Question about home resort

[Kmedders]

Hi! I have two questions -

1 - how much does your home resort really matter? When purchasing,should you look for the one that makes the most economic sense or should it be based on the home resort of your liking?

2 - how important is the contract year? If your year starts in February but you go in May each year, will that really cause issues?

 

[Marionnette]

Hi! I have two questions -

1 - how much does your home resort really matter? When purchasing,should you look for the one that makes the most economic sense or should it be based on the home resort of your liking?

2 - how important is the contract year? If your year starts in February but you go in May each year, will that really cause issues?

1. For some, it matters a lot. For others, who don’t mind accepting whatever is available at 7 months, it doesn’t matter much at all. There are some resorts, that if you want to stay there in a studio, you pretty much need to own there and book at 11-7 months. CCV basically all year, BWV for standard views, BC particularly during F&W, VGF most of the year, AKV value and club level villas of all sizes. Conventional advice is to purchase where you won’t mind staying, book at 11-7 months, and the switch to another resort you would prefer to stay at when the 7-month window opens.

2. A March or April UY is ideal for someone who typically travels in May, but February is fine as well. You want to choose a UY that falls shortly before when you usually travel. But keep in mind that lifestyles change and while May is your preferred time of travel now, December could be a favorite 10-15 years from now.

 

[Spinster Travel]

Hi! I have two questions -

1 - how much does your home resort really matter? When purchasing,should you look for the one that makes the most economic sense or should it be based on the home resort of your liking?

2 - how important is the contract year? If your year starts in February but you go in May each year, will that really cause issues?

1 - Your home resort matters in that you may book there 11 months in advance and everywhere else you may book 7 months in advance. If you never book more than 7 months before a trip, than No, home resort might not matter for you. For my purchase, I went with the idea that if I could book nowhere but my home resort, I wanted it to be one that I loved, so for me it was the Poly. That is not an ideal resort for everyone though as it only has studios and bungalows. The lack of a 1 Bedroom is a deal breaker for some buyers. The studios eat up a lot of points in any given reservation and the bungalows are flat out crazy point-eaters. However, I don't have kids and the studios are fine for me. I want to be either on or near the monorail, so I also considered Boulder Ridge primarily based on the fact that the price per point is good and the rooms don't eat up a lot of points either. I may still buy there!

2 - Because I travel several times a year to WDW, I initially didn't think my Use Year mattered much, but after some research I figured it mattered more than I thought. While I fully intend to use all of my points each year, I know there will be times when I may not and want to be able to book any unused points for the following year. Because I never travel in the summer months (again no kids), I picked a Use Year based on when I would need to bank the points. For me, I picked a September UY. That gives me until April 30th to use those points or bank them. If you plan on going in May of each year, than I'd suggest an April UY as you'll have until November 30th to bank any unused points.

Good Luck!

 

[Sandisw]

Buy a home resort you are okay staying at if you can’t move to other ones at 7 months, If the one that fits the most economical for you is it, then great. If not, then it may not be worth the savings in the long run if you become frustrated.

UY has really become more important than ever now with what happened with COVID, Having a UY that starts before you typically travel simply gives you extra insurance if you need to cancel or change a trip...or, as we found out, if the trip gets canceled by forces beyond your control,

No UY will cover all months, but strategic purchasing can be useful.

 

[sethschroeder]

how much does your home resort really matter?

Put it this way over the course of the next 30 years would you rather have to hope that your 1st choice is there at 7 months, likely not get it always, have to book a different resort?

OR

Would you prefer the next 30 years you get the same resort that you like the best with little issue being able to book at 11 months also allowing you the best chance at the "cheap" rooms at that specific resort?

The difference is at most $5k-$10k or $166-$333/year extra to have priority at the resort if you are buying 100-200 points (which is pretty normal contract sizes). If we are talking about something like SSR vs BLT its more like $3k-$6k or $100-$200/yr extra to be able to just book BLT and make plans and possibly get the Standard or Theme Park Views instead of being left with Lake View.

 

[Deb & Bill]

It is getting harder to change to another resort at seven months out. Once this Covid stuff is over, there will be lots of points just dying to book a stay. Buy a resort that you like, one that you don't mind staying if you can't change it at seven months out. Buy the one that has the type of lodging you prefer, the location you prefer, the look you prefer, the amenities you prefer. If you could never change to another resort, where would you buy? My of our points are OKW and we really love it there. Right now for five trips, we only have one at OKW because we've been able to book a bunch of other resorts we haven't stayed at in years, BWV, BCV, SSR. But more than likely, next year's points will be booking at OKW.