Taking friends and relatives

[Disney Mom-Mom]

For the most part we provide the space and sometimes the DP; airfare, park tickets are their expense. The thank you's have come back in many different ways and that enough for us. We just love having family with us on vacation.

 

[LouisianaDisneyFan]

It depends...

With family, we typically are the ones who invite them to come along, and we do not ask for or want compensation for the points. However, this policy may eventually be changed! DD has now canceled on us at the last minute twice. Both were very good excuses... the first time she was running a very high fever and the second time is literally right now (we should be driving to Disney as I type this!!!). Atlanta (where she lives) is covered in ice and her office has been closed for three days now. As she's an accountant and it's year-end, she now can't leave for her extended weekend vacation with us... and even if she could get off work when it finally reopens tomorrow (which her boss already said would be impossible), she'd be hard-pressed to get a flight out. So yep, a good reason. But also, a good reason that is not covered by trip insurance. Amazingly, they do not have coverage for ornery bosses or ice storms that happen earlier in the week!!! =P Since the trip was planned for dear son-in-law's birthday and they are no longer going, none of us are going and I canceled the reservations yesterday. Now we have greatly devalued points sitting in holding and very limited travel options before their UY expires. Situations like this are very frustrating... and honestly it does make me rethink the wisdom of not asking for any compensation from those who travel with us.

All that said, though, we greatly enjoy traveling with extended family, and offering the rooms for free allows that to happen more often. We are still hosting the entire extended family in May to celebrate our son's graduation... with us covering the villas for everyone. We will be covering the cost of only one meal... which is a doozie of a meal (Queen Victoria's room for all of us at Victoria and Albert's!!!). Extended family will be responsible for the rest of their meals, park tickets, and their travel to Disney. We do have a few additional communal reservations for dining, but typically we rotate those dinner bills among the parties (we pick up one meal for everyone, brother's family picks up one meal for everyone, etc.).

For OUR friends, we've traveled with fellow DVC'ers and they've made their own reservations or we helped our non-DVC friends rent points to stay in their own villas (rented from someone other than us, with our friends paying the rental amount). That way, we were not asking for money from our friends, but we still could enjoy traveling together. That also insulated us from the hard feelings that could come if friends could not travel at the last minute.

For our KIDS' friends, when we invited a guest, we covered everything... travel to get there, room, food, tickets, everything. In this case, our family would be going and having a great time even if the friend could not come. So, the risk of points going totally unused was really very small.

Evey =)

 

[Uncleromulus]

For friends and relatives (when we take them) the room is on us.
They are responsible for everything else..

 

[Ron from Michigan]

We took our 3 kids and sposes last year and paid for everything. When we invited my sister and husband last year they paid for our dining.

 

[audrey444]

We've hosted guests before (4-5 nights), and they offered to buy groceries for us.

We are taking DH's family (16 people) and it is using 3 years worth of points. DMIL is reimbursing $8 per point for 2 years of those points. Originally, she wanted to do the Disney trip, but paying OOP for the hotel was making it impossible. By us booking with points, it made the trip a possibility.

 

[Paticake]

Never. We invite relatives and friends because we enjoy being there with them. A few years ago our friends who we met and put up in a studio at OKW bought us lunch and dinner (Earl of Sandwich and Beaches and Cream) It was a nice gesture but we really don't expect it. WDW is an expensive place even when your lodging is covered. Last year we took DB and his family and stayed at a treehouse at SSR. His family was so appreciative. It is not a vacation they would have been able to take. We love treating people to our "home" at WDW.

 

[Donna M]

For friends and relatives (when we take them) the room is on us.
They are responsible for everything else..

This is how we do it too.

 

[AmongMadPeople]

I know there are a lot of people in this thread more generous than me, so here is how we've done it

We took friends on a trip with our points, then they took us on a trip with their points.

We will soon be taking my husband's brother and wife; we're charging them $1 a point. The trip was their idea, and we're using points we didn't plan on using. I don't feel bad about it one bit.

Our aforementioned friends have also taken some family - their family paid for their dining plan in exchange for the room.

As long as you're upfront and clear about your expectations from the beginning, anything is acceptable

 

[BEASLYBOO]

It's just my son and I so we have always shared our DVC with friends and family. I like to be comfortable when I travel and I feel it should be the same for our guests, so I book the size of accomodations that suits our travel party (generally between 6-8). I expect no compensation. We buy food and always split it equally among the adults, the rest like tickets etc. each has to pay for their family. Generally our guests will spring for a nice dinner out or tickets to a special show, we've done this since 2000 and I've never felt taken advantage of. Actually, quite the opposite, friends and family along with our DVC makes for a great time. I look forward to June, my son's Middle school graduation, we're taking a bunch of his friends and staying in an OKW Grand Villa!

 

[Deb & Bill]

We do not. We consider them our guests. Our guests usually try to compensate us in some way though, usually a meal or two.

Times three. We've taken lots of family members and friends. We just got back from five nights at WDW at SSR and OKW. My husband and son ran the half marathon and marathon and my husband's friend ran both with him. We drove his car down, he bought the gas and we provided the lodging. Fair to all of us.

In June, we're taking nine of my son's friends with us for a week's stay in a GV. We're not expecting anything in return other than thank you's. They are buying their own admission tickets to the parks. We have brought nieces and bought their tickets for them.

We do the inviting. If someone else invites themself, they don't go.

 

[DVC SSR Owner]

I know there are a lot of people in this thread more generous than me, so here is how we've done it

We took friends on a trip with our points, then they took us on a trip with their points.

We will soon be taking my husband's brother and wife; we're charging them $1 a point. The trip was their idea, and we're using points we didn't plan on using. I don't feel bad about it one bit.

Our aforementioned friends have also taken some family - their family paid for their dining plan in exchange for the room.

As long as you're upfront and clear about your expectations from the beginning, anything is acceptable

How did you come up with $1 pp? Why not split the cost of the maintenance fees you are paying like $2.50 or $3 pp?

 

[n2mm]

When you have friends or another family stay in your DVC Villa with you, do you ask them to chip in a cost per point to help cover the larger accomodations that are needed?

No, never. But we are very picky of who we invite.

 

[Brenle]

I guess I get the award for being the cheapest.
My BIL and SIL asked to join us. We used our points for a 1 edroom land they bought points from another DVCer to bump up to a 2 bedroom lockoff. They've done this several times, and wind up typically paying a quarter of what they would have if they used cash only for their ressies. They're happy and we're happy.

 

[ToddyLu]

No I don't expect reimbursement. My MIL gave us some money towards our MFs once or she wouldn't have gone--she said. My parents will not be giving us anything for their SV studio. They offered--I have told them that is on us. They will be resposible for their DDP and tickets. MIL will not be expected to ever pay us again. Yep, that was a mini WWIII.

I can't wait to see their faces when they see the studio and animals for the first time. They get their own studio and we get ours.

 

[DisneyHotDog]

I would definiately ask friends or relatives to chip in. But if you can afford it and you have the points or they will be expiring soon then it would be a really nice jester to treat them to such a wonderful vacation.

 

[kendzee94]

We have taken both sets of parents and (adult) siblings with us. This trip my parents were planning on staying at one of the Values for a week.

They don't want to go with us for free, so the offer was that we would have them pay us the cost of their all inclusive value resort (with free dining and tickets) and we will cover the rest. So, that will be appx $2000. I just checked and the rack rate for the 10 nights at THV for next Christmas is $9534 (with extra adult fee and taxes! YIKES! That's the price of an add on, but I digress.) The $2000 will cover their portion of the dining plan for 10 nights, tickets and part of the air costs. I think it's a win win situation.

 

[wbl2745]

We do not. We consider them our guests. Our guests usually try to compensate us in some way though, usually a meal or two.

We went to AKV with my two brothers and their wives in December. They offered to pay the maintenance fee for the points for the year, but I declined. Instead one chose to pay for the Hoop-Dee-Do Review and the other for the Candlelight Processional Dinner. Last April we went with some friends to VGC at DLR and they paid for dinner at the Blue Bayou. Primarily, if we invite them, they are our guests. If they would like to show their appreciation buy taking us out, that's fine with me.

 

[TMB1203]

We do not. We use our points for the room and they are responsible for everything else. We don't expect payment or any type of compensation. I don't believe that my DH family has ever offered anything. We are taking my family this summer (11 of us) and my mom is paying for our airfare.

 

[OKW Lover]

We would no more ask people to compensate us for a DVC room than we would if they were staying in our (main) home. If they want to offer to buy a meal for us, we will graciously accept.

 

[JCW]

Depends, if we invite them, then no.

If we have plans to go and someone says "we would like to go too, do you have any points left?" then yes. But we only charge the cost of the maintenance fees for the points they are using - so it's still a deal for them.