How to use my points and accomodate all???

[CarolA]

(Am I the only one who thinks that next November we are going to hear... My family cancelled and I now have 200 points in holding??? This one has the makings of a real doozy! No one except the orgainzer really seems to want to go.)

 

[dianeschlicht]

I do agree that the parties need to WANT to go to Disney, or this wont work. When we invite family and friends to share DVC with us, we tell them there is NO backing out after the 7 months before mark. We figure that gives us plenty of time to rebook a smaller unit if we need to. So far we have had no issues with that policy, and if they can't agree to our terms, we cancel the invitation. A stipulation is committment, and if they can't do that, they can't go at all. Only once did we book a w bedroom and then have difficulty finding someone to share it with us, but that was our fault for just booking at "our" favorite time and trying to plug travel companions into it. Now when we invite someone, we start the process a year and a half out and schedule around their times. We have the same stipulations about committment, and we have never been burned. Of course, I don't invite folks I think would burn us anyway!

 

[robinb]

pyrxtc, don't let some people scare you! Yes, your family could back out and leave you holding the bag. But I wouldn't expect it. I have arranged a couple of Grand Gatherings for my family and things worked out for me ... even if there were a few bumps along the way.

(1) I would put anyone who you think might back out in their own studio. That way you are canceling a single room and you don't get stuck with an expensive room which is under utilized.

(2) Give yourself a little wiggle room on the "drop dead" date. I would tell them that you need to know FOR SURE by November 1. If they don't have airline reservations or driving plans by then that's a BIG red flag. You will want to share with them when you get your airfare so they know when a good deal is happening.

(3) Get the OK to book the rooms and then back off for a while. Non-DVC people simply don't understand our obsession with planning. They also don't understand that we need to book the resort at 11 months day-by-day or ADRs right at 180 days. Bugging them only annoys them and they don't take things seriously when you really need them to make a decision.

(4) Since you say that they will eat just about anything, I wouldn't even worry about what they want and book what I wanted. I would book one Grand Gathering experience (I really liked the IllumiNations Dinner) and then I would book one meal per day AT MOST. You will have to go through the Grand Gatherings people for all your reservations because you will have 14 people.

(5) Make your own park plan and share with everyone else. If they want to join you ... cool. If they want to do their own thing ... that's cool too. Meet up in the parks if you need to and don't wait for late risers to get up and get going. I learned this lesson the hard way.

(6) Share the plans with them about two months ahead of time. That will solidify things for them and it will be REAL. That will give them a full month to back out and for you to cancel reservations if you need to.

Good luck!

 

[JimMIA]

You have received a lot of great advice already, so I'll just make a couple of comments.

I agree with Robin that, although we've all read the horror stories, I would not expect people to back out.

I would, however, be alert to the possibility, and I would protect myself against it. I like Robin's wise suggestion about not constantly pressuring people for firm decisions, but I would let them know there will be a drop-dead date -- and if they don't have their ducks in a row on that date, I'm cancelling their ressie. And I would do just that, and refer them to CRO if they wanted to join us on their own.

I'd also be cautious about the concept of people being well-able to afford a Disney vacation. That may be true, but there is a reason why they haven't gone to Disney often...or ever. The reason is, it's just not high on their priorities. Just because someone has plenty of money doesn't mean they choose to spend it on a Disney vacation.

The thing that compounds the priority problem is that people who don't visit WDW don't really know how much it costs.

Tickets alone start at $75 per day for adults. The cheapest adult 3-day (no hopping, no pluses, expires in 14 days) is $216.20. That's $70 each per day, just for park tickets.

How often have we heard people laugh about DDP -- "$38 per day, just to eat? You must be kidding!" They don't realize that is likely a savings if they are going to be restricted to onsite dining; they think they can eat for $20 a day.

Add airfare and trinkets to food and tickets, and WDW is still an expensive vacation even if your room is provided free by a generous family-member. Lots of people can afford WDW, but not everyone wants to spend their money that way.

I'm a firm believer that most cancellations we read about are caused by sticker shock. It's not until the person starts actually making airfare arrangements, looking at rental cars, looking at ticket prices, etc that they really start to add things up and go, "Uh-oh! I have somewhere else I need to be during that week!"

We have taken relatives once -- Grandma and Great Aunt -- and it was the best trip we've ever taken. But we were paying everything (including GA's airfare from Boston).

There's a big difference between paying everything and inviting people on a vacation that may cost them several thousand bucks.

 

[pyrxtc]

I would go with option "B" where each sister's family gets their own room. I also wonder why some people get concierge and others do not. I don't think that would fly with my family.

I'm getting concierge for myself and my DB Den gets it since he will have gotten married not too long before and this was supposed to be just him wiht us and when my DS's wanted to go, I said I had points but explained that it would be sav view not conc. I don't think they'll care much.

I think I'll do the seperate rooms and see what Ic an do from there. I'm giving them until the 3rd week of Dec (i'll figure exact date later) to let me know. If they don't tell me I'm not booking. If noone tells me, we're inviting friends. Or we'll just bank our points and try t do the member cruise for 2009.

 

[robinb]

I'm getting concierge for myself and my DB Den gets it since he will have gotten married not too long before and this was supposed to be just him wiht us and when my DS's wanted to go, I said I had points but explained that it would be sav view not conc. I don't think they'll care much.

Right ... but you'll have 10 people hanging out in the concierge suite eating breakfast and enjoying snacks and free wine and beer while 4 people are left out in the cold. My guess is that they say they're OK, but that they really don't understand what it is. If you upgrade everyone to concierge, then your 2BR will not be the group "hang out" place, the lounge will.

 

[pyrxtc]

sorry can't afford all conc but I am not giving it up. besides, who says I won't be sneaking them up there anyways?? Then we can all share in the bounty and nobody will know the dfference. They could be visiting my room on that floor and evryone will see them coming out. My 2 bedroom sleeps 8 or 9 and the studio sleeps 4 so it would be the same number of people as if we all crowded into the rooms as the alloted number. But it won't cost me as many points!












Not that I would ever do anything like that. But I KNOW my sisters won't care. I'm not worried about it at all.

 

[Mickey'sApprentice]

You have received a lot of great advice already, so I'll just make a couple of comments.

I'd also be cautious about the concept of people being well-able to afford a Disney vacation. That may be true, but there is a reason why they haven't gone to Disney often...or ever. The reason is, it's just not high on their priorities. Just because someone has plenty of money doesn't mean they choose to spend it on a Disney vacation.

The thing that compounds the priority problem is that people who don't visit WDW don't really know how much it costs.

Tickets alone start at $75 per day for adults. The cheapest adult 3-day (no hopping, no pluses, expires in 14 days) is $216.20. That's $70 each per day, just for park tickets.

How often have we heard people laugh about DDP -- "$38 per day, just to eat? You must be kidding!" They don't realize that is likely a savings if they are going to be restricted to onsite dining; they think they can eat for $20 a day.

Add airfare and trinkets to food and tickets, and WDW is still an expensive vacation even if your room is provided free by a generous family-member. Lots of people can afford WDW, but not everyone wants to spend their money that way.

I'm a firm believer that most cancellations we read about are caused by sticker shock.

There's a big difference between paying everything and inviting people on a vacation that may cost them several thousand bucks.

These comments are right on the money!!

DDP would have solved most of our problems, but DBIL said $38/day per adult that is insane! I immediately dropped the subject.

 

[crisi]

I'd also be cautious about the concept of people being well-able to afford a Disney vacation. That may be true, but there is a reason why they haven't gone to Disney often...or ever. The reason is, it's just not high on their priorities. Just because someone has plenty of money doesn't mean they choose to spend it on a Disney vacation.
.....

Add airfare and trinkets to food and tickets, and WDW is still an expensive vacation even if your room is provided free by a generous family-member. Lots of people can afford WDW, but not everyone wants to spend their money that way.

A number of years ago we had a non-Disney family vacation fall to pieces. Originally we all wanted to get together - my parents, my one sister and her boyfriend, my other sister and her husband, my husband, two children and myself - we'd go to Mexico in April.

First there was the "where to go" issue. We had two kids. Someone decided they didn't want Mexico. They wanted to cruise - they picked a cruise line that had saltwater pools and a poor children's program - plus only had ten cabins on the whole ship that would sleep four.

However, we were told that we could book connecting rooms - and the "we could well afford it" was brought up.

Then needed to be over Christmas. And on my BILs schedule - this was despite my husband explaining repeatedly that HE had a hard time taking off around Christmas, HE ran a top ten eCommerce website and from October - mid-January tended to be bad - but being out of town for Thanksgiving or Christmas was a cardinal sin.

That was about the time the whole thing fell apart. First we were told where we would vacation. Then we were told when we would vacation. And finally we were told what we could afford to spend on vacation - a vacation at a time of year we didn't want to go, on a ship we didn't want to be on, with a family I love dearly, but who was making it obvious that they weren't even listening to my needs.

 

[pyrxtc]

Well, this isn't planned as afamily vacation originally. It was to be my family vacation and inviting my brother along since his DFi LOVES Disney. My other siblings decided they wanted to come too. My youngest brother is the easiest. he said to tell him when and he'd take the time off. I ave only one sibling upset about dates and another who doesn't want to go but prob will and another who won't answer my questions about going. She just keeps asking me how much the hotel will cost despite me saying it was on me.

 

[BroganMc]

Well, this isn't planned as afamily vacation originally. It was to be my family vacation and inviting my brother along since his DFi LOVES Disney. My other siblings decided they wanted to come too. My youngest brother is the easiest. he said to tell him when and he'd take the time off. I ave only one sibling upset about dates and another who doesn't want to go but prob will and another who won't answer my questions about going. She just keeps asking me how much the hotel will cost despite me saying it was on me.

Sounds like they are suffering from the "this wasn't my idea" with a touch of "totally clueless".

How did your other siblings enter into the fray, may I ask? Was it their idea or yours?

 

[JimMIA]

Well, this isn't planned as afamily vacation originally. It was to be my family vacation and inviting my brother along since his DFi LOVES Disney. My other siblings decided they wanted to come too. My youngest brother is the easiest. he said to tell him when and he'd take the time off. I ave only one sibling upset about dates and another who doesn't want to go but prob will and another who won't answer my questions about going. She just keeps asking me how much the hotel will cost despite me saying it was on me.

It sounds to me like you really have nothing more than your original plan -- your family and Ken & new wife.

And that's assuming Ken and wife are all set with the dates, costs, etc. Don't forget that if they have just gone through a wedding/honeymoon, etc, a big vacation may not be the top thing on their to-do list. They might enjoy something like this a lot more a year or two down the road.

I would set out your plans and tell the rest of the family that you would love to have them join you on your vacation. If they want to take advantage of your generous free lodging offer, you need to know their unchangeable plans by X date.

After that date, they are welcome to make their own plans and join you, but you can't provide their rooms because DVC availability will be limited, and they will be much better off making their own arrangements. Lodging is just where you sleep, so they'll be able to join in all the family activities no matter where they decide to stay.

I would not hound them to make decisions. Sometimes it's a lot easier on everyone if someone just "can't make a decision that far in advance" than it is for them to say no. If they really want to go, they'll decide. If they don't, "can't plan that far ahead" works fine.

 

[pyrxtc]

Sounds like they are suffering from the "this wasn't my idea" with a touch of "totally clueless".

How did your other siblings enter into the fray, may I ask? Was it their idea or yours?

My DSis tried to tell us we were all going to Hawaii and I told her I already ahd plans for next year. I don't know who decided to make it a "family vacation" but it wasn't me. I did say I could provide the hotel after it was mentioned and agreed upon but after that I just told them when I needed to know by. Now I am being questioned and not listened to. I think I may end up down there with just my family and DB Ken. Maybe DB Den's wife but doubtful. We'll know in a few weeks.

 

[dianeschlicht]

My DSis tried to tell us we were all going to Hawaii and I told her I already ahd plans for next year. I don't know who decided to make it a "family vacation" but it wasn't me. I did say I could provide the hotel after it was mentioned and agreed upon but after that I just told them when I needed to know by. Now I am being questioned and not listened to. I think I may end up down there with just my family and DB Ken. Maybe DB Den's wife but doubtful. We'll know in a few weeks.

Okay, since you have met the big resistance, I think you might need to market it differently. I understand wanting to make a big family trip, but it can and will be a headache if everyone isn't totally on board with the plan.

First, I would put together as much information as you can, both about the resort AND the reasons you need committments. I would put togehter copies of resort phots, room phots, and floor plans from the website. I would also let them know the "booking rules and time lines", and let them know how this will negatively impact you financially (yes it's financial if you lose points) if they back out too late to change your ressie. Then I would ask if they prefer to all be together or if they want to each have a private room. Make sure they understand what, if anything, their financial obligation is. We usually tell folks we invite that it is accommodations plus breakfast, but that they are on their own for transportation, park passes and dinners etc. Sometimes if it's folks we know are short on $$, we will plan to cook one main meal in the villa a day, but most end up taking us out for a nice signature table service one night as a thank you. It's not required, but a nice gesture. Let them know just how much planning you will do, and try to get them to see the exciting part of it. I put together whole packets for each family group the first time we did this, and we planned 18 months out! Nobody backed out, and everyone was able to spend that 18 months saving for a few extras. We stayed in a GV, and had a blast! I think marketing on your part is the best answer here. Plus, if they find they CAN have their own room, should they choose that option, it might make them all feel better about it.

Oh, and don't tell them you can "get the room free". That is a BIG mistake.