Use Year hatred - I have to get this off my chest

[Splashboat]

One of our contracts is a December UY and I really dislike it immensely.
We take a lot of trips right after Thanksgiving. Every time I check availability it is really annoying to get that message that you are crossing over UYs and need to call MS.

 

[Dean]

September UY works like this:

2015: 9/1/15 - 8/31/16
2016: 9/1/16 - 8/31/17
2017: 9/1/17 - 8/31/18

Following that mini-chart, you can see that you'd be using your "2016 use year" points to travel in May 2017.

Except even a fixed week isn't always the same week. ABOUT every 5 years it shifts a week because week 1 (or standard timeshare calendar) has to start the first Sunday (for DVC) in Jan. I know of people showing up in Aruba thinking it was one week when it was another and of other people who had back to back weeks but different start days of the week where some years they're not back to back. This is likely more confusion for one who is having trouble with the UY concept.

 

[ScubaCat]

At least you don't have to worry about when or how you use your points though. You could just log in, see when your trip is, and go.

 

[Dean]

At least you don't have to worry about when or how you use your points though. You could just log in, see when your trip is, and go.

If one is that organized, they shouldn't have problems with UY either. The people who don't pay attention are the ones who will have trouble with either option.

 

[bristowe]

September UY works like this:

2015: 9/1/15 - 8/31/16
2016: 9/1/16 - 8/31/17
2017: 9/1/17 - 8/31/18

Following that mini-chart, you can see that you'd be using your "2016 use year" points to travel in May 2017.

shoot, after seeing this so many times, I finally clicked with your 'mini chart". hmmmmmmmmmmm, I have southwest tix that expire Nov 13 2016 so we want to go before they expire. Back to the drawing board! thx for the help!

 

[ScubaCat]

shoot, after seeing this so many times, I finally clicked with your 'mini chart". hmmmmmmmmmmm, I have southwest tix that expire Nov 13 2016 so we want to go before they expire. Back to the drawing board! thx for the help!

Or last trip was strategically taken to take advantage of southwest credit too. Funny how SW not being greedy and charging massive change/cancellation fees actually causes us to spend much MORE money ultimately.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

You could always buy a traditional specific-week timeshare (or a fixed week at VGF or PVB). Then you'd never have to worry about it as long as you travel the exact same week every year

Except that I can't always plan on being free the same weeks every year. Not to mention we like to try different places and do different things (and stay different times). I am one of the biggest abusers of "what's available next month?" because sometimes the world just sucks and I need a little Disney Pixie Dust to stop from going completely insane.

Except even a fixed week isn't always the same week. ABOUT every 5 years it shifts a week because week 1 (or standard timeshare calendar) has to start the first Sunday (for DVC) in Jan.

Okay - that completely boggles the mind. I thought UY was bad!

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Dare one wonder why there is no November UY or is ignorance bliss? I hate UY full stop I am forever asking DW so what points is this vacation using? She just rolls her eyes...

 

[supersnoop]

Dare one wonder why there is no November UY or is ignorance bliss?

There are only eight different use year months. They are us d to balance out demand.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

There are only eight different use year months. They are us d to balance out demand.

I see. Thank you. November didn't make the cut to the 8

 

[luckyman_apd]

I have June UY and it's not bad.....but if I could do it all over again I would have tried for February....except I bought resale......and the only one for sale at the price i was willing to pay was June....so maybe I'd be doing the same all over again.

 

[ScubaCat]

I have June UY and it's not bad.....but if I could do it all over again I would have tried for February....except I bought resale......and the only one for sale at the price i was willing to pay was June....so maybe I'd be doing the same all over again.

Funny, I have February and wish we had June. Too bad that can't be traded!

 

[starstruck93]

My UY year has never bothered me but maybe it's because I'm constantly borrowing into my next year. We purchased in Sept of 2009; I always have to make sure if I have any points left that they're banked by Oct. 31st. However, I never have any points to bank!

 

[DVC-Don]

Now we are retired and I have booked stays in every month. Life changes.

You got that right! When we first bought in back in 2000 we only traveled to WDW in January. Then it changed to late August due to the kids school years, now that the kids are out on their own wifey and I book all over the calendar now.

What I did was open an account in Quicken for each contract. When I got my points, I'd enter a deposit. When I booked a stay, I recorded an withdrawal. Only have one contract now, but I still do it that way.

 

[Dean]

Dare one wonder why there is no November UY or is ignorance bliss? I hate UY full stop I am forever asking DW so what points is this vacation using? She just rolls her eyes...

I don't think we know why but we can only speculate. I believe the starting one of Feb, 1992 was due to the projected opening. After that it's simply a guess on our part. Why 8 and not 6 or 12, no one here knows.

 

[bumbershoot]

This might be part of your problem: there is no November use year.

Okay, it's December. But that means it's really the end of November that the points expire, right? Which is kinda my point about the points... I think.

Wait... what?

Hugs. December seems SO hard. You definitely need to work out some written system that works for you.

any chance you could share a screen shot of your notebook? No problem if it is too private. We are waiting to close on a September use year with 2016 points, we plan to book a trip as soon as possible. Then for September 2017 points we want to go in May of 2017, does that work? Why I so confused. I think a board said you can use them bc they know they are coming?

Looks just like what scubacat wrote. Except for February.

September UY works like this:

2015: 9/1/15 - 8/31/16
2016: 9/1/16 - 8/31/17
2017: 9/1/17 - 8/31/18

Following that mini-chart, you can see that you'd be using your "2016 use year" points to travel in May 2017.

Bristowe...

Feb UY, 160 points.

I used a bunch of 2016 points for a February trip this year. I booked that, of course, in March of 2015. Using 2016 points b/c my UY started in Feb and the trip was in Feb! So in March 2015 (11 month home resort booking advantage) I made that reservation using points that were in my 2016 UY.

I banked the remaining 2016s into 2017 UY b/c I had no plans until at least February 2017. In March I booked, with those points (the ones I had banked from 2016 into 2017), another home resort trip in Feb 2017 for me and my cousin. So all of my remaining 2016 UY points were them gone, and some of my 2017 points as well.

Then we got crazy and decided to take a December 2016 trip pre-cruise. Uh oh! I have no 2016 points (once that can cover Feb 2016 through Jan 31 2017) left!

Since I had zero remaining 2016 points, I borrowed 68 2017 points for it. Then just today it was finally our 7 month booking date so I booked a couple nights ahead of that at OKW, to have a nice weekend with my extended family.

So here we are, in May 2016, and I have no 2016 and no 2017 points left. (oh and I had to get ONE one-time point for the OKW trip LOL)

Should we decide to travel in 2017, I'll have to borrow 2018 UY points. Should we wait until 2018, I'll have 2018 UY points AND I can borrow 2019 points. Should we wait until 2019, I can bank 2018, use 2018, and borrow 2019 points for that.

This is why you need a system, if doing it in your head doesn't work for you.

What I did was open an account in Quicken for each contract. When I got my points, I'd enter a deposit. When I booked a stay, I recorded an withdrawal. Only have one contract now, but I still do it that way.

Neat idea!

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

I don't think we know why but we can only speculate. I believe the starting one of Feb, 1992 was due to the projected opening. After that it's simply a guess on our part. Why 8 and not 6 or 12, no one here knows.

Thanks Dean. I could not help my mind from going to the same places as you! Why the 8? Did they think there would be 8 resorts? All open at different months? Is it just a figure plucked out to break up the years... I wonder if they have the ability to add months in the future.

 

[Dean]

Thanks Dean. I could not help my mind from going to the same places as you! Why the 8? Did they think there would be 8 resorts? All open at different months? Is it just a figure plucked out to break up the years... I wonder if they have the ability to add months in the future.

They could only add months by adding new "units" at existing or new resorts. But it'd be foolish to do so because of the issues it would create. My assumptions related to UY choices by the system originally was to allow phasing in of the buildings at OKW so they could start selling and start charging maint fees for existing buildings. Basically 8 to avoid 12.

 

[anna08]

I dislike UY because the resale contracts are hardly ever March. And I'm too anal to have contracts with different UY.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

They could only add months by adding new "units" at existing or new resorts. But it'd be foolish to do so because of the issues it would create. My assumptions related to UY choices by the system originally was to allow phasing in of the buildings at OKW so they could start selling and start charging maint fees for existing buildings. Basically 8 to avoid 12.

Interesting. Speaking of adding units...I am looking out for a thread on the new offerings on VWL if Disney do offer more points to buy. Wonder how this would work with expiry date, could you use the current VWL with this new point allocation etc discussion do you know of one Dean?