If you own more than one cantract, do you keep same use year?

[Camping Griswalds]

We have a Feb use yeer, and its not what we wanted at all. Our guide knew we vacationed in January every year, so it was a mistake. When I caught it once home, it was too late to switch. So if we buy another add on, will we be stuck with the same use year? Will it be better to have 2 different months or not? If we have 2 different months, we can't use all of the points combined from both contracts to book can we?

 

[twinklebug]

We have a Feb use yeer, and its not what we wanted at all. Our guide knew we vacationed in January every year, so it was a mistake. When I caught it once home, it was too late to switch. So if we buy another add on, will we be stuck with the same use year? Will it be better to have 2 different months or not? If we have 2 different months, we can't use all of the points combined from both contracts to book can we?

You are correct: all add-ons to this contract will have the same use year as the original. Per my guide: DVC would sell you a new contract with a new use year and contract # to go with it, but you won't get any benefits such as combining points unless you use the 1 x per calendar year to transfer in/out per contract nor will you be able to buy in at less than the minimum for the new contract or any special pricing for existing members.

DVC gives us 30 days to back out of a contract - are you outside this window? Use year is not that big of a deal to many folk, but in your case, and my own, it is.

 

[Chuck S]

If you buy an add-on from Disney, it will be the same use year...you'll need to do resale to get an add-on with a different use year. They will be totally separate memberships, points can not be combined without using your annual transfer for both memberships. If you do not transfer, points can not be combined for any single night, you can make some nights of the reservation with one membership, and other nights with the second membership, but then they have to be linked unless you want to risk moving during your stay.

The only problem with trying to buy a use year to meet your specific travel habits is that for most people, vacation habits usually change over time. You may be traveling in January now, but will you still be traveling in January 5 or 10 years from now?

 

[Camping Griswalds]

We called our guide about 20 days after signing ( last January) and the contract was already complete. He said our only option was to sell and then re-buy. Honestly i was so happy that hubby finally agree to buy DVC, that I wasn't going to be bringing up this snafu. We go every January because our kids have a week off from school the last week in January. Our youngest is 5, so basically yes, for the next 13 years (14 at signing) we will vacation at that time. Maybe not always Disney, but if its Disney, it will be then. It only really matters if we have to cancel, which we have not ever had to, but it does sting a bit still.

So if I do this add on promo of 100 points, it will definately be a February use year right? That might make me wait a bit.

 

[Dizny Dad]

Why is a Feb. UY bad if vacationing in January? Eleven month windows and seven month windows work the same. Planning ahead and borrowing from the next UY is how that would work. CMs at member services help in working out point use.

DVC is definately a planning environment; deciding what you want to do and when a few weeks out will never work well with DVC. Our guide (Steve Tinn) was very explicid in explaining the need to plan our vacations during the initial contract sales discussion. Guides should be required to discuss that issue.

 

[twinklebug]

Hi Dizny Dad!

If anything were to happen at the last minute to that Jan trip and they needed to cancel then the time remaining to use those points before they expire would be minimal.

I have a December Use year and vacation in any of: Dec, Feb, July & August. It works out well because if I ever need to cancel due to anything I still have until Dec 1st to use or loose those points whether they're in holding or normal point status.

 

[Chuck S]

So if I do this add on promo of 100 points, it will definately be a February use year right? That might make me wait a bit.

That may depend upon resort. For a while DVC was allowing new memberships at AKV with 100 point contracts.

 

[chalee94]

Why is a Feb. UY bad if vacationing in January?

for a feb UY contract, the banking window closes sept 30th. if you have to cancel your jan vacation 2-3 months in advance, you have a very short period to figure out how to use those pts or else lose them on jan 31. rebooking on such short notice is pretty iffy as well.

OTOH, if you had to cancel a feb vacation 2-3 months in advance with a feb UY, you have a lot more time and more options to make new plans, including banking the pts into the next UY if needed.

 

[Dizny Dad]

Hi Twinklebug . . .


I agree with the problems that can arrise. As said, owning DVC means lots of planning ahead, and is certainly not an instant vacation plan.

When we first jumped in, we had no choice of UY, and did not even consider resale. We knew going in that some years we will leave points behind due to illness (DD), or unfortunate business interuptions (me), but it was the best suited plan available for what we wanted to do - Disney!

Keep your eyes on the prize, and you won't see the rocks on the road. Good luck to all and enjoy the ride.

 

[Silly Little Pixie]

We called our guide about 20 days after signing ( last January) and the contract was already complete. He said our only option was to sell and then re-buy. Honestly i was so happy that hubby finally agree to buy DVC, that I wasn't going to be bringing up this snafu. We go every January because our kids have a week off from school the last week in January. Our youngest is 5, so basically yes, for the next 13 years (14 at signing) we will vacation at that time. Maybe not always Disney, but if its Disney, it will be then. It only really matters if we have to cancel, which we have not ever had to, but it does sting a bit still.

Yeah, well, don't *always* count on the school calendar staying the same! We bought in with an October UY because we vacation every November. I teach in the same district where my kids attend, and for the last 14 years we have had a break at that time. I had already planned for our DCL cruise Thanksgiving week and AKV the week before, as usual. The calendar for 10-11 was published last fall.

Guess who's school board very quietly 2 weeks ago changed the school calendar -starting this fall, eliminating the November break - with no input from staff or parents?! So now I find myself having to take a week off from work and the kids out of school for a week BECAUSE I'M NOT MISSING MY TRIP!

Sigh- just sayin', like you we bought a specific UY due to the calendar which was pretty well set in stone for forever and a day. And now we find ourselves stuck. Grrrrr! But we will make it work. Even my DH (initially reluctant DVC purchaser as well) is so excited to go back to AKV, he doesn't care that I am going to have to miss work and the kids miss school!

OP, good luck!