How Do You Manage Multiple DVC Resorts?

[BCVBRUCE]

I am considering an add-on. Perhaps AKV, maybe resale. I currently own BCV. Correct me if I am wrong, if you add-on another resort, you are pretty much locked into making reservations at the 7 month window vice the 11 month window. This is especially true if your intent when adding-on was to pool your points and vacation in a larger room or stay longer at one of your home resorts.

I guess you could make reservations at each of your home resorts at the 11 month point. However, once a year WDW trips is about all that is feasible.

Anyone having difficulties managing multiple resorts and multipe use years?

 

[wdw1972]

I have 4 different resorts, but all the same use year. In my case, I tend to use most of my BCV points specifically for BCV stays, and will be doing the same for my AKV points. I also book OKW at 11 months using those points....with many left over. I haven't made it back to HH for a few years, so right now I use those points plus the leftover OKW to book stays at resorts I don't own (BWV, SSR) at 7 months.

If I only made 1 trip per year, and owned most of my points at the resort I usually stay at and a smaller number at a different resort - I'd book the Sun-Thurs nights at 11 months and then add any Fri/Sat nights at 7 months using the other resort's points.

In fact, for 2007 I wasn't sure which week in Oct we'd be able to go for Food & Wine. I didn't have enough BCV points to book both trips at 11 months, so I booked the Sun-Thurs of each week, then booked the Fri/Sat at OKW. At 7 months it was easy to get BCV for the weekend, so I switched the reservation still using OKW points. Once I know which week we'll be there for (probably won't know til August, and getting anything at that point would be impossible) I'll cancel the nights I won't be using - someone on the waitlist will get them!

 

[Slakk]

I have 4 different resorts, but all the same use year. In my case, I tend to use most of my BCV points specifically for BCV stays, and will be doing the same for my AKV points. I also book OKW at 11 months using those points....with many left over. I haven't made it back to HH for a few years, so right now I use those points plus the leftover OKW to book stays at resorts I don't own (BWV, SSR) at 7 months.

If I only made 1 trip per year, and owned most of my points at the resort I usually stay at and a smaller number at a different resort - I'd book the Sun-Thurs nights at 11 months and then add any Fri/Sat nights at 7 months using the other resort's points.

In fact, for 2007 I wasn't sure which week in Oct we'd be able to go for Food & Wine. I didn't have enough BCV points to book both trips at 11 months, so I booked the Sun-Thurs of each week, then booked the Fri/Sat at OKW. At 7 months it was easy to get BCV for the weekend, so I switched the reservation still using OKW points. Once I know which week we'll be there for (probably won't know til August, and getting anything at that point would be impossible) I'll cancel the nights I won't be using - someone on the waitlist will get them!

I own at 4 as well...my HHI I use at HHI, my VWL get used at SSR and VWL and just bought AKV that will now become SSR/VWL/AKV stays. To round out I have 50 BCV which I use to supplement other stays or for a few days at SAB.

I travel off times usually (March/April for HHI and January for WDW) so I have never had an issue at the 7 month if need be. I am not choosy though so no worries for ANY stay. Right now I am depleted of VWL points for a family reunion so I am *stuck* with BCV and AKV points for the next 2 years....

 

[wildernessDad]

I guess you could make reservations at each of your home resorts at the 11 month point. However, once a year WDW trips is about all that is feasible.

You could bank one resort one year, and the other the next. Then take a larger vacation per year at one of your resorts.

 

[BCVBRUCE]

You could bank one resort one year, and the other the next. Then take a larger vacation per year at one of your resorts.

AHHHHHHHH! I am not worthy! That would work perfectly with two home resorts. Sometimes the easy answers are the hardest to come by.

Thanks

 

[Deb & Bill]

We own at three resorts. We use two or three yrs worth of points at VWL for Thanksgiving. And then we use two or three yrs worth of points at BCV for early June. The rest of the time we use our OKW for OKW. Occasionally we'll stay at SSR on our OKW points.

 

[ebenmax]

We are planning to buy at various resorts just for the 11 month window and to only stay at specific times of the year. We just bought 80pts. at BCV (and already had 200 at SSR.) Our plans are to use BCV every other year for a week at spring break and weekend during F&W only, so we will bank one year then use them the next. Our next plan is to add enough at VWL to book there every other T-giving or Chirstmas and only use them for those times.
We are using our SSR for any other trips we may take during the year, mainly summer.

HTH

Ellen

 

[JimC]

We have three resorts and two use years. Managing that is really no hassle at all, but we bought points at the other resorts for different trips so we have sufficient points in each contract to use the 11 month booking window if we choose to stay at our home resorts.

We do trade around but we do that with our OKW contract that holds the bulk of our points.

 

[Granny]

You could bank one resort one year, and the other the next. Then take a larger vacation per year at one of your resorts.

This is exactly what we do with our two contracts. They also have separate UYs and it is not particularly difficult to track them. If possible, it is great to get them about the same point size so you can take similar length vacations each year.

It has worked very well for us.

 

[robinb]

We have 2 separate contracts with two different Use Years (BWV-Aug, OKW-Sept) because we bought them both on the resale market. It's pretty easy to use our points, but I still have to think about each contract as a separate identity. The biggest disadvantage to two contracts is that I cannot combine points to use on a reservation within the 7-month window without doing a transfer to myself. Now, I have successfully booked a couple days with one contract and a couple days with the other contract and connected the two reservations. However, you can not use 5 points from one contract and 5 points from another contract and combine them for one day in a studio. If you have an add-on onto an existing contract (even at another resort) you can combine points in the 7 month window from both resorts to make a single reservation. This problem doesn't happen very often, but have wished that I could combine my points more than once.

 

[tink4ever]

We own the same amt of pts at both VWL and BCV with the same use year so since we don't mind switching resorts we have decided the best thing for us is to split the stay between both resorts. It will make us all happy since I love VWL and DH loves BCV and the kids love both.

 

[Cruelladeville]

I have two home resorts, and four major contracts, with three different use years, and I can't keep it straight which vacations are on which contracts, since we vacation several times a year. I bought these contracts originally with the idea that at Christmas I would use contract 3(the biggest one), summer would use contract 2, and spring break would use contract 1. Then I retired, and I am vacationing in all the times I couldn't before. I still vacation at Christmas--I stay two weeks now, and the rest of the times are in the fall, winter, and spring, when the points are lower. I also gave each of my kids a contract, and every year they dump their extra points back into my account for the Christmas trip...well,it's a lot of bookkeeping.

 

[robinb]

I have two home resorts, and four major contracts, with three different use years, and I can't keep it straight which vacations are on which contracts, si

nce we vacation several times a year.

I use a great program called "The DVC Point Manager" by David Fredrickson (http://hometown.aol.com/dmfredrick/Download.html). I track vacations, banking & borrowing with the program. It *looks* like you might even be able to add and track two use years at the same resort.

He has not updated it to include AKV yet, but it has all the others. I simply added my AKV contract numbers to my BWV contract information since it's an Add-On to BWV through DVC.

 

[BCVBRUCE]

We have 2 separate contracts with two different Use Years (BWV-Aug, OKW-Sept) because we bought them both on the resale market. It's pretty easy to use our points, but I still have to think about each contract as a separate identity. The biggest disadvantage to two contracts is that I cannot combine points to use on a reservation within the 7-month window without doing a transfer to myself. Now, I have successfully booked a couple days with one contract and a couple days with the other contract and connected the two reservations. However, you can not use 5 points from one contract and 5 points from another contract and combine them for one day in a studio. If you have an add-on onto an existing contract (even at another resort) you can combine points in the 7 month window from both resorts to make a single reservation. This problem doesn't happen very often, but have wished that I could combine my points more than once.

You have promted a question.

This is probably explained in my DVC literature, which can not be found at this time, but if I already own at BCV and I buy into AKV, is that an add-on to my existing contract or is that a complete and separate contract???

Are "add-ons" only available through DVC and available through the TSS?

 

[robinb]

This is probably explained in my DVC literature, which can not be found at this time, but if I already own at BCV and I buy into AKV, is that an add-on to my existing contract or is that a complete and separate contract???

Are "add-ons" only available through DVC and available through the TSS?

An add-on though DVC would be connected to your BCV contract. If you buy one though the TSS it would not be connected.

 

[LIFERBABE]

We have 2 separate contracts with two different Use Years (BWV-Aug, OKW-Sept) because we bought them both on the resale market. It's pretty easy to use our points, but I still have to think about each contract as a separate identity. The biggest disadvantage to two contracts is that I cannot combine points to use on a reservation within the 7-month window without doing a transfer to myself. Now, I have successfully booked a couple days with one contract and a couple days with the other contract and connected the two reservations. However, you can not use 5 points from one contract and 5 points from another contract and combine them for one day in a studio. If you have an add-on onto an existing contract (even at another resort) you can combine points in the 7 month window from both resorts to make a single reservation. This problem doesn't happen very often, but have wished that I could combine my points more than once.

Totally Agree! This is my biggest problem too. Also, with all the new MS reps, it is getting harder to manage multiple UY's. The old reps were well versed, the new ones rely on supervisors when it comes to the more complicated transactions like using 2 UY's to book 1 ressie. The waitlist is another issue, you need to waitlist the right UY with the points. If your waitlist comes thru and you dont have the points, you cant just use your other points to book it, you have to have a waitlist come thru on each UY in order to use their points.