??? About buying into DVC

[kathyg]

We will be going to Disney in August, 2007 for 2 weeks. Was planning on renting points but the buying bug has struck again. I've read the SSR is selling at 83.50 for a couple more weeks. That is a good price, but I want to stay at BCV. So, here are my questions:

1. If SSR is my home resort, do I ever have to stay there?

2. If SSR is my home resort, what are the chances of getting a 2BR at BCV at 7 months out?

3. If I'm not going until August, 2007, how many points should I buy at first? (I know this gets into use year and banking which completely baffles me).

4. How do you know what your use year will be and how does that affect when I buy?

4. If I buy at SSR, will that always be my home resort?

I know this is a lot to ask, but a small portion of questions from a newbie. Any advice or info is most greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Kathy

 

[coasterbob]

We are transplanted South Philadelphians, now in S. Jersey. I just PMed you. Bob and Debbie

 

[MrShiny]

We will be going to Disney in August, 2007 for 2 weeks. Was planning on renting points but the buying bug has struck again. I've read the SSR is selling at 83.50 for a couple more weeks. That is a good price, but I want to stay at BCV. So, here are my questions:

1. If SSR is my home resort, do I ever have to stay there?

No. But you can't book anywhere else until 7 months (as opposed to 11 months for SSR). If you generally go in off-season, that might make no difference. If you go during busy times (or want a grand villa), it makes a big difference.

2. If SSR is my home resort, what are the chances of getting a 2BR at BCV at 7 months out?

Depends on the time of year. I easily got one with my SSR points last June and got a 1 br this June.

3. If I'm not going until August, 2007, how many points should I buy at first? (I know this gets into use year and banking which completely baffles me).

Well, it works like this. Let's say your use year is February. You'll have X number of poiints good from 2/1/06 until 1/31/07. Now, you can bank those points by October and use them 2/1/07-1/31/08. If you do that, you really can't use them before or after that.

You can also borrow x points from 2/1/08-1/31/09 for that August res.

The number of points to buy depends on how often you are going. If you want that trip in August, and the same one on 08 and 09, you would need half as many points as that trip. You'd bank 06, use them and half of your 07 points from the res, bank 07, use them and half of 08, etc.

If August is an unusally big trip, you could use all the 06 points, all the 07 and all the 08 (meaning you couldn't go again until after 2/1/08, when you could borrow your 09 points).

Banking and borrowing can get tricky (I personally think it's better to borrow than bank - don't have to remember deadlines!), so it's generally best to buy as many pints as you think you'd need each year. If you go every other year, you need only half as many.

4. How do you know what your use year will be and how does that affect when I buy?

I think availability can fluctuate, but generally I think you can pick your use year. I think it best to pic a month whern you usually will not be going - because there is the rule that you can't book a last minute trip and take it in the last 60 days of your use year.

4. If I buy at SSR, will that always be my home resort?

For those points, yes. You can still buy points at other resorts (through DVC, but often not available, or through secondary market).

 

[1000th happy haunt]

2. If SSR is my home resort, what are the chances of getting a 2BR at BCV at 7 months out?

Depends on the time of year. I easily got one with my SSR points last June and got a 1 br this June.

I got a two-bedroom at BCV for May 4-8 with no problem at the 7 month mark. But it all would depend on the time of year. Don't plan on it during the Food and Wine Festival.

 

[LisaS]

I think availability can fluctuate, but generally I think you can pick your use year. I think it best to pic a month whern you usually will not be going - because there is the rule that you can't book a last minute trip and take it in the last 60 days of your use year.

There is no restriction on booking at a DVC resort in the last 60 days of your use year. I believe there are restrictions on using your points at certain other properties late in your use year, but it does not apply to DVC resorts.

Your use year becomes a factor if you ever have to cancel a trip on short notice and that trip was scheduled towards the end of your use year. You get your points back, but it's too late to bank any of those points and they are about to expire. So if you know you will be making regular trips to WDW at particular times of year, try to pick a use year that begins just before those regular trips rather than just after.

For example, if you plan to go to WDW for Thanksgiving or early December every year, a February use year would not be a good choice for you. If you plan to go in August every year, a September use year would not work out well.

It's not easy to predict your travel patterns for the next 36+ years, and, like I said, it's only really a factor if you have to cancel a trip which hopefully will not happen often, if at all.