I am about to be an owner and was wondering if this happens to people. As I look at the
point charts and try to figure out how many points to allot to each trip, I find it difficult to know what might be available and how many points to give to each. I'm sure there is a whole forum on that but I can't find it. Any tips for the new girl on the block?
It happens. You have to pay attention to your points!
The first rule would be to book as far out as you can. Probably the best way to be sure you will get a reservation.
And, pay attention to your banking windows.
Take advantage of the Disboards - lots of info.
Alloting points for a trip: for my family it depends on who is travelling, how many people, where we are staying and what our plans are.
At Hilton Head I always want a kitchen so more points. But the stay does not have to be long - 4-5 nights are enough. We like to eat in a lot at HH.
At Disney during food and wine, a studio is fine. We eat at the food booths with a few restaurants added in. And this is a 5-6 night trip.
Xmas/New Years - need a one or two bedroom as its usually family time, more people and more cooking done.
If I haven't traveled a lot and have points to use from a previous year, I will stay longer or book a larger unit, so as to use up points.
Twice in 13 years I've wanted/ needed to rent out points. Had to cancel and although I had almost 9 months left before expiry, my vacation time was already promised to other events. I was able to use the Dis rent board and easily sold the extra points. The second time I only had a few and I ended up rebooking and making a last minute visit.
So, right now I have 9 leftover points. I purchased 3 of these from Disney. Then I saw a room I wanted and changed my reservation, resulting in a savings of 9 points. Even though they are sort of useless now, I'm still happy because I got an unexpected treat from the wait list - one I never expected to get. And who knows - maybe I'll be able to book something with the nine, somewhere.
