DVC with friends

[Dean]

I poked around a little and didn't see anything about how people handle this and Im curious.
When you are staying with friends on your points do you take them as guests or do you split the cost (pp as it were)?
How did you come to the conclusion about if you would or how much you would?

We are planning a trip with the parents of a good friend of our daughter. We really like them and have spent a fair amount of time with them so were not worried about traveling with them. We are talking about sharing a 2 br. They are in a similar financial situation as we are so were not worried that we're putting all of us in an awkward situation when talking about costs (since we all know that these trips ain't cheap, no matter how you do them)
I am not interested in asking them to pay $15 or $17 pp. I was thinking $10. Part of this is also because the mom is friends with some bigwig at MK and gets VIP day passes. They are FOR SURE a valuable part of the whole collaboration.

So what do you do?

When we invite people, we cover the accommodations. If they ask to rent, we give them a more than fair deal less than market but more than dues rates. We do family trips about 2 out of every 3 summers and we cover the accommodations. We had 51 people at Marriott's Grande Ocean this past summer with 8 two BR villas for a week. We have the timeshares and we have the ability to do that much to give back and get people together. Doing so without the financial ability to do so wouldn't make sense.

 

[AndreAggie]

I apologize for not reading through the previous posts. If we invite, we don't expect any reimbursement. We're going in May to Grand Californian with the 3 of us, my husband's parents and his (adult) sister, so 6 total. The in-laws are picking up the cost of a rental car for our trip. We're not just going to Disneyland and a suburban for a week isn't cheap.

We've discussed going to WDW with another family and in talks, we'll cover the rooms, but they will buy our son's ticket and some meals to help offset. We haven't been approached outright about using our points for someone else.

I will say I'm not comfortable asking market rate for friends unless they directly ask us to use our points for them (and we don't go).

 

[nkosiek]

Will be headed down in June with my best friend and his family. We've been talking about doing this for about 5 years now but he and his wife insisted they pay for using our points or else they'd stay somewhere else on property. I tried to convince them it was no big deal but they insisted so we did it covering dues.

 

[DeeCee735]

Also, be careful on traveling with friends. Disney trips can put a lot of stress on all parties if you don't have shared expectations up front, especially if one group is a keep-to-the-schedule type and the other is go-with-the-flow...

This gave me a giggle because I’ve been in a situation once where the people I travelled with, whom I no longer consider friends....more like potential friends at the time and work people.... (thankfully not on my points) were way over the top with having to do everything together every minute of each day. I thought it was weird. We’re all adult women, and no strangers to traveling without spouses, but this was like being bossed around. One of the women actually yelled at me for suggesting we split up and half do this, the other half do that. Needless to say that was the first and last time I ever travelled anywhere with them. It was also a wake up call. 1) not everyone who wants to go to Disney with me is actually a friend, and 2) the people who are just easy to be with are and always have been my closest friends and family. They make for awesome trips!

 

[BEASLYBOO]

We’ve always brought friends and family with us, and I’ve never charged anyone. It was my contribution and I was happy to provide it when I could. We’ve had some wonderful family reunions and vacations over the years, OKW grand villas are awesome for this. Sometimes, I was told, no, you don’t pay anything, you’ve provided us with these nice accommodations. Sometimes on shorter stays, Friends have bought me dinner as a thank you. Family and friends we reciprocate, I’ve used their hospitality at times. Interestingly though, everyone loves my DVC but no one I ever brought purchased it. But it’s all worked out very well these last 19 years and continues to do so...

 

[mousestruck]

In short, it depends. In my opinion, there is a big difference between inviting friends/family and planning a trip together. I have invited family to join us for a couple of days and simply used my points without asking for anything.

We’ve also planned trips with friends who are not DVC members. We did not invite them; we go every year and they asked to join us. We only have 170 points, so that amount does not allow us to cover another family’s room without sacrificing our vacation the following year. On a couple of occasions we booked a studio and used leftover points (plus OTU points) to book a larger room or additional room for a few nights. In those cases, I absorbed the “cost” of the extra points I had and asked travel companion to pay cost for the extra OTU points (the cost I had to pay). It was a great deal for the family and simply made us whole for our next year’s vacation. We have also had occasions where we stayed at AKL/Jambo, allowing us to stay DVC and the other family to stay in a regular room. They wanted to pay their own way and this just kept things simple.

So it really does depend on your situation. We try to make it a win for everyone.

 

[jbh275]

I look at $12 a point being a very fair price. That's about 66% of the full room price. Very reasonable. Both times, I made sure and had a price in mind before offering that I can get them a room.

 

[mustinjourney]

For me -- it completely depends on the situation.

I've done two trips now with grandparents that we paid for all of the lodging costs (we more or less said this was their Xmas present that year). I figured since they were going to be doing a little babysitting during the trip -- it was more than fair to not charge them anything for their room. Not to mention all of the grandparents have already done so much for me and my wife through the years, it feels nice to share the magic.

If I were to go with friends or my siblings, then I would charge for the points assuming that it was a group vacation. The amount I'd charge would depend on how I'm feeling. I have VGF points, so I value them quite highly. I'd probably want $12-$15 a point (we also just got our contracts 2 years ago -- 15 years from now, I will probably change my mind and give much steeper discounts).

If I rent points to friends (and we're not going), then I charge $3 less than the going rate. They're getting a substantial discount on a room (and their risk is severely limited as compared to renting from a stranger), I don't have to deal with a random person, and it's more fun for me to help with trip planning for someone I know.

 

[DSLRuser]

will they ever have a chance to "return the favor"? you take them to disney, they take you to the beach? if so..it's a wash.

if no...i like the idea of...we have the room covered....you pay for the food for the room. (not dinners for the week) just groceries

 

[mustinjourney]

we are packing to leave thursday for our first trip! So exciting, our friends, family of 4 are staying with us at AKV in 2 bedroom. I invited them to join us, that was a lot of the reason I wanted to buy dvc. Its her kids and husbands first time. I have an only child, so its a win win for us to vacation with friends. I can see her offering me money or to buy dinner etc.. but I am fine if she doesnt as well. I meant it as a gift. Everyone is different.

So how'd the trip go?
I hope you at least got the master bedroom.

 

[Kim Gillihan]

So how'd the trip go?
I hope you at least got the master bedroom.

It was awesome! We had so much fun.. yes, we got the master! We brought a twin air bed with us, our 9 year old slept in our room on that, we had plenty of room for all of us! My friends bought us dinner at snaa one night, many adult beverages thru the week random things here and there just to be sweet!! I kept telling them it was not necessary but they wanted to feel like they were contributing. I get it and would have done the same thing! It was great. this is a lot of why I bought dvc.. to enjoy with friends and family!

 

[BillPA]

Sounds like a great trip, glad all went well.

 

[Dean]

It was awesome! We had so much fun.. yes, we got the master! We brought a twin air bed with us, our 9 year old slept in our room on that, we had plenty of room for all of us! My friends bought us dinner at snaa one night, many adult beverages thru the week random things here and there just to be sweet!! I kept telling them it was not necessary but they wanted to feel like they were contributing. I get it and would have done the same thing! It was great. this is a lot of why I bought dvc.. to enjoy with friends and family!

Our family trips have been our best vacations by far. We plan to avoid drama and we've been lucky that avoiding drama has not been difficult.

For others reading, there are things that can be done to reduce the risk of issues. If you know someone is a problem, assume they'll be worse at Disney or with timeshares and thus the best choice is don't if possible. Don't presume they'll be on their best behavior because it's Disney or you're helping them out. Don't over plan and control other people's vacation. A complicated schedule can take the fun out of it for many and is a necessity for others, know your audience.

 

[sjrec]

We travel often with our daughter, her husband and our grandson-we take care of the villa and the grocery order but they pay for their tickets and airfare. They will treat us to dinner or a dessert party. Spending the time with them is payment enough! So many wonderful memories !
One year they traveled with friends and we booked a 2Br villa at AKL for part of their trip-and I wouldn’t accept payment-we came home one Saturday afternoon and found the two couples had mulched my flowerbeds and planted flowers for me! That was better than money!

 

[Kim Gillihan]

We travel often with our daughter, her husband and our grandson-we take care of the villa and the grocery order but they pay for their tickets and airfare. They will treat us to dinner or a dessert party. Spending the time with them is payment enough! So many wonderful memories !
One year they traveled with friends and we booked a 2Br villa at AKL for part of their trip-and I wouldn’t accept payment-we came home one Saturday afternoon and found the two couples had mulched my flowerbeds and planted flowers for me! That was better than money!

Great story! So sweet of them! I agree, just the time we get to spend with our friends and family is worth so much! Now, if I wasn't going on the trip I would consider renting my points like some have mentioned... if someone asked me etc... but I don't have that many points and plan to use them!!

 

[TiggerBouncy]

I bought DVC so I can share Disney with others. I can't really turn around and sell it. Like many of the responses, if I am travelling with them, I don't charge for the room. I expect them to cover all of their expenses (travel, meals, tickets) and will graciously accept if they pay for a few dinners.

If they are using my points on their own (travelling without me and I have extra points), I charge them going rate minus a couple dollars per point.

 

[TavieP]

Hm. I've been going with friends for decades - sometimes on their points, sometimes on mine. It's always as one another's guests, we never charge/pay the other for the room. Everyone's responsible for their own flights, foods, park tickets, etc.

 

[Julylady]

I have never charged anyone, but if they want to pay for a special event like Hoop De Doo or a Dessert party, I let them.

 

[Julylady]

A word of caution. In situations like this, I do not make the reservation until the other party has made a financial commitment to the trip. Typically that means they have purchased airline tickets and/or park tickets. People who are not DVC owners don't understand that you can't just cancel the reservations or change the dates easily. Years ago I made plans with a friend who was super excited about planning a trip together. But when it came time to put down money she never had it. At first, I covered for her, but soon realized that she was unable or unwilling to save money for the trip and unless I paid for everything it wasn't going to happen. I was so far in at the time I realized it, I did end up paying for everything but it was the end of our friendship. I had another time where a family member switched jobs and so "Of course you understand we have to cancel with 6-weeks notice." Again, I had reserved the DVC unit, but they had not put out a dime toward the trip.

One option is to reserve two studios instead of a two bedroom. It might give you an amount of separation that would be desirable plus its easier to cancel or rent a studio at late notice. Just food for thought.

 

[DucksDad]

My spreadsheet (and I know we all have one) brought me to the conclusion that my break even is around $7.50 per point over the lifetime of my contract. I basically use that as my rate for extended family and close friends (although we have "gifted" a stay for a special event to a niece and her family before) since we're getting them into a deluxe for essentially the price of a value at that rate.

Obviously they're close enough for you to be inviting them on vacation with you so I think it's just easier to make sure that there are no hard feelings by being as up front about the costs as possible before.

I told our friends who were coming with us in March that a room at the Beach Club would cost as follows...
$142.50 per night from us
$304.00 per night from a points rental service and
$450.00 or more directly from Disney

It puts the deal they're getting into perspective.