Newbie w/questions re multiple contracts (direct/resale combo).

[chalee94]

Thanks for all the great info and discussion.
Here's another question - what is considered a "good" Use Year generally? Is it generally a year that allows you to book 11 months out from the busy/holiday season?

UY has nothing at all to do with when you call to book.

i might have an oct UY and you might buy a feb UY...if we wanted to book our home resort for Dec 2015, January is still 11 months out for both of us.

booking is based on your home resort and only that.

Or is it completely "to each their own" when it comes to Use Year?

it is completely personal. you ideally want to travel early in your UY and you never want to travel in the last few months of your UY. that is because your banking window closes 8 months after the start of your UY and that can be an issue if you need to cancel. a good UY can help you avoid losing pts in the event that you have to cancel a reservation.

i have an oct UY because i like traveling in nov/dec and hate traveling in the summer - july-aug-sept in orlando is too hot for me. but oct would be a bad UY for a family who traveled mainly in the summer.

but if you never have to cancel, then UY will never be a big factor.

RCI?

i have another timeshare that i bought for $1 on ebay - annual dues work out to less than $350 per year. i use DVC for onsite stays but when i want to stay at a timeshare that is not onsite at wdw, that is the one that i use for a trade. buying DVC to trade out is crazy expensive - like buying a lexus but constantly trading it out for a kia. there are a handful of trades that have a decent value (hawaii mainly IMO) and if it suits your plans, trading is a nice option to have. but DVC is just too pricey to buy in with a plan to trade.

 

[nalajms]

Or is it completely "to each their own" when it comes to Use Year?

Depends on the time of year you expect to vacation. There's a thread somewhere about UY, might help.

Also, it seems that most folks here don't regularly use the RCI or Concierge collection and are focused on the DVC resorts.

What's left in the Concierge collection???? I looked into it a couple of years ago. The point cost of a regular room at Yacht Club would have been more than a night in a 1bd at BCV. I'd rather take the kitchen and in-room laundry than a regular hotel room! It only comes in handy when you've skipped Disney a year or 2 and have lots of expiring points that you don't want to bother renting out.

You can often find RCI rentals on various timeshare auction/rental sites. It's like the cruises, you'd probably get more money renting your DVC points out and paying cash for an RCI rental.

 

[disneynutz]

DVC advertises all of the wonderful vacation destinations where your points can be used, but in reality IMO Disney doesn't want you to use them outside of DVC resorts. They add a restriction here, extra points required there and even a $95 booking fee to deter you even further.

Disney is in the business to make money, along with that we get some enjoyable vacations but they continue to push and push to increase profit, unfortunately this can have a negative affect on the Guest experience.

DVC is all about making direct sales and they will continue to come up with ways to push buyers away from resales.

Bill

 

[supersnoop]

I spoke with a direct rep three days ago. He was still talking about how the limited RCI benefit gave access to the "good" properties. So, this just opens up opportunities to trade for less desirable resorts?