Planning Madness

[lumpydj]

Does anyone do a 5/7/10 year plan for their points? We just purchased an add-on at BCV and our original purchase was AKV – so now we have points at both. Because I’m a planning freak and want to make sure we get the most out of our points without losing many, I came up with a spreadsheet where I can plan out my banking/borrowing/using of points from the 2 different contracts. Because we have the same UY for both contracts, it’s easier to keep track of. I also wanted to make sure that we bank/borrow within each contract to be sure we can take advantage of the 11 month window for our full vacation. Doesn’t always work out that way, but I think we’ve maximized our options. I have different plans so we still have options and are not stuck with one plan. In addition, when I go to make a ressie, I can tell MS how to take my points and be exact - which points from which contract and UY. Then I can verify back to my spreadsheet to make sure MS did as I asked. I know it's not perfect because of the point reallocations and I'm basing all of this off 2011 points (except for the 2010 vacations), but it's a start... What do you all think? Am I nuts? My whole family thinks I am, but it’s the only way I can get my OCD brain around this – having multiple home resorts and contracts… What do all of you do (if as OCD as I am )?

 

[wdrl]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who suffers from this affliction. Like you, we have two home resorts (BLT and AKV) with one UY (February, in our case). We have only one active trip pending, but we have two family gatherings tentatively scheduled for June 2011 and June 2013. Also like you, we use the spreadsheet to track whether we are using banked or current year points to fund a specific reservation. I've found it helpful to color code my spreadsheet to differentiate between completed trips, pending trips, and tentatively scheduled trips. Complicating our situation is that my sister just joined the DVC and I find myself tracking her points as well. To me, its all part of the fun of belonging to the DVC.

 

[ToddyLu]

More DVC planning freaks, I want to be your leader!! DH and I just bought at AKV in June 2009. We have had one trip home last Nov. We are going this Dec. I told DH to plan for 2 trips in 2011. We will see if we can do it. I have started using my excel spreadsheet for my Dec trip. Ah, the joys of plugging stuff in those boxes. The joy of knowing exactly where we will be eating each day (we try to just plan TS meals, maybe one a day). The exhilarating feeling of knowing your park hours 6 months in advance and being able to buy MVMCP tickets in May.

 

[robertdangelo]

Planners get the most out of DVC & WDW! My wife is a "go with the flow" type of person. She now understands and appreciates why we have to do what we do.. booking at 11 months and ADR's at 180 days.
I always plan ahead 2-3 years, so as to use every point. I like to say: "No point left behind"!

 

[edk35]

WOW..... I like to plan but I have never done anything like that. We own at two resorts too. I probably don't get the best use out of our points. LOL We just GO.....sometimes we use discounted cash nights on weekends to stretch a trip. YOU ARE GOOD.

 

[AndriaRose]

My spreadsheet is for 2 resorts, same UY, contains conditional formatting to highlight "must use" for banked points and "look-out" conditions for unused expiring points, and is set up to domino changes so I can see how proposed vacas will affect future points. It also keeps track of DGDs and DHs annual age increases.

I got bored around year 2028, and stopped speculating on possible vaca choices, so I found a perpetual calander template and began adding in conditional formatting so I can forecast what each future year's likely seasonal breakdown will be. I am such a geeky old grandma.

 

[pwiedower]

Like everyone else on this thread I like to plan my Disney vacations. I normally have a summary spreadsheet (dates, ADRs, Park of the day) then I create a more detailed itinerary we print out 2 or 3 copies and laminate for during our vacation. One gets hung somewhere in our villa then others we carry with us. I also keep a copy on my iPhone just in case. I also have a points spreadsheet which links to each individual summary vacation sheet. We just signed up for our first Owner's Locker so I have a separate spreadsheet listing the items I want to put in there and based on suggestions from another thread I also include quantities and expiration dates.

Whew!

 

[Inkmahm]

I have an excel spreadsheet for DVC as we own at THREE different resorts, all with the same UY. I have vactions planned out on this spreadsheet by day, by resort for the next 4 or 5 years. It also helps me keep track of borrowed and banked points to make sure I don't let any points expire.

For each trip to WDW, I have a separate excel spreadsheet with tabs. One tab is for activities and ADRs by day, then plane reservations, car reservations, villa reservations, and finally my master listing of ticket numbers with # of days left on each/card membership numbers/etc.

 

[Jason@dvcstore]

Does anyone do a 5/7/10 year plan for their points? We just purchased an add-on at BCV and our original purchase was AKV – so now we have points at both. Because I’m a planning freak and want to make sure we get the most out of our points without losing many, I came up with a spreadsheet where I can plan out my banking/borrowing/using of points from the 2 different contracts. Because we have the same UY for both contracts, it’s easier to keep track of. I also wanted to make sure that we bank/borrow within each contract to be sure we can take advantage of the 11 month window for our full vacation. Doesn’t always work out that way, but I think we’ve maximized our options. I have different plans so we still have options and are not stuck with one plan. In addition, when I go to make a ressie, I can tell MS how to take my points and be exact - which points from which contract and UY. Then I can verify back to my spreadsheet to make sure MS did as I asked. I know it's not perfect because of the point reallocations and I'm basing all of this off 2011 points (except for the 2010 vacations), but it's a start... What do you all think? Am I nuts? My whole family thinks I am, but it’s the only way I can get my OCD brain around this – having multiple home resorts and contracts… What do all of you do (if as OCD as I am )?

I think you should turn this into a phone application and charge $1.99 for it. I bet you would get a lot of people that would use it.

Jason

 

[DizGirl20]

I think you should turn this into a phone application and charge $1.99 for it. I bet you would get a lot of people that would use it.

Jason

TOTALLY!!! I am OK with the computer but wouldn't even know how to begin to attempt something like this. I would pay for it!

 

[disney ny]

I think I have finally found people like me. I always knew you all were out there somewhere. I am not an organizer or a planner at all EXCEPT for Disney. I am a crazy person with planning etc. I even once made my Mom and sister sit through an "orientation" before our trip, where I showed video and gave them prizes for knowing answers. Outsiders just don't understand!!

 

[Tiger926]

I love to plan too, but we don't borrow at all. We have had family emergencies the past few years, and have lost points, so we only use our points each year. We do bank though, but only if we make sure that we absolutely won't be making any changes.

Cool spreadsheet, but it makes my head hurt as I am math challenged - LOL! Tiger

 

[jujashmom]

You are not alone...we just added on VGC and I have planned our points out for trips over the next 6 years