New member question

[ParsonWedding]

Hi! We just purchased 210 points at GFV with a December use year. What is the best way to keep track of points? I’m trying to plan some trips and I’m no sure if I’d have enough points.
We will get 210 points in December. Then looking at using 63 points in January 2024. Then in October 2024 we will be using 411. For that trip I believe we will already be borrowing from the following use year. So that wouldn’t work out?
I’m a visual person so if anyone has any spreadsheets or anything that would help me I’d greatly appreciate it !

 

[nanilani]

Following...I love a good spreadsheet!

 

[Genie+]

Dec 2023 - Dec 2024	210	Jan 2024 -63pts	Balance 147pts
(Borrow 2024 points)	147 + 210 = 357pts	Oct 2024 -411pts	not enough, 54pts short
Dec 2024 - Dec 2025	210

 

[lilsonicfan]

A December UY can be difficult to visualize but I would suggest setting up your spreadsheet as follows - leave spaces for any trips you want to book.

Dec 1, 2023 to Nov 30, 2024
Dec 1, 2023	Points Loaded 210
Jan 10, 2024-Jan 12, 2024	Booked at VGF: 63 points	Remaining: 147 pts
Oct 15, 2024-Oct 22, 2024	Booking at VGF: 411 points	147 - 411 = -264 pts Borrow from 2024 UY: 210 pts 210 - 264 = -54 pts **need to change trip
Dec 1, 2024 to Nov 30, 2025
Dec 1, 2024	Points Loaded 210 (or 0 if fully borrowed)

 

[RichVIII]

As a Dec UY owner, it took me a few years to figure it out. And even moments now (7 years later) I still at moment struggle as I am constantly borrowing.

 

[Genie+]

As a Dec UY owner, it took me a few years to figure it out. And even moments now (7 years later) I still at moment struggle as I am constantly borrowing.

Even with our Sept UY I’m often reminding DH those points go through most of the next year.

We have May booked and he keeps thinking those are using our 2024 points. Nope! We didn’t borrow, those points are 2023’s Still have all of 2024’s and can also borrow 2025’s for trips after Sept 1, 2024.

 

[Sandisw]

I do try to keep it simple and just always start with the UY of the trip…and go from there. All trips can be booked with banked points from the UY prior, UY of, and borrow points for the UY after,

Both your trips take place in your 2023 UY…since you have no banked 2022 points, you have 210 2023 points and up to 210 points to borrow from your 2024 UY to book those trips, giving you a total of 420.

As others have shared, you will not have enough to book the trips you want so something will have to be amended,

And, just be aware that borrowing points from a Dec UY for an Oct trip can be very risky. If you had to change or cancel that trip, you would have very little time to use the borrowed points as they will expire November 30th, 2024.

 

[DanCali]

Here is another "new member" question!

When I go through the process of modifying a reservation, it asks you to select travel party, dates and resorts. However, Aulani, VGC, and VDH are grayed out and cannot be selected. Why does that happen?

For what it's worth I see this for both 7 and 11 month reservations, and I only see this when "modifying" a not when making a new reservation, and it happens with both resale and direct points. The exception to what I see below is that if I modify an Aulani reservation, then everything is grayed out except for Aulani. In that case, I can't select a WDW or CA resort at all.

 

[Sandisw]

Here is another "new member" question!

When I go through the process of modifying a reservation, it asks you to select travel party, dates and resorts. However, Aulani, VGC, and VDH are grayed out and cannot be selected. Why does that happen?

For what it's worth I see this for both 7 and 11 month reservations, and I only see this when "modifying" a not when making a new reservation, and it happens with both resale and direct points. The exception to what I see below is that if I modify an Aulani reservation, then everything is grayed out except for Aulani. In that case, I can't select a WDW or CA resort at all.

View attachment 794176

I do not know the exact reason but they don’t let you modify reservation to those places online. You need to call.

 

[DanCali]

I do not know the exact reason but they don’t let you modify reservation to those places online. You need to call.

Piqued my curiosity so I called...

They said it's a "feature, not a bug". Basically, I was told that you cannot modify a stay from one "region" to another with WDW, CA, and HI all being separate "regions". Another way to think about it is that if a resort you are trying to modify into uses a different App than the resort you're confirmed at, it will be grayed out. That's why for Aulani reservations all resorts are grayed out if you try to modify. You have to cancel the reservation and rebook at the other resort, rather than modify.

 

[lilsonicfan]

Piqued my curiosity so I called...

They said it's a "feature, not a bug". Basically, I was told that you cannot modify a stay from one "region" to another with WDW, CA, and HI all being separate "regions". Another way to think about it is that if a resort you are trying to modify into uses a different App than the resort you're confirmed at, it will be grayed out. That's why for Aulani reservations all resorts are grayed out if you try to modify. You have to cancel the reservation and rebook at the other resort, rather than modify.

There’s a small warning about this when you go to modify a reservation, something about other “resort destinations” not being available if you modify, but you can call so presumably MS could do it if you needed to and didn’t want to mess with points.

 

[D-Trick]

Additionally, it's just an accident waiting to happen. It would only be a matter of time before someone "accidentally" changes their reservation from Non-Poly WDW to Aulani, thinking they were booking Poly.

You might say "no one is that dumb" but I work with the general public and let me tell you...

 

[sjdrr1313]

But if I have an A

I do not know the exact reason but they don’t let you modify reservation to those places online. You need to c

I do not know the exact reason but they don’t let you modify reservation to those places online. You need to call.

But if I have an Aulani reservation, I can modify it to a new Aulani reservation, to change dates or view, without calling, right?

 

[DanCali]

But if I have an Aulani reservation, I can modify it to a new Aulani reservation, to change dates or view, without calling, right?

Yes. You can modify online if's it's in the same geographic area. Orlando--> Orlando (any resort), DL-->DL, Hawaii--> Hawaii

 

[sjdrr1313]

Yes. You can modify online if's it's in the same geographic area. Orlando--> Orlando (any resort), DL-->DL, Hawaii--> Hawaii

Everything went through this morning and I guess I was the lucky one with the fastest fingers and Internet connection! I was able to modify my dates and I'm all booked for 4th of July in Hawaii