Pros and Cons of December UY?

[DisneyRunner2009]

We are interested in a December UY. Before we take the plunge, I'd like to hear from you (the people in the know). Our travel plans would include a trip in early/mid December, a February trip to break up winter and a spring trip, maybe April. Thank you.

 

[princesscinderella]

It sounds like from your preferred travel times a Dec UY would be perfect for you. Just know that if you travel in the fall before December those points used would be past your banking window and you would have to use them or lose them by Nov 30th. I have a Feb UY but go to Disney year round so it didn’t really matter to me which one I got. I do like that the end of January is typically a slow time so if I do have points to burn last minute I can usually find availability. The fall however is the busiest time for DVC so it potentially is harder to get a last minute reservation.

 

[4luv2cdisney]

Best to pick a UY that has you traveling only within your banking window. Sounds like you know that.

Pros: Dec UY seems to be one of the most easy to obtain via resale. Even if you're buying direct, most members find themselves with add-on-itis at some point and many choose resale for adding on.

Looks like you're not revolving aroung school breaks. So, if you don't have kids now, but may in the future, Dec means your banking window is open thru July and some families find it easier to travel in the summer when the kids are school age. (future flexibility)


Cons: You plan on traveling early Dec like the rest of the members (lol) and may find yourself needing to walk a room at some point in your life but you can't really start walking until Dec 1. Or if you're simply wanting to arrive on Nov 30th because of how the days fall on the calendar in a particular year, crossing UY's means 2 reservations, and leaving some points subject to a complete loss in the event of a need to cancel.

Don't know if the Cons are that big of a deal. I have an Oct UY and while I find it ideal because Thanksgiving is our most frequent visiting time, I find it a bit limited in terms of finding resale contracts for add-ons. Flip side.... if you need to sell, it's likely to go fast. So, since Oct is your next logical choice, consider yourself warned! lol

 

[happythoughts & pixiedust]

Good point about walking and/or crossing use years. Can anyone illuminate the mechanics of walking across a use year? I would think you'd have to call in to do that...

The plus side of that situation (a res that spans use years) is the potential to use 4x your contract points for a single stay - banked/current year in Nov. and then current year/borrowed for the Dec portion.

 

[eandt]

I am sure there is a thread on here somewhere but what is "walking" ?

 

[chalee94]

I am sure there is a thread on here somewhere but what is "walking" ?

What is walking a reservation? | The DIS Disney Discussion Forums - DISboards.com

 

[CarolMN]

Pros: Lots of December use year contracts out there, so supply is generally good if you want to purchase additional points via resale. Also, the banking deadline for December use years is the following July 31, so there is time to bank if you cannot reuse the points from a cancelled trip prior to their expiration.
Use Year Distribution Charts (Updated February 2018)

Cons: Your early December trips COULD be hard to book, even at 11 months. That depends on the resort and the villa size/view you plan to book. (August, September & October use years would work for your described travel pattern and allow you a better shot at booking the "hard-to-book" villas at 11 months). If you ever decide you want to travel more often in the Fall, December is a very bad use year.

 

[Marionnette]

Good point about walking and/or crossing use years. Can anyone illuminate the mechanics of walking across a use year? I would think you'd have to call in to do that...

The plus side of that situation (a res that spans use years) is the potential to use 4x your contract points for a single stay - banked/current year in Nov. and then current year/borrowed for the Dec portion.

I made a reservation that crosses my Dec UY for the very first time this year. It did require calling Member Services to accomplish it. The hardest part was ensuring that I had a handle on the number of points needed for the November part of the stay and then banking points into Dec 2021 for the remainder of the trip.

 

[chalee94]

The plus side of that situation (a res that spans use years) is the potential to use 4x your contract points for a single stay - banked/current year in Nov. and then current year/borrowed for the Dec portion.

The downside is that the points used in November are at the very end of your UY and well after your banking window closes. So if you have to cancel for some reason, those points are at extra risk of being lost into the void for zero value.

 

[RoseGold]

I would go with Aug/Sep/Oct UY for early December travel. Between the three of those, you should be able to find a contract that works.

December can be tough to book and require walking.

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

We like to go in December and we frequently go in the Spring for Spring Training Baseball. December Use Year is perfect for us. Although, now that the grandkids are getting to be school age, it is harder to fit our big trips into those slots. So pick what is best, but know that your needs may change over time.