Extended Family does not approve

[corpcomp]

I had an surprising reaction from my wife's family recently about Disney.

We recently bought at BCV. I take my family of three there every year at Spring break. We all love it, especially my 10 year old son who has decided he wants to be a design engineer working for Disney. This also allows me to combine our vacation with a visit to my mom and sister and her family in Boca Raton for a few days as well. We live in Connecticut and don't get to Florida more often than once or twice a year.

We are coming for our first dedicated DVC visit in July. My wife is not telling her family we are going there because they have been rather caustic saying we hope you are not going to waste another vacation at Disney. They have never been there and I believe have never been to any major amusement park, other than one day at Hershey.

Their vacation is one week in Lake George NY (upstate) in a 3 bedroom house (no air, no telephone, no TV, very run down) with 15 members of her family (lots of sleeping bags for the kids). They feel that $1000 for a week is as much as they need to spend for a year.

Have any of you had this type of reaction? I'm somewhat stunned.

 

[DisFlan]

Yup. That's why we haven't told most of of our family. It's really none of their business. If you're happy with it, that's what counts.

And you can just about bet that now that they know, some of them will want to tag along at some point in the future. It's funny how much more interesting WDW begins to looks when they have a relative who "owns" there. Better start thinking about how you'll handle your future "favorite relative" status. (A condition that afflicts a lot of DVC owners.)

DisFlan

 

[TomD]

I got the same reaction from some of my relatives. As long as you enjoy it...who cares what their reaction is.

 

[crisi]

We didn't get disapproval from my mother in law, but we did get some confusion from my husband's family. They'd never been to Disney and didn't really "get it." So we took my mother in law, and she got it. I wasn't sure she would, she is anti-corporation. But she really enjoyed Epcot. She enjoyed watching her grandkids. She enjoyed the meals we took her to. She saw that WDW wasn't rollercoasters and chicken fingers. My husband took his brother, who also sort of got it.

Neither of them will be booking their own vacations, but they now understand what we see in it.

 

[corpcomp]

Yup. That's why we haven't told most of of our family. It's really none of their business. If you're happy with it, that's what counts.

And you can just about bet that now that they know, some of them will want to tag along at some point in the future. It's funny how much more interesting WDW begins to looks when they have a relative who "owns" there. Better start thinking about how you'll handle your future "favorite relative" status. (A condition that afflicts a lot of DVC owners.)

DisFlan

Its funny that you say that. Now that I think about it, we bought a beach house in the Outer Banks two years ago that my wife did not tell her family about. The day she did, her sister asked me when she could take a weeks summer vacation there (for free). I told her it was an investment that we rent out to pay the mortgage on it. She stopped talking to me.

 

[tomandrobin]

Lol, we have gotten similar reactions. My sis mentions that we spent that kind of money on DVC. Yet they bought a boat and a camper last year, but that is different!?? How is that? Well Disney you have to buy park tickects and food......

Well sis, the boat takes gas, marina charges you to keep your boat there, and you eat on the boat or Marina too. They same applies to the camper. Last time I checked with them it costs $50 to $100 just in gas everytime they leave the marina!

But they can't understand that in reality the cost of Disney is not much different then thier trips out on the boat and camper.

 

[cdmickey]

It's kind of when people ask me why I could ever ride a motorcycle. My standard answer is: If I have to explain, then you wouldn't understand. I think this is a similar situation.
All you can do is have mutual respect. You don't "get" what they do for their vacation, but so what, that's there business too. If you push anybody, on anysubject, the first thing you're going to get is resistance. Unless they ask, I wouldn't push the subject (probably wouldn't even bring it up, unless asked).

 

[Kewz1]

My DH's parents really don't get the whole Disney thing but they've never been vocal about us going. They are more against the idea because we go with my family and neither side is good about "sharing" the grandkids.

But I have to say I'm always amazed at the amount of people who get negative responses about WDW. We truly have never experienced this. We're a military family and have lived all over and no matter where we were people thought it was great we were going. I have been asked numerous times to help others plan their trips too.

It sure would be a bummer feeling like you have to defend your choice of vacation spot all the time.

 

[calypso*a*go-go]

I feel your pain...my friends and family don't understand either. It's very frustrating to remain silent about something we are so excited about.

 

[Deemarch]

Would you ask them how much they spend on their vacation? And if they feel you are wasting your vacation at WDW, why is it okay for them to waste their's year after year at the same place? We all deal with this issue, well alot of us do. And we all have our own way of telling, or not telling, family that we are going again. Hey, it's your money, your choice, your vacation! Don't feel guilty...Life is shorter than you think...ENJOY YOURSELVES! Ignore the naysayers...And just remember, if you have to EXPLAIN WDW to someone, they probably will never "get-it".

Have a wonderful first-time trip home!

 

[DisFlan]

Its funny that you say that. Now that I think about it, we bought a beach house in the Outer Banks two years ago that my wife did not tell her family about. The day she did, her sister asked me when she could take a weeks summer vacation there (for free). I told her it was an investment that we rent out to pay the mortgage on it. She stopped talking to me.

Was this a negative outcome?


DisFlan

 

[Granny]

Have any of you had this type of reaction? I'm somewhat stunned.

There have been many threads through the years on this board about people "not getting" a lot of things about our choices.

The first level is "not getting" why we would want to go to WDW year after year. Basically, most feel that going to WDW is a parenting chore that they can cross off their list, so they can't imagine people would choose to go there if they didn't have to.

The next level of "don't get it" comes when you explain why it is worth more money to stay on-site at WDW vs a cheaper (though nice) alternative off site. You can talk about the benefits of staying on-site and being surrounded by Disney experience both in and out of the parks, but if they don't "get" the allure of WDW, they certainly won't understand the desire to be immersed in it.

The final level of "don't get it" is the ultimate....DVC. Okay, they can see that WDW is a nice vacation destination. They can even understand that staying on-site is worthwhile. But when you tell them that you've locked into 30-45 years of vacationing at WDW, they just shake their head and give up.

I don't think the reaction from your in-laws is all that surprising or uncommon. But I bet they'll be the first ones to want to freeload a trip once they see how nice the accommodations are!

If I were you, I'd be sure to moan and groan to them about every WDW trip. It may be your last line of defense!!

 

[bobbiwoz]

Our younger son, 28yr. does not "approve" of Disney. We went on a Keys to the Kingdom tour in '01 and he thought our tour guide was a little robot, thoroughly brainwashed.

His idea of a vacation is backpacking in the Andes, Chile, Argentina, out west, Europe etc. He would love to go to SE Asia soon, no, EE won't "do it" for him. I won't even mention that. We love him as much as we can, and will bring him when he wants to come.

Right now, he's on the limb regarding the August multi-generational trip, I've given him to July 4th to let us know. If I ask if he's coming he says I'm putting too much pressure on him.

We don't expect our other son and family to go every year, but if they want to, they can. We took our boys to WDW every 3 years, and we always had a great time. It was only after the tour that this one son was really turned off.

Bobbi

 

[Simba's Mom]

Can you sing, "Different strokes for Different Folks" by Sly and the Family Stone? (Or am I showing my age here?) That's how I'd reply.

 

[shantay1008]

His idea of a vacation is backpacking in the Andes, Chile, Argentina, out west, Europe etc. He would love to go to SE Asia soon, no, EE won't "do it" for him. I won't even mention that. We love him as much as we can, and will bring him when he wants to come.

Your son sounds totally cool! I hope my kids have that spirit of adventure when they grow up (they're off to a good start, having been to China to get their little sister...they even climbed the Great Wall!). I bawled my head off at the China movie at EPCOT, remembering our daughter's "homeland." (Okay, I didn't really bawl, but I wanted to.)

We're lucky that our extended family loves to travel and most of them enjoy WDW, too. I haven't told anyone about our DVC membership, but that's more of a cultural thing, I think. Good Midwesterns don't brag, ya know. Like the OP, we have family in Florida, and it works out perfectly to visit them and then spend time at WDW, too. Who could have a problem with us visiting my DH's only aunt?
Shannon

 

[corpcomp]

Your son sounds totally cool! I hope my kids have that spirit of adventure when they grow up (they're off to a good start, having been to China to get their little sister...they even climbed the Great Wall!). I bawled my head off at the China movie at EPCOT, remembering our daughter's "homeland." (Okay, I didn't really bawl, but I wanted to.)

We're lucky that our extended family loves to travel and most of them enjoy WDW, too. I haven't told anyone about our DVC membership, but that's more of a cultural thing, I think. Good Midwesterns don't brag, ya know. Like the OP, we have family in Florida, and it works out perfectly to visit them and then spend time at WDW, too. Who could have a problem with us visiting my DH's only aunt?
Shannon

I like that and I wont be telling the family either. The only issue with visiting my family in Florida is that they want us to spend more time with them but understand that my 10 year old really wants to be at WDW, not my mothers condo.

 

[rocketriter]

My elderly mother loves WDW but got snooty when we bought DVC. She lectured us on all the other places we could go in the world that are so much more "educational." But she changed her tune when we used DVC points for a week of Marriott suite accomodations at Colonial Williamsburg!

 

[debbiepump]

If I only did what other folks approved of, my life would suck. Do what you want, you're the ones that pay the bills not them.

 

[byoung]

When people say why our you going again, I tell them again and again and again and again I'll be going.

 

[miamimama]

Good to hear others feel the same way - we just bought DVC and have already decided not to tell the extended family, or many friends for that matter. I'm feeling somewhat guilty that we're taking our first ever holiday trip (over Thanksgiving) and leaving the extended family behind, but it was our only chance with the school schedule as it is. Hopefully the guilt want outweigh the pleasure...