EX VAC CLUB GUIDE said:
I never heard the 14 days or more out to deposit a week. It is my understanding that you can book a week (based on availability) up until the last day of your use year and deposit your week without a search. Really the exchange process does not work like other timeshares do. Disney trades off season weeks all the time for high weeks other places. They created the universal
point chart because the process of what it is going to cost for an exchange was way too confusing in the sales process. But the system is the same. They can trade any week they want for your exchange from any resort. You can technically trade back into Disney, but still having my Disney hat on, the chances are slim that you would get it. The only thing that really determines your exchange is availability at the resort you selected. II will take anything from Disney they can get because so few members exchange. Their philosophy is to never trade magic, dream and of course, premier weeks, I know they have made a few exceptions, but they always try adventure, choice weeks first.
I have a funny feeling that you and I are going to be going head to head, I hope I'm wrong. I've been told by both Craig Urbine (former VP at II) and two people in the DVC exchange department, that one could not trade back in to DVC through II with a DVC deposit. You can only trade to the resorts on the DVC-II list and interesting enough, the DVC resorts nor any other Orlando area resorts, are not on the DVC exchange list. If exceptions have been made, I haven't heard about it but that would be great.
As for 14 days out, it's an II rule. I'm currently looking at the "DISNEY VACATION CLUB MEMBER GETAWAYS DISCLOSURE GUIDE ABOUT THE INTERVAL INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM" which DVC does every year, usually in June. It includes the rules, an audit of the program which they are required to do, and a listing of resorts grouped in terms of member numbers and number of units. On page 6, under the heading "Deposit First Exchange Method", number 2.
Flex Deposits (deposits of Vacation Time received by DVC Member Services from 59 days up until 14 days before the commencement date of the Vacation Time being deposited) also are accepted, but any exchange request using the Flex Deposit must be made through the Flexchange Exchange service.
Also looking at II's rules in my 2006-2007 II book says the same thing under Deposit first #5. I think many people forget that the exchange rules themselves really come under those of II other than the grid itself. The flexchange rules say you can't do an ongoing search and are limited only to exchanges 2 months out or less. II has occasionally made exceptions for items they knew would be available but it's been rare from my experience.
I'd also disagree somewhat with the idea that the current system is the same, just a set number of points. We've actually seen 3 different versions since II was in as the exchange company, remember RCI was the original exchange company. I believe this change occurred around June of 1995 when II came in. Early on, one could only deposit home resort regardless of whether you were in the 7 month window or not. It didn't take II very long to realize they would get nothing from the owners at the more expensive (more points) resorts. As an example, II usually only got 2 or 3 VB units per year during that time.
Then they changed it so you could deposit any resort but were limited to the booking windows. That meant that most adventure deposits were HH and the rest almost always OKW. But II did get more deposits. There's no question the old system was confusing for the novice and there were uncertainties contained. However, in many ways the old system was actually better. I've gone through why before, I wont' now unless you want. One of the big places where DVC exchanges fall behind other systems is that the Flexchange rules apply but DVC members under the fixed grid system must pay full price. Other points systems with II are able to get a much reduced points cost during the flexchange time, Bluegreen and Worldmark come to mind.
I hope you don't take this the wrong way but to be honest, I haven't seen that the DVC sales staff as a whole are very well versed in the in's and outs of the exchange system and that's a shame. DVC really should do a better job of training them in this area.
But my daughter hit something, I do not want to go head to head, I am free now, plus Larissa is one of my good friends and is very proud that you are her member. She mentions you quite a bit -- you probably know more than anyone at DVC about exchanging. 
Believe me -- it is also a topic that sales would like Disney to use a little muscle to get more for our members, 
It just takes so much time to get integrated into the WDW system and they whole timeshare thing is just now (last couple years) not looking so 
bad, but extremely profitable. 
