Please delete this thread

[kikiq]

I'm really quite convinced that our connections to immediate and extended family are strengthened by the times we've shared travel together. Sure, there is a learning curve for all involved. Patience, communication and forgiveness may be exercised (more, perhaps, for some invitees than others). But the return is great!! Keep trying ...
[stepping down from soapbox ....]

Agree with you!!

We bought our points based on bringing family every other year with a possible solo trip in between. Last summer, our first trip home with family was wonderful. One brother didn't go because my sil had some family medical issues, which was OK by us. We went with my other brother's family and my dad. This trip turned out to be a blessing for us since my 87 yr old dad was diagnosed with a brain tumor in October. He has it under control now and is looking forward to coming with us again this summer.
My dad retired from a major airline and we traveled as a family all over. It was so great to return the favor and he likes SSR. (Poly is still his first love)
We found out from my older brother and sil that they would prefer to go during F&G, so 2010 spring we will plan a trip with them. Now my husband's family, let's just say as a group they can't even get together in the same town on the same day.

 

[snoopy5386]

I believe you mean "dissent". Technically, you're right -- 5 months' notice is plenty under normal circumstances. However, we'd had numerous discussions about how this is not like a normal hotel reservation, yadda yadda. We also had the "are you absolutely sure??" conversation probably 10 times before I made the reservation.



I was on the phone with MS within 30 min of his news trying to change things, but BCV is very small and has perpetual wait lists for the summer. Realistically, that would never come through.

I know we could save SOME points by switching resorts entirely, but we didn't buy at BCV and call right at the 11 mo window to end up resort hopping or staying at OKW or SSR (the only two with 1 BRs and studios available for the week).

Like I said, we did some changing around and have made the most of the situation, but will plan future trips for just our family.

In your situation I would stay 1 or 2 nights at BCV to get the experience and then move to a cheaper resort. I wouldn't waste all those points as my "lesson". I'd much rather stay at another resort and still get another trip as my "lesson" instead.

 

[dis-happy]

I was on the phone with MS within 30 min of his news trying to change things, but BCV is very small and has perpetual wait lists for the summer. Realistically, that would never come through.

Did you at least get on the waitlist? My waitlist for May just came through (switching from a 2 b/r to a 1 b/r) and I was on it for less than a month. Then I switched back on to the w/l for a 2 b/r because now my mom wants to come (that hasn't come through yet but it's still way too early to give up hope).

Just keep in mind the banking window, you don't want to get stuck with points you can't use if you downsize.

And finally, the 30 pt. difference between a 1 b/r and 2 b/r isn't all that much and with your father coming along everyone may appreciate having a bit more space. In the end it may work out for the best.

 

[eliza61]

Yes, I remember your Walmart comment


I'm really quite convinced that our connections to immediate and extended family are strengthened by the times we've shared travel together. Sure, there is a learning curve for all involved. Patience, communication and forgiveness may be exercised (more, perhaps, for some invitees than others). But the return is great!! Keep trying ...
[stepping down from soapbox ....]

Reasons timeshare is a great tool for hosting family, extended family, multi-family and friends:

• Plenty of locations. Choose a place familiar or new; local or distant; exotic or comforting.
• The timeshare is neutral territory. Neither "your place" or "theirs." The neutral space defeats the stress of making space for visitors in your home or tip-toeing around someone else's home. This is especially important around !

• 
  
  Ok Bmv, Are you holding out on me?
  Op, these are fabulous ideas. I was having a "flashback" earlier.

 

[BEASLYBOO]

Thanks for scaring the heck out of me!!!

Don't be scared! We have shared our accomodations many times with family and friends. We have had the pleasure of 9-11 family members in a grand villa and enjoyed each and every minute, in fact we've done it 3 times since 2000. Not every one has horror stories of failed plans and lost points where family is concerned.

OP, I feel your pain but unfortunately this economy has people scared and I personally wouldn't have let anyone else have my son's 1st Disney experience. It's why I bought into DVC because he's just as much a Disney nut as I am.

I wish you luck, and maybe you used too many points, but you're going to love that 2 bedroom!

 

[WALTSAGOD]

Friends and family that you have not travelled with before can can def make the trip hard. One of our worse trips to see Mickey was with good friends that we had not travelled with before.

From the beginning we now set out fairly clear vacationing rules. "Don't feel obligated to do everything with us. If you want to do something and we don't, we'll tell you. Don't get your feeling hurt." There's nothing wrong with splitting up, then meeting back together for dinner or a swim.

 

[BroganMc]

I believe you mean "dissent". Technically, you're right -- 5 months' notice is plenty under normal circumstances. However, we'd had numerous discussions about how this is not like a normal hotel reservation, yadda yadda. We also had the "are you absolutely sure??" conversation probably 10 times before I made the reservation.

Like I said, we did some changing around and have made the most of the situation, but will plan future trips for just our family.

Think of it this way. As your first trip home, you will be getting the best possible room for your stay. A two-bedroom is very spacious for 4 folks and allows the adults to feel like they're not crammed on top each other. You're still going where and when you want to be there. Your enjoyment is ensured. If your brother is that worried about his livelihood (and let's face it EVERYONE is worried or should be now), then the last thing on his mind is a vacation. Especially a Disney vacation that can cost a fortune just with food & tickets. So amidst all that disappointment and frustration, have a care for what he's going through right now. I'm sure DB is just as disappointed and his kids are probably voicing their disappointment daily too.

If anything, you may find Grandpa feels a little disappointed he can't share the experience with all his grandkids. I know that feeling. I tried for years to get my brother's family to join us in October. But you can't beat yourself up over it. People do what they do for reasons that are perfectly logical to them.

After much hemming and hawing (and a bit of family chaos on the matter), I scheduled a trip for all my siblings and their families for this December. Just a weekend and not nearly as big or grand as I wanted to do in October, but I really just want their kids to share one of their grandpa's Disney trips. I learned my lesson and now follow a few simple rules when inviting others:

(1) never borrow for someone else,
(2) plan the trip you want to take first,
(3) have a reasonable cancellation window so you don't get burned.

Our use year is December so if they cancel 31 days out we won't lose any points. Now under 31 days, I think I'd be miffed unless there's a hospitilization involved. But then one can always delve into the rental market. And there's always the last most important rule:

4) You're under no obligation to extend an invitation twice.

 

[disneyeveryyear]

I think the 2BR is perfect for 4. That is what we normally book for our family of 4, me, DH, DS14 and DD10. We stayed in one for 7 days in January at SSR and there were times I could have used more space! I do love the size at OKW.

However, next January we have invited a family to join us and we will have 9 in a THV. We are already obsessing over who will sleep where, etc. However, even if hey bail at the last minute, we had planned to do THV, just for the 4 of us. Therefore, we haven't lost anything if they don't come.

 

[dianeschlicht]

I think the 2BR is perfect for 4. That is what we normally book for our family of 4, me, DH, DS14 and DD10. We stayed in one for 7 days in January at SSR and there were times I could have used more space! I do love the size at OKW.

However, next January we have invited a family to join us and we will have 9 in a THV. We are already obsessing over who will sleep where, etc. However, even if hey bail at the last minute, we had planned to do THV, just for the 4 of us. Therefore, we haven't lost anything if they don't come.

My feelings exactly! Hey, I looked at the THV model, and I thought it would be PERFECT for a family of 4! We also get a 2 bedroom for 3 or 4.

 

[photobob]

Traveling with others definitely requires more patience and flexibility. The more people you have the more of an ordeal it is to do things, so you have to take that into consideration in planning and in expectations.

I have gotten frustrated a bit when going to WDW with my SIL and her family. They always want me to plan what and when we are going to do things and basically have me guide everyone around, which I really don't mind. It is however rather frustrating when you talk about the plans for the next day and everyone agrees we need to leave for a given park and get there at park opening and then you find half of the other party still sleeping when we should be leaving.

 

[jekjones1558]

I feel for the OP. Points and vacations are precious and messing them up is painful.
We usually bring guests. We have had wonderful experiences with many different couples who have traveled with us. We always book separate 1 bedroom units for privacy reasons but it is also good to know that if there is a last minute emergency we can cancel one room if necessary and our own vacation can proceed. I think that booking a 2 bedroom and having the other couple cancel would make me feel like I was wasting points. A 2 bedroom for just DH and me is overkill. At our age health stuff just seems to happen. We once had to reschedule a vacation TWICE because of medical stuff--once from our end, the other from our friends' end. We did eventually get to go together and it was a marvelous trip.
We have found that planning big, multigenerational family trips is the toughest. Booking 11 months out in order to get multiple rooms can be a problem when pregnancies are 9 months. We have learned to book different room sizes, e.g. on our last one we booked a GV, a 1 bedroom and a 2 bedroom. When a pregnancy came along we just canceled the 1 bedroom.
We and our friends and family all live in Minnesota so we always fly. Though this adds to the cost of vacation, it also forces folks to make a commitment by buying airline tickets. Even then things can happen (last minute hospitalization had us stuck with holding points), but I think the cost of airfare really makes people be serious about their decision to go to WDW.
I would hate to never use points for family and friends. But I do admit that a vacation without having to worry about anyone else is also pretty darn nice!

 

[dvczerfs]

Friends and family that you have not travelled with before can can def make the trip hard. One of our worse trips to see Mickey was with good friends that we had not travelled with before.

From the beginning we now set out fairly clear vacationing rules. "Don't feel obligated to do everything with us. If you want to do something and we don't, we'll tell you. Don't get your feeling hurt." There's nothing wrong with splitting up, then meeting back together for dinner or a swim.

This is how we do it! Three years ago, very good friends went w/us. we stay at okw, they paid cash to stay in a studio.(3 months later, they became dvc members) we get together about nine months out, decide on were we are eating. I make all the adrs and i make our plans for which days we do what. from then on, they can do what we do or they can go off on there own. there is no hard feelings we get back together for our adrs and have a great time. I think its hard when you have three people in one family and four in another to decide "whats next"?

 

[mmcguire]

Thanks for all the great advice! We are working on possibly having our neighbors join us for the 5 nights in the 2BR. They're great friends, have kids our kids' ages, and we've traveled with them before. This might end up being even more of a blast than our original plan.

Thanks again for all the words of encouragement and understanding.

 

[KiminChicago]

Here's my story:

We bought our points at AKL in October of 2007. Since our UY is June, we had 2007 and 2008 points to use the next year (I banked the 2007 points). As soon as we closed on our points, we started talking about a trip to HHI for summer 2008. We asked my in-laws if they wanted to come with us. By the time they said yes, we were already long past the 7 month window and the only dates I could get a 2br villa were Labor Day weekend. Then a month later, the in-laws change their minds and decide that they are not going because we were driving and not flying down. I didn't want to cancel the
2BR because I was afraid we'd end up with nothing. It turned out great for us! We loved having all that space and DD10 and DS12 were happy that they each got their own huge bed to sleep in.

This year we're using our points at AKL in October. I made the reservation for a dedicated 2br in Kidani at 10 months out. I called my siblings and made them all the same offer -- we will use our points for the room, all they have to do is get there and pay for their park tickets and meals. But, they had to make the decision before the deadline for making ADRs (I gave them a specific date in June which gives me a little time for planning). So far my brother has said his family can't make it this year and one sister can't go as my niece is starting college in the fall, but my other sister, her husband and my two nieces are still trying to decide if it will work for them. It will be their first trip. I've already given my sister a "heads up" on some of the issues we need to discuss: 1) How many meals will we all want to eat together? 2) How much time will we want to spend together in the parks? 3) If we are eating together, then where do they want to eat (I've already let them know that we are planning on eating most breakfasts in the villa and only doing one character breakfast, probably at Chef Mickey's)?

If it turns out that they can't go, we're still going and we'll still use the 2BR -- it's just more room for us! If everyone had decided to go, I would have tried to add on another room, I just booked the one villa I knew we would use. It may seem like a waste of points to some to book a 2br for the four of us, but so far we've been able to do one trip a year, which is actually more often than we're used to going, so it's all good!

 

[spiceycat]

family and friends and DVC - don't mix at least not for me.

what I ended up doing mostly - is allowing my brother to go with his family
and me solo or with friends.

just make the reservation for him - they do everything else.

now friends - some are great and love it. others you wonder why you are wasting your dvc points of them...



it all works out in the end.

 

[bwvBound]

family and friends and DVC - don't mix at least not for me. <snip>

now friends - some are great and love it. others you wonder why you are wasting your dvc points of them...



it all works out in the end.

I'm having trouble interpreting the emoticons in your message. Is the big guy in yellow kicking your friends while the other three laugh hysterically?

 

[spiceycat]

I'm having trouble interpreting the emoticons in your message. Is the big guy in yellow kicking your friends while the other three laugh hysterically?

no they are partying because they get to go to WDW. (despite complaints about everything - the villa, food, tickets) everyone does have fun in WDW - or why go again?

 

[crisi]

We've had pretty good luck inviting family - well - its been a hassle, but its tended to work out well in the end. Keys though are planning for them to drop you like a hot potato (book rooms where you can cancel their portion - or won't mind spreading out - the studio portion of the two bedroom lockoff planned for my sister became the kids space - four in a two bedroom was very nice) and being flexible (my father in law couldn't go, so my husband's aunt went with my mother in law instead). Also, take touring plans with a large grain of salt - your guests may not enjoy Disney as much as you do - and always have a backup vacation in your pocket (stay an extra day after your guests leave - or know you are taking another vacation in six months).

 

[Lady_Gracey999]

I am proud to say that I am going on my first Disney trip with my now DVC-owning friends! I went with them in Sept. before they bought. I would never DREAM of standing them up unless it was something major like a hospitalization or something equally serious. Of course, we're just staying in a studio so they wouldn't have to change reservations. We have a deal, they and I: since they are covering the room I am paying for the meals for all of us. We're paying for our own park tickets though. We think that's pretty fair. Would you agree?

 

[jodifla]

Friends and family that you have not travelled with before can can def make the trip hard. One of our worse trips to see Mickey was with good friends that we had not travelled with before.

From the beginning we now set out fairly clear vacationing rules. "Don't feel obligated to do everything with us. If you want to do something and we don't, we'll tell you. Don't get your feeling hurt." There's nothing wrong with splitting up, then meeting back together for dinner or a swim.

Yep! This is what we do as well. Keep the expectations really low, and very flexible.


On our last trip, we started out the day in the parks with friends, then went back for a swim well before they did. They only had one or two days in the parks...we had 8 days, so the intensity level was different.