Booking Advice

[Stitch 03]

I am currently scheduled to be on vacation in WDW during May. I just finished closing on a 60 point OKW contract . The contract has a June use year though with no current points. So in order to book at DVC for my May trip I would have to borrow. I see two options:

1) Borrow for my May trip and hope that nothing comes up that would force me to cancel. Since the trip would be in the last month of my use year I would lose my points. Correct?

Are there any restrictions with borrowing points (i.e. cannot borrow in the last x days of your use year) that I should be aware of?

2) Book all non-DVC resorts (I was planning to do this for 3 of my 8 nights anyways) for my trip. Once June comes along, I can then rent out some of my points to help cover the cost.

So these are my two choices - any suggestions? BTW I also have another contract with 82 OKW points. This is of little help as I only have 23 points coming this August.

Thanks in advance for any responses.

 

[dianeschlicht]

Do you have any other trips to WDW planned in the next 2 years? If not, I would borrow both the 60 and the 23 and stay at a DVC resort as long as there is something available for 83 points in the timeframe you are looking at, and as long as you are quite certain you would not have to cancel right after you make the ressie.

 

[Stitch 03]

That was my original plan. My next trip will not be until Oct 2006. So if I borrowed the points I would have more then enough for that trip.

My concern probably stems from the fact that I am currently undergoing a job search. For all there is a good chance it would not affect my plans, it does raise some doubt. Mainly due to DVC's cancellation policy.

Maybe i am just overreacting

Just want to mitigate any risk.

 

[dianeschlicht]

If you are booking right now for May 1st, you are already inside the 31 day cancelation window, so if you think there is any chance you would have to cancel your trip, you might then lose those points.

 

[disneyberry]

[SIZE=+0]I wouldn't risk borrowing points during the last month of your Use Year. Especially with your job search going on.

If you book a regular Disney hotel through CRO, you have until 5 days prior to cancel. You can always try to call DVC Member Services at 7 days out and ask them to call the DVC resort front desk directly to see if they can pull over some cash inventory. Then you borrow the points, book the DVC (since w/in a week you should be fairly certain that you're going), and then cancel the CRO ressie penalty-free.

HTH![/SIZE]

 

[Stitch 03]

If you book a regular Disney hotel through CRO, you have until 5 days prior to cancel. You can always try to call DVC Member Services at 7 days out and ask them to call the DVC resort front desk directly to see if they can pull over some cash inventory. Then you borrow the points, book the DVC (since w/in a week you should be fairly certain that you're going), and then cancel the CRO ressie penalty-free.

That sounds like a great idea. Thanks for the input.

If I had known at the time (when I booked my airfare) that I would be buying a new contract with a May use year, I would have never chosen to travel in May. But who knew .

By the way, someone needs to write a DVC for Dummies book . It would sure help out alot of people. I know I would buy it.