Questions about DVC

[mtdewhead]

We are just about to buy 150 OKW points from the Timeshare store. If we decide that we need more points down the road and we buy points at another resort, can you combine the two point totals and how does that work with respect to "home resort reservations" (11 months, etc.) Do you have 11 months reservation priority at both resorts or only for the amount of days you can afford with the points you have for that particular resort.(Does that make sense?) Any other unthought of suggestions would be appreciated also. We have done the DVC tour, and we are familiar with how it all works, however, there may be unknown things lurking out there...

 

[PamOKW]

You only have the 11 month advantage for the points at the particular resort. If you have 150 OKW points and 50 BCV points you can use the 150 OKW points at OKW and 50 BCV points at BCV with the 11 month advantage. You can't combine them. Once we are into the 7 month period when there is no home resort advantage you can just pool them all together.

It hasn't been done, but the 11-7 month advantage is not guaranteed and could be changed down the road. The paperwork allows for the home resort advantage to be as little as 1 month.

 

[POLLY ANN]

PAM, that 11-7 home resort is NOT guaranteed?!! Me, oh my! That's the ONLY way I plan my vacations! I can't imagine trying to plan to fly down there a month in advance!

Tell me I'm misunderstanding you??!! (And, sorry, I didn't read in between ALL the fine lines when we bought! lol)

 

[MikeScott8]

yeah I think you are misunderstanding a little bit. The paperwork, (I actually remember reading this part, and making a comment on it to my fiance) say in it the book ahead limits can change BUT the home resort people will ALWAYS have at least ONE month more to book than people from other resorts. it is GUARANTEED that members will have at least ONE month advantage in making ressies at thier home resort, but the current FOUR month advantage is not GUARANTEED.

An example (DISCLAIMER this is all hypothetical)

if they change the window so people can reserve rooms at thier home resort to 7 months then they would have to lower the window to non home reservations to 6 months as they MUST keep at least ONE month for people to reserve at hier home resort before other people can reseve.

Hope this helps explain it a little better. I didn't really have time to think about the example it was made up on the fly.

Mike

 

[mtdewhead]

How about adding points later to OKW. Can those be combined with the original OKW points for one vacation?

 

[MikeScott8]

Yes if you buy one reslae at OKW and later add another resale you can combine the points. The problem may lay in the use years if they are different, as you may not have points on one contract but the other contract just got your years points. It could get trickey keeping track of the two different points amounts and banking/borrowing and the like.

you can use the points from two resorts for one "vacation", you would have to book the home resort part 11 months out and then at the 7 month mark call again and try to get reservations at the same place. to ensure a place to stay, you can at the 11 month window book the one part at your home resort for each set of points, and then at the seven month point call again and check availability and if they have it cancel the one ressie and use the point for the ressie and link the two ressies at the one resort.

re-reading that I got confused a little (and I wrote it) so let me try to give you a simple example:

let say you have points at OKW and BWV (you buy two resales) at the 11month mark from your planned trip, you call and make a reservation at OKW for (let's say) 5 out of the 10 nights you want using the OKW points you have AND you make a ressie at BWV for the other 5 nights using the BWV points. So now you got the whole vacation covered (you may have to move, right now)

Now you are 7 months from your stay, you call and they have the 5 nights available at OKW, so you cancel the BWV ressie and make the OKW using the NON HOME points from BWV.
------------------------

Hope that makes sense

Mike

 

[spiceycat]

yes if you get all your points at OKW - you can use it for only OKW at the 11 month window. However don't forget the banking and borrowing - you can bank your BCV 50 points to 2003, in 2003 you get another 50 points - in 2003 you can borrow the 2004 points - so you have a total of 150 points to work with.

If you go outside the DVC resorts - at any time - all your points can be combined - for the cruises, concierge, etc.

besides I like having my points at 2 different places - I can make reservation in Dec for OKW and VWL at the same time!!!

 

[ncligs]

We also like having the 11 month window at 2 resorts (OKW-VB)
this way if my wife and I just go down, we can go to VB and have a nice quiet, relaxing time, and still only be 1 hr from Disney if we wanted to go there. We feel we have the "best of both"this way.

 

[Lyndarella]

So the reason people buy just a 50 point add-on is because they are planning to stay just a couple of nights at that resort and move during the week?

 

[MikeScott8]

well some people get 50 point addons if they go during times it is not busy a lot and it won't be a problem to get a ressie at 7 months. At least that's my opinion on another reson why someone would purchase 50 points.

Mike

 

[ncligs]

We did 2 add on's at Vb to give us 110 pts there. Right now we plan on going to VB every other yr. With banking and borrowing we have access to 220 pts every other yr. That is enough for a 1Br for a week at VB every other yr. On the oppisite yrs we go to OKW and get a 1 or 2 BR.The flexabilty is what makes DVC very nice!!!!!!!!

 

[EROS]

Unlike others here, I personally feel that having points at multiple resorts is a pain in the ***. Obviously, it does help to have the same Use Year. My life is tooooooooooooo complicated anyway; I look for simplicity in DVC. Of course, if you were to later buy enough points at another resort to allow alternating vacations year by year, then your hassle would be minimized. However, by buying small add-ons at other resorts, you're adding more hassle to your life. JMHO

 

[ncligs]

Eros,

We do have the same use yr at both resorts(Sep), so that does help. Plus we have most of our pts at OKW (300), and we can use all of ours (410) at OKW or Vb at the 7 month window, and shouldn't have a problem of getting a ressie at either. We never go at x-mas or Easter. But we do like having access to the Ocean every other yr, in the winter (jan-feb) if we want at VB.

 

[PamOKW]

I can't imagine trying to plan to fly down there a month in advance!

It's not that bad....I wasn't clear enough.

Right now, you can book your home resort at 11 months out and then have up until 7 months out when you are not competing with the rest of the DVC owners. In the fine print....this could be changed so that you would be able to book your home resort at 11 months out with no competition but then at 10 months all DVC owners would be able to book at all of the resorts.

About two years ago they sent out a feeler about shortening the home advantage. At that time they got enough negative reaction to drop it....but it's within DVC's rights to make changes. They can also stop or suspend banking and borrowing at any time.