USE YEAR Pros/Cons??

[YoMickey]

I know its a system for disney to inventory the rooms or something like that but is one month better to own if you plan to travel or reserve during a certian time of year. No need to mention a specific month by name, just say the month you plan to travel in it is best to own a use year based on 1,2,3,4,5,6 months away from your use year...... You know what I mean? I hope I asked it right??

Thanks,
yo

PS I tried to use the search on the forum but found nothing. If it is already discussed please provide a link.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

If you plan to travel at a certain time of the year, it is best to have a use year that begins shortly before you travel. Sorry but I need to say a specific month to explain it correctly. But you can interchange any month you want.

For example; if you travel in October every year, a September or October use year would be good because if you have to cancel late, you would still have the opportunity to bank your points (you can bank 100% of your points in the first 6 months of your use year). Then you would have until the end of the following September to use the points, or if you bank them another entire year completely.

If you travel in September but have an October use year and have to cancel at the last minute, it's too late to bank your points and you would only have about 30 days to use them.

You always have 11 months in advance to make a reservation. Use year has nothing to do with that.

But will you travel the same way 25 years from now that you do today? For most of us the answer is probably not. What sounds good now may not work best in a few years.

HBC

 

[boatboatboat]

Once you have had the contract for a couple of years and the dust settles, IMO it doesn't really matter. Use years don't effect booking windows. Just don't start off your DVC ownership with borrowing and borrowing pts. if you do that you may get into a bind where you can't book a vacation until your use year comes up.

I would suggest if you ever buy a 2nd contract to make the use year the same for the sake of keeping things simple.

 

[Lora]

We didn't think at all about the use year when we bought and it looks like ours may not be ideal, but it works for us. We usually go to WDW in Sept./Oct. and our UY is Dec. I have never had to cancel a whole trip so I can see how that may be a problem. Our 25% banking deadline is Sept. 30, so that's been convenient to bank our unused points (not usually many) about the time of our trip. If I ever have a major cancellation, I'd have to reschedule quickly or rent immediately.

 

[boatboatboat]

lora is this because you are because you are always borrowing pts for your trip?

I think if you skip one years WDW vacations, and stop using points BEFORE you get them, you will find the UY will make no diff in how you plan and vacation.

 

[Lora]

lora is this because you are because you are always borrowing pts for your trip?

I think if you skip one years WDW vacations, and stop using points BEFORE you get them, you will find the UY will make no diff in how you plan and vacation.

I'm not sure how I left the impression that I borrow points. I never borrow. Right now my Oct. 2006 vacation is booked using Dec 2005 points. Sorry if I confused you. The scenario I was referring to would be this:

If I find out on Oct. 1st 2006 that we cannot go to WDW, I will have to cancel my 2006 reservations. It's too late at that time to bank any of my poins, so I would have to re-book a vacation by the end of Dec 2006 or rent my points to someone who was doing the same or I would lose them. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[RobDoc]

Simply stated, Use Year is when your points are renewed each year. It has no effect on when you can travel or make a reservation but it does determine your banking deadlines.

As noted by Lora, if you should have to cancel a reservation after your banking deadline, it could affect your ability to reuse those points. If cancelling wil be a frequent issue, it might be best to have a Use Year that begins shortly before you will usually travel. (ie- if you will travel in June- a June UY would allow almost a year to reuse any points returned to your account due a cancellation.)

I wouldn't worry about Use Year unless you normally have problems controlling last minute changes to your schedule.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

Use years don't effect booking windows. Just don't start off your DVC ownership with borrowing and borrowing pts. if you do that you may get into a bind where you can't book a vacation until your use year comes up.

I would suggest if you ever buy a 2nd contract to make the use year the same for the sake of keeping things simple.

This brings up a point worth discussing. It sounds like boat3 has a problem with borrowing. I for one believe that there is nothing wrong with borrowing DVC points. But borrowing DVC points is not like borrowing money. It doesn't cost anything to borrow DVC points. The worst that can happen is that in your last year of your DVC contract, you won't have any points.

How does borrowing points stop you from booking "a vacation until the use year comes up?" We already agree that use year has nothing to do with making reservations.

HBC

 

[zerb]

I would be afraid of booking last minute. If I usually go in Aug/Sept I would be afraid to have a UY of Aug and not be able to stay where I wanted to in Aug. I would rather have a UY a few months before (maybe Feb/March) to get the location I want.

Has anyone had trouble booking last minute? I always read about people on waiting lists. What months are the hardest to book? What rm type/location? I like to stay at VWL & BWV and usually rent 1 studio & 1-2bdrm. Would I be able to get a std view at BWV only 1 month out?

I am looking to become a member, but don't know what UY I want. The person I rent from now has Feb. This has worked for me so far.

 

[RobDoc]

I would be afraid of booking last minute. If I usually go in Aug/Sept I would be afraid to have a UY of Aug and not be able to stay where I wanted to in Aug. I would rather have a UY a few months before (maybe Feb/March) to get the location I want.

Has anyone had trouble booking last minute? I always read about people on waiting lists. What months are the hardest to book? What rm type/location? I like to stay at VWL & BWV and usually rent 1 studio & 1-2bdrm. Would I be able to get a std view at BWV only 1 month out?

I am looking to become a member, but don't know what UY I want. The person I rent from now has Feb. This has worked for me so far.

Use Year has NOTHING to do with when you can make a reservation. If you will usually travel in August or Sept- then August would be a perfect UY for you. If you needed to cancel a reservation- you would still be able to reuse those points thru July 31 of the following year or bank them if they were current points.

You would not need to make last minute reservations - unless that is how you usually make travel plans. If you can only plan 1 month ahead, you will find limited choices much of the year since you are competing with cash reservations direct thru Disney once within 60 days (any unreserved DVC rooms are turned over to CRO for cash reservations 60 days in advance).

If you'll never cancel a reservation, Use Year will not be an inportant consideration for purchase.

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

Would I be able to get a std view at BWV only 1 month out?

It is highly unlikely. Remember that use year has nothing to do with when you can make a reservation. You may not be given a choice of use years if you buy through Disney. You will probably get what they are selling at the moment. Use year matters very little in the grand scheme of things.

HBC

 

[zerb]

HELP! I must be missing something.
If I buy a contract UY=Aug and get XXXpts
If I get my first pts Aug 06', I can't make my reservations till I have my points, correct?? So if I like to go the last wk in Aug, I could not book my vacation till
Aug 1,06'.

 

[Boston5602]

HELP! I must be missing something.
If I buy a contract UY=Aug and get XXXpts
If I get my first pts Aug 06', I can't make my reservations till I have my points, correct?? So if I like to go the last wk in Aug, I could not book my vacation till
Aug 1,06'.

Zerb if you own DVC right now and you have Aug Use Year and you want to vaction last week of Aug 06 using Aug 06 points you can make reservations last week of Sept of 2005 , which is 11 months before your vacation. What matters with the points is that you have them available at the time of your vacation, you will be getting points Aug06 for it. I hope this makes sense!

 

[RobDoc]

HELP! I must be missing something.
If I buy a contract UY=Aug and get XXXpts
If I get my first pts Aug 06', I can't make my reservations till I have my points, correct?? So if I like to go the last wk in Aug, I could not book my vacation till
Aug 1,06'.

If you purchased a contract tomorrow with points available on August 1, 2006- you could make your reservation TOMORROW. Use Year has nothing to do with when the reservation can be made (home resort reservations may always be made 11 months in advance). The ability to make a reservation only depends on whether you will have access to the points needed at the time of the reservation. In this case, you will have points available on August 1 and can make that reservation as soon as you are a member. You could even make a reservation for next week by borrowing those points from your August, 2006 Use Year.

If you purchased from DVC directly tomorrow with an August Use Year, you would also get the points from August, 2005 to be banked or used by July 31, 2006.

I hope this helps!

 

[zerb]

Thanks everyone for clearing that up!!!

 

[CarolMN]

I'm not sure how I left the impression that I borrow points. I never borrow. Right now my Oct. 2006 vacation is booked using Dec 2005 points. Sorry if I confused you. The scenario I was referring to would be this:

If I find out on Oct. 1st 2006 that we cannot go to WDW, I will have to cancel my 2006 reservations. It's too late at that time to bank any of my poins, so I would have to re-book a vacation by the end of Dec 2006 or rent my points to someone who was doing the same or I would lose them. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

Actually, if you have to cancel that October 2006 vacation, you would have to re-book for a stay that ends on or before November 30, 2006. With a December use year, the points expire at the end of the following November.

Best wishes -

 

[Lora]

Actually, if you have to cancel that October 2006 vacation, you would have to re-book for a stay that ends on or before November 30, 2006. With a December use year, the points expire at the end of the following November.

Best wishes -

I wondered if I had that right when I typed it. That does make it kind of tight. Hopefully I won't ever be in that position.