Advertisement: Coming soon - The DVC Planner computer program

[Caskbill]

Just wanted to share some of my own excitement (and boast a little in the process)...

The DVC Planner computer program I have been working on will be ready for distribution in about 7 - 10 days.

Right now it's undergoing final beta testing by several DIS volunteers. Their final findings and recommendations are being incorporated into the final product.

Keep in mind that this initial release of the program is a tool for Planning DVC vacations and points usage. Phase II of the program, which I expect to be ready sometime next Spring, will include full point tracking capabilities.

Features of the current program:

1. Point and click to select any DVC vacation dates right on a calendar and see point requirements immediately. Calendars with point charts go from 2001 thru 2010.

2. Plan multiple resorts (such as 5 days at one resort, followed by 2 at another, and so on.

3. Compare point requirement instantly by seeing what your vacation points requirement would be at each and every other DVC resort.

4. Create a printable report that shows your vacation dates, resorts, room type, and 11-month/7-month booking windows that automatically adjust for weekends and holidays.

5. Save vacation plans and recall them at any later time.

6. Call up the master point chart and check-out points for any of the 6 DVC resorts.

7. Call up the banking calculator and get your banking deadlines for any of your use years all the way through 2041. Banking dates are also adjusted for weekends and holidays, and you can save your actual contracts for recall at any time.

8. A built in tutorial to help you learn the program, plus a full help file.

9. Preplanned updates to include DVC Institute and Eagle Pines when (if) they become DVC resorts.

10. And more...

System requirements are Windows 95 or higher, 2Mb disk space available, screen resolution 800x600 or higher, color 16 bit true color or higher, sound system (if you want the music).

This program will be distributed as freeware.

So stay tuned to these boards. I'll post when the download is available.

 

[Muushka]

Thanks Caskbill! Looking forward to using it.

 

[DVCDAVE]

WOW !! Sounds like a great program. How does it differ from Dave Fredrick's program ?

 

[Doctor P]

Looking forward to it!

 

[Joeblack]

WOW Caskbill. I wll surely pit your program to good use. Can't wait.

Thanks so much.

 

[Laurabearz]

Originally posted by DVCDAVE
WOW !! Sounds like a great program. How does it differ from Dave Fredrick's program ?

I am beta testing the program.... from first impressions, I LOVE IT....

For me, this is a great "play with your points" program... The comparison chart for the same dates but different DVC properties is wonderful.......

I love the 11/7 month window info, takes all the guess work outta when to call....

Fredricks program is better to keep track of the points used..... in each contract/UY

BUt I find it ackward to just play with..... Caskbil's is fun fun fun.

I cant wait for the addditon of a point tracker, and hopefully point charts for The Disney Collection and COncierge Collection

I really think anyone wantig to know how many points to buy will benifit from this program also...... It is soooooooo fun to play with!!!!

 

[DVCDAVE]

Sounds GREAT !! Can't wait to get my grubby hands on it !

 

[Caskbill]

Originally posted by DVCDAVE
WOW !! Sounds like a great program. How does it differ from Dave Fredrick's program ?

Dave's program is basically a point TRACKING program for your personal DVC contracts. How you 'spend' points for accommodations, banking, borrowing, etc.

For planning purposes, his program, like all others I've seen, simply asks you to enter your vacation dates and then calculates point requirements for those dates. He did add the color seasons (I wonder if he got that idea from my original Excel version of my program), but is limited to one resort at a time, and it doesn't give you a real good feel for what points will cost for different types of vacations.

My program is a true point PLANNING program. It makes it very simple to calculate point requirements for any type of vacation. The color coded 12-month calendar tells at a glance the relative point requirements for any date, while actual displays give the point calculations. Click on a date to add it, click again to remove it. Point requirements change automataically. Click to change to a different resort, or a different type of room.

Make a vacation with 3 days at VB, followed by 5 days in a 1-B/R at OKW, followed by 4 days in a studio at BWV, followed by a weekend at HH. Other programs would require you enter 4 sets of dates, then add the points yourself. This program shows it all together on one calendar page. Change the 5-days at OKW and 4 days at BWV to 4 & 5 instead. Simple.

The program also make it easy to compare point requirements. Example: put in a week at one resort, then pull up the comparison chart and get the point costs for that same week for each type of accommodation possible at each and every resort.

Also note this is only phase I of the program. I do plan on expanding it to eventually have full point TRACKING capabilities. I've already started my outline for this.

This program is intended to make Planning your vacation a lot easier, and as mentioned, maybe even fun. (Thanks Laura)

Adding capabilities for cruise line, other Disney collections etc. is a possiblity in the future, but I want to see what kind of feedback I get first. As it now stands the program will handle the 6-DVC properties through 2010. For the others, since their point values change every year, it would require users to download new point charts all the time. As it sits now, new point charts would never be required as long as Disney (A) doesn't reallocate points. This has happened only once at OKW and once at BWV when they went to Std./Pref. rooms, or (B) DVC changes the patterns they've been using when calculating the Easter, Thanksgiving, Christmas time frames.

There will be at least one update for sure, when Institute and Eagle Pines open. The program was written to accommodate this.

I'm hoping this will become a useful tool for many DVC'ers.

 

[MikeScott8]

I will have to add my thoughts on Bill's Program as well.

I have been beta testing it as well and really enjoy using it to figure out our point usage. It even lead me to determine we could use some more points (isn't that always the case )

I am eagerly waiting for the point TRACKING component as if it is as well written as this is, it will be a great feature.

Mike

 

[RoutemanDan]

I look forward to it.Thanks for doing this.

 

[ncligs]

Caskbill,

Thanks for taking the time to do this.

 

[kda]

Sounds great! Is this Excel? I didn't get that on my new computer and am probably going to regret it.

 

[Zurg]

Sound cool - thanx

 

[Caskbill]

Originally posted by kda
Sounds great! Is this Excel? I didn't get that on my new computer and am probably going to regret it.

NO, this is not an Excel program.

This is a Windows based application that should run on any PC running Windows95 or higher.

 

[BCVOwner2002]

Caskbill - this sounds very interesting. Can't wait til it's available to all.

 

[Deb8821]

Sounds great. I can't wait to try it out. Thanks for all your efforts.

 

[jimmytammy]

This looks just like what Dr. DVC might have ordered....Thanks for all the hard work, I am looking forward too seeing and using it!

 

[POOH&PIGLET]

WOW - Thanks Caskbill!

 

[Peter Johnson]

Thanks for all the hard work! Sounds like a great program -- can't wait to try it out

Originally posted by Caskbill

Adding capabilities for cruise line, other Disney collections etc. is a possiblity in the future, but I want to see what kind of feedback I get first. As it now stands the program will handle the 6-DVC properties through 2010. For the others, since their point values change every year, it would require users to download new point charts all the time.

I would also like to see DCL and the Disney Collection added. It shouldn't be too difficult to download new points values. I designed an Access points tracking/planning application back when we first joined, and add the new points values each year. I use three related tables:

Resort
Season
Points

So for a given resort and date, I can find the season, and the weekday/weekend points values. This architecture cuts down on my keying (a major motivation factor), as well as the database size (which was more of an issue 10 years ago!).