Finally did it! Also a question about canceling reservations

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Just before leaving Orlando on Monday, we decided to visit the mock rooms at Grand Floridian. We loved the rooms, and one thing led to another...which ended up resulting in a purchase that afternoon. We can't wait to stay at our new home!

I just had a question about canceling DVC reservations. Say we use points from a June 2014 allocation (expiring May 31 2015) to make a booking for December 2015 (I assume this is possible). Then, sometime in June or July 2015, we have to cancel the reservation.

Are the points lost, since they'll be 'expired' by the time the cancellation happens? Or does their use period change?

Thanks in advance for the help. This isn't an actual situation we're dealing with, just a hypothetical that I'd like to understand (i.e. can points be used to make a booking beyond their 'use year', and what happens if you need to cancel after the use year ends?).

 

[Tom]

You own at GFV now? Awesome. We used our points to stay there in March.....wow.

If I understand your scenario correctly, you'd be banking 2014 points into 2015, then using them to book a 2015 vacation. If you cancel that vacation, I THINK you get the points back, but they can't be pulled back into 2014 again. Once you bank points, they're permanently banked. And then I think they expire with the rest of the 2015 points. I think.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

You own at GFV now? Awesome. We used our points to stay there in March.....wow.

If I understand your scenario correctly, you'd be banking 2014 points into 2015, then using them to book a 2015 vacation. If you cancel that vacation, I THINK you get the points back, but they can't be pulled back into 2014 again. Once you bank points, they're permanently banked. And then I think they expire with the rest of the 2015 points. I think.

Yep, the villas at GF were the tipping point for us. Oddly enough, I find the new building itself to be somewhat ugly on the outside (it looks flat and boxy from certain angles), and I'm sad that it was built over the beautiful beach between GF and the Wedding Pavilion. That said, there's no turning back now, and the villas themselves looked stunning (those walk-in showers!). We also loved the Mary Poppins motifs throughout, such as the penguin fountain in the lobby. Glad you enjoyed your stay there - I'm excited to try it!

Honestly, I'm not even sure I understand the scenario perfectly. If the points have to be banked in order to make that 2015 booking, then there definitely wouldn't be an issue. I just wouldn't want to lose the points completely, in the event that we need to cancel a reservation later than we'd like.

 

[Tom]

Yep, the villas at GF were the tipping point for us. Oddly enough, I find the new building itself to be somewhat ugly on the outside (it looks flat and boxy from certain angles), and I'm sad that it was built over the beautiful beach between GF and the Wedding Pavilion. That said, there's no turning back now, and the villas themselves looked stunning (those walk-in showers!). We also loved the Mary Poppins motifs throughout, such as the penguin fountain in the lobby. Glad you enjoyed your stay there - I'm excited to try it!

Honestly, I'm not even sure I understand the scenario perfectly. If the points have to be banked in order to make that 2015 booking, then there definitely wouldn't be an issue. I just wouldn't want to lose the points completely, in the event that we need to cancel a reservation later than we'd like.

Yeah, we had a 1-BR and it was incredible. The master bath suite - awesome. I agree on the exterior, but I don't have to look at it from inside the room

If you have points that expire, say, on Dec 1, 2014....and you want to use them to book a stay in July 2015....you have to bank them into 2015. They then inherit the 2015 "use year" and can't be brought back. I know that much for sure. Banking is permanent.

What I'm not 100% certain about is if they at least go back into your 2015 pool if you cancel that trip. I'm pretty sure they do, since they're still valid through that year. But be sure before you do anything.

 

[Tiggerish]

If I under stand your scenario correctly, those 2014 points would have to have been banked to make the 2015 reservation (pay close attention to your banking deadlines, they are important). Assuming they were banked, as long as you cancel the reservation more than 30 days in advance (which, using your example of canceling a Dec res in July, you're safe) those points go back into use, but because they were banked points, they would have to be used in that use year (I.e., using your example, before June 2015) or you would lose them.

If you cancel a reservation less than 30 days prior, those points go into Holding, and they must be used before the end of use year, but cannot be booked more than 60 days in advance. Holding is a real bind, avoid it if you can.

Welcome to DVC ownership!!

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Thanks again for the explanations - it sounds like we wouldn't have anything to be concerned about, as long as we bank on time and avoid canceling within 30 days (to prevent the holding account scenario).

Yeah, we had a 1-BR and it was incredible. The master bath suite - awesome. I agree on the exterior, but I don't have to look at it from inside the room

Great point about the exterior! And we bought enough points to stay in a studio for 4-5 nights each year, or a 1-bedroom every other year. Staying there every year would be nice, but that 1-BR is so tempting!

If you cancel a reservation less than 30 days prior, those points go into Holding, and they must be used before the end of use year, but cannot be booked more than 60 days in advance. Holding is a real bind, avoid it if you can.

Welcome to DVC ownership!!

Thanks so much! And for some reason, I knew of the holding account policy but didn't remember that those points can only be used to make bookings within 60 days of arrival. That does sound like a serious drawback, as I'm sure most resorts are booked solid by then (except maybe SSR, if traveling during a really slow period).

 

[Tiggerish]

IMO, once is all it takes to get caught in Holding, and then you never let it happen again. At least, that was my experience.

 

[dreamfinder]

Points need to be used by the end of your use year. So if you have an October use year, points need to be used by the end of September. 2014 points need to be used by Sept 30 2015. So in your case, your June 2014 points expire May 31 2015. You need to use them before then, bank them by the end of the 8th month of your year, or lose them. To use them in Dec 2015, you would need to bank your 2014 points, and then book them as 2015 points. If you cancel that booking, they remain 2015 points. If you are unable to use them before May 31 2016, you lose the points. You cannot carry them over again. If you used some of your 2015 points to book that trip, those points could still be banked, as long as you are within your banking window.

That is the main thing to consider when choosing use year. If you tend to travel during a certain period of the year, you most likely don't want that time to fall within the 4 months prior to your use year. If it does, and you need to cancel a trip, then you cannot bank the points, but instead must try to use them before they expire. IE if you want to travel in May each year, I would not suggest getting a June use year, as if you decide in April you cannot go, you really have no way to salvage the points.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

Points need to be used by the end of your use year. So if you have an October use year, points need to be used by the end of September. 2014 points need to be used by Sept 30 2015. So in your case, your June 2014 points expire May 31 2015. You need to use them before then, bank them by the end of the 8th month of your year, or lose them. To use them in Dec 2015, you would need to bank your 2014 points, and then book them as 2015 points. If you cancel that booking, they remain 2015 points. If you are unable to use them before May 31 2016, you lose the points. You cannot carry them over again. If you used some of your 2015 points to book that trip, those points could still be banked, as long as you are within your banking window.

That is the main thing to consider when choosing use year. If you tend to travel during a certain period of the year, you most likely don't want that time to fall within the 4 months prior to your use year. If it does, and you need to cancel a trip, then you cannot bank the points, but instead must try to use them before they expire. IE if you want to travel in May each year, I would not suggest getting a June use year, as if you decide in April you cannot go, you really have no way to salvage the points.

Thanks for the detailed explanation! I guess the point that originally confused me is whether your "use year" refers to when points are used to make reservations, or when they're used to complete a vacation. Now I can see that it's the latter, so it makes sense that you have to bank your points if you want to "use" them after the use year they come from.

Here's one new question I have: why does everyone say you don't want your travel dates to fall within the last four months of your use year, instead of three? I would think the fourth month from the end (i.e. August, if the use year is December) would also be ok, since if you cancel more than 30 days in advance, you'll be canceling in July and still able to bank the points. To me, it seems like September, October, and November would be the worst months to travel, as well as canceling within 30 days at any time of year (since that would impose the holding restrictions).

December is our actual use year, which should be good for travel from December-May. Now I'm just scoping out complications in case we plan an August trip with points.

 

[Tiggerish]

Thanks for the detailed explanation! I guess the point that originally confused me is whether your "use year" refers to when points are used to make reservations, or when they're used to complete a vacation. Now I can see that it's the latter, so it makes sense that you have to bank your points if you want to "use" them after the use year they come from.

Here's one new question I have: why does everyone say you don't want your travel dates to fall within the last four months of your use year, instead of three? I would think the fourth month from the end (i.e. August, if the use year is December) would also be ok, since if you cancel more than 30 days in advance, you'll be canceling in July and still able to bank the points. To me, it seems like September, October, and November would be the worst months to travel, as well as canceling within 30 days at any time of year (since that would impose the holding restrictions).

December is our actual use year, which should be good for travel from December-May. Now I'm just scoping out complications in case we plan an August trip with points.

My use year is also December! I think it's a good month. I've traveled to WDW in Feb, March, April, May, Oct, and Nov without incident. The one time I did get caught in holding, I booked a trip for the weekend before Labor Day (so within 60 days of arrival) and got Beach Club, so it worked out just fine.

 

[dreamfinder]

Here's one new question I have: why does everyone say you don't want your travel dates to fall within the last four months of your use year, instead of three? I would think the fourth month from the end (i.e. August, if the use year is December) would also be ok, since if you cancel more than 30 days in advance, you'll be canceling in July and still able to bank the points. To me, it seems like September, October, and November would be the worst months to travel, as well as canceling within 30 days at any time of year (since that would impose the holding restrictions).

You are correct that if you cancel in July you could still bank the points. I guess it's more trying to avoid having to cram a trip within those last 3 months of the holding period than anything else.

 

[DonaldDoleWhip]

You are correct that if you cancel in July you could still bank the points. I guess it's more trying to avoid having to cram a trip within those last 3 months of the holding period than anything else.

Got it. I'm hoping we can avoid the holding period completely, but I suppose that wouldn't be possible if something comes up suddenly.

 

[BigTxEars]

We saw the GF rooms on our DVC tour last month, they are awesome!

So when can I come over to your room at the GF and lounge in the tub and watch TV in that cool mirror thing ?