Help - Cancel & Rebook or Rent

[FriendsOfEeyore]

We currently have a 1 BR booked for Dec 12-19 at BCV. I have been out of permament work for over 3 months now. I am getting very close with a company and may know some answers prior to the 31-day window for cancellations.

The question is this...

How do we proceed? Financially it has been tough, and I do not feel that we will be able to afford a trip this December. Our APs expire Feb 8, and we'll more than likely be unable to travel prior to then.

The other issue is that my family desparately needs this vacation (if not in two months, soon there after), but that may not be a possibility with a new job.

Our options as I see them:

1. Cancel trip by the 11/11/04, and bank our Dec 2004 points (we currently have like 79 banked from 2003 that will need to be used or sold).

2. Cancel trip by 11/11/04 and keep all points until next summer (prior to 100% banking deadline), when we determine that we will be unable to use them.

3. Try to "sell" the current ressie at a fair price (is this legal?) on say e-bay or something similiar. Is our ressie a "high-demand" type that this would even be an option?

4. Cancel by 11/11/04 and try to rent our points to another DVC member that is looking for a larger than normal vacation.

Thoughts? The cash would be nice and help us out for x-mas for our son. I just have so many scenarios that I do not know what to do. What would you do? All opinions are welcome, good, bad or indifferent.

 

[amee]

...just a thought, but how about doing a shorter trip, that would cost less, but still be a getaway for your family? We live in Seattle, and recently did a very short 4 day trip....although it is not what we love, it was really quite fun and memorable........If you took a shorter tirp, you could still rent some points for $ and have a trip too..........

good luck,

Amee

 

[tjkraz]

All of the options you list are viable.

Regarding #3, I'll be a little bit idealistic and just point out that I'm sure there are more than a few DVC members on the waitlist for a room that matches the one you are considering cancelling. It would be nice to see the room go to a member rather than renting to a non-member, but the decision is in your hands.

You could certainly bank the points. Or you could rent the points to another non-member for a trip in 2005. If you rent, you should be able to get some amount of money up front--if not all of it depending on the terms you want to set and how far away the trip might be.

Good luck. Hope things work out with the new job.

 

[kweaver]

Personally, I'd try to negotiate the time off before I accept the position with the new company. Most people have vacations scheduled...and depending on how much negotiating room there is...it can usually be worked out.

 

[spiceycat]

go post on the trade/rent board - $10 a point is the going rate - although I got $12 for my thanksgiving ( I wanted to stay there....)

then if you haven't received any offers in a month - then make your decision - cancel or if you get a new job go with your vacation if you can.

but I am pretty sure that some of the schools in the South are out that week - and can drive to WDW - so they don't need last minute deals on airlines.

however you must be prepared to deal with your family disappointment if this does rent.

especially if they were looking forward to it.

 

[Poorman]

Since you have been there a couple of times in the last two years, and it seems that money may be an issue, I would rent the points out(very easy) and plan for a vacation when your financial situation is better.

I know from experiance those dates are very,very hard to come by right now, you will have no problem renting them out. You will get at least $2080.00 for the points. Remember your dues are coming up soon also.

Again, not knowing all the facts ,this is what I would do. Good luck.

 

[FriendsOfEeyore]

I appreciate all the opinions / advice. We are lucky that our ds is only 31 months old, and we have not yet told him about the December trip.

I think that the plan is going to be to wait until 31-35 days out, then cancel and try to rent some of the points and schedule a smaller trip sometime next year.

Any other thoughts?

 

[ArRzrbk]

If you and your family really need a vacation, don't cancel. Too many times in my past I have canceled trips only to have become sooo stressed and tired I could hardly stand it. And on top of that, I would find myself looking back (as I'm doing now) thinking, "Why didn't we just go on that trip?!"

Another reason not to cancel, if you are looking for a job, you don't want anything to knock you out of the top spot with your potential employer. Mentioning a trip you'd like to take (while perfectly acceptable) might do that. With jobs as they are, don't put yourself or your family in jeopardy that way.

With that said, I would try and think of ways to make the scheduled trip work better in this situation. Some examples...

1.) Shorten your stay and rent out the remaining points (since you mentioned the cash might come in handy). We usually do four nights, so even shortening by three days will save you and still give you more time than a lot of folks take.

2.) Stay at OKW for less points, which means more points to rent out and get money for! Since you already have AP, there is no need to try and stay at a resort that can entertain you all day like the BCV. You'll be at the parks. Plus, I've heard how relaxing OKW is. Maybe you need some breathing time.

3.) Change your reservation to a Studio to save more points - again, more money in your pocket through renting. This is not my ideal, because if you need a trip, you may need a nice bubble bath to aid you in your relaxation efforts, and with a little one, a full kitchen and laundry will be so nice. But, this is a thought.

Anyway, I think that's it. Feel free to write again if you need more help. And good luck with the job!

Char