I know all these questions have been asked before, so I am sorry for asking again. We (me more than DH) are thinking about buying resale DVC. We would like OKW(extended),SSR, or AKV because of the end date. We have gone to Disney every year for the last three years, and are planning a trip for this Nov. We really enjoy Nov or early December for the weather and the christmans decorations. We currently live 9 hours away, so we drive. We are moving, and it will then require a plane ride. We have two boys, (4.5 & 3), and they love all things Disney. I saw a contract for UY December that had 6 points from 2012. When would those 6 points expire? Could I use them for November? So if our UY is Dec, does that mean if I want to book at my home resort for Nov 13, I could have done it Dec 12? And if I want to book anywhere else for Nov 13, I can do it in April? If we don't care where stay or if we wanted to check out all the resorts, can we book one night at 5 different resorts (if staying 5 nights and understand only DVC resorts)? Will Disney move our luggage? If there are only 6 points left from 2012, I can borrow from the points I would get Dec 13, for Nov 13, correct? Do I have to borrow them all, or could I borrow just 40? What happens if you borrow points? Can you put them back? How long do you have to use the borrow points? Is it one year from the day you borrow them? When do you have to bank points by? If we want to go ever 3 years and have a UY Dec, when would I want to bank and borrow? I know it is now different for resale, but where else besides the DVC resorts can I use my points? Can I use them for a one night stay somewhere? Lets say I was going to Italy, could I use them for a two night stay in Rome? Where do you look for those hotels, RCI? How do you know how many points it will take? I have only seen a chart for a whole week with RCI. Do you get a parking pass for the parks like you do when you stay at other WDW resorts? Sorry for all the questions, but I am trying to make sure this is a good fit for our family. We are concerned that there will be an age that our kids will not be that interested in going or will be in college and have there own things going on, that we will not know what to do with our points. And we will be waiting for the grandkids
Here is my suggestions and some info: Buy where you love to stay, if you don't know where that is, you should wait. You wouldn't buy a house without knowing the neighborhood and visiting the house a few times would you? End date doesn't mean much if you don't like the place. If you like to vacation in Nov, an Oct UY would offer you 8 months of banking insurance should you need to cancel a vacation. Points expire 12 months from your UY unless you bank them. Yes you can stay for one night and Disney will transfer your luggage. You can only borrow the points needed for a reservation. Banking and borrowing are final transactions, no put backs. The points are moved to the prior or post UY and take on the rules for the new UY. They expire on the last day of the month, one month prior to your UY month. You have 8 months to bank from the start of your UY. Using points outside of the DVC has a whole different set of rules and costs and are not guaranteed as part of your ownership. Read through other threads, your questions come up often. Bill
lots of DVCers do, so be sure to book early for the best availability. Dec 2012 UY pts are valid for stays from Dec 1, 2012 to Nov 30, 2013 - so they would expire on Nov 30, 2013 if not banked. yes, they can be used to book a stay in Nov 2013 (as early as Dec 2012 for home resort if you owned the contract). yes, 7 months out for other resorts. that is a dreadful idea - 5 different resorts in 5 nights? lots of time wasted checking-in and out...being "homeless" during the day. not a great plan - you've got 40 years of pts ahead, take it slow... yes, you can borrow from Dec 2013 UY to stay in Nov 2013. You only borrow the pts you need to complete a reservation. first things first - when you travel at the end of your UY (Nov trips for Dec UYs, for example), you are taking a big risk that if you have to cancel, you will lose all the pts for that reservation. here is a great thread that you should read and bookmark to understand UY BEFORE you purchase: http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1942668 to answer your question: when you bank or borrow pts, you can move the pts up or back by one year...but they can NEVER be moved again and will expire if not used by the end of their new UY. that means if your plans change in Oct 2013 and you can't take your Nov 2013 trip, all the pts for that trip will expire on Nov 30, 2013. Better think fast... a Dec UY would have to bank pts by July 31, so if you cancel a Nov 2013 trip by the end of July 31, you could still bank the "current" pts forward...after that, any current UY pts used to book that Nov trip will expire on Nov 30. Again, any banked or borrowed pts are stuck in that UY, though, so they'd still expire if not used for a stay by Nov 30. a Dec UY for Nov trips is a really risky way to go... it's a waste - it's a lot of pts and extra fees for one or 2 night stays. take your time and do some more homework. yes.
Just to add, you can always book 11 months in advance regardless of UY. So, with that Nov. and Dec. typical travel, I agree that an Oct UY would offer more flexibility if you do ever need to cancel or change a trip. And, if you had to borrow, having all that time to use up points if something happened is a good thing. With young kids, you may also want to think about what other times you might want to travel once they become school age. Will you find yourself wanting to go in the summer? If so, then you might want to consider a June UY instead as that would put summer and fall trips within the first 8 months. We do split stays all the time and moving luggage and stuff is very easy. Changing resorts nightly might be too much as remember, you have to be out by 11:00 and check in for the new room is after 4:00. We didn't get in to ours last summer until 4:30 pm. But, in theory, providing there is availability, you can book the rooms however you want. Good luck!
