Ugggh!! In-Laws bought Time Share but not DVC!

[Mousemates]

Wow, this really is the thread that just won't die...(thou I suspect that Jakeybake likely wishes it would). I have been pretty surprised to see how incensed some people have gotten over one guy who really just wants to stay on property when he makes his annual pilgrimage to the Mecca of the Mouse. ( I mean we generally have thread after thread in which we espouse the virtues of the on-property experience).

What is especially surprising to me is the fact that the criticism has come from folks who are on Intercot which generally means they (we ) have what many might call an inordinate amount of affection for Disney in the first place. (By the way we know they are wrong, we can stop doing all things Disney anytime we want. Its not an addiction...)

While the following quote certainly is not applicable to all who have been critical of jakeybake,(I'm trying to be gentle and here) for some have disagreed in a very agreeable way and taken a glass half full approach to the issue-- However, a few of the more caustic comments brought to mind the following words from H.G. Wells (who actually has something of a Disney connection in that in the old Timekeeper world exhibition scene where Nine-Eye, H.G. Wells {played by Jeremy Irons} and Jules Verne meet...[and no I really don't have a disney problem]) once wrote,

"Moral indignation is often jealousy with a halo. "

[Little Round Bale]

Jakeybake, now that our trip is getting closer and closer I am not sure how we would deal with staying off property. Easier said than done. Lets face it we LOVE the resorts. And there are good reasons for it. My DS and I were just talking about how exciting it is to be staying at BW for the first time and Intercoters are telling us the cool things about it.

I wish you nothing but magic pixie dust to help you through this.

[SurferStitch]

As someone who has never stayed off property, I understand exactly where you're coming from. I think the negative comments are coming mostly from people who consider a hotel as a place to sleep and nothing else. After all, you're going to the parks, what do you care what the hotel looks like when you're hardly there anyway?

I think that a lot of the rude comments you have received are from people that also don't realize that you are venting here instead of at your family. Everyone has those moments that you know what you are upset about may be for selfish reasons, but they still upset you and what better way of venting than on an anonymous message board?

He he.....I don't pay $350-$500 per night just for a place to sleep. I wish I were that rich! Our resort is very important to us. Sure, there were a few times we stayed value or mod, but we much prefer the Grand Flo. In fact, we spent a huge chunk of time at the Flo on our last trip. Just saying....I wouldn't assume those who disagree with the OP don't care about where they stay.

I don't think anyone here was really rude....just honest. Nobody said anything derogatory to the OP, or called him names, or anything like that. He gave his opinion, and many here gave theirs. Just because they don't agree with the OP, and they gave a differing opinion, doesn't make them rude.

"Moral indignation is often jealousy with a halo. " --- Nice quote, but not quite applicable (at least on my account) --- I have access to a very close yet off property timeshare whenever I want to use it, and I still don't. We like to stay where we want to stay.

Just an observation here:

Those who disagree are accused of being rude, jealous, what have you. Some of those who agree with the OP are quick to judge and scold the people who don't agree with him. How is that not just a different flavor of rudeness?

[Gottaluvgoof]

I guess this gets us back to the time versus money debate. And how important some of us consider staying on-site is.

I don't want to go somewhere I don't want to go, just because it's 'free'. You seem to not be able to get beyond the 'money' aspect of this...which is understandable, but many people think differently.

I'm perfectly willing to pay for things I want to do and I consider valuable. I'm not willing to spend my time on things I don't want to do, even if it has no monetary cost for me...it has other costs which I can't get back...i.e. time.

I pay for EVERYTHING I do. This is not about money or time in my opinion, this is about GRATITUDE! Ever hear of it?

[Gottaluvgoof]

He he.....I don't pay $350-$500 per night just for a place to sleep. I wish I were that rich! Our resort is very important to us. Sure, there were a few times we stayed value or mod, but we much prefer the Grand Flo. In fact, we spent a huge chunk of time at the Flo on our last trip. Just saying....I wouldn't assume those who disagree with the OP don't care about where they stay.

I don't think anyone here was really rude....just honest. Nobody said anything derogatory to the OP, or called him names, or anything like that. He gave his opinion, and many here gave theirs. Just because they don't agree with the OP, and they gave a differing opinion, doesn't make them rude.

"Moral indignation is often jealousy with a halo. " --- Nice quote, but not quite applicable (at least on my account) --- I have access to a very close yet off property timeshare whenever I want to use it, and I still don't. We like to stay where we want to stay.

Just an observation here:

Those who disagree are accused of being rude, jealous, what have you. Some of those who agree with the OP are quick to judge and scold the people who don't agree with him. How is that not just a different flavor of rudeness?

I couldn't have said it better myself. I love Intercot, but sometimes, I feel like I'm intruding on a cult. If you disagree with a poster, you get attacked for having a different opinion. I'm tired of being attacked and I won't just roll over and take it.

[Disney Doll]

Calm down people! Those who are saying the OP is selfish or greedy or insinuating that he is selfish or greedy are out of line. This is an online message board. You don't know the OP well enough to determine what kind of person he is.

I think we can all agree that it would be nice to be offered a free stay at an off site time share. However, I think we can also all agree that it gets sticky when you then feel like you have to vacation with your inlaws off site for the rest of your life or risk seeming like you are ungrateful and don't appreciate the offer. This is not as cut and dry as "just pay for your own vacation." Those of you who continue to see this as a black and white issue are missing the point. Enough already. This should be a place where we can vent without the harsh judgement.

[diz_girl]

However, I think we can also all agree that it gets sticky when you then feel like you have to vacation with your inlaws off site for the rest of your life or risk seeming like you are ungrateful and don't appreciate the offer. This is not as cut and dry as "just pay for your own vacation." Those of you who continue to see this as a black and white issue are missing the point. Enough already. This should be a place where we can vent without the harsh judgement.

Well said.

If you've read this entire thread from the beginning, then you know that Jay has paid for 10 out of the last 12 vacations to WDW, and he felt uncomfortable accepting the last two from his in-laws. He likes to stay where he likes to stay and now his in-laws have decided to buy a time share outside WDW so that his family can use it. The in-laws started footing the bill because they want their granddaughters (his daughters) to visit WDW every year. His in-laws have decided where and when he takes his WDW vacation and have now taken his WDW vacation choice away from him. Now he is obligated to use it, else offending the in-laws.

I've seen the argument that the in-laws can do what they want, since it's their money. Yes, that's true. But is it fair to someone else that in doing what you want, you have prevented them from doing the same? In Jay's 5/14 post at 11:24am, he quotes his mother-in-law as saying, "Maybe now Jay won't fight us tooth and nail about spending money each year on a Disney Vacation". This may seem harsh, but this almost seems like a deliberate action to shut him up. There's a family dynamic involved that Jay has to deal with, not you.

If he decides to stay at the Beach Club on his own dime, which I'm sure that he has already done several times, his in-laws may ask, "Why are you staying there, because we bought the timeshare for you." So he's obligated to use the timeshare. So now it's no Beach Club and bye, bye Stormalong Bay. The only excuse that he can give is that his daughters love Stormalong Bay and they can only use it if they stay at the Beach Club (HINT, HINT Jay).

This is about the freedom to plan your vacation when you want and where you want. Would you like for someone else to take that freedom away from you for the next decade or two?

[gnomelady]

Wow..I think it is wonderful they purchased a time share. Do you realize how many people would die to be able to go to Florida enjoy the area, Disney etc. My parents are gone and we never went on any trips unless it was to see family by car and they were far and few. Maybe you are disappointed they didn't get a DVC time share but who is paying for it? You need to get over it and let your family enjoy their time share. If you want to stay at a Disney resort then stay there you shouldn't make your family feel quilty they didn't get what you wanted.
Enjoy your family time together...life is short.

[MNNHFLTX]

MODERATOR WARNING--

Discussion on these boards (whether you agree or disagree with the OP) is allowed as long as members remain respectful of each other. Therefore I have edited some of the recent posts to try and get things back in line. As per INTERCOT's Terms of Service, posts of an argumentative, inflammatory or sarcastic nature are not allowed on our boards, so please keep this in mind in future remarks.

I have to say that I think the OP has remained remarkably civil despite the bantering that has gone on here. Even he has encouraged discussion on both sides of the issue, just as long as people treat each other with respect.

Let's move on.

[bkfree]

We have stayed both off and on site. While they are different experiences, they were both fun and memorable and equally magical.
If we had never stayed off site I am sure my thoughts would be different, but because we have gone and stayed at a vacation home, I can say that both types of accomodations were great. Having your own private pool, hot tub, game room and kitchen were great.And we got the same enjoyment from the parks and we were only 3 miles away, so driving was a piece of cake.
I'll take any free trip to WDW-On site , off site or way off site.

My sister loves WDW and loves to stay on site. SHe and her husband recently purchase a Time share and despite her love of the Mouse they chose not to go with a DVC. They are looking at the long haul. As their kids have gotten older, they enjoy doing other things in Orlanda other than Disney and their time share has lots of great resort options in Orlando. As they become empty nesters, the other Vacation Club offered a more varied choice and options of places to go and things to do. And for less money.
They are taking all of their kids(4) one daughter in law and one boyfriend to Puerta Vallarta Mexico on Sat. for a week at an all inclusive resort, all expenses paid with a snorkeling and deep sea fishing excursions.
They could not have done anything like this for with the DVC membership.
They considered lots of things before making the decision and DVC just was not the best choice.

We also hold our WDW trips sacred and after a few shared trips, we decided that WDW was a family only trip. We informed all of our relatives that our future trips to Disney would be just the 4 of us and no one was the least bit insulted or bothered by this. And we have found plenty of other places to visit with the whole gang.

To the OP, find out the other places available thru your In lawstime share.Places you have never visited amd would be new experiences for all of you and go there.
And leave WDW to just your immediate family.

[Meteora]

While the on-property resorts are great, we have an off-property timeshare and we love, love, LOVE it. For one thing, as my sister and I got older (we're now 23 and 20), it really helped to have some extra room and not to crowd our whole family into one small space, however nice that space is. Family vacations are a lot smoother when we're not breathing down each other's necks. We also love having our own kitchen so that we can cook, refrigerate and heat up leftovers, etc. It's always fun to have a pint of ice cream in the freezer or a nice cold half gallon of milk in he fridge to eat with your fudge from DTD. It's very convenient.

And most timeshares have great amenities--activities, pools, golf...something for everyone. Disney is great, but if you go every year, there might (gasp) come a time when you want a little variety. It's nice to have other options. And, as others have said, Orlando outside Disney can be a lot of fun. There are great restaurants and other fun things to do. One of our favorites is to go buy oranges at a local citrus place and make our own fresh-squeezed OJ with the provided juicer.

We also now have the opportunity to stay at a lot of other great hotels all over the world, and we have taken advantage of this quite a bit. It's a lot of fun to stay at nice places in different locations.

I understand the OP's frustration, I really do--when I first found out about our timeshare (at the ripe age of 12), I was disappointed that we would never stay on-property again. But I have really come to love it, and wouldn't trade it. And, as others have suggested, if we need a little extra Disney magic, we combine our stay with a few nights at a Disney resort. Make the best of this--it's a Disney vacation, so you know you'll have a great time no matter what.

[irish1967]

I agree with the posters that suggest that you split your stays between the time-share and on-site - that way you will be able to experience the best of both worlds.

I had the opportunity to stay off-site last summer and was pleasantly surprised that it really was a good experience. It definitely wasn't the same experience, but it wasn't negative either.

[rookie]

FWIW - if my MIL had a timeshare in Orlando I'd visit the Mouse in Disneyland