Use Year

[twocjsmom]

My husband and I are looking into prospective resale purchases and are wondering about the importance of use year. How should we go about figuring out what might work best for us given the 11 month/7 month reservation rules. Also, have you found that you really need to book that far in advance at your home resort, and at others, do you really need the 7 month window. For now, we hope to make most of our trips during the lower seasons (this time of year, or early fall). Thanks!

 

[Granny]

Use year has absolutely nothing to do with when you can make your reservations. You make your reservations based on what points you will have available at the time of your stay.

Use year is the month that you receive your annual allotment of points.

Use year is usually only important if you cancel a trip within 30 days, because then you have only to the end of your use year to use them or lose them.

So if you vacation usually in December, for instance, you wouldn't want a February use year. You'd be better off with an October use year.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

What Granny said is true. I will add one more advantage to having a use year just before your normal vacation time: If you cancel prior to 30 days out, and can not use those points during that use year, you are still within your 100% banking window.
Those are the only two situations that I am aware of that use year matters.

Good luck...

MG

 

[Granny]

Originally posted by twocjsmom
Also, have you found that you really need to book that far in advance at your home resort, and at others, do you really need the 7 month window. For now, we hope to make most of our trips during the lower seasons (this time of year, or early fall). Thanks!

I forgot to respond to this part.

DVC "low seasons" and WDW "low seasons" don't always coincide. For instance, early December is a WDW low season, and a very high demand DVC season due to the low points.

And getting the EPCOT resorts (BWV and BCV) during the Food & Wine festival in October can be a challenge.

If you are going in January, or September, you shouldn't have much of a problem getting reservations with a shorter lead time. But you might find that owning DVC makes you want to plan out those trips a little more, if for nothing more than the fun of it!!

Good luck with your decision.

 

[Poorman]

Also if you want a standard BWV room, I believe it is a must to have BWV as your home resort. Not too often can you book a standard view at 7 month window.