How far out have you planned?

[WolfpackFan]

I'm just curious - how far out (like future years) do you plan your DVC trips. For example, we get our first points next April. We are planning on going home the first-time Christmas 2004 and staying at VWL. Then with our April 2005 points I hope we can spend a week at HHI Summer 2005. Then with our April 2006 points I was envisioning an exchange down in the Caribbean (or possibly Hawaii). Then with our April 2007 points, I'm thinking 10 days back down at WDW. And depending upon points (and whether I buy the add-on I'm hoping to do) there might be several mini-trips to HHI and/or WDW in there.

Is this crazy to be thinking this long-range? Does anyone else do this?

 

[WDWLVR]

We have tentative plans going into 2005. With all plans they are subject to change. All our planning doing revolve around DVC but it is a big part of it.

We are doing WDW this December, AKL Concierge next May, the 10 day DCL Christmas Cruise next December, and hopefully on to Hawaii in early 2005. Hawaii was supposed to be in 2004, but when the Christmas cruise came up we really wanted to do it and we will have some new options vacation wise in Hawaiii in 2005 (not using points).

The me planning is a lot of fun and I enjoy writing down what ifs and such.

 

[bicker]

I typically plan use of my points about 14-15 months prior. However, I never plan on using my points at any place other than my home resorts (or via exchanges) that early: You can't know whether or not there will be enough availability. So I typically plan on using my points at my home resorts, and then, just before the seven month point, I consider whether or not I'd prefer to switch to another resort.

 

[TnRobin]

Lets see - WDW this October. Hilton Head next May. The 10 day cruise Xmas 2004 with WDWLVR and MarkRG. These are all booked.

Tentative plans are being formulated for 2005.

Like Mary and Mark we have put a 2004 Hawaii vacation on hold. (Although my potential Hawaii exchange person wants to up the ante with a 2BR Hawaii for a 1BR DVC - I love these kinds of decisions)

 

[ryley26]

we also just joined and dont get points till feb. we are calling in sept for 5 days aug 2004. we also know were going june 2005 for 11days with family in two studios. we are taking 2006 off due to prior plans and we will have no vacations left. guees maybe were a liitle crazy but love thinking about disney and vacation. my dd says i drive her nuts with my disney count downs.lol

 

[WolfpackFan]

Originally posted by ryley26
my dd says i drive her nuts with my disney count downs.lol

I love it. So I'm not the only one. On our computer at home (and mine at work), I have three countdowns going - 1) our Alaska family cruise next June (338 days), 2) our first trip home to VWL (536 days) and 3) the best one - the day I retire - June 1, 2005 (691 days). Our 23 yo DD and even my DW just love to make fun of my countdowns. They keep saying what is he going to add next? They've even told our friends and the friends even give me a hard time. But I don't care - half the fun of these trips is planning them and dreaming about future vacations.

 

[deerh]

Wolfpack,
We think alike. We are planning on taking my bro and sil to WDW next June 04, and planning 05 as a 25 year anniversary to dw, and leaning toward DCL cruise, carribean. We just added on 100 pts to BWV, so 290 pts/yr will get a 1BR or 2 BR in the carribean with pts left over.
It is fun planning!
I do agree with other posters that the "best bang for the points" may NOT be with a II exchange, but I am not the "Dean" of renting points! (Pun intended for Dean). I am not at that point yet. It is fun to plan however!
DeerH

 

[joepoe]

We always plan way ahead and make sure we finagle it with work way in advance to prevent any issues. We plan at 11 month windows to get standard view 2BR at BWV for Spring Break and OKW 2BR at around August 14th. (Just when the points change). DW parents are also letting us use their Marriott timeshare on Kauai in December. That also was planned a year out.

Then there are the times when we have enough points left over to do a 4 or 5 day trip. We tend to plan those only within 30-90 days of departure. Right now we are in a borrowing mode, so if we took a year or so off from our DVC trips to do other things, it would be no big. (can't imagine why!)

 

[donald@home]

2003
October- Westin St. John
December- Beach Club Villas (wait list for VWL)

2004
February- OKW
May- Westin St. John
October- OKW and Vero (one week each)

2005
Spring- 7 night Disney cruise
Fall- Westin St. John
December- WDW (not sure where yet)

2006
Spring - One week London, One week Disneyland Paris
Fall - Westin St. John

Everything from 2005 on is subject to change, but this is the plan as of now.

 

[SamS]

I hope to retire from teaching at the end of the 2005-2006 school year. Although we don't know what specifically we will do, we're definitely planning a long "off-season" (maybe October or November) visit to WDW. We hope to buy a few more points about that time, and maybe take a Disney Cruise, although it seems that many of you don't view that as an economical use of points. Am I right in thinking that? I picked up a Disney Cruise brochure on our first trip "home", but have yet to sit down and do an actual point-to-dollar comparison.

 

[WolfpackFan]

Originally posted by SamS
We hope to buy a few more points about that time, and maybe take a Disney Cruise, although it seems that many of you don't view that as an economical use of points. Am I right in thinking that?

Reason folks say that is that the point values required to do a cruise are alot more than if you just went out and paid cash for the cruise. Go to cruisesonly.com or bestbuycruises.com or even orbitz.com and get an online quote for a Disney cruise and compare that against the points required if using DVC points multiplied by 10 which is what you would get if you rented your points out. You'll find the quote alot less than if you used the points. Now of course this does mean you would have to go to the trouble of renting your points, but from reading here that doesn't seem to be very hard to do. Having said all that we do have friends that have sailed twice on points and didn't think twice about doing it.

 

[eagle29]

donald@home...have you stayed at the Westin - St. John and do you have any of those future dates reserved? If so, have you done this thru DVC exchanges. I am very interested in visiting there in the near future...Thanks

 

[donald@home]

eagle- I just sent you a PM.

Donald

 

[deerh]

Donald:
I too am interested in going to St.John by using DVC pts thru II. Please let me know if you like it, stayed there, pros and cons of Westin. It looks real nice on the westin web site!
Thanks
Deer H