question for richyams (and others)...

[jfulcer]

Did you purchase DVC with the intention of sharing it with friends/family? I read posts about how you share a week here/week there and normally will rent the Grand Villas. Do you invite two couples along for that, or how do you normally work that out?

Sorry for all the questions, I've just been considering the ramifications of inviting friends and family along and want to see how other people treat the situation.

Since I've already read the thread about asking people to share expenses/not asking, I won't bother asking that here.

Thanks!

Jeff <img height="80" width="55" src="http://www.angelfire.com/art/jfulcer/goofhead07.gif"> <img height="80" width="125" src="http://www.angelfire.com/art/jfulcer/vacclub01.gif">
8/95 WL - Honeymoon!
3/97 Offsite
3/99, 3/00 Offsite - Premier Vacation Homes
11/99 Offsite (Tampa!)
8/00 Wilderness Lodge
9/00 Offsite - MOWC
3/01 VWL (DVC points)

 

[going2wdw]

I bought with plans to share with family and friends but haven't done it yet. I have fiqured out that I will probably need more points before I can do too much. I talked to some of the family and tried to get them to tell me when they could go but didn't get anyone who wanted to make plans a couple of years ahead of time. (I need to plan those points out) I decided that as far as family that I would just schedule my trips and tell everyone when we are going. If anyone wants to go I will ask that they let me know at least 11 months out so I can get the right size home. If they decide after that I'd still try but wouldn't be able to ensure that they will have the space needed. These would all be people who I wouldn't ask to share in the costs.

<font face="BrushArt" color=#6600CC size=4>Janette</font>

<font face="BrushArt" color=#6600CC>WDW ~*~ Offsite ? - 1976, Vistana - Jun 1988
Vistana/Contemporary - Jun 2000, OKW - Feb 2001
BWV - DIS Convention Nov 2001</font>
<font face="BrushArt" color=#6600CC>Disneyland ~*~ Apr 1998</font>

 

[brittsmamabwv]

I have planned TWICE to take my sister and her family, both times my family has changed plans to accomodate my sis's family....two weeks ago she cancelled AGAIN! We were going in May. Now she wants to go next april...i'm not holding my breath, one month out I was able to switch my plans for my immediate family and go back to our original plan (thank goodness) I agree that it is hard to get familys to commit to 11 months out unless you are actually the DVC member. I also have planned my next 3 years worth of vacations.

When you wish upon a star...DVC will take you far...anything your heart desires....will come your way

 

[KyBill]

Yes we bought OKW in 2/98 with the express purpose of providing our children and grandchildren a first class trip to Disney World. So far One of our DD's and family have been to OKW 3 times, HH once and going to VB this fall. Another DD and DSIL have been to BWV, OKW(2) and Disney Wonder 3 day cruise. My DW and myself have shared some of these trips(always in seperate villas). We started with 250 points and have since added for a total of 400. This past month we got to take our 23 year old grandaughter to DW for her first ever trip. We did share a 2 BR with her and both DD's.
The rich family experiences have more than repaid us for our investment in points. WE figured that it would be better to spend some our money doing this than leaving it. This way we can enjoy it with them. Plus DW and I found out we love going to DW by ourselves for 2 or 3 days by ourselves.

 

[Richyams]

We only have one kid. She is almost 12. We bought back in '92. When we bought the minimum was 230 points. During the tour we were thinking about the grand villa but really planning on the two bedroom. Either way, bringing guests every time. It was originally a kind of selfish purpose, one kid without peers is less fun.

We had two years worth of points for our first stay, 12 nights in the grand villa. We arrive on Sunday and leave a week from the following Friday. After our second or third day in the GV, we realized that we were going to have to have one every year, so we added 200 points during our first stay.

We usually only have one couple at a time. We arrive with one of our siblings or friends and their kids on Sunday. Us in the master, the other couple in one bedroom and the common kids in the third. They leave sometime during the weekend and a different couple arrives with their kids. We will often have a crowded Saturday night in the middle. Sometimes the second couples kid will come down in the begining, sometimes the first couple's kid will stay through the second week.

When we arrive, we tell the front desk to skip the trash and towell and move the full cleaning to the day we switch guests.

We did buy with the intention of always bringing guests. We both have a bunch of siblings. Between some of them and other friends, we have been able to bring people that otherwise just wouldn't have been able to get down there.

We have never and would never ask anyone for a dime. Depending on who the guests are, we can sometimes never pay for dinner and/or groceries.....unless its my skin flint brother-in-law.

"From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs", Karl Marx,This has failed every time it has been tried, why do we still have liberals?

 

[LauraS]

One of the main reasons that finally caused us to buy into DVC was the idea that we could bring our immediate family members down with us. My husband and I were married in WDW almost 3 years ago. Everyone in our families came and we all had a blast together. This spring we're taking both sets of parents and our nephew down for the first time. Everyone is really excited!! We leave in less than 3 weeks!!

OTOH, I do have some (not all) aunts and uncles on my side who are moochers and constantly hint about coming to WDW with us. That makes things a bit uncomfortable, but you should only bring the folks who you'd like to vacaiton with, and those family members don't fit into that category. We really don't have any plans to let family members go alone because we like to go too much!!

Laura

 

[RobDoc]

We also purchased (and added on) with the intent of giving others trips to WDW. Our daughters have both been several times with us. The oldest one took 7 friends in 2 studios as a college grad present and in Jan- she and DH joined us for a week. We have taken parents and my sister for a week in a GV and 3 times now have given 3 day stays to each of my office staff (now numbering 10). We have taken friends with us twice in a 2BR and will again next month.
We get a great deal of pleasure out of "sharing the magic" with family and friends and now look forward to sharing with grandchildren soon!

Doc DVC Board Co-Moderator
doc@wdwinfo.com

 

[dbond]

We've also taken family and friends and keep buying more points cause we keep using up the ones we've got. Christmas of '99, we booked a 2 bedroom and a studio and invited my sister's family and my grandmother to go with us. Lo & behold my parents drove their motor home out and stayed at Ft. Wilderness and Aunts, Uncles & cousins traded their own timeshares to the Orlando area. We had a regular family reunion. We cooked a Christmas dinner for 21 in a 2-bedroom at OKW. We don't expect any kind of reimbursement. We look at it kinda like if we had a lake house and we invited friends up for the weekend we wouldn't ask for anything in return. They all pay for their own passes and we split the grocery costs. Usually someone else picks up the tab for one of the meals out as well. We feel so lucky to have a place like DVC to share with family and friends and glad that our loved ones enjoy vacationing with us.

 

[jcodespoti]

I have to say, it is amazing how many "friends" you have when they discover you have DVC. We always bring somebody w/us. I think its more fun.


Joe in Ct

 

[fkj2]

I originally purchased in 1992 with the intent of spending many vacations with family. It's not working out but I've got some friends that are like a substitute family and we've already had some great memories and Lord willing, more to come.

 

[DVCDAVE]

We also bought enough points so that we can get a 2BR every year, and share the experience with another couple. Mainly, my wife's sister and husband. We don't ask them to share any of the cost of the room, but they always share the food expenses without asking. They are also planning to come again with us next year. With 2 boys of our own, they fully understand that the time to take advantage of our generosity is now, as we may not be able to invite them when the boys grow older and are no longer such a 'pleasure' to be around.

WDW:
76,77,78,87,FW
92,Offsite
95 POL
96(2), GF,Offsite
97,GF
98,99,00,FW
8/00 DVC member @ BWV
3/01 BWV, FW
3/01 DVC member @ WLV
11/01 BWV !

 

[Gail Reale]

We bought with the intention of being able to bring friends/family with us. We have had friends/family with us for our 25th anny., then just to celebrate the year 2000, and for absolutely no reason other than we wanted to share OKW and its beauty. Only "rented" once to a friend and her family. They got a good deal because the tickets were still included. Other than that one time, it's been us and our good friends/family in anything from a studio up to the GV. Youngest son and 3 buddies had their senior class trip in a studio, and we have brought the grandchildren of course. This August it will be just DH and me for a change!

 

[ScottOKW2K]

Unlike some of the people that have posted already, I am a new DVC'er and have yet to enjoy my first DVC stay. Even so, what we have planned or tried to plan so far seems to mirror many of the experiences others have related so well.

We have our first two stays confirmed already - a 2-bedroom at VWL in June and a OKW Grand Villa over New Years 2001. For the June trip, we did invite our daughters (age 7) best friend along, but the parents declined (personal reasons). We did leave the offer open for future trips, though.
For the OKW stay, we plan to have my mom & stepfather, my brother, teenage cousin, and my wife, daughter and myself. My mom and brother haven't been to WDW in over twenty years, and my cousin never has.

There is no way that we could have even considered this before DVC. Our first two stays at WDW as a family - both at Dixie Landings - got us hooked (!!) on the Disney *Magic* and also staying on-site. (Thank you, Deb Wills !) Some people say it "costs a heck of a lot more to go first-class." No, it justs costs a little more to enjoy the value and quality that Disney & DVC provide.

For all the kind people on the boards, Thanks. When my close family, extended family, and friends are enjoying DVC I'll be thinking of you. Without your advice I would not be looking forward to many magical vacations to come. See ya'll at the "World".

11/99 DxL
11/00 DxL
6/01 VWL
12/01 OKW-GV

 

[Jenn]

Us too! We purchased last summer with the express idea that we would take a big extended family trip once a year and then a quick 4 or 5 day trip with just us.

Last month we took my husband's parents, his sister and her 5 kids, plus us and our daughter to a Beach Cottage at Vero for 3 nights and then 3 studios at OKW for 2 nights. Everyone had a blast! They were overwhelmed by the accomodations and kept thanking us over and over again. We are already planning a return trip with all of them - probably late August 2002.

We plan to take my family sometime in 2003. They are a little tougher about pinning down dates and setting aside money for plane tickets, etc. so that's why their trip is 2 years away.

My one suggestion is to involve everyone in the planning, but the final accomodations/dates need to be your decision. We really pushed for a different time of year than March (high points) but caved in since the family really wanted to go then. If we had gone in May, we would have saved a boat load of points. Next time, we have already made it clear that there are certain dates we can do and certain dates are out of the question. This time it wasn't a huge deal because we banked points when we bought last summer, but going forward I want to be sure we leave enough points so that we can get away with just our family for a few days during the year too. And, I don't want to have to borrow points to do that!

Jenn

 

[Beachangel]

So when I decided to buy in, it was definitely to share. I'm taking my first trip home in August for 2 weeks and my friend is joining me. She's picking up the tab for AKL for a week in exchange. Next year my sisters are joining me and I'm getting 3 studios so we can all have our privacy. That's the reason I joined - so I can share it with my family and friends.

"Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the THINKS you can think up, if only you try." Dr. Seuss

 

[Peggy Sue]

We love our DVC vacations with just the two of us, and equally enjoy the ones we have taken with family and friends. It is a great feeling to be able to share a WDW vacation to family and friends. We leave in 17 days for a week at OKW with my dad and niece (2 bedroom) We are all looking forward to the trip. My niece would not be able to afford a WDW vacation at this time in her life, so it's nice to be able to share our vacation with her. We never ask anyone for any financial compensation, however everyone does offer to pick up a dinner check, and they usually split the cost of the groceries. We don't want every DVC vacation to include a guest, so we always save enough points for our own vacation needs too. I can agree with the above posters that it can be difficult to get family members to commit to vacation dates that far in advance..but we just tell them what we are planning, make the offer and if they can join us, fine, if not, we go by ourselves..it just get too complicated trying to fit in everyones requests.

Have a wonderful day!

 

[SusieJ]

Hi, Jeff: I'll be honest with you here. We are new DVC members (October 2000) and bought for two main reasons. First, economics. Even though our Disney vacations are every other year, our hotel charge is always the biggest chunk of our Disney budget. Secondly, we prefer the larger rooms that are offered to DVC members.

So, after all that is said, our first trip as DVC members is this October and we've booked a 2 bedroom at BWV so my brother and his wife can come along. Although having guests was not a consideration when we bought, it certainly is an important factor for us now.

SusieJ
Greendale, WI

 

[TeresaNJ]

My kids love to go to Disney now as much as they did when they were younger (they're girl 15, boy 20, boy 21). The problem is now they want to bring friends with them. We rented a two-bedroom at Old Key West last July, as that was the most cost-effective way to go, and we had a blast. There were eight of us, DH and myself, DD and her friend, both 14 at the time, and both DS's and their two friends, ages 19, 20 & 21 at the time. All three of their friends had never been to WDW, and one of them had never flown. We loved being able to share in their first experience of visiting WDW. This May my DH and I, my 20 yo son and his friend are going to AK for three nights and then VWL in two studios for three nights. We figured the two studios would be better than a one bedroom, cause I don't think the guys really want to share a pull-out couch in the living room (LOL) . In October, DH and I, my daughter and my 20 yo son, and two of their friends (same guy, who will then be going on his 3rd Disney trip with us, and different girl will be going and staying in a two-bedroom at VWL. The kids had never been over Halloween and really wanted to go at that time. The great thing is that Epcot's Food and Wine Festival will also be going on at that time. The end of November just my DH and I will be going (YEA!!) and staying at PO Riverside for five days on cash (1st official DIS Convention) and then switching to VWL studio for three nights (couldn't resist not seeing those Christmas decorations, and I'll finally have my chance to curl up in front of one of those fireplaces! We're already planning a trip for next May and taking my DH's mother and father, probably staying in a one-bedroom, and next July or August 2002, we'll be taking our best friends and their son with us. So although I love going to Disney with just DH and I, it is so much fun to be able to take others and show them how to really appreciate WDW.


<font color=blue><font face=Disney Print>Polynesian 1985, 1990, GF 1992, BC 1995, 1997, BWI 1998, PO 1999, BWV 1999, WL 2000, OKW 2000, AKL\VWL May 2001, VWL Oct 2001, DIS CON. POR\VWL Nov 2001</font></font>

 

[Cyndy]

Sharing it with both friends and family have been great but like others the getaways for the 2 of us are also fun. We bought at BWV in '99 and have been in a perpetual state of "borrow" since. On the bright side, we told the kids it was part of our retirement plan and they get to share it with us even before we retire! This June we will be taking 14 family members (including our new son-in-law and his parents down and we will have a 3Br and Studios so that we can all have a great time! We love the flexability and wish we had added on sooner!

 

[Pooh Bear Dad]

One of the reasons i joined DVC was to be able to share with my family. My DW and I have been fortunate financially--despite that our family feels uncomfortable about us putting them up in a hotel for vacations.

Well, we got DVC, and bingo...that problem is fixed. Just booked my parents in a studio next month at BWV and will be joining us in a 2br at VWL in October. My enlaws and brother are looking forward to using a suite next fall. They are all excited and no one feels uncomfortable.

None of them would have ever accepted the free boarding if I had to pay cash. Points to them seem free, and thats great with me!!!!

...I am just going to have to buy some more points next year.....maybe wait for the beach club

Scott