VWL Groupies & Lovers Thread (Special Collectors Edition 2.0) updated 21 June 2023

[DiznyDi]

...Forgot to wish stopher a Happy Birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STOPHER!

 

[Granny]

Happy Birthday stopher1 !!!

 

[Granny]

I am at the beginning stages of planning possibly a big family trip for Dec. 2017... do you think construction will still be in full swing? I would be bringing a bunch of non-Disney fans and I would hate to make it worse if there was a bunch of construction.

I agree with DiznyDi in that it probably is a function of how much time you plan on spending at the resort. With a big family trip you may have some little ones that need to come back for naps? Construction is usually from 9:00 - 5:00 or so and may be noisy. Or like Sleepydog said, all the work may be indoors at that point and just finishing up. Personally, I think Christmas 2016 may be an issue but for Christmas 2017 I think you'll be fine. You won't be able to book that for another 15 months so you should have plenty of additional and better information to go on at that time. Good luck with the big trip planning!

I've enjoyed reading of everyone's first memory. So many wonderful experiences! I was never at WDW as a kid. DDad and I took our kids in 1989 - maybe even passed Granny on the street and never knew it .

Di...you beat us to WDW by 9 years. Our first trip was 1998. But we still could have passed in the street and never known it at that point.

I have wondered over the years how many times I was near someone that I "knew" on the DISBoards and never knew it. You hear people talking all the time when you're at the parks and when you hear someone who actually seems to have correct information you naturally tend to listen a little more. Always tempting to talk to such people but one look from Mrs. Granny usually fixes that.

 

[pmaurer74]

please forgive all the newbie questions but for some reason I find having a December uy to be confusing. For a Dec. 2017 trip, I can bank 2016 points, use 2017 points and borrow 2018 points of needed right? But if I borrow 2018 points then they have to be used by Nov. 30, 2019 right?

Oh and if I am reserving jan. 2016 for Dec. 2017 and using 2016 points, do I still have to go through the process of banking them in July 2016?

I wonder if the cabins will be available to rent by then?

 

[Granny]

please forgive all the newbie questions but for some reason I find having a December uy to be confusing. For a Dec. 2017 trip, I can bank 2016 points, use 2017 points and borrow 2018 points of needed right? But if I borrow 2018 points then they have to be used by Nov. 30, 2019 right?

One of my contracts is an October UY so I know it can be confusing.

For a December 2017 trip with a December UY, it would take place in your 2017 UY. One you establish that, then you can see that you are correct in that you can bank 2016 points into 2017 and borrow from 2018 if necessary.

If you do borrow 2018 points for the trip, it is only to complete your 2017 December vacation needs. You can't borrow more points than the reservation requires. You only have to worry about when to use the borrowed points if you have to cancel the trip. Once you borrow 2018 points into your 2017 UY, then it is final and they have to be used by the end of the 2017 UY. In this case, the end of the 2017 UY is November 30, 2018.

If you did have to cancel part of the trip, you could work with MS to return the current (2017) UY points to your account. That would provide the flexibility to bank them. With the banked 2016 and borrowed 2018 points, you will have to use them by 11/30/18 and there won't be any change in that.

The good news is that you are planning this big trip at the very beginning of your use year. So if you have to cancel, you will have almost a year to still use the points. This assumes that none of your trip will be in November which would be the least forgiving for cancellation.

Yes it is confusing, but keep asking questions until you get it down pat. From reading the boards, these large family trips can be awesome but can also be quite challenging as non-DVC owners don't understand anything about what I've written above. They don't see the issue with last minute cancellations or changes...one of your challenges is to make sure that everyone is 100% locked in by January 2017 when you have to make the reservation! Good luck to you.

 

[sleepydog25]

please forgive all the newbie questions but for some reason I find having a December uy to be confusing. For a Dec. 2017 trip, I can bank 2016 points, use 2017 points and borrow 2018 points of needed right? But if I borrow 2018 points then they have to be used by Nov. 30, 2019 right?

Oh and if I am reserving jan. 2016 for Dec. 2017 and using 2016 points, do I still have to go through the process of banking them in July 2016?

I wonder if the cabins will be available to rent by then?

Agree with Granny, and I want to add that once you call MS, they will make the point use fairly seamless and will help walk you through it. However, again as Granny suggests, guests need to be locked into the idea because any changes after you make your reservation can cause issues down the road in terms of your points. As for the cabins being ready, that's too early to call. Any thoughts otherwise are mere speculation--we don't even know if they'll be 2BR or Grand Villas, for example. In terms of point totals, I would look at the PVB bungalows, and those will give you a ballpark figure, I suspect. Best of luck!

 

[pmaurer74]

One of my contracts is an October UY so I know it can be confusing.

For a December 2017 trip with a December UY, it would take place in your 2017 UY. One you establish that, then you can see that you are correct in that you can bank 2016 points into 2017 and borrow from 2018 if necessary.

If you do borrow 2018 points for the trip, it is only to complete your 2017 December vacation needs. You can't borrow more points than the reservation requires. You only have to worry about when to use the borrowed points if you have to cancel the trip. Once you borrow 2018 points into your 2017 UY, then it is final and they have to be used by the end of the 2017 UY. In this case, the end of the 2017 UY is November 30, 2018.

If you did have to cancel part of the trip, you could work with MS to return the current (2017) UY points to your account. That would provide the flexibility to bank them. With the banked 2016 and borrowed 2018 points, you will have to use them by 11/30/18 and there won't be any change in that.

The good news is that you are planning this big trip at the very beginning of your use year. So if you have to cancel, you will have almost a year to still use the points. This assumes that none of your trip will be in November which would be the least forgiving for cancellation.

Yes it is confusing, but keep asking questions until you get it down pat. From reading the boards, these large family trips can be awesome but can also be quite challenging as non-DVC owners don't understand anything about what I've written above. They don't see the issue with last minute cancellations or changes...one of your challenges is to make sure that everyone is 100% locked in by January 2017 when you have to make the reservation! Good luck to you.

Thank you and yes I do worry about people canceling and with so many people involved... it would be hard to commit. I had thought of reserving 2 2 bedroom units, that way if if people cancel I could either rent the reservation and still have my unit or get my points back assuming there is enough imd but you are right... people do not understand.

 

[Granny]

I wonder if the cabins will be available to rent by then?

Sorry, I missed this part of your question. As Sleepydog has said, it is unknown if the cabins/bungalows will be available by your trip. Even if they are, please keep in mind that they will be part of VWL2 and therefore not available for booking prior to the 7 month window unless you buy VWL2 points. If they are anything like the current VWL, they will be challenging to book at the 7 month mark.

Thank you and yes I do worry about people canceling and with so many people involved... it would be hard to commit. I had thought of reserving 2 2 bedroom units, that way if if people cancel I could either rent the reservation and still have my unit or get my points back assuming there is enough imd but you are right... people do not understand.

Again, you have a lot of time before you have to pull the trigger on this. But honestly, if you have family members who cannot commit 100% at the 11 month mark, I'd be tempted to book for those who can and anyone else can book a cash reservation when their plans firm up. That may seem harsh, but you are dealing with three years worth of points and it would be a shame to see any of them wasted.

Look at it this way...there are pretty much 25 years left in your contract. You are talking about a trip that will use up 12% of the rest of your total contract life points. Good luck to you!

 

[sleepydog25]

Good morning, Groupies. Heading out to see THE MARTIAN later today, but before that, wanted to comment on the newest price increases at Disney. First, the AP prices went up while the categories changed. Now there are Platinum Plus, Platinum, Gold, and Silver APs. To keep the no blackout dates DVC owners currently have with their APs, we would have to jump up to Platinum status which comes in at a whopping $691 after taxes--yes, that is with the DVC discount (without the price is $749 plus tax). The Gold AP has serious blackout dates (the last half of December through 1 Jan and most of spring break), but it will be cheaper around the $500 range after taxes. So, you'd still pay more and get less, though PhotoPass downloads are included. Second, TiW card, effective today, has gone up to $150 meaning the break even point would be $750. I purposely use "would, could" because that indicates the potential is there for those selections; however, personally, we will not be purchasing either going forward. Too steep for my blood, which at this point, seems Disney is actually after. . .

In other news, rainmageddon never materialized for us (how did you fare, JT?), though we still likely received over 2 inches of rain with a bit more to come in the next 24 hours. Still, we avoided the 6-10 inches that had been forecast. Whew. That is all for now. Have a good day!

 

[Granny]

Prayers out for all Groupies dealing with the storms and rains and flooding going on.

Sleepy...thank you for the update on the cost of APs and TIW. Lots to think about there...Disney may be pricing themselves out of our range. Those aren't the general 3% inflation kind of price hikes, they are out and out price gouges. If they make TIW any higher, they will lose much of my current WDW dining spending since the only thing that makes the restaurant prices palatable is the 20% discount. WOW, this is very disappointing. For the first time ever, Mrs Granny and I are going to have to look at the possibility of selling our DVC.

 

[twinklebug]

Wow, Thanks for the heads up Pat. I hadn't hit the Disney news this morning. Price changes in October? That was not predictable. I'm quite surprised in that despite all the construction, Disney still has not added or improved any attractions in the parks since they added New Fantasyland.

I'm with Granny. For the first time in the 8 years of DVC ownership, the thought of selling my contract entered my head. It was a fleeting thought though as there are so many other places to visit in Florida than just the theme parks of Disney World. I've been dying to get over to Tampa, NASA and the beaches. When was the last time any of us saw a wild manatee? ... the list is long, and my home at AKV makes a great launching point for the highway. If the price really gets too high for me, I'll find other options.

 

[sleepydog25]

First, THE MARTIAN was quite enjoyable, and aside from a few mild expletives, it's an uplifting, enjoyable movie for all, sort of an APOLLO 13 for the current generation. Hey, don't look at me like that re: the generation quip--APOLLO 13 was made 20 years ago! At any rate, I recommend it. As for the price increase news, after some study, the price increase for the Gold AP seems moderate when compared to the old regular AP, EXCEPT that it is a) the second increase in the last 8 months and b) has blackout dates. Otherwise, folks will have to bump up to Platinum APs, and those are significantly higher in price. The TiW price is embarrassingly crude in its money-grab. A 50% price increase? It's even higher for FL residents at $175 (and their new ticket structure now comes with more blackout dates). Truly, I don't want to sound overly dramatic, but Disney has made recent decisions with which I simply don't agree nor support, not for a company with somewhere between $5B and $7B in profit. When the economy went south several years back, I'm certain DVC owners were a significant source of income upon which Disney could rely. We are repaid with skyrocketing point prices for resorts, uninspired refurbishments (not just at VWL), fewer perks, and unrelenting price increases for only food and ticket discounts. I know our contracts only "guaranteed" the ability to book a room at 11 months, but loyalty plays a large role in where I continue to do business. Disney has shown they aren't loyal to their most passionate fan base, thus I'm disappointed and saddened by their most recent decisions. It turns out Disney is like any other major corporation, only they hide behind their facade of creating magical moments. We won't immediately stop going to Disney, but the tide has turned, and I see less Disney in our future, as well. I agree with twink that there are a lot more things to do and see than being in an overcrowded Disney park. As luv put it, "less trips, more 1BRs in order to cook meals and skip eating out." Yep.

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STOPHER!!!!!!!

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

I know this is way off topic I trust you guys to give me good advice. Has anyone been to Disneyland the week after Christmas and would we be crazy to go then? Our favorite hockey team plays in Anaheim that week and we were thinking of going and spending a couple days at the parks while there.

 

[jimmytammy]

Happy Anniversary sechem32 & wfc4life!!!!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

DH and I also had a conversation this morning about DVC going forward. With prices high it's tempting to sell. We won't be right now although once our current AP's expire we may either adjust our number of trips or else still stay DVC but go to the other theme parks and attractions around Orlando. Some non-expiring tickets sitting in the drawer will come in very handy for that plan. After they are gone? We'll see. Can we afford these increases? Yes. But we are finding less value there with more crowded parks and also these price increases with so much construction going on seems like a slap on the face from Disney. At least Universal had the good grace to wait until they opened their new offerings before price increases. Our disposable income doesn't have to go there but I think they'll still see us for awhile. Who knew that my ticket investment could pay off better than any stock we have! Right now Disney is running neck and neck with what I think of airline corporate decisions. And that isn't high.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I know this is way off topic I trust you guys to give me good advice. Has anyone been to Disneyland the week after Christmas and would we be crazy to go then? Our favorite hockey team plays in Anaheim that week and we were thinking of going and spending a couple days at the parks while there.

Sorry I can't help DLI. I currently am holding a VGC reservation for New Years and am trying to decide if I've gone crazy! What I've read about that time is it's pretty insane but the stories do vary depending on what your park expectations are and also if you get to the parks right when they open or think you'll try later in the day.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Happy Birthday Stopher!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

The Big Country is just starting on TCM. The opening music is playing - it always makes me think of the lodge!

 

[jimmytammy]

I too am saddened by seeing the price changes, esp. as our DD and her DH are newly married and wanting to go with us in May. With him in the military they are really scraping to save enough. They will make it but it sure puts a damper on allowing them to buy APs with hopes of a return trip.

Our 1st trip to WDW was in 1999, a fun but sad event at same time. Tammys Dad at 52 passed away with ALS, with 5 yrs left as a postmaster to retire, and longing for a cruise with my MIL, his dying wish was for his family to go on a trip together, a cruise, but the kids were really young, so WDW made a lot of sense. We stayed at The Grovesnor just down the St. from DTD. It was a blur, sun up to sun down, 3 sq. meals a day, we were very tired, legs and feet shot, etc. But when T and I got the pics back and scrap booked them, all the emotions came with it. We would laugh, cry, talk about how her Dad would have had a great time, as he was adventurous.

So as much as that trip meant, the next one with my folks was the one that really hit home, we knew we were locked in for life