Extended Family does not approve

[jdg345]

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

We've gotten this reaction from (3) separate groups of the family ... Ironically, each of these groups has visited us while we stayed at a DVC resort for a day or two and subsequently purchased a DVC membership.

 

[corpcomp]

Actually we took them to our beach house in the Outer Banks last October when we told them about it.

Had about 40 of my wife's relatives there for her mom's 80th birthday but since it was raining all they could think of was how miserable it was, even though we were playing football on the beach and the kids were in the pool. Some left after one day to get back to Loooooong Island (500 miles away)

I have begged them to try a better house in Lake george for $2000 a week but the reaction was so negative about spending all that money (split between 3 family groups if you can believe that) - it is the brother in law who hates to spend money - would not buy his 5 kids a computer for schoolwork - I gave them one from my office because I felt sorry for them and also gave them an air conditioner for the kids room - but he and his wife had no problem spending $500 on a Bose Wave radio for themselves - great sound but a waste considering all other essentials they need. Sadly they have never taken their kids anywhere else.

However, what is really gratifying is all the positive reactions from other DVCers. I'm stunned at the number of responses!! I no longer feel guilty about the purchase. I can afford it. If her family doesn't like it, that's their problem and they can stay in Lake George and stare at each other. Come to think of it I will use a few disney points and stay at the Sagamore up lake and enjoy a decent air conditioned resort at the same time. I'd call them daily but oh yeah, they don't have a phone.

Corpcomp

 

[pickles]

Boy i sure can relate. We are still in process to buy OKW(passed rofr) I was excited and told my mother in law that we were considering buying the DVC. Boy, what a mistake. i got to listen to several lectures this biggest was the "horrible timeshares" They happen to have one they hate.
I never did tell my mother, but when we were planning our trip this year(first trip last year) her words were "you know there are other places to vacation"
My thoughts were I have been to the best why do I need to go anywhere else.
Even if I get bored with Disney i can always rent a car and visit stuff around the Florida area. I figure there is plenty to keep me occupied

Meanwhile, i don't plan to mention we actually bought, nor when our trips are. I guess I can just send them postcards.

 

[rinkwide]

...I no longer feel guilty about the purchase. I can afford it. If her family doesn't like it, that's their problem and they can stay in Lake George and stare at each other. Come to think of it I will use a few disney points and stay at the Sagamore up lake and enjoy a decent air conditioned resort at the same time. I'd call them daily but oh yeah, they don't have a phone.

Welcome home.

 

[iankh]

I'm sorry, but I just do not indulge and have zero patience.

Perhaps I just am at a point that family and friends are "well trained." The only time they are permitted to "give me advice" is when I ask for it. Otherwise, they know from experience that it is unwise to give me an opinion I did not ask for.

Don't get me wrong, I am a jolly and easy going sort of person, but I have zero tolerance for opinions that are purely subjective, rather than objective and empirical. Because it is well, so subjective. And, assumes that I must not know what I am doing, while their delightful and enthralling, wild mountain pig poop trekking holidays are of course the choice of all "right thinking" adults.

My response when I had been told, "You're going there again?" Aside from the frozen expression on my face has always been, "The traditional response on my planet is, I hope you have a good vacation."

So, now, through careful training, the response we recieve when we are going down to WDW for another vacation is, "We know you love it so much. We hope you have a great time."

(Excuse me, because I really must now get on with my day ... now where did I leave my pavlovian electric cattle prod ???)

 

[Fitswimmer]

Some people play golf, some people hunt, some people travel, some people fish and boat. We Disney.

I love it! Disney is now a verb!!!

I have friends that think I'm nuts too, think I need to grow up and go on adult vacations-whatever. With DVC I can go ANYWHERE, that' s part of the reason I joined. Of course I LOVE WDW, but I can go to Italy, England, Hawaii and tons of other places using my points. How many other timeshares will give you that level of quality in that many places?

I have a few people in my life that I can talk Disney with, but I joined this board so I could keep that magic going every day, all year round!!! Pixie Dust to the moderators and the sponsors!

 

[rinkwide]

...my pavlovian electric cattle prod...

How much did you pay for yours?

 

[emma'smom]

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.

I was once like your son (in attitude at least) until I had children. Now I realize the value of safe, family-friendly environments where most of the people traveling are understanding of the normal behaviors of young children and many times have been thru the same kind of family experiences themselves.

Does he have children yet? I bet his tune will change when he does......suddenly "corporate conglomorate" seems a lot more friendly when it involves YOUR OWN 3 year old in a princess dress.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Hi emma'smom!

That DS doesn't have children, nor does he have a SO in his life. His older brother has made him an uncle 3 times, and those little ones constitute that youngest generation (ages 1,2,3) of our upcoming August trip. This DS has just returned from a 2+ month trip to South America/Portugal/Spain. He's between paying jobs, taking a "gap year" right now he's in New Orleans volunteering in the rebuilding effort of New Orleans.

When DH and I were raising our DSs, we went to WDW every 3 years, and it wasn't until our 4th visit there that we ventured out of the Orlando area. When we did that I was amazed. We went to Silver Springs and saw beautiful horse farms. From then on, we always went somewhere else on our Florida trips, besides WDW, and I would always say, "There's more to Florida than WDW" and I do not mean exclusively other amusement parks.

We have lots of extended family vacations over the years. Since 1995 we've gone on "whole family" crusies, to Europe and the Southern Caribbean but we've hit a patch of time when Disney is more appealing to most of us, and this DS just has to realize that.

I agree with you about the climate at WDW, the family friendly experiences, the variety of things to do. Our DSs first went (tried) water skiing on Bay Lake (it was only after the experience that they both admitted they were scared silly thinking about alligators!), they went horseback riding there, went on the Marshmallow Marsh canoe ride, did some of the Disney "classes" on environmental issues and animation.

I hope he comes, if only to see these little ones having fun with the family, with the characters, in the pool. We could use his help! The 3 little ones love him so much, he spent nearly 2 months honing up construction skills by helping his brother do work on the house, so the kids really got to know him.
He did come for his DGranMa's 85th birthday celebration, (he came from Venezuela for that one in '04).

One other thing about him, he somehow "found out" that DVC lets you use points outside of Disney. Is he teasing me/us when he says that he gets to pick where our next family gathering will be?

I can only hope that he does "get it" a little bit and is only "pulling my chains."

Bobbi

 

[disneykid4ever]

We just bought and don't plan to tell our family because it would just create "faces" and who the heck needs to see THAT! I mean we did it because it was what WE wanted to do, it don't mean you gotta come with us! (Head bobbing, finger in the air) Hell, I prefer if ya don't! Especially, if you're gonna try and cloud my sunshine.

 

[tiggtail]

Our in laws don't like the idea, but they don't verbalize their feelings very much. My mother never really said much of anything (a lot of times this indicates disapproval) until we took her to the World last October. She was pretty quiet the whole time, but there was a smile on her face every day. When she wrote a Christmas letter about her year, she said that DW was the best thing she ever did. I think a lot of times, people may be a bit jealous or they may just not have a correct view of what this wonderful place is all about. They need to visit a few times to experience the magic.

 

[shantay1008]

I was once like your son (in attitude at least) until I had children. Now I realize the value of safe, family-friendly environments where most of the people traveling are understanding of the normal behaviors of young children and many times have been thru the same kind of family experiences themselves.

Does he have children yet? I bet his tune will change when he does......suddenly "corporate conglomorate" seems a lot more friendly when it involves YOUR OWN 3 year old in a princess dress.

You have hit the nail on the head! Several nails, in fact. When we first set foot in a DVC, I knew that we had found a way to VACATION with small children. Which is not an easy feat. But at WDW, it totally works. The Grand Canyon will have to wait until I'm sure my boys have enough sense not to lean over for a closer look.

My in-laws love WDW and my parents will probably always come with us when we travel there, bless their babysitting hearts, so no disapproval felt from any of them at all. Of course, we're a little different from a lot of people here because we only go ever couple of years. So maybe I'd get more criticism from other people if we went a lot more often. (Maybe our friends & family just haven't caught on yet.)
Shannon

 

[jimmytammy]

This sounds like a typical reaction. And some people, most people we cross paths with, dont "get it", why we want to continue going back to WDW so much. It makes us happy. We escape the real world. Our whole family enjoys it.
I think you have to do what makes you happy and not concern yourself much with what others say. Life is too short for that.

 

[tomandrobin]

As my wife likes to refer to Disney..."We are going to the Happy Place"!

 

[surfer_ed]

Good place to vent.

We are in a delicate situation, two brothers married to two sisters.

We have not told our family because my brother and sister-n-law have had some fanancial challenges and seem to resent that we budget carefully to make vacationing a priority.

It kind of bothers us we can't share this important aspect of our lives with them and we would even offer them the points one year so they could try and go but they could not afford the rest and it would just fuel the resentment.

 

[*elaine*]

I'm very lucky. I grew up in So Cal and went to Disney at least once a year. When we were stationed at Monterey, we brought our very small children there twice and my mom, who still lives in L.A. came to help us with them.

Now we're stationed on the East Coast. We just returned from 5 nights at WDW and my mom flew out to help us with the kids (4 & 6). Both of my boys have autism, but the vacation was SO magical for them, that we started talking about buying into DVC right then and there. My mom offered to contribute to our down payment!!!

So, needless to say, I'm lucky that I have supportive family. I think that my mom loves Disney almost as much as I do.

We're waitlisted to buy into BWV.