Can you tell me if this would work? Banking/borrowing for a trip every 3 years.

[dkhillerud]

Hello,
I am looking at buying at the Grand Floridian for a trip in December every 3 years. The contract I'm looking at is for 50 points with a June use year. I am thinking I can bank the 2019 points, use the 2020 points and borrow the 2021 points for a trip in December of 2020. Is this correct? I would be making my reservation in January of 2020 so would only have the banked 2019 points available at the time of the booking. Is this fine since the trip would occur after June when that year's points would be available? Or do all points have to be available at the time of booking? Thanks for helping me understand! (I do understand getting reservations in December for the grand floridian is extremely difficult)

 

[CraigInPA]

The points have to be available when the trip occurs. So, if you want to book a December 2020, you can use the banked 2019 points, the current year 2020 points, and borrowed 2021 points.

Note that doing every third year will undoubtedly result in the loss of some points, as the number to book your accommodations will never equal the number of points you have banked and borrowed.

For others who may be reading this having a similar idea, not the original poster (who apparently understands resale):
Note that as a new member, you will not be able to buy a 50 point contract directly from DVC. The minimum contract for a new member is 100 points. You might be able to find a 50 point contract resale, but it would undoubtedly take you some time to find one with a specific use year, and it may not come with current year points which you can bank for a trip the following year.

 

[Sandisw]

Yes, you have it right on how banking/borrowing works. Everything is based on UY of travel and not when you call.
Trips can be paid for using banked points from the UY prior to travel, UY of travel, and borrowed to complete reservation from UY after travel,

So, since. Dec 2020 trip falls in your June 2029 UY, you can used banked 2019, 2020, and borrowed 2021 points.

As already mentioned, with this strategy, there could be some stray points that could go unused, unless your trip is exactly 150 points.

Good luck!

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

I seer two dangers in your strategy, although it will work.
1) VGF Studios are very popular in December. You have to be on your toes to get them.
2) If your plans change where you cannot go on your trip, you risk losing your points that are banked if you cannot reschedule by the end of your Use Year (May) . You would be able to bank the current year points to the following year. But you would not be able to “unborrow” the points from the next year. So you cancel your December trip, and are scrambling to reschedule by the end of May or you lose ⅔ of the points.

Note: In the event of a personal tragedy, Disney has been known to relax the rules on banking and borrowing, but you cannot count on this. And if you are subject to last minute cancellations due to work, etc. the every third year plan is really risky.

Having said all that, VGF is spectacular in December. We love going then.

Also, if you really want to go in December, consider a December Use Year. That way, if you do have to cancel, you have almost 12 months to reschedule your trip.

 

[CanadaDisney05]

For others who may be reading this having a similar idea, not the original poster (who apparently understands resale):
Note that as a new member, you will not be able to buy a 50 point contract directly from DVC. The minimum contract for a new member is 100 points. You might be able to find a 50 point contract resale, but it would undoubtedly take you some time to find one with a specific use year, and it may not come with current year points which you can bank for a trip the following year.

This depends on the resort. Resorts like SSR and & OKW have minimum buy ins of 50 points. VB & HHI is 75 minimum. Of course, without the 100 minimum points, you would not qualify for the "membership benefits"

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I am looking at buying at the Grand Floridian for a trip in December every 3 years.

As @miTnosnhoJ says, one of the biggest risks here is you want VGF in December, and will be working with a max of 150 poijnts, which is studio territory. There are 47 total studios, and some of them were sold as "guaranteed weeks," so are not available for owner booking even at 11 months.

Keeping in mind this survey was done in 2017-2018, this is the most optimistic view of VGF studios. We have seen demand and availability for early December get worse for nearly every resort as people realize they have to book early, and won't be able to switch at 7 months:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/p...drooms-june-2018-update.3689931/post-59393075
You're looking at potential gaps in dates even at 11 months.
Add in trying to use rolling 3 years of points, and you're at real risk of losing points.

 

[kboo]

1) VGF Studios are very popular in December. You have to be on your toes to get them.

Booking most standard category rooms at VGF in December, especially early December, is very hard, and I saw rooms being walked at 11 months, starting in November. Now if you were intending to bank/borrow 3 years' worth of points and intending to walk that, you would have very little cushion to walk through weekends, for example.

E.g. Say you want Sunday - Friday in a standard studio in early December. that's 17 points a night x 5 nights. But you'd have to walk through Friday and Saturday nights, which are 20 points a night. Also, you'd probably have to walk through Thanksgiving, which is 23 (Sun-Th)/27 (Fri-Sat) points per night. Once borrowed and banked, points can't be returned to their original UY. So you'd have to figure out very carefully to not to strand points that you aren't going to use in your final reservation. Also, if you were to book longer than 7 nights, I'm not sure even how you would try to walk that...

 

[10CJ]

I would not be comfortable with this plan. I think you need to go at least every other year to make it worth the effort. As others have said you run a high risk of losing points if you only go every three years.

I would also be concerned about having so few points at a resort the has high point requirements. I can only assume you plan to book studios. What happens if they adjust the point spread and the cost studios go up a bit?

Have you considered just renting points every three years?

 

[drusba]

Agree with comments above. If intent is to get a studio at VGF in early Dec every three years, be aware you may face failure -- for early Dec those studios can sometimes disappear right at 8 a.m. at 11 months out when you can first reserve; unless your computer communicates with Disney's quicker than others right at 8 a.m., failure in getting the reservation is a real possibility.

The leftover problem exists because there is no way you can make a studio reservation at VGF for any time in December that uses exactly 150 points; you will either have to use less or more, e.g., a week in a lake view studio costs exactly 148 points in early December, meaning if you make that reservation you will have two left over. And if I am reading and calculating right, there is actually no vacation at any time of the year in any single room you can make at VGF that uses exactly 150 points.

 

[Bruin_mouse]

Not to pile on, but I’ve looked very hard at a small contract for VGF and passed for the reasons cited by the above posters. Standard studios at VGF during the fall are difficult to come by. If that’s when you’re looking to use VGF points, I would buy enough for a one bedroom or look elsewhere.

 

[dkhillerud]

Thanks for all the good info everyone. You've given me a lot to think about/research further! I was intending to walk the reservation but it sounds like that isn't going to be as simple as I originally thought. I appreciate the insight!

 

[dkhillerud]

One more question, we prefer the 3rd week in December. Is that any less difficult to book than the first 2 weeks or is it about the same? I know for a standard studio the point requirement is the same and a lake view isn't much difference.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

One more question, we prefer the 3rd week in December. Is that any less difficult to book than the first 2 weeks or is it about the same? I know for a standard studio the point requirement is the same and a lake view isn't much difference.

Still nasty, because people who have been frozen out of the prior weeks shift.

Until point costs go up, VGF is hard, and you face the same problem walking.

 

[bakerworld]

We used this strategy when we purchased our original BC points - it takes discipline - which, I very apparently, do not have

 

[Networth]

You and many other VGF owners (including this one) want a room in early/mid December. You may not have a enough to walk and you will not have enough for a 1 bedroom. If its a financial issue I would look at a resort that is not as point heavy, and has a lower per point cost to buy in.