Help with use year selection and anything im missing

[MelissaTnNc]

We have been considering buying with cash since 2012 and are ready to take the plunge. We are thinking of finding a 100 pt contract, our favorite resort is BLT, having stayed there, AKL, and SSR. We are wanting to travel every other year staying in a 1 bedroom, currently our kids are 7, 5, 2. We enjoy traveling to wdw in Sept and October but would be open to May and pulling the kids out for one week is not a big deal right now. The kids and I stayed at SSR this past summer for three nights and really loved it, so wouldn't mind purchasing SSR as the initial buy in would either be less, or we would get more points for our money than at BLT, but it seems the costs are similar over the life of the contract to BLT. I have read up on use year, but I don't think it matters much for us, as DH is required to select all of his vacation weeks in October for the entire next calendar year and knows immediately if they are approved. March, July and October and November can be harder to get approval for, but not impossible and we'd always know in October of the year prior. So, any suggestions on use year? My understanding is that AKL, BLT allow 5, we need to bring bedding, but seems the rest do not (this is the one thing against SSR in my mind). I'd like to buy at AKL as the kids and I loved it, DH not as much. If I couldn't find availability at 7 months, I worry SSR would disappoint me over the long haul, I don't love the quick service selections at BC/YC/BW, while SSR, BLT, AKL all have fab quick services. We enjoy visiting WL (some of my favorite food is there!) but id prefer it in Nivember /Dec and don't plan to always visit at that time of year even though the pool seems great for spring and summer travel, but they do not allow 5 in 1 bedrooms, right?

Anyone still reading this ?

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I'll try and give a little info that hopefully will be pertainable.

First - 2 of the time you initially mentioned for booking - Sept and May - are generally easy to book outside of your home resort, including BLT, so most of the time you would not have to be at SSR if you purchased there. Oct is busy DVC time but your desire for a 1BR and the fact that AKV is a favorite and is one of the larger DVC's all would be pluses to getting in there with SSR points.

Second to clarify 1BR's since you are a little off in understanding. BLT, AKV (except value category), OKW and VGF all provide sleeping for 5 in a 1BR and will have bedding for 5. They have a king in the master bedroom, queen sleeper sofa's in the living area and then either a sleeper chair or a murphy bed also in the living area. BLT and AKV are the 2 resorts that also have a second bathroom in the 1BR's. SSR, BWV, VWL and BCV all allow for 5 to be booked into the 1BR's but you have to provide bedding for the 5th person - and that means the bed also. Those resorts have the king bed in the master and the queen sleeper sofa in the living room. However at VWL they now allow and provide sleeping accommodations for 5 in a studio. It's a queen bed, double sleeper sofa and a murphy bed.

For UY, if I go by your first preferences of May, Sept and Oct then an April UY would be good and provide some free "insurance" if you ever had to cancel a trip last minute. It's good to have a UY that if you had to cancel close to your reservation would still allow you to bank points if they were eligible to be banked or if not would at least allow you the greatest amount of time to rebook a trip. If Sept and Oct would be the concentration of your travel then a Sept UY would be very good and would also cover May trips except for the truly last minute cancellations (less then 31 days before arrival) - you would be left having to use the points by Aug 31st of that same year. If summer were going to become a travel time due to the kids being out of school then I'd go head towards the April UY. And if you never cancel last minute then UY won't make any difference.

 

[MelissaTnNc]

I mean never say never, but only an emergency would require a last minute cancellation as DHs work requires us to plan so thoroughly for vacation, so not a big deal I don't think. So SSR points should be fairly bookable at other resorts into a 1 bedroom based on our typical preferred travel times?

 

[Msmithmd]

I mean never say never, but only an emergency would require a last minute cancellation as DHs work requires us to plan so thoroughly for vacation, so not a big deal I don't think. So SSR points should be fairly bookable at other resorts into a 1 bedroom based on our typical preferred travel times?

Yes, except October. In October you may have a challenge booking at a non-home resort, or may need to do a split stay.

May, and at least early September, will find much wider availability.

In the life span of a 30-40 year contract, something will eventually happen that forces a late-term cancellation or change. A wedding, a death, an injury. It's just too long a period for something to not suddenly come up on at least one occasion. Choosing a UY before your usual travel period is just free insurance against point loss, nothing more meaningful.

 

[Dean]

We have been considering buying with cash since 2012 and are ready to take the plunge. We are thinking of finding a 100 pt contract, our favorite resort is BLT, having stayed there, AKL, and SSR. We are wanting to travel every other year staying in a 1 bedroom, currently our kids are 7, 5, 2. We enjoy traveling to wdw in Sept and October but would be open to May and pulling the kids out for one week is not a big deal right now. The kids and I stayed at SSR this past summer for three nights and really loved it, so wouldn't mind purchasing SSR as the initial buy in would either be less, or we would get more points for our money than at BLT, but it seems the costs are similar over the life of the contract to BLT. I have read up on use year, but I don't think it matters much for us, as DH is required to select all of his vacation weeks in October for the entire next calendar year and knows immediately if they are approved. March, July and October and November can be harder to get approval for, but not impossible and we'd always know in October of the year prior. So, any suggestions on use year? My understanding is that AKL, BLT allow 5, we need to bring bedding, but seems the rest do not (this is the one thing against SSR in my mind). I'd like to buy at AKL as the kids and I loved it, DH not as much. If I couldn't find availability at 7 months, I worry SSR would disappoint me over the long haul, I don't love the quick service selections at BC/YC/BW, while SSR, BLT, AKL all have fab quick services. We enjoy visiting WL (some of my favorite food is there!) but id prefer it in Nivember /Dec and don't plan to always visit at that time of year even though the pool seems great for spring and summer travel, but they do not allow 5 in 1 bedrooms, right?

Anyone still reading this ?

For your situation and for more than 7 months out, AKV is likely best even with the higher dues. IF you'll do a significant portion of your travel in the first half the year, SSR might be better. Realize that for AKV value you cannot have 5 unless one is under 3. The one problem I see is that you may end up having to book at times before you know if you'e approved for vacation.

 

[MelissaTnNc]

The one problem I see is that you may end up having to book at times before you know if you'e approved for vacation.

Yes, we would actually have to book any travel for Jan through September (at home resort) for the next year before he has the approval so i need to be sure that i fully understand how rescheduling trips works. But we always have a pretty good idea of what will be available as all vacations are based on seniority and there is a typical pattern as to what fills up first vacation wise--spring break, july 4th and early/mid october. Its been a couple of years since any of the allowed vacation weeks were completely taken by the time he chose his weeks, things like holidays falling on a friday do typically mean the next week is already booked up, but we can anticipate that sort of thing. And as time passes and guys ahead of him retire, he moves up in seniority and we will worry less about him not getting a week that he wants for the following year. I don't think anything at all was full this past year and we will know in a few weeks if anything at all for next year is full.

 

[MelissaTnNc]

For your situation and for more than 7 months out, AKV is likely best even with the higher dues. IF you'll do a significant portion of your travel in the first half the year, SSR might be better.

Can you explain this a bit more? I def prefer the extra bath at AKV vs SSR 1 bedroom. We have been to wdw in late Feb, late May, early September and early December and late May was the only time we really didn't love, but is the time we would choose again when taking the kids out of school gets harder--we are out mid may so would go immediately as school ends in an attempt to beat a bit of the summer rush. We would like to try November soon and with their 10 day long Thanksgiving break, could pull them out a couple of days and get in and out before Thanksgiving day, but we wouldn't be able to even book that at DVC until after he received vacation approval anyway.

This is all a bit too much info, isn't it??

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I mean never say never, but only an emergency would require a last minute cancellation as DHs work requires us to plan so thoroughly for vacation, so not a big deal I don't think. So SSR points should be fairly bookable at other resorts into a 1 bedroom based on our typical preferred travel times?

Again I'm basing on the first times you listed of May, Sept and Oct - the Oct might be the one to cause difficulty but the other 2 not so much.

Can you explain this a bit more? I def prefer the extra bath at AKV vs SSR 1 bedroom. We have been to wdw in late Feb, late May, early September and early December and late May was the only time we really didn't love, but is the time we would choose again when taking the kids out of school gets harder--we are out mid may so would go immediately as school ends in an attempt to beat a bit of the summer rush. We would like to try November soon and with their 10 day long Thanksgiving break, could pull them out a couple of days and get in and out before Thanksgiving day, but we wouldn't be able to even book that at DVC until after he received vacation approval anyway.

This is all a bit too much info, isn't it??

All of the above bolded times should be relatively easy to book at a non-home resort but not early Dec. That time is the most popular DVC and most difficult to get outside of your home resort. And then with Thanksgiving for that length of time you probably need to consider you'd be at your home resort although nothing is ever a definite.

I was thinking about the fact that due to the approval process for your husbands vacation time it sounds like you are locked into those times for the upcoming year in Oct. Being locked into a particular 1-2 weeks means less flexibility even though you are able to choose different times of the year. I'd go with a home resort that I was ok staying at mostly because of the Oct, Nov and Dec travel times that you are mentioning and it's difficult to say that your ok with SSR because of your wish to stay in 1BR's with sleeping for 5 provided and the extra bathroom and you mentioned being worried about staying often at SSR. The last quarter of the year is the busiest DVC time and so harder to get long stays at 7 months. Being open to split stays would make it easier to switch at that time but still no guarantees. The first half of the year has been much easier to have multiple options to get a non home resort.

 

[MelissaTnNc]

Again I'm basing on the first times you listed of May, Sept and Oct - the Oct might be the one to cause difficulty but the other 2 not so much.

Oh yes, I should have clarified. We would likely travel most often during those times so I appreciate the perspective you offered. DH's job doesn't allow vacations at all from the Monday after Thanksgiving until the day after Christmas unless its related to FMLA so I am not concerned about needing to book in December til after he retires.

 

[MelissaTnNc]

Being open to split stays would make it easier to switch at that time but still no guarantees. The first half of the year has been much easier to have multiple options to get a non home resort.

I like split stays a lot--prefer them, actually--so thats not a deal breaker, for sure.

I think I worry about/get super interested in the extra bathroom as they get older, not so much right now. I'd like to stave off the extra points for the 2 bedrooms as long as I can, and in my mind, the extra bath helps that! Ha!

I made mention of the other times we have traveled in the past just as more information. Loved being there at Epcots F&G the last week of Feb/first week of March (it hadn't officially started, but the decor was all out) but it was too cool for much swimming, but going in May would warm enough for swimming but catch the end of F&G.

 

[Dean]

Yes, we would actually have to book any travel for Jan through September (at home resort) for the next year before he has the approval so i need to be sure that i fully understand how rescheduling trips works. But we always have a pretty good idea of what will be available as all vacations are based on seniority and there is a typical pattern as to what fills up first vacation wise--spring break, july 4th and early/mid october. Its been a couple of years since any of the allowed vacation weeks were completely taken by the time he chose his weeks, things like holidays falling on a friday do typically mean the next week is already booked up, but we can anticipate that sort of thing. And as time passes and guys ahead of him retire, he moves up in seniority and we will worry less about him not getting a week that he wants for the following year. I don't think anything at all was full this past year and we will know in a few weeks if anything at all for next year is full.

I think it's workable if you plan well and consistently. SSR might be a better option if you're not looking at the AKV value rooms and want to try different resorts over time, AKV would be better only if you wanted to stay there routinely, IMO.

 

[Dean]

Can you explain this a bit more? I def prefer the extra bath at AKV vs SSR 1 bedroom. We have been to wdw in late Feb, late May, early September and early December and late May was the only time we really didn't love, but is the time we would choose again when taking the kids out of school gets harder--we are out mid may so would go immediately as school ends in an attempt to beat a bit of the summer rush. We would like to try November soon and with their 10 day long Thanksgiving break, could pull them out a couple of days and get in and out before Thanksgiving day, but we wouldn't be able to even book that at DVC until after he received vacation approval anyway.

This is all a bit too much info, isn't it??

Obviously there are a number of variables but here's some insight into my thinking. MOST new owners, even those with some stay experience, will not want the same resort every time. Plus in your situation you have risk of having to change a planned trip when you get your final vacation schedule and for the first portion of the next year, that will be at or after 7 months out where home resort makes no difference. Also your potential usage in terms of when is all over the place at this time. Getting a standard view or savannah view 1 BR at Kidani hasn't been an issue at 7 months out though there's no real guarantee. Ultimately it comes down to personal preference and risk tolerance. IMO as you've described it, you have little to almost no risk buying SSR for your stated plans compared to owning AKV. Assuming the same points, UY, etc the dues and buy in are the cost variables. SSR should be a little less up front but will definitely be less long term. The long term price difference is that AKV is likely to be roughly 25% more costly over the life of the RTU than SSR. The up front won't be that much difference for 100 points if all resale but long term difference in dues will be significant. Is that enough to justify a decision based partly on finances that creates some aggravation and minimal risk, you'll have to decide.