Inviting another couple (first timers)

[Bambi90]

My husband and I enjoyed our honeymoon at WDW last spring, so we decided to book another Disney vacation for December 2014. Our last trip was only booked three months in advance and we ran into a lot of trouble with hotel availability and dining reservations, so we decided to book nearly a full year out this time to give ourselves every possible advantage.

I really want to stay in a royal guest room at POR, so that's what we booked! Yay. After realizing these rooms are only available with two beds, we discussed inviting friends and agreed it's something we'd really like to do. We have a list of four couples we'd like to extend an invite to in order of preference, but neither of us is sure how to best go about framing the offer in such a way that it actually sounds like an affordable, relaxing time.

Here are the issues:
1) We don't expect our guests to contribute anything toward our hotel costs, but we do think it's reasonable that they pay for their own tickets. However, I don't want to quote them a ticket price and deceive them into thinking that's the only cost they will incur. Food in the world costs a lot, and we were blindsided by it last time. What's the most delicate way to approach this? I plan on telling our guests that the best way to cut down on unexpected food costs is to bring snacks into the park, but I also want to have a few memorable dining experiences together. Should we expect them to foot their part of the bill for things like dinner at BOG and Illuminations viewing at R&C, or just keep these reservations to a minimum and gift them?

2) I grew up in a family of die-hard Disney fans and enjoy fanatically planning each detail of a trip, but many of our possible guests would be first time park-goers. I feel like there's a lot of information to disseminate about dining, fast pass reservations, and other experiences--but the last thing I want is to overwhelm our friends and make them think this kind of vacation is not for them or that they need to spend a lot of time researching each thing they might like to do. I need to leave some flexibility in planning for them to choose things they would like to do once we get there, but I also don't want us to be locked out of headliners. Any thoughts on how to arrive at a happy medium?

3) I know it can be difficult to predict finances and schedule availability many months in advance, but we want to make sure each couple has time to decide if they'd like to go and that no one is hit with a last minute request. What's a reasonable amount of time to give each couple before crossing them off and moving down the list?

Thanks!

 

[com_op_2000]

IMHO
You are asking a lot of open ended questions that everyone can supply different opinions about and none of them could be correct. You are going to be the best person to answer these questions as you know your friend the best.
The only one that I would supply an opinion too is #3:
You need to have the couple selected by at least 6 months out, that would be June.
Start with your list, have a sit down conversation with which ever partner in the couple you are the most confortable with. Give as much information as possible about the trip as you have time for, make a list to be sure you cover all your suggestions, and be sure to inform them multiple times that they are free to go off on there own, at any time. Let that person approach the other member of the couple. Give them a couple of weeks to make a decision.
If the 1st couple turns you down, make sure you thank them for the time they spent going over there situtation/plans/options/etc, and make a suggestion that they might be able to take a trip with you sometime in the future.

 

[LovesTimone]

Here are my thoughts and suggestions.

My DH and I have our travel buddies which we go on trips with all the time. They enjoy the same things and same pace in which like to vacation.

Before asking your friends about going. Think about what they have said about their vacations. Do they go go go or are they more about laying pool side or beach side and doing nothing? Have any expressed an interest in Disney? Do they fight? Do they complain about high cost of dinning out.? These are all thing that you want to think about before asking.

We would never never share a hotel room with our friends for more than 1 night, and when we have done this, it has been when we are going to a concert or sporting events, or to the casino. Where we only really use the room to sleep for a while after a late night. Each couple needs that personal space. You really don't need to know what your friends personal habits are If you want to remain friends.. I really suggest strongly against it.

If you pay for everything for them, and they don't offer to help, you will not remain friends after the trip. Even saying it doesn't matter... in the long run it will ruin your friendship.

I would run the numbers and give them a ball park amount of what the cost will be.

Staying in a royal room is more costly than a standard room so you might want to give them that option as well, they may want a king bed or river view what-ever this way They can plan some thing for themselves.

Just my thoughts

Will you be adding park ticket and dinning to your trip. You might want to see if there are any offers for discounted room or free dinning to help with the cost of the trip.

 

[GrammyJudy]

I agree that we would never share a hotel room with another couple. If you got a suite that would be different. A week of 24/7 is a lot of time together.
I would talk to them about your plans and then just say "Hey why don't you come too?" They will ask about the cost etc. If they are interested. But you paying for them will make for too many possible problems.

 

[Imhere]

We are never sharing a hotel room with another couple. Many people do, and if you don't mind doing that, it's not an issue.

One thing I notice a lot on these boards is the mindset people are in when they are inviting friends to go on vacation.

"Hey neighbor, we want you to come on vacation with us. We have already made plans for every second of our 7 day extravaganza and you better be happy adhering to our plans. We are getting up at 5:30 every morning and we have meal ADR's for 21 meals. We like expensive meals, and if you're coming with us, we hope you do too. We have FP+ for attractions at various times every day for 7 days, don't fall behind."

We have been known to be commando Disney vacationers. The times that we have invited relatives or friends to go with us we have taken a much more 'seat of the pants' planning style. If we invite others it truly is a "shared" experience. If we want to go on vacation with someone it isn't under the understanding that we are going to do what we are going to do no matter what they want to do. We never ask people to come "watch us" take a vacation.

My advice is that if you already have your vacation planned out and your guests have no real input into your shared week together, well, maybe just wait until ya'll can plan a vacation together.

 

[ctnurse]

I'm in agreement with the other posters, there is no way that DH and I would share a hotel room with another couple.