Two DVC members/one vacation/different home resorts

[AZKathy]

I need help from you creative and wonderful DVCers!

A co-worker and I are planning a trip in Oct 2003 to take another co-worker and her family on their first vacation at WDW. There will three families and 12 people. We are hoping to get a grand villa at OKW.

Well, DH and I own at OKW, and she owns at WVL. Basically we are putting 200 points and she will put 172 points for the 372 total needed for the week in the Grand Villa. How do you get the full reservation with her having a 7 month window?

I was thinking I could put the reservation (IF we can get the Grand Villa) on our 2003 points and borrow some 2004 points to complete the reservation. At my friend's 7 month window, can she, then, add her 172 points to the existing reservation and I can put our borrowed points back into our 2004 year? Does this make sense and can it be done?

One more question, I thought I read somewhere back a good way to get the Grand Villa is reserving one day at a time, is this accurate?

Certainly, if we can't get the Grand Villa, we have alternative plans for accomodations like a two bedroom with one or two studios, but we thought it may be very nice to try and stay in a Grand Villa if possible.

Thanks!

 

[Granny]

I don't know about linking two different members reservations like this....I think I've read here that you would need to transfer the points to your account and make the whole ressie. But I don't know that you could do that all at the 11 month time if the other points are not OKW.

What I am pretty sure of is that once you borrow points, they cannot return to their original year. Depending on your use year, and when the 7 month mark hits, you might be able to borrow the 2004 points, and then bank an equal amount of 2003 points at the 7 month mark if it is allowable under your use year scenario.

Good luck.

 

[Caskbill]

Transferred points still maintain their original Resort and Use month, so even if the points were transferred into your account, they could not be used for a reservation prior to their 7-month window.

You can borrow your 2004 points to make the reservation, but once borrowed, they cannot be returned back to their original year. Depending on the timeframes involved and your use year, if you are still within your full banking window, then you could keep your 2004 points in 2003 and use them for the reservation, and then bank your regular 2003 points into 2004. Remember points would then HAVE to be used in 2004. They could not be banked again into 2005, nor 'borrowed' and returned to 2003.

It can be done, but you have to watch your banking window. By the time you can use the VWL points at 7-months, you may have already passed your OKW banking window.

Another way is to just keep your OKW points (2003 and borrowed 2004) for the ressie, then have your friend transfer their VWL points (I assume they're 2003) into your account, and then you could bank those points into 2004 to replace your points. (I'm not 100% sure about this, and you should first check to make sure that transferred points could still be banked. I'm pretty sure banked or borrowed points cannot be transferred, but not sure if it's true the other way around. If you can't bank your friend's points, and you trust them, then you could just wait until 2004 begins and have them transfer the points then to repay you.)

Just be careful to keep track of those points' use year as they would have to be used in 2004 according to their VWL use year.

A side note, if you wanted, you could use those VWL points, now in your account, for an 11-month ressie at VWL in 2004. On the flip side, if you wanted to stay at OKW using those points, you would have to wait for the 7-month window.

Finally remember, you can transfer points into or out of your account only once a year. So for both you and your friends, this would count for both of you as your once a year transfer.

If you want to just wait for the 7-month window before even trying to make the ressie, then if you did get a GV, you could simply put both your points and their points together (They would have to be for an even number of days for each of you, you can't do a half a day and them do a half a day), and then link the ressie so you keep the same villa.

<b>Follow Up Edit</b>
I just found it in the member guidebook. Banked or borrowed points cannot be transferred, AND, transferred points can neither be banked or borrowed. So if you used your banked 2004 OKW points to make and use for the ressie, you would have to 'trust' your friend to repay you in 2004 with their VWL points, transferring the points at that time.

 

[Beth]

Caskbill.

I called MS a couple of months ago to get the "low-down" on transferring points.

Did you find this info in the "new" guidebook or the "old" guidebook. Reason I ask - I couldn't find it "anywhere" in the new book and, when I asked MS where I could find it in writing, they concurred that it "isn't" in the guidebook but, rather only found in the Public Offering Statement.

Wish the search engine was working!! I posted a report on my call with MS but, honestly, it was so confusing to me, I'm sure I can't recall all the details from memory accurately. One thing I think I "do" remember, though, is that they informed me that transferred points "can" be banked. At least, it seems like they could be "one or the other" -- either banked but not borrowed or borrowed but not banked - just not both. I seem to think it was banked... I recall this because I was very surprised to learn this detail - had no idea, since we're so used to the "once borrowed or banked, they can't be transferred" rule.

Anyway - just wondering if you could point it out in the guidebook.

Thanks!

 

[DebbieB]

I saved the August 2000 member guidelines in an acrobat file, I copied this over:

1) Both Members must be current on their Annual Dues and monthly mortgage payments (if applicable) in
order to give or receive a Transfer. Both Members must be closed on their contracts in order to
participate in a Transfer.
2) All Transferred Vacation Points retain the Use Year of the transferring Member and expire at the end of
the transferring Member's Use Year. The Member who is Transferring their Vacation Points to another
Member is still responsible for the Annual Dues payment on those Transferred Vacation Points.
3) Banked or Borrowed Vacation Points may not be Transferred.
4) Transferred Vacation Points may not be Banked, Borrowed, or returned to the Transferring Member.
5) If a Transfer occurs between Members from different Home Resorts, the Transferred Vacation Points
retain all the reservation rights of the Transferring Member.
· The recipient of the Transferred Vacation Points may use them to make a reservation at the
Transferring Member's Home Resort during the Home Resort Priority Period, or at other qualified
DVC Resorts after the Home Resort Priority Period or any other Priority Period that DVCMC may
establish.
· The recipient of the Transferred Vacation Points would not be able to use the Transferred Vacation
Points at his or her Home Resort until the end of his or her Home Resort Priority Period and any
other Priority Period (if applicable).
For more information on the Home Resort Priority Period and any other Priority Periods, please see
Chapter II, Sections 6 and 7, respectively.
6) Transfer requests may be made by phone, e-mail or fax and must be confirmed in writing to Member
Services. DVCMC will not assist Members in finding another party for a Transfer activity.
7) Members are expressly prohibited from receiving compensation for engaging in any Transfer activity.

 

[RobDoc]

Information about banking and borrowing may be found on page 26 in the new Member's Guidebook.

Borrowed points may NOT be transferred or banked.

Hope this helps!

 

[AZKathy]

Clear as mud!

So we need 372 points for our planned trip. I am going to use the remaining (borrowed some for our 2002 trip) 200 points for 2003 toward this. My friend had 27 points from 2002 she banked for 2003 and wanted to use her 150 points from 2003 and the banked 27 points towards this, but she can't transfer her banked 27 points to me, right? Sounds like she can only transfer her 150 2003 points to me?

Both of our use years are February. Now, if I borrowed 172 points from 2004 to make this entire reservation, friend could transfer 150 points to me. Now, at the 7 month window, can I convert her 150 points to that reservation and then bank my 150 2003 points to 2004?

ACK! Can this really be done? I think we may have to go to plan B for a two bedroom with one or two studios......those will be easier to make at a 7 month window.

 

[Candace]

AZKathy - aside from the obvious possible problems doing the actual booking, a whole week in a GV with two other families besides your own might be too much. I think I'd look at each of us booking at our home resorts 11 months out, and then your friend transferring her ressie to OKW at 7 months (or vice versa if you have enough points to transfer your ressie to VWL). Just my thoughts.........

 

[RobDoc]

Now, at the 7 month window, can I convert her 150 points to that reservation and then bank my 150 2003 points to 2004?

Just to add some more mud...

If your friend transfers the points to your account (or if you have your own non-home points from another contract), you may NOT be able to simply convert those points to the existing reservation.

It could be done if there is availability, but if others are on the wait list for the same accommodation, you may be denied the opportunity to used those non-home points for the reservation already made as it would provide an unfair advantage for those with more than one home resort (you would, in essence, be using non-home points 11 months ahead).

If there is no wait list, MS is usually happy to reallocate those points just as you describe. I'd just hate to see you go thru the transfer process and then end up not being able to use those points for the trip.

Good Luck!

 

[AZKathy]

Ahh, the wait list! Man! This is not as easy as I thought. Hey, I will convince my friend to buy a resale at OKW! HA HA!

Doc, are studios difficult to get at the 7 month window? We could get a two bedroom and a studio, shuffle a few kids here and there (two families have five in it and the third family is only two)...gotta head back to the guidebook for points now!