Help With Best Use Year

[crazycatlady]

I work in accounting and can't travel January through April, July, or October. We almost always go to DW in the first two weeks of December with May being another popular time for us to go. My daughter is a teacher, so last half of June and August may also become good times for us to go in the future. Can you help me pick my Use Year please?

I read that you should pick the month after a 3 or 4 month time when you can't travel, so would April/May be a good choice?

I also read to pick the month closest to the time you usually travel incase you need to cancel and reschedule, so with that criteria it seems October would be the best use year.

Please help!

 

[RoseGold]

Tough one. The ideal UY would be December, but early December is peak, peak, and a Dec UY makes it hard to book, because you can't walk across the month. That leaves October.

October requires you to bank by May, so it puts the summer trips at risk.

You could have 2 UYs, like I do. Perk is extra waitlists.

 

[crazycatlady]

We are going to purchase one smallish contract (140 to 175 pts) at first for CCR because I want the 9 month booking window for WL for the December trips, plus I feel like it is the best value right now with a lot of years left on the contract and pretty affordable prices and dues. So I should probably look for the October UY for this contract, correct?

We are planning to buy another 150 points directly from Disney but haven't decided where yet, plus we want to wait until we can buy APs since we won't want to pay for tickets twice in one year so will only travel to Disney parks once a year until then. Should I do an April UY for that one? And is this a good plan or do you think direct prices will go through the roof once people can start buying APs again?

 

[Sandisw]

I think an October UY might work out the best in this situation only because it covers the bulk of your trips...August would be the risky one. Just to clarify, the home resort booking period starts 11 months out, not 9 months.

Dec UY would work as well...but the problem with that is that CCV is very difficult to book studios for that time of year and many people will walk those reservations....that is difficult to do when you have to cross over your UY in doing it.

 

[crazycatlady]

Thank you so much for your help! December and May are most important at this time, so I will heed your advice and try for an October UY. Getting CCR for December would trump getting good selections in August.

 

[RichVIII]

And to be honest, life changes. I know a lot of what you mention is work related and I doubt you will change professions drastically but you never know. We have a Dec UY since 7-8 years ago, we were convinced Dec was our time to go for various reasons. We now (unfortunately) risk our “holiday” trip nearly every November now since it is what works best now. And I honestly feel in a few years, our ”holiday” trip will evolve again. We are spending our first Christmas in Aulani and I could see that being a new thing for us and no trip to WDW. Best of luck!

 

[NVDISFamily]

The one wildcard I'd also add to the mix is looking at the resale market for the resort(s) you are looking at, and if you plan on adding on more points in the future consider the market availability of one UY vs another.

If one UY gives you a greater % chance to find more contracts that might be the right fit for you, would that be something worth considering? For example, you might be considering between an October and December UY for CCV (picking this one as I look at it all the time). For some reason there is just way more DEC contracts on the market at any given time so I hope I'll have a better chance of finding that 50, 75 (or more) point contract if/when I need it (and hopefully the more competition in the market for that UY will drive down prices). I would weigh this less than what works best for your vacations, but I'd give it a thought.

Best of luck to you while you look for your new home away from home.

Edit - forgot to add, I work the grind in professional services. The busy seasons can be brutal. Trips we have booked at Disneyland and WDW are things I look forward to keep me pushing through those long hours

 

[crazycatlady]

The one wildcard I'd also add to the mix is looking at the resale market for the resort(s) you are looking at, and if you plan on adding on more points in the future consider the market availability of one UY vs another.

If one UY gives you a greater % chance to find more contracts that might be the right fit for you, would that be something worth considering? For example, you might be considering between an October and December UY for CCV (picking this one as I look at it all the time). For some reason there is just way more DEC contracts on the market at any given time so I hope I'll have a better chance of finding that 50, 75 (or more) point contract if/when I need it (and hopefully the more competition in the market for that UY will drive down prices). I would weigh this less than what works best for your vacations, but I'd give it a thought.

Best of luck to you while you look for your new home away from home.

Edit - forgot to add, I work the grind in professional services. The busy seasons can be brutal. Trips we have booked at Disneyland and WDW are things I look forward to keep me pushing through those long hours

I am right with you in that DW and DL keep me sane during tax season.

I did see that there are a lot of December UY listings for CCR and thought about using that UY at first, but since Christmastime at WL is one of the biggest reasons for me buying into DVC, I don't want to jeopardize the December trips. Luckily there are awesome people here on this board who explained "walking" to me so that I am not terribly disappointed the first time I try to get a reservation and can't.

Thank you everyone for all your help and good wishes!

 

[crazycatlady]

Sorry to be a pain, but I just saw an AKL contract that I may go with instead to alleviate the worry over being shut out of studios in December. Do owners need to walk reservations for studios there for early December and if not, would I be able to use a December Use Year instead of October?

 

[peabody58]

We originally got Sept UY for our BLT back in 2010. It has worked out great for our preferred travel months of Sept, Oct, Dec, Jan and May. I only needed to cancel points into HOLDING once and that was due to a parent's medical emergency. I've never lost points. We don't go in Oct/Nov anymore because of the point chart changes. Now that we are retired, the Sept UY is working out even better. Recently added on to BWV direst with the same UY. Sept UY is often overlooked as a viable option, but for retired point misers, it's a really good option. However, very few low point choice resales are available.

 

[gmi3804]

October seems to be your sweet spot, as you'll be able to bank points by the end of May. You'll know by then if you're going to travel in June or August, your "maybe" dates.

 

[RoseGold]

Do owners need to walk reservations for studios there for early December

AKL has multiple views, multiple buildings, and couple wild categories, value and club. Value and club are always walked 365 days a year. Jambo is much scarcer, so it is often walked. Savanna will be easier, the cheaper rooms book faster.

Buying Dec UY for early December is setting yourself up to fail. Take your time and get October. That gives you a couple months to lock in what you want and no worries.

 

[gmi3804]

Buying Dec UY for early December is setting yourself up to fail. Take your time and get October. That gives you a couple months to lock in what you want and no worries.

You’re implying that points aren’t available to use until the UY starts. Not true. Points are available when the BOOKING WINDOW opens.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Have you considered buying a fixed week at CCV? Not sure if FW studio is still available for December week 2, but if it is it would be worth the cost differential.

 

[RoseGold]

You’re implying that points aren’t available to use until the UY starts. Not true. Points are available when the BOOKING WINDOW opens.

Early December is one of the most popular DVC times. A Dec UY means you can't walk from Nov to Dec, as covered many times in this thread already.

 

[supersnoop]

You’re implying that points aren’t available to use until the UY starts. Not true. Points are available when the BOOKING WINDOW opens.

I think the implication is that you can't walk across use years. That seems like an edge case and I wouldn't recommend choosing a use year based on walking, but I guess it could be a consideration.

 

[CarolMN]

I think the implication is that you can't walk across use years. That seems like an edge case and I wouldn't recommend choosing a use year based on walking, but I guess it could be a consideration.

Those who want a studio for December need to consider this. (Especially if they are after the least expensive categories or a studio at the near-park resorts). I would NOT recommend a December use year for them. They will need to walk, if not now, it will be factor in the future. October, September & or August would be better.

 

[crazycatlady]

Thank you, everyone! I did actually consider a fixed week and sent an email to an agent this morning asking about the cost of buying CC direct.

I am such an impatient person, lol! I get something in my mind and want to act on it right away so when I saw a really good AKL offer today with a December UY, I started to get antsy. There just aren't very many contracts for October, which surprises me since December is such a popular time for DVC travel, and there are a ton for December. I will try to put my patient pants on and watch for a good October contract. Maybe I will keep watch for September, too.

 

[gmi3804]

Thank you, everyone! I did actually consider a fixed week and sent an email to an agent this morning asking about the cost of buying CC direct.

I am such an impatient person, lol! I get something in my mind and want to act on it right away so when I saw a really good AKL offer today with a December UY, I started to get antsy. There just aren't very many contracts for October, which surprises me since December is such a popular time for DVC travel, and there are a ton for December. I will try to put my patient pants on and watch for a good October contract. Maybe I will keep watch for September, too.

One other thing I'd advise: Pick a use year on the month AFTER the three months you're least likely to travel. In my case, I never (OK, hardly ever) go in the summer (June, July, August), so I picked September. By the end of April, my banking deadline, I know if by chance I'm going to travel during J-J-A.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I think the implication is that you can't walk across use years. That seems like an edge case and I wouldn't recommend choosing a use year based on walking, but I guess it could be a consideration.

For CCV December studios, I think it has to be.