UY, How does it work?

[ILIKEWDW]

Hello, I am making the last questions, the last arrangements, the last doubts, before say YES.

That is why I have this question: We use to travel the most (now) during school classes (as our children are young), but thinking that DVC will give us vacation for about 45 years I must think in the best when children grow up and maybe it will be difficult to vacation during school.

By now, we use to travel the most in: March, April, September, October. But in a future maybe we will travel during school vacations like: July, August, and last weeks of December.

What could be the best option for me to buy respect to a determinated month? and how does it work?

I mean if I buy a membership bought in the lowest season (Adventure season) could I vacation in a higher season (like the Premiere Season) as easy as somebody who has bought in that season? or does she/he have preference over my reservation?

So, knowing that what could be my best option?

THanks

 

[maburke]

Use Year is when you get your points replenished, and it determines when you can bank those points (up to 8 months later). It has nothing at all to do with when you are allowed to make reservations. Adventure, Premiere season and all determine how many points a reservation costs you, but that has nothing to do with your use year.

You can make reservations 11 months out from check-in day at your home resort, and 7 months out at all the rest of the resorts. Those reservations use points based on when they take place, not when you make them. For example:

Let's say you have a March UY (which I think is best for you, all of the times you are talking would fall before your banking cutoff (Oct. 31) except for December). You can make reservations up until Feb. 28, 2009, with your 2008 points. Or you can bank (some or all of) them (by Oct. 31, 2008) and use them and your 2009 points to make a reservation that takes place 3/1/2009 until 2/28/2010. You can make that reservation in 2008, depending on the 7/11 month thing I mentioned above, but it uses the points effective at the time of the occupancy.

Hope that makes sense.

 

[ILIKEWDW]

Use Year is when you get your points replenished, and it determines when you can bank those points (up to 8 months later). It has nothing at all to do with when you are allowed to make reservations. Adventure, Premiere season and all determine how many points a reservation costs you, but that has nothing to do with your use year.

You can make reservations 11 months out from check-in day at your home resort, and 7 months out at all the rest of the resorts. Those reservations use points based on when they take place, not when you make them. For example:

Let's say you have a March UY (which I think is best for you, all of the times you are talking would fall before your banking cutoff (Oct. 31) except for December). You can make reservations up until Feb. 28, 2009, with your 2008 points. Or you can bank (some or all of) them (by Oct. 31, 2008) and use them and your 2009 points to make a reservation that takes place 3/1/2009 until 2/28/2010. You can make that reservation in 2008, depending on the 7/11 month thing I mentioned above, but it uses the points effective at the time of the occupancy.

Hope that makes sense.

That is what I tried to say, because if I have a September UY I cannot make reservation for July 2009 if I receive my points until end of August, or can I do it??? so people having an earlier UY receive points earlier and can reserve before me..... does it has sense??? or Am I being a doubter???? LOL....

 

[DebbieB]

That is what I tried to say, because if I have a September UY I cannot make reservation for July 2009 if I receive my points until end of August, or can I do it??? so people having an earlier UY receive points earlier and can reserve before me..... does it has sense??? or Am I being a doubter???? LOL....

Points do not "deposit" when your use year starts. They are already in your account to use for dates within that use year. If I look at my account online, points up to 2011 are showing. Use year has nothing to do with when you can reserve. If you have a September use year and want to make a reservation for June 2009, 2008 points would be current year (9/1/08-8/31/09), you could also use banked 2007 & borrow 2009.

 

[RobDoc]

That is what I tried to say, because if I have a September UY I cannot make reservation for July 2009 if I receive my points until end of August, or can I do it??? so people having an earlier UY receive points earlier and can reserve before me..... does it has sense??? or Am I being a doubter???? LOL....

Use Year has nothing to do with when you can make a reservation. You can always reserve 11 months in advance at your Home Resort and 7 months ahead at all other DVC resorts as long as the required points will be available at the time of the reservation. Points can be available thru a combination of banked, current and borrowed points.

For a July, 2009 reservation you can use points banked from your September, 2007 Use Year, points from your current September, 2008 Use Year and also borrow points from your September, 2009 Use Year.

A caution about July reservations with a September Use Year - if you cancel the reservation you would still need to use the points before the end of August, 2009 or they would expire. Depending on when you would cancel, it might not be possible to bank any of the points (if cancelled after April, 2009).

 

[maburke]

That is what I tried to say, because if I have a September UY I cannot make reservation for July 2009 if I receive my points until end of August, or can I do it??? so people having an earlier UY receive points earlier and can reserve before me..... does it has sense??? or Am I being a doubter???? LOL....

If you have a September UY, a reservation in July 2009 takes place in your 2008 use year (which goes from 9/1/08 to 8/31/09). The late UY's can be a bit confusing this way. The reason I said that a March UY would be good for your described travel is because, as Doc said, it's not desirable to travel regularly in the last 4 months of your use year. If you have to cancel that trip on short notice, you can't bank the points (because you're past the banking deadline), and you have to use them by the end of the use year, which doesn't give you much time.

Now, that is about WHICH year's points you use. As for WHEN you can make the reservation, everybody is the same -- 11 months before checkin at the home resort, 7 months out at all the others. It doesn't matter if the points are current right now -- it matters if they're current at the time of checkin.