Feeling slow as molasses...which UY should I buy based on when we go....

[lmhall2000]

I know I've read over 10 posts on this and it's been explained very well..I'm just not "getting" it...I have soaked up so much information about DVC that my brain just can't compute or accept any new info..please help me..

We prefer to travel mid-late September...80% of the time we'll travel then, we'd like to go in November maybe once and the occasional February...so based on that should we get an August UY or September? Or other?

Thanks so much! Also has anyone bought directly from the seller? Just curious if there were sites where I could look at that option v. resaler office/DVC...thanks!
Tara

 

[REL1203]

I agree, July, Aug, Sept is the best time for you to get. That way if you cancel your trip, you still have time to plan another before your Banking deadline is up... Go with one of those 3 months and you will be great.

 

[Anthony1971]

I go in September most years and August has worked well for me.

 

[abner1776]

What UY to get is a big deal about nothing. It only comes into play if you have to cancel a ressie and be honest...how often are you really gonna cancel a ressie ?? If you are like most DVC owners, cancelling a ressie is the furthest thing from your mind...you will do anything to get down there and get your "fix" of WDW.

With that said, if you think you will travel mostly in Sept then you would not want an Oct UY because you could be limited on your ability to use the points if you had to cancel a ressie. Get a UY that is a month or two BEFORE when you want to travel. If you think that Nov or Feb may also interest you, then June would be a good UY as it would cover all three of your travel months.

Keep in mind that you are purchasing DVC for 30-40 years and your travel plans in 2008 or 2009 maybe far different than your plans for 2025 or 2030.

 

[FLYNZ4]

I know I've read over 10 posts on this and it's been explained very well..I'm just not "getting" it...I have soaked up so much information about DVC that my brain just can't compute or accept any new info..please help me..

We prefer to travel mid-late September...80% of the time we'll travel then, we'd like to go in November maybe once and the occasional February...so based on that should we get an August UY or September? Or other?

Thanks so much! Also has anyone bought directly from the seller? Just curious if there were sites where I could look at that option v. resaler office/DVC...thanks!
Tara

Tara,

I would suggest thinking about your "long term" travel desires.. and certainly you may have already done so.

September is probably the easiest month to book DVC units. In fact... If I was really ONLY planning on vacationing at that time... I would not buy DVC at all. II gets continually loaded with inventory for that month... and it is very easy to stay for a small fraction of the cost of owning DVC. Instead, you could buy a much less expensive timeshare that exchanges through II (do not buy FL) and use it to stay in a 2BR unit for about $650/week total cost. A friend of mine is going for two weeks this sepetember... first in a 1BR unit at BCV, followed by a 2nd week in a 3BR Grand Villa at OKW. I believe that his total cost for the two weeks is about $1000.

Furthermore... September is the month where WDW run specials to fill the rooms. For the past several years, (2008 included), they offer free dining plans in the hotels. If you book through DVC, then you will not get that significant perk.

OTOH... if you have kids... or plan to have kids... or maybe grandkids... then September will probably not remain a viable travel month over the lifetime of your contract (which of course is why it is easy to book via II). In that case... I would suggest considering a different travel schedule that is better suited for children... and then buy accordingly.

/Jim

 

[melanie18]

I second abner1776. My UY means absolutely nothing and we've owned for about 8 yrs. I honestly never even thing about it. I'm always when thread debates start over UY's.

 

[lmhall2000]

Jim, that is my problem, I really am trying to work out the details of whether it is best for us to buy into DVC..we always stay in Deluxe because we have 5 in our family, a room at a Deluxe (we don't mind lack of space) is much cheaper than a 2 BR...right now the kids are 12, 10, 9 (we homeschool so we have the luxury of traveling whenever we want, and we like to go when crowds are down but when it's still warm enough to enjoy a night swim)..

But, we have ALWAYS received such great deals (free dining, AKL for less than $100 a night, 50% off Poly room etc.)...but we know one day will come when the kids are up in their teens and it's not so cool to be in one room, or when they're in college and we'd like to give them a weekend break from the stressors of studying, or when they're young families and they'd like to take a break away from the kids or we'd like to take the kids out..I've tried to consider all of these things...but when the room only for Poly went up to over $400 a night, I realized hey maybe we ought to consider DVC..that's why I'm opting to buy a stripped contract (we got the free dining this year)..and hopefully get a better deal. We only go every 2 years at this point but in a couple of years we'll make it to other destinations like Hilton Head or Vero Beach or even Hawaii!

Just so much to consider...I think we'll come out ahead to buy into DVC now but I'll need to crunch the numbers....

Thanks all!!!
Tara

 

[Buckeye Fan]

Slightly different perspective on UY. I HATE mine. I wished I had understood it better when I purchased, but didn't.

Bottom line, DH is a teacher. We travel June, July and August. I usually have banked points, which means those points have to be used by July 31. For two years in a row, I've wanted to travel in early Aug but couldn't because my points were going to expire on 7/31. Had I had a December UY, for example, I could have traveled, as those same points wouldn't have expired until November 30.

I think it's good you're asking the question. Since you have options at this point, why not consider what UY will work best for you based on what you know today? With an Aug UY, points will be deposited every Aug 1 and are good for trips from Aug 1 - July 31, unless you bank. After you bank into the next UY, the points you have banked have to be by July 31 of that year or you lose them. You can't bank the same set of points twice. So if you book a vacation in September and have to cancel, if you're 31 or more days out, those points are restored just like you hadn't booked anything and you can still bank up to 100% through March (first 8 months of your UY).

Take the above scenario and play around with different UYs, and evaluate the pros and cons. I would have probably gone with a Dec UY, because I could have banked points through July 31, and traveled through November 30 before points expired.

Food for thought!!!

 

[FLYNZ4]

Jim, that is my problem, I really am trying to work out the details of whether it is best for us to buy into DVC..we always stay in Deluxe because we have 5 in our family, a room at a Deluxe (we don't mind lack of space) is much cheaper than a 2 BR...right now the kids are 12, 10, 9 (we homeschool so we have the luxury of traveling whenever we want, and we like to go when crowds are down but when it's still warm enough to enjoy a night swim)..

But, we have ALWAYS received such great deals (free dining, AKL for less than $100 a night, 50% off Poly room etc.)...but we know one day will come when the kids are up in their teens and it's not so cool to be in one room, or when they're in college and we'd like to give them a weekend break from the stressors of studying, or when they're young families and they'd like to take a break away from the kids or we'd like to take the kids out..I've tried to consider all of these things...but when the room only for Poly went up to over $400 a night, I realized hey maybe we ought to consider DVC..that's why I'm opting to buy a stripped contract (we got the free dining this year)..and hopefully get a better deal. We only go every 2 years at this point but in a couple of years we'll make it to other destinations like Hilton Head or Vero Beach or even Hawaii!

Just so much to consider...I think we'll come out ahead to buy into DVC now but I'll need to crunch the numbers....

Thanks all!!!
Tara

Tara,

Thanks for the additional information. Home school does make the short term planning easier... but it will not always be that way. Some people decide that home schooling is good for a while... and then the kids go to other schools. Also... your 12 yo will be in college before you know it... and you are not very likely to have a good home schooling option for college. Once that happens... summer travel becomes the most likely situation for many people.

Note that summer travel is not particularly more stressful or busy than the off-season. In fact... I think we actually spend less time in lines in summer (zero lines) than we do during the off season. The reason is because of the much longer park hours. We would alway religiously go to the parks first thing in the morning... always there for the rope drop. We were typically out of the parks by 11:00... unless we had TS lunch scheduled... in which case we would get the first lunch ADR and then go back to the room. Then it was swim... sleep... and then get up in the evening for another trip into the parks when the crowds were waining. Travel during off-season is difficult to keep that type of agenda because of the shorter hours.

Also... consider that your children may end up inheriting your points... for use when they have children of their own. Alternately... you may get a huge kick of bringing grandkids. Your children may not choose to home school... so you would be thrown back into summer schedule along with the rest of the world.

Personally... I would plan for the worse case... which is:

1) Travel during the busy season
2) Use year that has an easy booking season immediately preceeding it

When I did that analysis... I optimized for summer travel... and through college... that has proven to be the most popular time for my kids to be able to travel. I chose a March UY which gives us easy cancellation for spring break... and also the entire summer. We can cancel up until 10/31 and still bank our points. Also... if we end up with points in holding (we have)... then we can easily book a reservation in Jan/Feb at late notice since it is one of the easiest months to book.

I tend to dissagree with the other poster who suggested that UY is not important... based on the fact that you are unlikely to cancel a WDW vacation. The reality is that surprises do happen to everyone. It could be a crunch at work that means that you simply cannot leave. Also... family members get sick... which limits travel. Are you going to hop on a plane if one of the children has a high fever? Also... DW and I both have parents living in nursing homes. We never know what is going to happen that would cause us to cancel a reservation.

Hope this thought process helps.

/Jim

 

[lmhall2000]

Thanks everyone and Jim, THANK YOU for laying it out so clearly! Now, I am trying to figure out a way to homeschool college, just worried about the whole accreditation angle! We have homeschooled from the beginning and because of the way we do our classes they would actually suffer going into high school...they're 2-3 grades ahead in math, have already had 5 years of Latin, behind on formal grammar (but, gee Latin grammar is crackin' hot!) but way ahead on creative writing and for the amount of books they read (their choice but off great lists) they wouldn't have time to continue that pace if they were in school. Plus, we have a small farm that is a big part of their "school" and training the horses may actually be their "summer jobs" in a couple of years...it's so hard to see "beyond" this picture..and I sincerely believe that our state run schools will actually be on a year round schedule by the time my grandchildren are of that age..then how do you determine all those breaks?

I'm hoping my kids choose southern colleges (just proximity and in-state tuition!) and then they can do what I did and crash at Disney on weekend stays....I had friends in the college/career program and we had a blast going to visit on weekends...

My husband is down in Orlando on a business trip and we arranged a "tour" of sorts of AKL and SSR...he LOVED AKL (knew he would, the stinker, trying to mess up my well-laid economic strategies) I am trying to convince him that we could ultimately get the best deal buying a stripped SSR contract resale ($78-80 pp) for about 150 points (lower yearly fees by about $100 over AKL)...go ahead and take the free dining trip we have booked at YC this year, then use 2009/2010 points to try and book AKL in the softer DVC months, which I feel September would qualify...I know that AKL would be hard to book but I think we'd have a decent shot and if not AKL this first DVC trip then we'd have a good shot at Beach Club or others we'd like to try. He was able to see the concierge set-up at AKL and he's sold...what is it about food???

My strategy is to travel Sun-Thursday avoiding the heavily priced weekend rate and we could stay in a 1 BR at AKL that sleeps 5...none of the other ones sleep 5....I figure as the "tower kingdom" comes to fruition the desire for AKL will diminish...we'll still get a 2054 end date over buying other resales, get a lower yearly maintenance fee and take our chances booking at 7 months out for the ones we really want...dh was not impressed with SS...I'd be fine with it. So paying $96 for AKL just seems like paying more for that perfect color car you want...heck, I just want the car...don't care about the color!

The rep at DVC tried to convince my well intentioned but DVC ignorant husband that if you buy direct from Disney you're able to participate in the Disney Dining plan...whereas if you bought from a reseller you wouldn't be able to do that...am I wrong? Don't all DVC'ers get the same perks no matter who they buy from (outside of the initial incentives)?

Thanks so much and I think an August UY would actually work well for us...we have a big family and if we ever need to cancel I'm sure 10 would jump in and use our points for us!

Thanks so much!!
Tara

 

[TenThousandVolts]

I think AUg makes sense for you- That is my UY and it works perfect for us.

 

[DebbieB]

Use year can also affect borrowing power. I have a friend with an August use year. She decided to start vacationing in June, but was already borrowed ahead so she had no points available for June, she had to wait until August to go.

 

[TenThousandVolts]

Use year can also affect borrowing power. I have a friend with an August use year. She decided to start vacationing in June, but was already borrowed ahead so she had no points available for June, she had to wait until August to go.

I don't know if I would call that borrowing power- basically UY just defines when you get your points. If you blow through your points- of course you will have to wait for a new lot of points to be issued- sounds like someone could use an add-on.

 

[LisaS]

The rep at DVC tried to convince my well intentioned but DVC ignorant husband that if you buy direct from Disney you're able to participate in the Disney Dining plan...whereas if you bought from a reseller you wouldn't be able to do that...am I wrong? Don't all DVC'ers get the same perks no matter who they buy from (outside of the initial incentives)?

You are correct, the DVC rep is wrong. The only differences between buying resale and buying directly from Disney (aside from the incentives) are 1) the time it takes to get through the process (about 2 months for resale, a few days when buying direct) and 2) the free tote bag that you get from Disney only if you buy directly from them. All of the membership perks are the same.

ETA: There are some differences between purchasing resale and directly from Disney that you should take into account. Disney gives you a full set of current-UY points with your purchase and pro-rates the dues for the first year from the later of the purchase date, the start of your first UY and the occupancy date of the Unit you purchase. With resale you could end up with anything from a loaded contract (all of the last UY's points banked, all current-UY points available and all of the next UY's points available) to a stripped contract (no banked points, no current UY points and all of the next UY's points borrowed and used). Sellers often expect the buyer to pay the full dues for the current UY. Closing costs are higher when you purchase a resale contract.

 

[FLYNZ4]

I am trying to convince him that we could ultimately get the best deal buying a stripped SSR contract resale ($78-80 pp) for about 150 points

Tara,

I just so happen to have that idendical contract up for sale on TTS right now . I wasn't planning on selling that one this year... but the folks at TSS convinced me to list it anyway... since some people actually prefer stripped contracts... and that some people prefer a contract that cannot close immediately (mine is 1/09) since it gives them time to get the funds together. Personally... I would surprised if this contract sold prior to next year. Assuming that it doesn't sell... I will raise the price next year once it is loaded up with points again.

/Jim

P.S. I will not do a private sale... the folks at TSS deserve their commission... so hopefully this post is taken in the true spirit of "open discussion" rather than solicitation. I don't mind if it is deleted.

 

[FLYNZ4]

Thanks so much and I think an August UY would actually work well for us...we have a big family and if we ever need to cancel I'm sure 10 would jump in and use our points for us!

The only thing that I would worry about with an Aug UY is the fact that it might be very difficult to get a reservation (based on availability) at the last minute during the 60 days preceeding Aug (June/July). Those are very busy travel times... and if you end up with points in holding... your risk of losing those points increases since you cannot bank them, and because you must make reservations within 60 days of travel. By the time you could make your reservations (60 days)... the wait list for June/July might be very long of people already in the queue ahead of you. On August 1st... your points would be gone.

/Jim

 

[lmhall2000]

Jim! I was just thinking the same thing..I think we might try to find a September use year, it'd be much easier to plan a late August trip than July...we live in Alabama and we just love our summer sun but don't like to do parks in them! We used to live on the West Coast (Seattle area) and can see how folks like you in Oregon would love the summer months here!

As an aside, I also wanted to say how touched I was by your family website. Your son's legacy really touched me and reminds me so much of our 12 year old son, he is hoping to be Eagle by age 16...he's advanced 3 ranks in less than a year! My uncle was a pilot and died in a solo flight approaching landing...to lose them so young is a burden but a blessing knowing their faith gives them life! Thanks so much for your help, it has helped so much...now I just have to go over and over with my husband, I think he believes if we buy SSR that we'll be stuck at SSR for all our visits....guess I need to start finding those posts of folks who have switched resorts at 7 months out for Sept. dates!

thanks!!!

Tara

 

[FLYNZ4]

Jim! I was just thinking the same thing..I think we might try to find a September use year, it'd be much easier to plan a late August trip than July...we live in Alabama and we just love our summer sun but don't like to do parks in them! We used to live on the West Coast (Seattle area) and can see how folks like you in Oregon would love the summer months here!

As an aside, I also wanted to say how touched I was by your family website. Your son's legacy really touched me and reminds me so much of our 12 year old son, he is hoping to be Eagle by age 16...he's advanced 3 ranks in less than a year! My uncle was a pilot and died in a solo flight approaching landing...to lose them so young is a burden but a blessing knowing their faith gives them life! Thanks so much for your help, it has helped so much...now I just have to go over and over with my husband, I think he believes if we buy SSR that we'll be stuck at SSR for all our visits....guess I need to start finding those posts of folks who have switched resorts at 7 months out for Sept. dates!

thanks!!!

Tara

Thanks Tara,

Gregory was an incredible person. He never ever swore (I wish I could say the same of the girls... but they are really good too). He never drank (except once at age 11 when he was served a glass of wine during a meal in Paris), He lived his life in the most generous and caring mannor. Every day of his life... he would give Debbie a hug... and say "I love you mama"... how many 19 yo's will do that? During his funeral... there were 3 seperate masses each in a very large church... and every one was overflowed with people he had touched.

Gregory was incredibly talented... he had a small electroics business that he was running out of our home... at age 15, we took a cross country flight together, and he did a significant amount of the flight planning, navigating, radio communication, and actual flying... including routes through some of the worlds busiest airspaces (ex: Chicago). As a young adult... he was taking formal flying lessons, and his instructor made a series of mistakes that were so basic... and so horrible that it boggles the mind. His instructor was actually flying the plane... and he lost his life that evening... and took Gregory with him.

/Jim

 

[castleri]

J ..now I just have to go over and over with my husband, I think he believes if we buy SSR that we'll be stuck at SSR for all our visits....guess I need to start finding those posts of folks who have switched resorts at 7 months out for Sept. dates!

thanks!!!

Booked AKV for Sept 11-15 on Monday which is a little less than 5 months out so there is one you don't have to hunt for.

 

[lmhall2000]

Jim, my brother's name is Greg and your description of him sounds so much like my brother...what a blessing to have him as a son....just looking at his pictures (especially of the one when he was younger and in the plane) makes me smile...his spirit just beams out of him! Thank you for sharing your family website, I want to get one started, just never seems to be the time...one day I'll have time or my kids will do it for me!

So glad to hear you can book within that 7 month window! Thanks so much!

Blessings!
Tara