Double check me please

[becca-becca]

We haven't gotten our paperwork in the mail yet, but we should get our member number today or tomorrow. We are going in Christmas, and I am trying desperately to get AKL or at least get waitlisted. This is what I think I understand, am I correct:

Our guide said our UY was December (is this a good UY or bad or does it not matter).

I am assuming our first regular points will be UY December 1, 07 to November 30, 2008. Is this correct?

We are going to WDW on 12-20-08. I am using our regular points.

Do I have to bank these points? Do I have to bank these points before I make our reservations or can they be banked afterwards?

We will get our next set of points on December 1, 2008, so I need to make sure member services is using the 2007 UY points.

Am I correct or incorrect?

Can MS bank points and then turn around and make a reservation.

I think thats all the questions for time being!!

 

[wildernessDad]

We haven't gotten our paperwork in the mail yet, but we should get our member number today or tomorrow. We are going in Christmas, and I am trying desperately to get AKL or at least get waitlisted. This is what I think I understand, am I correct:

Our guide said our UY was December (is this a good UY or bad or does it not matter).

I am assuming our first regular points will be UY December 1, 07 to November 30, 2008. Is this correct?

We are going to WDW on 12-20-08. I am using our regular points.

Do I have to bank these points? Do I have to bank these points before I make our reservations or can they be banked afterwards?

We will get our next set of points on December 1, 2008, so I need to make sure member services is using the 2007 UY points.

Am I correct or incorrect?

Can MS bank points and then turn around and make a reservation.

I think thats all the questions for time being!!

I'll try to answer your questions in order.

A December UY is neither good nor bad. It all depends on when you will go on vacation. If you plan on going in December each year, then a December UY is very good. It's all about being able to bank your points if you have to cancel your reservation for some reason.

If you got 2007 UY points, then that is the case.

The vacation that you want is in your 2008 UY, thus if you want to use your 2007 UY points for it, then they will need to be banked by the end of July, 2008 or just prior to when you book the vacation, whichever comes sooner. Remember that any 2007 UY banked points cannot be returned to their original UY and will be lost if not used by the end of the 2008 UY.

MS can bank points and then make a reservation using those points.

Your 2008 UY points will be given to you on December 1, 2008 and are good until the end of November 30, 2009.

 

[dianeschlicht]

You have gotten correct answers, but I just wanted to say that sometimes a December use year can be a bit confusing....mostly because you are always in the previous year's use year until December. SO get those points banked (you can do that online or when you call MS). Be sure to bank them BEFORE you book, and then check to make sure they used the banked points first.

WELCOME HOME AGAIN, and hope you get what you want!

 

[becca-becca]

How do I know how many points to bank if I don't know what availability they have and what type of room I might be able to get? We have a party of 12 or 13 and there are many options available for us, assuming availability of rooms. (Because I might try to take a small Starwars weekend trip if there are extra points leftover (in 2008), so I don't want to bank all of my points into 2008 because since I am UY December, June 2008 is still 2007 and if I bank all of my points into 2008, I can't use them in 2007 (right?). I only want to do the small trip if I have points I have to use!!

 

[becca-becca]

Can you book a cruise on Developer Points? If you do, is that a transfer of your points out of DVC? Can someone clarify this for me? And the only 4 night cruises start on Sunday (correct)?

 

[wildernessDad]

How do I know how many points to bank if I don't know what availability they have and what type of room I might be able to get? We have a party of 12 or 13 and there are many options available for us, assuming availability of rooms. (Because I might try to take a small Starwars weekend trip if there are extra points leftover (in 2008), so I don't want to bank all of my points into 2008 because since I am UY December, June 2008 is still 2007 and if I bank all of my points into 2008, I can't use them in 2007 (right?). I only want to do the small trip if I have points I have to use!!

If you want to go in June of 2008 (within your 2007 UY), then you will need to get goin' on that reservation as DVC villas tend to fill up. Remember that people with the 11-month advantage started booking for June 2008 starting July 2007.

We are now into February and people with the 11-month advantage have already or will be soon making their December reservations. December is a very popular time DVC-wise. You will need to firm up your plans VERY soon.

Plan what you need based on who is going and their arrangements, which you will determine. Once you have your plans, call MS and tell them what you want. Tell them to use banked points for the December vacation. If you make this reservation first, tell them how many points to bank if you are going to make that June reservation. This maneuver is kind of iffy, especially if you don't get the June reservation. My advice is to make the June reservation first, especially if you are sure of it.

Don't put the cart before the horse. There is no way that members can check availability on their own. Plan it out first, then reserve it with MS. If there is no availability, then you can either re-plan or go on the wait list.

 

[becca-becca]

I will just bank all of my points and if we don't use them all we will go next year again or I will sell them. Thanks!!!