited several members of our family. We have had several non-responses, a couple of acceptances and are currently awaiting confirmation for our trip down to HH. While we have a significant number of points, we have come to the realization that our vacations should be ours alone. As it is, we have a GV reserved at HH and no real assurance that our invitees will not back out. But you know what, WE DON'T CARE!!! We will just have to "make do" in the GV with just the four of us.

It should be a great vacation!!!

 

[MAC3]

We always invite others this year family, last year friends.

I always have a good time but I enjoy it more when the people we bring have a great time.

 

[Kelly&John]

We are 50-50. The first trip of the year is just us. The second trip in October, we usually bring someone. It had been evenly split between family and friends.

So far things have worked out pretty well - only one friend who won't be invited again. You know how it goes.

Kelly

 

[gtrist4life]

Along with having great vacations with my wife, daughter and son; being able to share our membership with family and friends was a big part of the reason we purchased this year. Over the next 38 years I hope to share the magic and lighten the load for some of our loved ones and dear friends.

On our upcoming trip to Coronado Springs there will be 18 of us, ranging from 18 months to 72. Along with our 4.......My in-laws, my mom, both my mom's sisters, my cousin, my sister and BIL, my wife's brother and sister, their spouses, and one of our nieces and one of our nephews. Whew!

We are using some points for our room for part of the stay, but it was not point effective and would have been to much of a hassle to try to switch to OKW or one of the other resorts.

Also, only a couple of those going know about our DVC purchase, we are going to let the others know while we're on the trip. I think an invitation to A ( or several, depending on how they act Hint for Nick- a Santa reading a list emoticon would be appropriate here ) future trip's lodging on us will be a great Christmas present!!

It's been great reading the responses and I'll let you know how our grand adventure goes over with everyone

Peace
G4L

 

[Nick@ VB+OKW]

Originally posted by gtrist4life
I think an invitation to A ( or several, depending on how they act Hint for Nick- a Santa reading a list emoticon would be appropriate here

...........

 

[Laurabearz]

I voted Sometimes, but we get stiffed sometimes, too.

We have taken 7 or 8 trips and on 4 of them we had family and or friends.... It works out much better if we are in seperate rooms... LOL

We will continue to invite family and friends even though we have a much better time without them... WHY??? Because we are blessed to be able to afford to go to WDW several times a year and most of our friends/family are not... so helping them cover the cost of a room is a great gift to us as well as to them. Gotta spread the love around....

 

[sk8belle]

I've invited friends twice now. The first time went very well and we had a great time. The second time - well, let's say some of them won't ever get another invitation. One complained constantly about how expensive Disney was, how much she really didn't want to be there, never wanted to go to a park and then stiffed me. I swear, I didn't twist her arm to go. When we were planning the trip, she was excited about it. The other couldn't even be bothered to thank me. So this year, I'm inviting a different crew, one of whom is a very dear friend of mine who hasn't been there since before EPCOT opened. She, at least, will appreciate it!

 

[Cruelladeville]

I voted "Never again", that's my extended family that I am referring to, not my kids. I used my points to rent three studios, and they arrived at the resort in time to make a fuss over the rooms they were given, and insisted on being moved to VWL. So I arrived to find the family was staying somewhere else!!! ON MY POINTS!!!!!! They didn't understand my anger then, and still don't. Never, never again.

But my kids know we always go at Spring break, summer, and Christmas, so they make a special call to us at the beginning of every year to find out where and when "we" are leaving for WDW and DVC, so they can put in for the vacation time. It never occurs to them that perhaps Mom and Dad might be able to find things to do without them!

 

[LUVMICKEY]

This will be our second trip home to DVC and we have our best friends with us this time. We will be there Dec. 2-9 and we can't wait. We all have the same views and do the same things when we're in Disney. We've been there together before, but we didn't stay together, this time we are. I know we'll have a blast.

The first time we had all our kids with us, and it was great fun. Our first trip by ourselves will be in July.

Michele

 

[bicker]

We're doing this for our third time, this coming year. The first time was actually a rental, and was a family trip, hosting my brother and his wife and children. It was quite fun, though he wasn't interested in going in with me on a shared ownership of our own. (So my wife and I bought in ourselves a few years later.) Since then we've also done a trip with my father and his wife, which was really great. Now, we're bringing a couple of friends that just got married (as a wedding present). I think we'd get bored if it was the same trip every year, just us.

 

[nezy]

We usually have my in-laws w/us. As my MIL says,
"Where are WE going this time?"

It actually works out well for all of us, although MIL was not originally a big Disney fan-she has been enlightened!
They love to travel, so do we and the kids get to see Grandma and Grandpa.
My mom has also joined us, as well as my brother and his kids. They are DVCer's, so we stay with them and they stay with them-which helps us all to extend our stays and get first choice at the 11month window at different locations.

We have never charged anyone, and would not think to. Maybe if it was friends not relatives it might be different, but I am not sure. For us it all seems to "come out in the wash".

 

[bicker]

I have gotten renumeration from family once (Dad) -- it worked out fine. However, I feel a lot better about making it a gift for something.